Because many of the players were being selected for the Spanish national team for the first time, they struggled to adapt after arriving in camp, both to the tempo of international football and to the level of a competition like the European Championship qualifiers.
Many of these newcomers came from clubs that were not especially strong. Some did not play in the Champions League or Europa League at all, spending most of their time only in domestic league matches.
Gayà was one of them. Before joining the squad, he had already heard of Leo Lin's reputation. Although Leo Lin was still very young and was certainly the youngest player in the team, in terms of experience and standing, he was already one of the leading figures in this brand-new Spain side.
Apart from original captaincy members like Sergio Ramos, the more experienced Piqué had missed this call-up through injury, while Alba and the others could also be considered senior figures.
And since Leo Lin had won the World Cup alongside them, his status inside the Spanish squad had already risen to the top tier.
So after Leo Lin scored, he had originally wanted to rush to the touchline and celebrate with Rodri by bumping into him in midair. Rodri had been waiting eagerly on the sideline for a long time, only to turn and see Leo Lin grabbed by every teammate around him, then buried beneath their embraces.
Rodri ran toward Leo Lin with a smile. It looked like he would not be getting that midair celebration after all.
"From the way every Spain player reacted after Leo Lin's goal, what can you tell?"
Scholes asked Ashley Cole, but before Cole could answer, Gullit jumped in first.
"I can tell Lin's status in Spain is already very high."
"These new players, and the ones who don't usually get called up, all respect Lin a lot!"
Ashley Cole said, "Did I ask you? Why are you answering?"
"So what if I got it right? Are you going to pay me?"
Norway quickly carried the ball back. They wanted to play in the European Championship, and to achieve that goal, they had to beat opponents like Spain.
After play resumed, Morata worked hard to keep up with Leo Lin's rhythm, because Leo Lin carried the ball forward at tremendous speed.
Leo Lin also needed very little time to make decisions. Every pass and every through ball seemed effortless, as though he did not need to think at all. In Morata's eyes, Leo Lin looked like he was playing without thinking, but in reality, Leo Lin had already thought everything through in advance.
Leo Lin planned ahead, so once he began driving forward with the ball, he no longer needed to waste time scanning the field. That was how he brought the best out of himself.
The 40th minute of the match!
Norway's aerial approach had basically stopped working. Once the ball was moved into the front half, Ødegaard became Norway's only reliable possession point. He was the only player who could really hold the ball.
But Alba defended him well, stopping Ødegaard several times without letting him break through.
"Ødegaard can actually play as an attacking midfielder, but he really is a little slow. That's also why he has never managed to secure much playing time at club level. There are reports that Arsenal are interested in him."
"As early as three years ago, people were already calling Ødegaard a midfield prodigy. Three years later, another player known as a midfield prodigy, Leo Lin, has become a starter for Liverpool's first team and a key star for the Spanish national team."
"Meanwhile, Ødegaard is still getting most of his minutes with Real Madrid's youth team, with only a handful of chances in the first team."
Ødegaard's attempted breakthrough seemed to prove Gullit's point. Young as he was, he really did lack pace, and Alba won the ball from him.
Alba was experienced. After making the tackle, he first waited on the spot for Ødegaard to counterpress. The moment Ødegaard stretched out a leg, Alba suddenly accelerated, beat him, then carried the ball forward on his own before playing it straight to Asensio.
Asensio tried to cross from the wing, but he misjudged the power. Nordtveit got his head to it, and the ball flew toward the far post.
Gayà and Johansen fought for it, but in the end, Gayà used his strength to win possession.
Morata was in the box, raising a hand and calling for the ball. He wanted Gayà to cross it directly.
But that kind of forced cross, with such an obvious target, rarely led to a goal.
As Gayà hesitated on the ball, Rodri came forward to support him.
Gayà played it back.
Rodri received it and slipped a through ball in.
Leo Lin rushed into the box in front of Morata, met Rodri's through ball, and curled a low shot toward the far corner.
The ball moved quickly, skimming across the grass. From the overhead broadcast angle, the path of the shot looked almost like a diagonal straight line, demanding an extremely high level of shooting precision.
Because the ball had to be placed perfectly into the best spot at the far post. The slightest deviation could send it crashing against the post or rolling straight beyond the byline.
But for Leo Lin, precision was exactly the point.
Jarstein threw himself into the save, blocking off ninety percent of the scoring route. The only opening left was the remaining ten percent, and Leo Lin seized it.
Morata could only watch as Leo Lin scored his second goal right in front of him.
He spread his arms and charged toward Leo Lin, but this time Rodri finally got his wish. The two collided in midair in celebration.
Rodri lifted Leo Lin high into the air.
Leo Lin had scored, and Rodri had also recorded two assists. There was no way Hierro would overlook his performance now.
Hierro high-fived the coaching staff one by one. Xavi handed Leo Lin a bottle of water, while Zubizarreta quickly called Parejo and Jesús Navas over.
Although Jesús Navas had not been tested too much yet, Johansen was actually quite capable of providing assists.
"If Johansen gets a chance to cross, don't tuck in toward the middle of the box. I want you standing right in front of him. Stop him from curling the ball in and force him to loft it high instead."
Zubizarreta was rather worried about Jesús Navas's defensive ability. After all, Jesús had been converted into a right-back. The reason for setting up this defensive approach was to force Johansen into crosses that looked high but were actually slow.
That kind of cross would give goalkeeper De Gea more time to deal with the ball, while also allowing the Spanish defenders to judge the dropping point and clear it accurately.
The Norwegian players carried the ball back to midfield once more, but some Norway fans were already beginning to doubt them.
They did not believe their team could beat Spain. At least, not today. The gap in strength between the two sides was becoming more and more obvious.
Norway brought the ball back, of course, to leave themselves more time to equalize. But once play restarted, including the final minute of stoppage time, Gayà tried to break through down the flank and was brought down. The referee awarded a free kick in the attacking third.
Leo Lin stood over the ball. The angle was actually quite narrow, since it was on the right side. A shot from there would struggle to threaten the goalkeeper and might even fly straight into the stands.
But when Gullit saw Leo Lin standing in front of the ball, it was just like when Gerrard had stared into Leo Lin's eyes during the World Cup.
Gullit understood.
This guy.
This crazy football maniac.
This terrifying football lunatic.
He was going to shoot directly.
...
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