Chapter 617: Sudden Turn
Half a minute after the game resumed, the referee Rocchi blew the whistle signaling the end of the first half. The cheers and celebrations from the stands did not stop even after the whistle blew. Portuguese fans were ecstatic.
"Cristiano Ronaldo, the 33-year-old Portuguese captain, has scored twice to give Portugal a 2-1 lead over Spain at halftime!" Andy Gray shouted.
"Santos' Portugal has shown everyone their attacking football, especially with the second goal. The entire process was like a piece of attacking art—speed, dribbling, beautiful passing, shooting, and the follow-up shot left Spain with no chance!" said the excited commentator from Portugal's biggest sports TV channel, Abola TV.
In the Portuguese locker room, Santos was in high spirits, praising each player: "Great job! Very well done! Listen to the cheers from the stands and look at the Spanish players' lost and bewildered faces. They're stunned by our play."
"For the second half, we continue to play the same way!" Santos declared.
"Coach, does this mean we've got this game?" Bernardo Silva asked excitedly.
...
Everyone was stimulated by this question, looking eagerly at their coach. It was a simple math problem, and though they could all come to the same conclusion themselves, they wanted confirmation from the coach. It was as if hearing the answer from him would give it some special power.
"Yes, based on the score, we will be the winning side," Santos confirmed.
The locker room erupted in cheers.
"But, I want you not to think about winning the game. Don't overthink," Santos said sternly. "In the first half, we played well because we weren't thinking too much. We had no distractions. Now, we need to do the same in the second half. Focus on our game. As for the result, trust that fortune favors the prepared."
Some players listened, while others were still immersed in joy, thinking about winning the game. Santos knew there wasn't much he could do about this. People think and have their thoughts. At this moment, it was impossible for them not to think about winning the game. Santos could only hope it wouldn't negatively impact their performance or mindset.
...
In the Spanish locker room, the atmosphere was somewhat somber.
"Today is really strange," said center-back Piqué. "No matter how much we shoot, we can't score, but they score every time they shoot."
"Yeah, Isco hit the frame twice. Our luck is just too bad."
...
The Spanish players were discussing it. They weren't so much bothered by Portugal's two goals, which were impressive. What frustrated them most was their own bad luck. They had fifteen shots in the first half but only one goal, hitting the frame twice. Meanwhile, Portugal had seven shots and scored twice.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the first half," Hierro clapped his hands. "Although our luck was bad, it shows we don't have any issues. It's just bad luck. In the second half, as long as our luck improves a bit, scoring goals and winning won't be a problem."
Hierro was right. With Spain's strength and form, they had confidence in scoring and winning, provided their luck improved.
But one nagging thought lingered in the players' minds: What if their luck didn't turn in the second half?
Don't underestimate the psychological impact. If Spain missed another one or two sure goals due to luck, the players' psychological pressure and confusion would only grow stronger.
Hierro didn't adjust the lineup. As he said, Spain's 1-2 deficit wasn't due to their own problems but bad luck, so there was nothing to adjust.
Not only did the lineup not need changing, but the tactics didn't either. Spain's fifteen shots in the first half indicated they had no issues.
...
Before the second half began, Hierro consoled the somewhat despondent Isco: "Don't worry about it. No matter how bad the luck, you can't hit the frame three times. Let's go for it in the second half!"
Isco nodded gloomily. He was just frustrated, but the coach was right. Hitting the frame twice was unheard-of bad luck; it couldn't get worse.
The second half began, and Spain showcased their football.
In the 53rd minute, David Silva's set piece into the box found Busquets, who headed it to Costa, who scored, leveling the match.
This quick equalizer greatly boosted Spain's morale. Just four minutes later, Nacho volleyed from outside the box, hitting the post before the ball went in, making it 3-2 for Spain.
This time, the frame helped Spain, making the players jubilant. After being denied twice by the frame in the first half, this goal made them feel their luck had turned.
Portugal, on the other hand, was stunned by conceding two goals in quick succession. Their performance wavered, and Spain's dominance became more evident, continuously pressing on Portugal's goal.
This made Portuguese players anxious.
...
Portuguese coach Santos couldn't sit still. In the 67th minute, he made two substitutions: João Mário replaced Moutinho, and Quaresma replaced Bernardo Silva.
After the substitutions, Portugal switched to their familiar 4-3-3 formation. Bruno returned to his familiar attacking midfield position, João Mário and William Carvalho formed the double pivot, and Ronaldo, Guedes, and Quaresma made up the front three.
Santos was going all out!
Almost simultaneously, Hierro made a substitution as well, replacing veteran Iniesta with Thiago. Hierro aimed to strengthen midfield control, intending to solidify their lead.
"Both sides have made adjustments. Hierro has replaced veteran Iniesta with Thiago. For Portugal, João Mário and Quaresma have come on. Clearly, Spain wants to stabilize the situation and secure qualification, while Portugal, needing just one goal to equalize, sees a chance to turn the game around!" Andy Gray said excitedly.
(END CHAPTER)
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