Chapter 1 The Championship

The sidelines.
Del Bosque gestured a few instructions to his players.
This midfield setup might not win in localized battles, but its overall suppression was top-tier.
For 45 minutes.
Even with Iniesta, Cazorla, and David Silva nursing old injuries, they could smother Croatia in the first half.
They were Li’s perfect super-wingmen.
Time ticked away.
Spain controlled the game.
As the opponent's harassment waned, the elite technical midfielders began to execute ever-changing triangle passes.
The soccer ball traced extremely precise lines across the green field.
The spacing between the red jerseys was perfect.
Cazorla, Li Kang, Iniesta, Busquets, David Silva.
A top-tier passing and control chain that even clubs couldn't assemble was finally shining on the World Cup stage.
"One-touch passing."
"Still one-touch passing."
"They're completely toying with the desperately pressing Mandzukic and Perisic."
"Li Kang's range of movement is terrifying."
"He always appears in the best spot, forming the most stable point in the passing triangle."
"Perfect passing routes."
"Exquisite passing strength."
"Sensible positioning."
"A wide field of vision!"
"He controls space and rhythm, more Xavi than Xavi!"
"Passing and control aren't dead...or rather, this is called passing and running!"
"If they keep playing like this, Croatia's stamina will be greatly depleted. They've already played two extra-time matches."
Livestream.
The barrage of comments flew.
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[Li Kang is too handsome. He's the representative of the 'total football and passing control system' of this era.]
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[The commander of the invincible fleet.]
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[A historical-level cornerstone for team building.]
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[Li Kang is the AdC (Attack Damage Carry), with Cazorla, Iniesta, Busquets, and David Silva hanging on him like four kittens.]
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[Mandzukic is being toyed with like a dog.]
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[Cazorla and David Silva are in good shape too.]
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[Why are the Croatians still running like crazy? Park the bus! If they keep getting toyed with like this, they won't be able to play after sixty minutes. They'll collapse!]
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[Parking the bus is a slow death! Don't be cowards! Fight!]
The Spanish players' morale soared.
The veterans seemed to have returned to the glorious years of 2010 and 2012.
The Matadors would use their most familiar method to return to the top of the world.
Off-camera, De Gea also shifted his position as the formation tilted and the defensive line moved forward...Of course, he had nothing to do during the autonomous attacking phase.
On the other side.
Croatian fans felt despair.
The tireless, frantically running Croatian warriors on the green field seemed to be attacking under enemy fire.
Subasic made high saves.
Mandzukic, toyed with like a puppy, still didn't slow down.
Using stamina and will to combat the soccer philosophy that had once dominated the world.
Fans all over the world were stunned.
Offense.
Passing and control.
Was that the essence of soccer's beauty?
Far away in Amsterdam.
Johan Cruyff's face flushed as he unconsciously clenched his fists...
His lifelong pursuit of soccer ideals had almost been realized at this moment.
A masterpiece.
The Matador commander on the green field was the ultimate masterpiece of the La Masia youth training system.
The nurses beside him were terrified.
As expected.
The next second.
Bang.
Cruyff heavily slammed the armrest of his wheelchair.
"How could they lose the ball?"
Saint Petersburg Stadium.
The passing and control framework was quietly shattered.
A huge sigh floated in the air.
Croatian coach Dalic finally showed a hint of joy on his calm face.
That's right.
Faced with extreme passing and control, the best approach might be low-block defending.
But.
The initiative of the match would be completely handed over to the opponent.
They couldn't sit still and wait for death.
Even if they died, they would die standing.
"Iniesta..."
"His brain thought of Modric's inclination, but his body couldn't keep up."
"The ball is lost."
"Croatia wasn't sitting still waiting for death."
"Modric seized the moment when Spain sped up!"
"The three Croatian players weren't stunned. They kept blocking like crazy, using running and stamina to resist what seemed like the strongest passing and control system on the planet."
"Counterattack!"
"The Checkered Legion is playing a Croatian Rhapsody."
It was as if a gust of wind was propelling the entire Croatian team's transition to offense.
In an instant.
Five players charged into the Spanish half.
It was hard to imagine that a group of soldiers in their thirties could still possess such terrifying explosive power and coordinated combat ability.
Modric got rid of David Silva, who wanted to counter-press.
Golden hair flying.
Body swaying.
Long pass.
