Gaku Shibasaki had a wealth of match experience. As a Defensive Midfielder, he was known for his sweeping Interceptions and steady control.
But in this match, facing Leo Lin, he was being suffocated.
Whether it was head-on duels, side challenges, or one-on-one situations, just standing in front of Leo Lin made him feel an overwhelming pressure closing in like a demon.
For the first time, Shibasaki realized he could feel completely devoid of confidence against a single opponent.
Not even a trace of it.
In contrast, Leo Lin was brimming with confidence.
It was that kind of one-on-one certainty.
I might not even know how I'm going to beat you yet, but I know I will.
Speed, explosiveness, strength, physicality. Whatever you want to compare, I dominate you across the board.
After winning the ball again, Leo Lin immediately took long strides forward, launching a counterattack as Spain's shape spread out.
Makoto Hasebe charged in from the side, clearly trying to foul him.
But instead, he was knocked aside.
Leo Lin only staggered slightly, regained his balance, and continued driving forward.
Japan's commentators couldn't hide their shock.
"What is going on?"
"Hasebe has been brushed aside!"
"Our midfield line has been broken. Leo Lin is still driving forward at speed, heading straight at the defense!"
Japan's back line was completely exposed.
Diego Costa and Asensio made intelligent runs, pushing into the box and forcing the defense backward, leaving no room to step out.
When Leo Lin reached the edge of the penalty arc, he realized something surprising.
No one was marking him.
A fatal mistake.
With no protection in front of the defense, giving Leo Lin space to shoot from here was asking for trouble.
Leo Lin dipped his shoulder and cut inside to his right, shifting the ball onto his stronger side.
He took a step, twisted his body slightly backward, and struck.
The ball curled beautifully toward the top-right corner.
Kawashima stretched with everything he had.
But he couldn't reach it.
A perfect angle.
An unreachable corner.
The ball sliced through the air like a curved blade and buried itself in the top corner.
A perfect strike.
"Oh!!!"
"Oh!!!"
"He's done it again!!!"
Derek Rae shook his head in admiration.
"Leo Lin!"
"Two goals and two assists. On the World Cup stage!"
"He has directly contributed to four goals in the first half. Spain lead Japan 4-1!"
"Spain are relentless. They've completely torn through Japan's defense!"
"Through his football IQ and movement, Leo Lin identified the fatal weakness in Japan's midfield and defense, and has exploited it again and again!"
"This is a clear display of the gap in quality!"
"Whether it's Shibasaki or Hasebe, one-on-one or even two-on-one, they cannot stop him!"
"They have no answer for Leo Lin!"
"With the Defensive Midfielder line broken, Japan's back line is under constant pressure. Goals were always coming!"
"It's 4-1!"
"If Japan don't wake up soon, this could turn into a rout!"
"And make no mistake. Spain will not hold back!"
Japan's commentators looked stunned.
"It's Leo Lin again."
"He's terrifying. The kind of player that leaves you with no hope at all."
"The broadcast is showing his hexagonal attribute chart. Let's take a look."
A perfect hexagon appeared on screen.
The commentator hesitated before speaking again.
"This…"
"This is a true 'all-around player.'"
"Compared to Shibasaki or Hasebe, their charts are completely enveloped by his."
"They don't surpass him in a single attribute."
"Is this the strength of the world's top rising star?"
"Incredible!!!"
While the commentators and fans were still reacting, Japan's coach had no time to dwell.
He had to adjust immediately.
"Shibasaki, tell Inui to drop back. Form a three-man Defensive Midfielder line."
"Kagawa stays central. Haraguchi pushes forward."
"Switch to a 4-3-1-2. Look for long balls on the Counterattack. Attack the space behind them. If there's no chance, drop back fully."
"Everyone, even the forwards, get back near the halfway line and defend. We must survive until halftime!"
On the pitch, Leo Lin raised four fingers in celebration.
His total had reached six goals in this World Cup.
The live Golden Boot standings appeared.
"Fans!"
"Before the tournament, we talked about Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Diego Costa, Suárez."
"We expected top strikers to dominate the Golden Boot race."
"But no one expected a young midfielder to lead the standings with six goals!"
"Kane is second with four. He's two behind!"
"I can't believe it. If Lin wins the Golden Ball, who can question him with statistics?"
"A midfielder this young, already posting double-digit goals and assists in the league, was still being criticized for not scoring enough."
"Some people even compared his goal tally to that of strikers just to undermine him."
"Well look now. Those strikers are all behind him!"
Casillas was full of praise.
Spain's dominance in this match was closely tied to Leo Lin's performance in midfield.
Across the live streams.
"This is ridiculous. I've never seen a young player dominate a World Cup like this."
"Maybe others have had standout moments, but this level of consistency. Only Lin."
"Why does he feel like a veteran who's played multiple World Cups? He's so composed."
"Leading the Golden Boot race at this age. I wouldn't even dare dream of this."