Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 538: A 3:1 Victory Against Germany

Not long after the second half started, the game took an unexpected turn.

First, Sami Khedira was injured while defending and had to leave the field, forcing Germany to make a substitution.

Then, shortly after Bastian Schweinsteiger came on for Germany, he injured Andrés Iniesta with a tackle, causing Spain to make a substitution earlier than planned.

Neither team had expected these incidents, but they triggered a chain reaction.

Schweinsteiger, a versatile and tireless player, was known for his all-around skills.

When attacking, he could break through defenses, make tackles, organize attacks, and even score goals himself.

In defense, he would cover the entire field, displaying immense fighting spirit and energy.

After bringing him on, Löw adjusted Germany's formation.

During attacks, Germany pushed their entire lineup forward, with the defense moving up near the halfway line.

Neuer, utilizing his "sweeper-keeper" style, positioned himself just behind the center circle to act as a last line of defense.

The advantage of this tactic was that it allowed Germany to commit more players to the attack, maintain possession, and increase pressure on Spain.

However, there was a significant downside—the goalkeeper and defenders were positioned too high, leaving a large gap behind them.

If Spain counterattacked with speed, Germany's goal would be in serious danger.

For this tactic to work, a defensive midfielder was needed to shield the backline.

That responsibility fell to Schweinsteiger, who had exceptional stamina and could run all game long.

In fact, he once ran 15 kilometers during an extended match.

Although he was older now and perhaps not as fit as he used to be, Schweinsteiger had only just come on, and if he only needed to play for one half, his stamina would be more than enough to keep up.

With Schweinsteiger constantly running and providing defensive cover, Germany had a numerical advantage in both attack and defense.

This placed tremendous pressure on Spain's defense.

Shortly after the second half began, Germany nearly equalized—an opportunity created by Schweinsteiger.

Spain's coach, Vicente del Bosque, grew more serious.

With Schweinsteiger on the field, Germany's attacks became sharper.

Not only that, with Schweinsteiger handling the defensive duties, Kroos and Reus were free from defensive responsibilities and could focus entirely on attacking.

Schweinsteiger himself was also a threat, often making well-timed runs to join the attack.

Spain's defensive system struggled to cope with these sudden attacking runs.

It wasn't that Spain hadn't prepared for this type of play, but this "box-to-box" style required an incredible level of fitness that few players could sustain for long.

But Schweinsteiger, only needing to play the second half, could maintain this intensity.

In the 53rd minute, Germany launched another dangerous attack.

Reus passed to Mario Gómez, who was holding the ball with his back to goal.

Gómez cleverly passed to the lurking Thomas Müller, who sped into the box and took a shot just before Sergio Ramos could close him down.

Unfortunately for Müller, he mishit the ball, and it was easily collected by Casillas.

Although Germany didn't score, their threat was becoming evident, making del Bosque uneasy.

Del Bosque quickly called over Koke, who had just come on, and instructed him to keep an eye on Schweinsteiger.

Koke nodded resolutely and took on this assignment.

But with Koke focused on marking Schweinsteiger, Germany's right winger, Joshua Kimmich, began to become more active.

Kroos, with his excellent vision, noticed the opportunity on the right and repeatedly passed the ball into that area, targeting the space behind Koke and forcing Spain's defensive line to shift, creating opportunities for Müller.

"This tactic feels strangely familiar..."

Pep Guardiola, watching from the stands, began to realize something was off.

Löw's tactics resembled the strategies Guardiola had used while coaching Bayern Munich.

With so many Bayern players in Germany's squad, it was possible that Löw had copied Guardiola's playbook.

Guardiola couldn't help but wonder, "Didn't Germany say they wanted to return to their traditional style? Why are they using my tactics now?"

After Germany's failure in the World Cup, there was widespread reflection, and the conclusion was that German football needed to forge its own path rather than copy others.

This led to a fallout between Guardiola and Bayern, eventually resulting in his departure.

Bayern was too important to German football, so it wasn't surprising that Guardiola had been let go.

But now, after all that, Germany was using the very tactics he had introduced, which didn't sit right with him.

"This system has its risks, though, and the biggest one is Schweinsteiger," Guardiola thought.

"Let's see if del Bosque picks up on it."

Guardiola was confident that del Bosque, with his experience, would figure it out soon.

Löw, pleased with how Schweinsteiger had reinvigorated the team, decided to press his advantage by making another substitution.

He replaced Hector with André Schürrle.

Schürrle, nicknamed "Schü Three More" for his ability to create chances, take long-range shots, and attempt dribbles, was both praised and criticized.

In simple terms, he was known for taking lots of shots but missing most of them, crossing often but inaccurately, and attempting many dribbles with a low success rate.

However, Schürrle's greatest asset was his speed.

Given his poor finishing and shooting ability, Löw clearly wasn't planning to have Schürrle cut inside and take shots.

Instead, his job was to use his pace to break through Spain's defense and then pass the ball to a teammate.

Spain's defense wasn't particularly strong on the wings, and with Germany struggling to penetrate the center, attacking down the flanks was their best option.

Schürrle didn't disappoint. Immediately after coming on, he used his energy and speed to make a breakthrough and deliver a cross from the wing.