The soccer ball was like a bayonet, piercing through the center circle line.
During the transition to attack, Mandzukic didn't continue to be an alternative wing pivot, but transformed into the most primitive "bridgehead" formation.
Leaning sideways, strongly blocking Busquets.
Receiving the ball.
Passing the ball.
All in one go.
Perisic also returned to his essential 'side knife' form.
His nickname was "Koko", meaning chicken.
His family ran a chicken farm.
Unfortunately, it was poorly managed and once faced bankruptcy, relying entirely on Perisic's wages from his youth to stay afloat.
His dream was: beach volleyball.
"Perisic is dribbling towards the wing."
"His passing is mostly average, but he has a special skill of crossing from the wing!"
"Cross!"
"Rakitic appears at the arc, arriving perfectly!"
"Shot!"
The Barcelona midfielder's shooting posture was impeccable.
Rakitic, who no longer had to be a workhorse, was about to show the world his long-range shooting skills once again!
Bang!
A smooth thigh with distinct muscle lines and shaved black hair stood in his way.
"Ramos's flying block!"
"Worthy of being Real Madrid's main center-back."
"The soccer ball bounced to Pique's feet."
"Don't be distracted, Strinic is pressing."
Pique didn't clear the ball with a big kick.
Instead, he passed it to Cazorla, who had returned to defense and was in a better position to pass.
The Croatians didn't waste time agonizing over and blaming each other for the failed attack. They quickly retreated, fighting for every bit of time to get into position.
It had been a long time since Cazorla had connected with Morata on a long pass in an official match.
Snap!
The characteristic of balanced feet wasn't just in dribbling and shooting, but also in balance control and instantaneous long passing ability.
Almost without clearly seeing Cazorla's passing action.
The soccer ball had already soared into the sky.
Falling towards the center circle.
Right in the area in front of Li Kang.
"Master connects with master."
"Spain's counterattack!"
"Modric, who was trailing behind the Croatian formation, also appeared near the landing point."
Modric seemed to have precognitive abilities.
During the team's transition to offense, he had already thought in advance about how to play the defensive positioning.
The soccer ball fell.
Li Kang and Modric clashed again.
Almost simultaneously pushing off the ground.
The two collided in the air.
The soccer ball lost control.
David Silva's support timing was perfect, appearing exactly in the landing area after the soccer ball changed direction.
Saint Petersburg Stadium.
Cheers rang out incessantly.
The gazes of more than 80,000 spectators in the stadium still hadn't left the Spanish number 6 and the Croatian number 10.
"No problem at all."
"Li Kang won this aerial duel."
"He and Modric got up almost at the same time and continued to sprint."
"There's a terrifying statistic, Modric, who is only 1.74 meters tall, ranks in the top three in this World Cup in aerial duels!"
"Croatia is in danger!"
"The king of the half-space, David Silva, "squeezed" the ball out in the double-team of Lovren and Vrsaljko!"
"Giving it to Morata on the right side of the penalty area!"
"Charging into the penalty area, adjusting..."
"Good opportunity!"
"He can shoot!"
"Oh, Modric turned into a defender and stuck to Morata in time! He's everywhere!"
"Li Kang has opened up space, can the ball be passed to his feet?"
Morata was annoyed.
The opportunity to shoot was fleeting.
He felt that Modric was even more difficult to deal with than a Premier League center-back.
He perfectly lost the angle to shoot.
And the opponent's defensive positioning also blocked his connection with Li Kang.
What kind of hexagonal midfielder was this?
Without lingering for too long.
Morata flicked the ball back with his heel.
Snap.
David Silva once again appeared in the most perfect supporting position.
The Manchester City magician touched the ball with one foot, a lob pass.
The soccer ball lifted off the ground, lightly bypassing the head of Croatian defender Vida.
Left side of the penalty area.
Li Kang took three steps, adjusting his posture.
His right foot rose high.
Bang!
The falling soccer ball seemed to be imbued with immense power at this moment!
The next moment.
Goalkeeper Subasic only saw a flash of black. Powerless.
The Croatian net was thrown high.
1:0!!!
Saint Petersburg Stadium erupted.
"Beautiful!"
"Goal!"
"Li Kang zone, volley! Breaking the deadlock!"
"An impeccable shooting action."
"Perfect!"
"Too perfect!"
"A perfect shot that combined power and arc, leaving Subasic unable to react in the slightest!"
