With the referee's whistle,

The match officially began.

Spain had possession.

Morata kicked off and passed back to Pique.

Argentina's midfielders and forwards quickly surged past the center circle, spreading out their pressing net.

The ball moved quickly between the red jerseys.

"Their footwork is excellent."

"But they're getting old, their reaction time and physical confrontation ability have declined significantly."

Iniesta stumbled from a collision, barely regained control of the ball, and passed to Li Kang, who was moving to support.

Banega decisively challenged him.

This Argentinian midfielder was incredibly talented in his youth and was once hailed as "Redondo's successor."

However, he became famous off the field: this guy liked to film himself eating fast food, which led to two 'exercise' videos being leaked.

What's even more amazing is that the male protagonist in the video, although constantly changing fighting poses, only lasted three minutes.

"Banega is a man who dares to block a car with his foot."

"Can he stop Li Kang?"

"Well... he didn't."

Li Kang lowered his center of gravity, pulled the ball left, and dribbled right, easily shaking off Banega.

From a bird's-eye view, Argentina's midfielders and forwards were frantically retreating to their positions.

On the sidelines.

Del Bosque waved his arms excitedly in the technical area, signaling his players to strengthen their connection with the left wing.

On the other side.

Sampaoli roared madly, gesturing for his team to speed up their retreat and positioning.

As soon as the match started, the two head coaches were already in a state of intense battle.

"Li Kang can pass now."

"He didn't pass, he's choosing to take it himself!"

"A second burst of speed, he's blown past Tagliafico."

"Tagliafico hasn't given up on his tenacious spirit, but he can't catch up."

"Mascherano, no longer at his peak, is very experienced against Li Kang. He doesn't try to tackle easily, but instead retreats to the area in front of the defensive line."

"Li Kang continues to sprint down the left."

"Young Lo Celso wants to cut off Li Kang's path towards the inside, his posture is very elegant, and he has a good grasp of the defensive distance."

"Can't stop him."

"Li Kang forcibly changes direction, bumping past Lo Celso!"

"The Argentinian defense is rapidly contracting."

"Watching Li Kang's violent breakthrough is simply a pleasure!"

The Kazan Arena was filled with a tidal wave of cheers.

The audience watched the Spanish bullfighter number 6 single-handedly break through the defense, and they were excited, their adrenaline soaring!

Li Kang dribbled into the edge of the penalty area.

The Eye of Truth erupted.

In his eyes, Rojo's movements were too slow.

"Alba's quick forward run, Morata's crossing run, are pulling the gap between Argentina's two center-backs wide open!"

"Oh! Li Kang isn't going towards that gap!"

"Slowing down, touching the ball to the left and pulling back two steps."

"Rojo has to follow."

"Wow! Li Kang's change of pace is terrifying! He's tricked an even bigger gap!"

"Cut inside!"

"Fake shot and pull back!"

"Another change of direction knocks Lo Celso off balance!"

"And he's tricked open space on the left again!"

"Still not passing!"

"He's burst into the left side of the penalty area!"

"Li Kang's zone!"

"The ultimate individual display!"

The fans around the world were simply stunned at this moment!

Especially those viewers who don't usually watch soccer couldn't help but marvel: Can soccer be played like this? One person disrupting the entire Argentinian defense!

Maradona in the stands was so surprised that he crossed his arms and hugged himself.

Mignani was ready to celebrate early.

Sampaoli was terrified.

Too terrifying.

Bang!

A close-range, ground-hugging cannon shot flew past Caballero's armpit.

As a goalkeeper, Old Cabby had already done a great job: facing club teammates constantly changing direction slightly in front of the defensive line, he was still able to find the most reasonable defensive position.

Just when everyone thought the Argentinian net was about to be torn apart,

A bald figure appeared in front of the near post.

Almost at the moment Li Kang shot, Mascherano "threw" himself out!

A splits.

Risking anal rupture.

The former world's best defensive midfielder used his right foot to block the ball!

"Incredible!"

"Godly block!"

"A crucial clearance!"

"The ball is knocked out of bounds!"

"Corner kick!"

Li Kang staggered back two steps and felt his thigh.

Mascherano quickly rolled over and lay on the grass, painfully covering his butthole.

After understanding the situation, the referee quickly waved to the sidelines, signaling the team doctor to come on the field.

On the sidelines.

Del Bosque applauded vigorously.

Sampaoli was extremely anxious, fearing that his team's defensive general would rupture his anus again.

Livestream.

The screen was filled with comments.

-

[Li Kang pulls his groin, Mascherano ruptures his anus.]

-

[Awesome!]

-

[Curious, what does an anal rupture feel like?]

-

[Li Mingdeng is too fierce! A solo effort! A violent breakthrough, demolishing the Argentinian defense!]

-

[Actually, the attacking runs and spacing of this group of teammates are also very good.]

-

[Mascherano is very smart, he knows he's old and doesn't go head-to-head with Li Kang like he did back then.]

-

[I remember the 2014 World Cup semi-final, Little Ma didn't hesitate to rupture his anus to block Robben's shot in the penalty area!]