While his dribble was impressive, the quality of his cross was abysmal.

Gómez tried to make a run into the box, but Schürrle passed the ball straight to Casillas.

It was hard to tell whether Schürrle had been trying to pass or shoot—it was just that bad.

Even though Schürrle's cross was terrible, Gómez still gave him a thumbs-up, encouraging the attempt despite its poor outcome.

After all, the effort was there, and his dribbling had been excellent. This kind of direct play was exciting to watch, similar to why fans loved watching Gareth Bale.

Seeing Germany make their second substitution, del Bosque responded by making his own change, but instead of a defensive player, he brought on an attacker—Pedro.

This move caused quite a stir among the fans and commentators:

"Del Bosque is really going all in against Germany!"

"Germany brought on Schürrle to bolster their attack, and del Bosque responded by bringing on Pedro to do the same. Both players are fast wingers, and they're on the same flank! This is going to be exciting!"

Löw hadn't expected del Bosque to be so aggressive, essentially choosing to match Germany's attack with one of his own.

But would this strategy leave Spain's defense too exposed?

Germany had been attacking fiercely, and Spain's defense was already under a lot of pressure.

Ramos and Jordi Alba had both picked up yellow cards for fouls, further weakening an already shaky defense.

However, Germany wasn't having it easy either.

After Pedro came on, Spain deliberately gave him the ball, allowing him to use his speed to exploit the gaps in Germany's defense.

With Germany's defensive line pushed so far forward, every Spanish counterattack became a serious threat.

Schweinsteiger was the busiest man on the pitch, constantly running back and forth.

In the 72nd minute, Spain successfully defended an attack, and Casillas launched a counter with a quick throw.

This time, instead of attacking down the right, Spain moved the ball to the left.

Lin Quan received the ball and sprinted down the wing toward Germany's half.

Schweinsteiger tried to chase him down, but Lin Quan kept gaining speed, soon running out of his reach.

Left with no choice, Schweinsteiger fouled Lin Quan from behind, shoving him to the ground.

The referee had no hesitation in showing Schweinsteiger a yellow card.

"Lin, are you okay?"

Schweinsteiger, displaying good sportsmanship, helped Lin Quan up after ensuring he wasn't hurt.

It had been a tactical foul—a yellow card in exchange for stopping a potential goal-scoring opportunity.

Both Schweinsteiger and Löw felt it was worth it.

But soon, they realized they had made a mistake.

After Schweinsteiger received the yellow card, Spain immediately shifted their focus to attacking his side of the field.

From the 75th minute onward, every Spanish counterattack ended up with Lin Quan.

Sometimes, Lin would swap positions with Pedro to use Pedro's speed to tire Schweinsteiger.

You think you can run all game?

Fine, we'll run you into the ground!

The plan worked. Within a few minutes, Schweinsteiger had made several sprinting runs, rapidly exhausting his energy.

Despite only being on the field for less than 30 minutes, he was already out of breath, bending over to catch his breath.

Seeing this, Löw began to worry.

Schweinsteiger had always been known for his endurance, but now he was struggling to keep up.

Schweinsteiger himself was frustrated.

It wasn't just defending that had tired him out—it was the constant need to run up and down the field.

Every time he joined an attack, Spain would counter quickly, forcing him to sprint back as fast as possible.

Running from one penalty area to the other repeatedly would tire anyone out.

And to make matters worse, Schweinsteiger had to be careful in his defensive duties because of the yellow card.

One wrong move could see him sent off, and Germany, already behind, couldn't afford to go down a man.

As Schweinsteiger's stamina quickly dwindled, his influence on the game waned.

His runs into the box became less frequent, and with fewer players involved in the attack, Germany struggled to maintain their advantage in numbers.

Without that advantage, their attacks became less effective.

After using his third and final substitution to replace the yellow-carded Ramos, del Bosque's defense stabilized.

Even though Spain's current squad wasn't as strong as the one from a few years ago, they still remained one of the toughest teams to break down, even for a team as strong as Germany.

As the match neared its conclusion, Germany became increasingly desperate.

Neuer even crossed the halfway line, almost ready to join the attack himself.

But with Germany's formation pushed so far forward, Spain had a perfect opportunity to counterattack.

In the 88th minute, as the match neared its end, Spain launched a quick counterattack down the flank.

Pedro, noticing how far off his line Neuer was, decided to try an audacious long-range lob.

His shot came from more than 40 meters away from goal.

Neuer, realizing what was happening, sprinted back toward his goal, but there was no way he could outrun the ball.

Before he could get back in position, Pedro's shot sailed into the net, making it 3:1.

With Pedro's goal, Spain had effectively sealed their victory.

This goal dealt a devastating blow to Germany's morale, and they failed to organize any more meaningful attacks.

The referee, seeing that both teams had lost their fighting spirit, blew the final whistle before injury time had even run out.

In the end, Spain won 3:1, advancing to the semifinals thanks to goals from Ramos, Lin Quan, and Pedro.

This victory hadn't come easily.

Germany had dominated large portions of the match and had put Spain under significant pressure.

Had they taken more of their chances, the result could have been very different.

While Spain wasn't as invincible as they had been a few years ago, they still remained one of the best teams in the world.

(End of Chapter)

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