"Assist from David Silva's lob pass."
"A perfect connection!"
"Morata's role as a pivot in this attack was also very obvious."
"Modric...tried his best."
Li Kang and David Silva high-fived and hugged.
He casually patted the other's bald head.
It had to be said that the Blue Moon midfielder's hairstyle was very similar to Guardiola.
Teammates ran up one after another to join the celebration.
Morata kept waving to the stands, signaling the fans to cheer even louder.
The hard-won goal boosted the morale of the Matador Corps.
On the other side.
Modric lay on the grass for a few seconds, then got up again, with no pessimistic or negative emotions on his face.
Livestream.
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[Ninth goal in a single World Cup!]
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[David Silva could have shot himself, but the angle wasn't good enough, so he passed it to Li Kang, who was in a better position.]
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[Top-notch supporting awareness.]
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[Ramos's block was key, Pique's passing was sensible, Cazorla's counterattacking long pass was precise, and fortunately, Li Kang won the aerial duel with Modric.]
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[If this group of technical midfielders were seven or eight years younger, it's unimaginable how many years they could have dominated the soccer world.]
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[Is Iniesta cramping up? The team doctor is on the field.]
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[Cazorla and David Silva's skill bars are also empty. Croatia has been forcing them to speed up, and their bodies can't handle it.]
The sidelines.
The Spanish substitutes huddled together.
Mignano was overjoyed.
But Del Bosque's smile contained a hint of gloom.
He seemed to have realized that it would be difficult to use a snowballing advantage to defeat the Croatia in front of him.
On the other side.
Croatian coach Dalic still had an expressionless look on his face.
As if his team wasn't behind.
"The Spanish midfield has shown signs of fatigue, we still have many opportunities."
Far away in Munich.
Beckenbauer and a group of legends were sitting on the sofa, applauding and cheering for Li Kang's goal.
"Modric's performance is also excellent."
"His range of movement, attacking drive, organizing connections, defensive interceptions...too perfect."
"Yeah, very much like Cruyff back then."
"The first perfect representative of the total football system, one person is a central axis."
"This kid wasn't guided by any famous coaches during his growth, and he wasn't born into any great school of thought, but after being tempered by different leagues and different tactical styles, he stumbled upon the ultimate answer to total football."
Also like Cruyff in defensive situations?
Wasn't that a bit of a stretch?
Cruyff didn't have Modric's stamina.
The younger generation of German legends didn't quite understand.
"Terrier" Vogts hesitated and added, "It's a bit like it, young Cruyff's interception ability was very strong, even smarter than the current Busquets."
Beckenbauer smiled and nodded contentedly.
Saint Petersburg Stadium.
Beep! Beep, beep.
"The referee has blown the whistle to end the first half."
"The temporary score is 1:0."
"The intense 45 minutes have come to an end, let's take a short break, see you in fifteen minutes!"
"Next up is a commercial break: Durex, the safe sports protection brand, reminds you..."
In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Durex's advertising copy also became a hit.
They were always able to release posters as soon as the match started:
When you enter, it's better to be straightforward. (Opening goal.)
Use skillful techniques to welcome the 227th climax (Neymar scores Brazil's 227th World Cup goal in history).
No matter how many times, break through your penalty area, still want to go in again. (Kane scores twice.)
Choose the hard one. (Two players' physical confrontation.)
Sprint hard, break through the obstacles. (Single-handed goal)
Spanish locker room.
Iniesta and Cazorla's condition was not optimistic.
One had only 60 minutes of stamina, and had just been forced to cramp by Croatia at the end of the first half.
The other had hidden injuries and couldn't handle multiple confrontations.
Del Bosque wasn't celebrating the lead. The tactical goals of the first half hadn't been fully achieved. Croatia was more tenacious than he had imagined. He would have to replace two players during the halftime break... If the match was dragged into extra time, the consequences would be dire.
Moving the magnetic flags on the tactical board, he said:
"The Croatians' autonomous offense is simple."
"They repeatedly use mismatched transfers and oblique passes, trying to break through the gaps in our defense."
"In the final stages of the first half, they gradually shifted resources to the two wings, wanting to conduct more concise return runs by bypassing our midfield."
"We can't continue to be confined to passing and control!"
"We have to seize the problem of Croatia's midfield and defense being disconnected and create threats in a more concise way!"
There was no other choice.