Two minutes later, the team doctor left the field.

Mascherano got up again.

The human body's ability to heal itself is very strong, especially parts that have been injured before, they become stronger.

Before the corner kick was taken,

He patted Li Kang's butt in a friendly manner in the penalty area.

After playing in the Chinese Super League for most of the season, Little Ma had completely fallen in love with the Eastern country. He would emphasize how great the Eastern country was on social media and attach photos of himself visiting historical sites.

"Iniesta takes a tactical corner kick."

"It's a bit too complicated."

"Morata is one step away from forming a shot... Otamendi clears it!"

"Not far enough!"

"Higuain is very diligent, his defensive attitude is actively stopping the ball, turning, and flicking it with the outside of his foot."

"Finds Di Maria!"

"He's rushing up!"

"The Pampa Eagle spreads its wings and soars!"

Iniesta quickly blocked Higuain's position to prevent a one-two counterattack.

Alba used all his strength to rush back.

Pique, Ramos, and Carvajal temporarily switched to a three-center-back formation.

Busquets observed Messi's running tendency: his brain was working rapidly.

Di Maria dribbled a few meters, observing Messi's position.

Suddenly, he swung his leg greatly!

Smack!

A sharp arc, like a blade, cut over Alba's head on the way back!

"Beautiful!"

"Flying over the center circle line!"

"Finds Messi on the right!"

"It's a bit difficult."

"Messi is fighting alone now."

"Higuain, Lo Celso, Rojo, and others can't rush over that quickly!"

Spanish half, forty-meter area, right side.

Messi calmly unloaded the ball.

Busquets didn't immediately press, but maintained a subtle distance from him.

Expanding the distance.

Shortening the distance.

Firmly in control of his center of gravity, he resolutely didn't commit to a tackle.

Slowing down, making Messi slow down, making Argentina's transition attack slow down.

"The distance is getting shorter and shorter."

"Close now!"

"Beautiful! Messi with a step-over turn!"

"He's past!"

"Oh, passing the ball to Messi is like depositing money in a bank and forgetting the password, it's too safe."

The Kazan Arena, which had been silent for a few minutes, erupted again.

While people were still savoring Li Kang's violent demolition, Messi suddenly exploded again.

Busquets was frustrated. He didn't get knocked down like Boateng. He even predicted Messi's series of actions of stepping over the ball with his back to him, but he just couldn't keep up with Messi's pace!

"Messi!"

"Messi!"

"He's rushing towards the Spanish defense!"

"Messi's corridor!"

"The ultimate individual display!"

Thirty-meter area.

Messi dribbled past Ramos with a pull.

Rushing inside!

Ramos was calm. Anyway, it wasn't the first time he'd been passed by Messi. He stomped on the grass and quickly chased back.

Curved offensive path vs. diagonal defensive path.

Pique assisted defensively.

"Unbelievable! Ramos's speed of turning around and chasing back is so fast!"

"Pique is positioning!"

"Two tall Spanish center-backs are sandwiching Messi at the same time!"

A burst of intense melee sounds came from the close-up sound equipment.

All three fell to the ground at the same time.

The ball lost control and rolled forward slowly.

An amazing scene happened!

Messi got up and continued to dribble forward!

Loud applause erupted from all four stands!

Tens of thousands of spectators couldn't help but shout Messi's name!

"Carvajal!"

"The Real Madrid full-back has moved to the center, becoming the last line of defense."

"Spanish fans don't need to panic, Carvajal's frontal defense is world-class, he doesn't fall for any of his opponent's rhythm changes!"

"Wow!"

"Unparalleled footwork!"

"Messi stepped over the ball three times in a row, he used the simplest movements to complete the breakthrough!"

"The greatest truths are the simplest!"

"Shot!"

Smack!

Messi's shot in the penalty area, his leg swing was very, very small.

It felt like he didn't exert much force.

The blasted ball was a perfect combination of power and arc!

De Gea lunged, he had completely familiarized himself with Adidas's match ball during this time.

Spanish fans were completely despondent.

Argentinian fans were overjoyed.

Del Bosque was extremely nervous.

Sampaoli was extremely excited.

Clang!

The ball hit the post heavily and flew out of bounds.

Messi was stunned, dejectedly lying on the grass and rolled over.

"What a pity!"

"Since 2018, Messi has hit the crossbar and post 12 times!"

"This World Cup, is his nickname going to change from the Catalonia Blacksmith to the Pampa Blacksmith?"

"If you count from September 2017, Messi has hit the crossbar and post 26 times in total! It doesn't matter, he's still the European Golden Boot!"

"The match has just started, and Li Kang and Messi have completed peak dialogues on the offensive end."

"The two players in football today with the most extreme passing, stopping, dribbling, and shooting skills."

Ramos and Pique looked at Messi helplessly.

Mascherano and other Argentinian players looked at Li Kang helplessly.

Livestream.

-

[Li Kang vs. Messi.]

-

[Seeking the psychological shadow area of the defensive players on both sides.]

