Chapter 534: Sorrow and Joy (Daily Transition)

The 86th minute of the match.

The fourth official raised the substitution board on the sideline.

"Spain will make two consecutive substitution adjustments."

"Āsīpílìkuītǎ replaces Āěrbā."

"Diégēkēsītǎ replaces Mòlātǎ."

"From the substitution tendency, perhaps Bósīsīkè realized he could no longer control the match by playing long balls."

"Well, not long balls, but possession play!"

"In the last few minutes of regular time, it's a test of will."

Āěrbā was exhausted, walking off the pitch a bit slower.

Āguīluó and Yīguāyīn hurriedly helped him down.

Āgéntíng fans gazed at the LED screen overhead showing the 2:1 score and the little time left, unable to help feeling extremely anxious.

Taking advantage of this time.

Mǐníyànuò let Li Kang go to the sideline to eat two bites of banana and drink water.

Li Kang did not expend too much energy to maintain the deconstruction of God's perspective.

Because Āgéntíng's attacking chain was too simple.

But even if it were simple, the attacking group of Méixī, Dímǎlìyà, Yīguāyīn, and Āguīluó still possessed a very strong threat.

Mǐníyànuò was full of confidence: "Méixī's total number of passes completed is high, but it shows that Āgéntíng's advancement and penetration have a very big problem; as long as we cut off the connections between his several attacking points."

He said, saying.

He suddenly realized: Li Kang's individual statistics in this match were also very high. Āgéntíng's problem could likewise be applied to Xībānyá.

Mòlātǎ walked to the sideline and bumped fists and embraced Diégēkēsītǎ.

The latter crouched down, patted the turf, quickly stepped onto the pitch, and immediately gestured several signals, conveying the coaching staff's adjustments to teammates.

The match resumed.

Méi'ěrkǎduō threw in a throw-in.

Dímǎlìyà shook off Sàwū'ěr's entanglement, received the ball and quickly passed it to the central Méixī.

The stands on all sides again surged with waves of shouting.

The final moments.

Every time Āgéntíng's number 10 got the ball, it was their last hope.

"Méixī is coming again."

"Méixī made the standard 'Méixī shoulder dip', shaking past Bùsīkècí's club teammates who couldn't keep up with his rhythm."

"Méixī forced a breakthrough into the middle!"

"Xībānyá can't let Méixī get past!"

"Méixī passed the ball!"

"Dìyàgē's timely leg extension caused the ball to bounce back, and Méixī once again controlled the ball!"

"Píkè, Lāmòsī, and Kèkè's double-team!"

"A burly man!"

"A five-man cage!"

The commentator was at a loss for words.

Méixī's stamina was already exhausted.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, with passing lanes blocked, he launched a fierce breakthrough!

Unmatched footwork once again danced on the green field!

Accelerated.

Decelerated.

Accelerated.

Decelerated.

Consecutive touches.

Consecutive direction changes in a tight space.

Kāsān Arena, the adrenaline of all spectators surged wildly.

The lone cavalry charge on the green field, the visual impact of taking on many alone, was truly too strong.

"Méixī fell!"

"Get up! Chase the ball again!"

"An unbreakable belief."

"A longing for victory!"

"A miraculous breakthrough!"

"At every moment, he strove to adjust his bodily balance, his eyes never leaving the ball, using almost superhuman effort to ensure the match would not be whistled dead—Āgéntíng's last hope!"

"He was stepped on, pulled, kicked in the shin, yet he staggered on, continuing to run!"

"A canine person!"

"Píkè hugged Méixī with his hands!"

"Can't hold him!"

"Méixī fell again; this time he couldn't get up."

"The Pampas eagle seemed to also cease soaring at this moment."

Beep!

The head referee blew the whistle.

He pulled out a yellow card and walked toward Piqué.

He then took out a foam spray and drew a 'U' at the foul spot.

At Kazan Arena, thunderous applause rang out.

In the dying moments of regular time, Messi won a dangerous free‑kick opportunity for Argentina.

The live broadcast room.

Danmaku flew thick and fast.

【Piqué's defensive moves are usually clean, but unfortunately he ran into Messi.】

【They should have brought Dybala on for this free‑kick and let him take it.】

【Only three minutes of injury time? What the hell?】

【The ball‑in‑play time is too high, they didn't waste time on substitutions, the game flowed smoothly, and these three minutes are probably just to make up for the time Li Kang and Messi spent on the ground after fouls.】

【So far, Dybala's free‑kick efficiency ranks only behind Li Kang, Calhanoglu, and Pjanic.】

【No way—could Argentina be about to equalize?】

【Impossible—do you think Argentina's free‑kicks are as easy as drinking water?】

【That's right—last season Messi took 18 direct free‑kick shots and scored 7! He's on track to match the prime William!】

【But online they say Messi's free‑kick accuracy is low.】

【That's because Messi often plays his free‑kicks as passes.】

On the sidelines.