Two of the generals who were good at playing passing and control were about to be replaced.
Croatian locker room.
Very quiet.
There was no sign of any frustration.
Logically speaking, there were always unstable guys in the 23-man roster.
But those guys had been kicked off the team by coach Dalic, even during the knockout stage.
The coaching staff quickly analyzed the problems that the Spanish team had exposed in the first half.
No pep talks.
Instead, they wanted to unify the players' thinking on both the attacking and defensive ends.
They wanted to win the match with the most pragmatic and objective attitude.
Finally.
Modric gave each of his teammates a high-five.
His eyes were full of confidence.
The fifteen-minute break quickly ended.
The players from both sides returned to the green field.
Saint Petersburg returned to its hustle and bustle.
"Good evening, audience friends, welcome back."
"Now broadcasting live is the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia."
"The second half of the match between Spain and Croatia."
"Del Bosque made the first substitutions!"
"Two substitutions in one breath?"
"Koke replaces Iniesta."
"Saul replaces Cazorla."
"The appearance of the Atletico Madrid twins may allow the team to play in a different style."
"In this way, Spain's formation may also become 4-4-1-1."
With the referee's whistle.
The second half of the match began.
Spain's possession.
Morata kicked off and passed back to Pique.
This time Pique wasn't distracted and passed it to Carvajal, who had moved forward on the wing.
"The start of the attack..."
"No start, Carvajal passed it back."
"Leading by one goal, no need to rush."
"Croatia, who are behind, are pressing more and more fiercely."
"Koke's spinning move to get rid of the defender is very essential. He was very thin as a teenager and was known as Xavi's successor."
Time passed slowly.
Faced with Croatia, who were going all out, it was difficult for Spain to maintain the stability of their passing and control.
Passing and control is a form of defense.
Control possession after taking the lead, save energy.
Unfortunately, in local spaces, it was as if Croatia had one more player.
The Croatians used pragmatic running coverage to resist the incomplete version of the passing and control system in terms of the situation.
Modric tirelessly ran back and forth.
Even though he repeatedly lost in his matchups with Li Kang, he still kept switching roles according to the frequency of the battle situation, helping his teammates establish local advantages.
On the one hand, he gestured to command.
On the other hand, he personally charged into battle.
Trying his best to change the course of the match.
68th minute of the match.
Croatia seized an opponent's passing mistake, successfully奪下ball possession, and launched a counterattack!
Modric didn't pass the ball immediately.
He advanced solo again.
Helping his teammates attract defense, then reallocating resources.
"Wow!"
"A little flick and push on the outside of his right foot!"
"Separating the ball from his center of gravity."
"Making it difficult for Koke and Busquets to make a steal!"
"He is again using this concise and elegant style of play to successfully help his team gain an advantage."
The red and white checkered stands of Saint Petersburg sang loudly.
When the sun kisses his soil.
When the wind blows his oak.
When heaven calls away his love, his heart still beats for Croatia.
It was as if the Croatian players had gone berserk under the blessing of the song.
Right side of the Spanish penalty area.
Vrsaljko and Rebic completed a wonderful overlapping play.
Azpilicueta reacted quickly, turning around and quickly tucking inside.
In an instant.
Croatia opened up the width of the fan, with multiple attacking points forming a siege.
Even defender Lovren charged into the opponent's penalty area.
This Liverpool player's World Cup journey was depressing. He unintentionally drank a bottle of "Red Bull" during the match, but the official energy drink sponsored by the World Cup was powerade, leading to FIFA fining him 470,000 RMB.
"Vrsaljko's cut-back."
"Mandzukic passes back."
"Counter-run again."
"Modric's through pass, the timing is perfect!"
"Mandzukic passed through the opponent's defense!"
"This ball is in!"
"Oh!"
"The Croatian striker failed to put power on the ball under interference."
The singing in Saint Petersburg stopped abruptly.
De Gea held the ball firmly, then got up and signaled the formation to move forward.
He sensed that his teammates were very tired.
They had been dragged very tired by Croatia in this second half.
Soccer is a team sport. Even if Li Kang's single-player ability was strong, it would be difficult to form a threat without enough off-ball running, passing connections, and supporting plays in the middle and front of the field.
The Manchester United goalkeeper didn't understand:
Why didn't this group of Croatian veterans look tired at all?
They should have been more tired.
What was supporting their fighting faith?