-

[Two people rushing for a great start... but neither scored? My first half over 1/1.5 bet! Doomed!]

-

[Won't it happen if they rush a few more times?]

-

[It won't be so easy to rush next, both sides will do a good job of interception, positioning, stamina distribution, depth, and formation rotation.]

-

[Li Kang and Messi are about to switch combat forms.]

The match resumed.

De Gea kicked the ball out and passed to Pique.

Di Maria quickly pressed up.

Higuain pressed against Ramos.

Their task was simple: not to let Spain easily build an attack from the back.

"Pique's footwork is still good."

"Under interference, he can still steadily find Li Kang in midfield."

"Having Li Kang is different, the Spanish midfield and backfield don't need to switch to too complicated ball-playing formations."

"Sampaoli continues to strengthen the pressure, six Argentinian players have crossed the center circle at this moment."

Spanish half, forty-meter area.

After receiving the ball, Li Kang adjusted his body tendency.

A simple pull past allowed Banega, who was pressing forward, to lose his balance.

Banega was very strong, but not durable enough. He stumbled and reached out, but didn't touch the ball. His shin hit Li Kang's knee.

Li Kang, who hadn't accelerated yet, was tripped to the ground.

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle.

Banega quickly helped Li Kang up and explained to the referee that he didn't do it on purpose.

This was the World Cup, and the Argentinian midfielder restrained his fiery temper from the league.

"The referee didn't show a card, just gave a simple verbal warning."

"There's no way around it."

"Banega is completely dominated by Li Kang, he can't defend one-on-one, he'll be forced to foul even if he doesn't want to foul."

Iniesta took a free kick in his own half.

Morata retreated, moving the Argentinian defense forward.

Li Kang ran forward in an arc. Mascherano and Lo Celso quickly contracted the defensive spacing in the center.

The positional exchange of the legendary connection was Sampaoli's main research topic before the match.

Too bad.

The ball didn't connect with Morata or Li Kang.

After receiving the ball, Koke tilted his body and made a wide-range transfer!

Smack!

The ball fell to the left wing in the frontcourt!

Saul and Carvajal sprinted forward!

The moment the former stopped the ball,

The Real Madrid full-back quietly slowed down.

On the sidelines.

Del Bosque clenched his fists.

Since 2014, he had been trying to find ways to make Spain no longer confined to the passing and control system.

On the other side.

Sampaoli was furious, gesturing wildly.

Cunning Spaniards.

They were actually using the core player as a feint point.

"One in front, one behind."

"Li Kang has attracted most of Argentina's defensive forces."

"There's a lot of space on the wing!"

"Argentinian full-back Mercado pressed over."

"Saul slowed down his dribbling speed."

"What are they waiting for? That few seconds is enough for the Argentinian players to get into defensive positions."

The Spanish players didn't greed for mismatch advantages in positional attacks.

Saul was waiting.

Waiting for his teammates to run forward on the other side.

Waiting for the spread of attacking points.

Carvajal went behind Saul's back.

The Atletico Madrid youngster and the Real Madrid full-back cooperated, a local two-on-one.

The moment Carvajal and Mercado were parallel, he accelerated again!

Saul sent a through ball at the same moment.

Perfect passing and running ahead of the defender!

Before the audience could recover,

The Real Madrid full-back had already received the ball near the baseline, smoothly crossed, and sent a cross!

In the Argentinian penalty area, there was panic.

"The quality of the cross is very high!"

"When did Ramos get up there?"

"He suppressed the one-meter-seventy-four Mascherano and jumped high!"

"A defender who scores goals!"

"Header... flick-on!"

"When did Iniesta come up?"

The ball landed at the twelve-yard spot.

Facing the blocks from Otamendi and Rojo, Iniesta didn't have a chance to shoot.

After all, he was getting old and no longer had the confidence of his youth.

Smack!

He tapped the ball back with his heel.

Setting up the cannon!

Following the trajectory of the ball, the audience saw the black-haired figure of the red-jersey number 6.

Immediately afterward,

A bald figure quickly appeared in sight.

"Li Kang has a larger control radius, his legs are longer, he touches the ball first."

"Mascherano wants to slide tackle!"

Li Kang flicked the ball with the instep of his left foot.

Mascherano retracted his tackle.

Li Kang flicked the ball again with the instep of his left foot.

Rhythm change.

Flick, pause, then flick again.

The battle between the two took place in just a moment.

Mascherano decisively blocked his right foot from connecting to shoot.

Li Kang's left foot landed.

Waving again.

The toe of his foot was turned inward.

Lifting up.

Outside of the foot!

Bang!

The ball lifted off the ground!

Mascherano was dumbfounded, watching helplessly as a black shadow passed over his shoulder, outlining a strange arc in the Argentinian sky, heading towards the far corner!

Caballero was petrified.

Everything happened too fast. His vision was completely obscured by the chaotic crowd. The Argentinian goalkeeper couldn't predict that strange shooting path in advance.

The ball fell into the Argentinian net.

1:0!!!

The whole stadium erupted.

(End of this chapter)