Bosque didn't realize when he had ended up back in the technical area.

He was so nervous even his little moustache was trembling.

On the other side.

Sampaoli's feelings were like having just stepped off a roller coaster.

At first he blamed Messi for not going down to complain to the referee for a foul, but now he's tearfully grateful, praising Messi as a messenger sent by God to save Argentina.

On the pitch.

Ramos helped De Gea organize the wall, the Spanish coaching staff's preparation was thorough, having carefully analyzed the free‑kick tendencies of the Argentine players.

Li Kang wasn't in the wall; he was positioned near the far post.

In the God's‑eye view, the free‑kick shot trajectory was constantly being simulated.

Messi and Di María took their places beside the ball.

Argentina's defenders Rojo and Otamendi also ran into the Spanish penalty area.

"The match had reached the 92nd minute."

"There should be another one or two minutes of added time."

"Argentina had earned an excellent free‑kick opportunity in the attacking third."

"Could they level the score?"

"Was Caballero gesturing excitedly at Sampaoli from afar?"

"The keeper should also go up."

"This might be the last attacking chance."

"All right, Caballero also went up."

Buenos Aires Plaza.

Countless Argentine fans gathered together, forming a vast "sea of people".

They gazed up at the massive LED screen, cheering for the team.

The final chance.

The final hope.

Starting in the 2015‑16 season, Messi's free‑kick ability came into its own.

As of July 2018, judging by overall conversion rate, he perhaps couldn't match the new generation of free‑kick specialists.

However, in Barcelona's set‑piece tactics, the head coach often asks the players to perform intricate ground combinations instead of letting Messi shoot directly to finish the attack—especially that guy Enrique.

"The Spanish wall is very well organized, Li Kang was stationed at the far post."

"Messi's expression was calm."

"The run‑up."

"The angle of the plant foot relative to the ground."

"The turn of the body."

"Perfect!"

"Shot!"

"Instep curl!"

Smack!

The football left the ground.

It went around the wall.

It underwent violent spin.

It traced a beautiful arc.

It had a terrifying downward plunge.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

The Iberian Peninsula and the Pampas Grassland, joy and sorrow intertwined.

De Gea was stunned, his prediction was wrong, the extreme reaction arc could only let him symbolically stretch his hands toward the shot direction.

All eyes were fixed on the ball's trajectory.

Argentinian fans couldn't help but want to celebrate early.

Spanish fans felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

A matter of life and death.

Not only De Gea possessed the extreme reaction arc.

In front of the Spanish goal, the Spanish number 6, originally near the far post, kicked off the turf, stretching his body to the extreme in midair!

Clang.

The ball was grazed and hit the post.

It bounced toward the outside of the goal.

The silent Kazan Arena was silent for a few tenths of a second, then instantly burst out with a wave-like sigh.

"Fate!"

"Li Kang's head made Messi's free kick deviate from its trajectory!"

"The goal line turned into danger. At this moment he was possessed by the souls of Arsenal's Gibbs, Paris's Thiago Silva, Chelsea's David Luiz, and Bayern Munich's Hummels,"

The commentator was completely at a loss for words.

Spain's crisis was not resolved.

Li Kang's field of vision had no illusions appearing; his brain's shadow spread wildly, the red line of God's perspective deduction and the extreme reaction arc produced a subtle reaction!

"Aguero's follow-up shot!"

"This time it was blocked by Azpilicueta!"

"It bounced to Diego Costa's feet!"

"The Spanish players came out!"

"There's no one left in the Argentine half!"

"Diego Costa should kick the ball long now; don't lose possession!"

"We still need to pass!"

"Passed to Thiago!"

"Clear it out quickly!"

"Oh no, Thiago passed to Koke again!"

"Wow!"

"The goal is empty!"

"Koke's chip shot missed; luckily it turned into a long clearance!"

Nobody expected it.

Li Kang still had abundant stamina at the last moment; at an unbelievable speed, he shook off the retreating Argentine players.

His momentum was like a rainbow.

He charged straight in.

Koke's 'long clearance' let the ball roll past the midfield circle.

Messi chased back desperately, couldn't catch up; he could only watch Li Kang's back as he completed the shooting motion.

The ball drew a perfect parabola in midair.

It finally fell into the Argentine goal.

3:1.

Everything happened too quickly.

The offense and defense switched, the situation reversed.

The Pampas eagle finally broke its wings in Kazan.

The commentator staggered, then blurted out incoherently: "Argentina, don't cry for me."

The camera swept over the faces of both teams' players.

A field of over seven thousand square meters of green turf bore countless people's joys and sorrows tonight.

The ball was placed back at the midfield circle.

Higuain's eye sockets were red as he kicked off.

Beep!

Beep-beep~

The referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.

Spain 3:1 Argentina.

(End of chapter)