Genius - Chapter 462: Get Yourself Fully Fired Up! (Patreon)

Normally, Leo focused more on placement than power when he shot. This time was different. He only wanted to hit it as hard as he could, without worrying about the angle.

The ball, struck with all of Leo’s power, visibly deformed under the force. Its flight changed completely as it curved towards the right post, struck the inside of it, and bounced into the net.

Gullit, Stam, Scholes and the others all sprang to their feet at the same time.

“A long-range volley!”

“Lin has scored with a long-range volley!”

“That is terrifying. That volley was struck almost entirely with power, and Lin hit it from outside the penalty area!”

“That is one of the most powerful volleys I can remember seeing in a UEFA European Championship final. What a goal!”

“Spain lead England 2-0. England have looked different going forward since bringing on Bellingham, but they still have not scored. Instead, they conceded corner after corner, and eventually gave Lin a chance to shoot from outside the box!”

“I have said this countless times, but somehow I always end up repeating it in the biggest matches.”

“How can you let Lin shoot in a final? How can you leave only one player marking him in a final?”

“Henderson should not have been alone. Rice should have stayed with him as well, or someone else should have helped. Whatever you do, you cannot let Lin find that kind of space!”

Gullit watched the replay of the build-up.

Before making his run, Leo had first used one hand to hold Henderson off, then sprinted towards where the ball was dropping.

He deliberately cushioned it down towards the turf with his chest.

Even that chest control alone, combined with judging exactly where the ball would bounce, would have been extremely difficult for most players.

Then came the volley.

Gullit could hardly believe it.

How could someone hit the ball with that much force without sending it flying over the bar, and still make it bend?

At that speed, Pickford’s attempt at a save was little more than a reaction.

How was he supposed to stop that?

Scholes knew England scoring twice against Spain in the remaining time was close to impossible.

Worse still, Spain looked more likely to score again than England did.

The Spain players rushed towards Leo.

Even De Gea ran over to join them.

Then Hierro immediately made another change from the touchline.

“The second half has barely started and Lin has already scored. That gives Hierro even more room to adjust Spain’s tactics.”

“Thiago is coming on for Busquets.”

“This will be Busquets’ final appearance for the Spanish national team. After this UEFA European Championship, he will officially retire from international football.”

As Busquets prepared to come off, every Spain supporter in the stadium began applauding him.

Leo embraced Busquets and kept an arm around him as he walked him towards the touchline, before welcoming Thiago onto the pitch.

Busquets was already crying as he made his way off.

Spain were leading. It should not have been a moment for tears.

But Busquets knew this was the end.

The end of his peak years in football.

The end of his journey with the national team.

The Busquets who had once held Barcelona’s midfield together at their peak, and the Busquets who had controlled Spain’s transitions between defense and attack during their greatest years, was now leaving the very highest stage of world football.

“Perhaps Hierro could have given Busquets more time, but Bellingham coming on has definitely made Spain’s midfield much more vulnerable.”

“Bringing Thiago on to deal with Bellingham should make things safer behind him.”

The UEFA European Championship final resumed.

Two goals down, England could no longer afford to hold anything back.

Otherwise, they would simply lose the final.

Bellingham and Saka attacked with everything they had.

The two of them kept working down the right, repeatedly trying to find a way past Gaya.

Rodri and Gaya defended together, and the battle almost became fixed in that area of the pitch.

The 56th minute.

“Saka keeps trying to take Gaya on by himself, but Rodri is not giving him the chance.”

“Bellingham comes across to support. Lin is closing in as well. Saka needs to move the ball quickly.”

“Back to Henderson, then the switch to Kane.”

“Kane turns with it and finds Bellingham.”

“He tries the shot!”

“No danger. De Gea gathers comfortably.”

“That kind of save shows one of De Gea’s strengths.”

“He is very good at either holding the ball cleanly or pushing shots away on a low trajectory.”

“That sort of parry makes rebounds difficult. The ball does not bounce too high or too low, so even if an attacker is in position for the follow-up, it is difficult to react quickly enough and choose the right finish.”

The 59th minute.

“Henderson goes long towards Saka again. England are clearly targeting Gaya’s side.”

“Bellingham pushes forward quickly, with Rodri right behind him.”

“Saka cannot find Bellingham. He has to go himself.”

Saka cut inside again.

This time, Gaya matched him perfectly.

The moment Saka tried another sharp touch to continue his run, Gaya stepped in and poked the ball cleanly away.

After winning the challenge, Gaya punched the air and shouted.

It was almost directed straight at Saka.

Once Gaya got fired up, this was how he played.

“Look at Gaya after that tackle.”

“With that sort of intensity, how is Saka supposed to get the better of him?”

“Saka is still young. He needs to fire himself up as well.”

“If you cannot bring out your best level, if you cannot get yourself into your sharpest state, how are you supposed to compete with Gaya?”

Gaya was only the first.

As though his reaction had spread through the team, Rodri also became more fired up while defending Bellingham.

Then the rest of the Spain players began raising their own intensity.

Every challenge.

Every attack.

They were making sure they approached each moment with the clearest possible focus and the highest possible level of intensity.

Hierro was still discussing things with Zubizarreta.

At times, he was not even watching the match.

That was how much he trusted his players.

Scholes watched the Spain players change one after another.

Then he looked at England.

Their intensity still seemed unchanged.

At this point, Scholes no longer knew what England could do to beat Spain and win the UEFA European Championship.