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Dominating Football with Perfect Ball Control

Chapter 429. Battle Against Defending Champion Spain · Oct 28, 2026

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Chapter List (460)

Page number / 10

401 Chapter 401. How Is It Not a Championship? 2026-10-28
402 Chapter 402. I Have a Second Form Too! 2026-10-28
403 Chapter 403. Ultimate Individual Ability! 2026-10-28
404 Chapter 404. Messi, Your Celebration Is Really Useful 2026-10-28
405 Chapter 405. Isagi Yoichi’s Ability is Really Useful! 2026-10-28
406 Chapter 406. The Miracle of the Final Seconds of Stoppage Time 2026-10-28
407 Chapter 407. Winning the Copa del Rey! 2026-10-28
408 Chapter 408. Cristiano Ronaldo: The Advantage is Mine 2026-10-28
409 Chapter 409. Is This Meeting the Parents? 2026-10-28
410 Chapter 410. Decisive Battle at the Pinnacle of Europe 2026-10-28
411 Chapter 411. The Huge Shock of the Champions League Final 2026-10-28
412 Chapter 412. Peak Real Madrid! 2026-10-28
413 Chapter 413. Misfortune Never Comes Alone 2026-10-28
414 Chapter 414. The Counterattack Begins 2026-10-28
415 Chapter 415. Thunder Beast Descends 2026-10-28
416 Chapter 416. The Final’s Most Perfect Arc 2026-10-28
417 Chapter 417. The Century Connection with the Former Golden Boy, Torres! 2026-10-28
418 Chapter 418. The God-Tier Goal! 2026-10-28
419 Chapter 419. We Are the Champions! 2026-10-28
420 Chapter 420. The treble Celebration 2026-10-28
421 Chapter 421. Arriving in France, Preparing for the European Cup 2026-10-28
422 Chapter 422. Griezmann’s Worries 2026-10-28
423 Chapter 423. Something Seems Wrong with the European Cup 2026-10-28
424 Chapter 424. Exchanging Jerseys with the Great Ibrahimović 2026-10-28
425 Chapter 425. Isagi Yoichi’s New Skill Get! 2026-10-28
426 Chapter 426. Direct Strike Shoot! World-Class Volley! 2026-10-28
427 Chapter 427. The Most Magnificent Individual Performance at the European Cup 2026-10-28
428 Chapter 428. Advancing Like This? 2026-10-28
429 Chapter 429. Battle Against Defending Champion Spain 2026-10-28
430 Chapter 430. European Cup, Full Firepower! 2026-10-28
431 Chapter 431. The Maestro on the European Cup Pitch 2026-10-28
432 Chapter 432. Defeating Spain! 2026-10-28
433 Chapter 433. The German Panzer, From Prosperity to Decline Starting Today 2026-10-28
434 Chapter 434. European Cup Scoring Record! 2026-10-28
435 Chapter 435. Griezmann Can’t Smile 2026-10-28
436 Chapter 436. It’s a Case of Red Culture Export 2026-10-28
437 Chapter 437. Encountering a Crisis at the Start? 2026-10-28
438 Chapter 438. Another Godly Goal! 2026-10-28
439 Chapter 439. Goal Fest at the European Cup! 2026-10-28
440 Chapter 440. Ruling the European Pitch! 2026-10-28
441 Chapter 441. Mbappé Appears! 2026-10-28
442 Chapter 442. The Semi-Final That Shook the World! 2026-10-28
443 Chapter 443. The Eve of the Final 2026-10-28
444 Chapter 444. Cristiano Ronaldo Refuses to Give Up 2026-10-28
445 Chapter 445. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Performative Personality 2026-10-28
446 Chapter 446. Who Says Lance Can’t Pass? 2026-10-28
447 Chapter 447. The Crescent Blade Reappears! 2026-10-28
448 Chapter 448. King of Europe? It’s Just the Beginning! 2026-10-28
449 Chapter 449. Coming to the Capital 2026-10-28
450 Chapter 450. The Most Dazzling Superstar 2026-10-28

Chapter 429: 429. Battle Against Defending Champion Spain

Check out advanced Chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari

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”Huh? We finished first in the group?”

Even Lance was confused after the draw against Ireland.

For Belgium to somehow top the group like this, their luck was almost unbelievable.

Back in the locker room, the players were just about to put on music and celebrate.

Lukaku had already started dancing wildly with his teammates.

Then Head Coach Wilmots walked in and immediately turned off the stereo.

The room fell silent.

Only then did everyone realize something was wrong.

”Do you think you played well today?”

Wilmots was usually easygoing. His rare outburst instantly silenced the entire squad.

”If it weren’t for Lance’s free kick, you might already be eliminated!”

”If anyone doesn’t want to play, you can go home right now! I won’t stop you. Go!”

Wilmots pointed angrily toward the door.

The Belgian players exchanged glances but didn’t dare move.

After a tense silence, Wilmots saw that everyone had finally become serious and nodded with satisfaction.

Even so, his expression remained grim.

”Since none of you want to leave and all of you want to stay, then show me the proper attitude.”

”You were lucky. You still managed to finish first despite playing like that.”

”But this is the most embarrassing first-place finish in the entire tournament.”

”Your reward is your next opponent.”

”The Spain National Team.”

Only then did the players fully realize the severity of the situation.

Spain.

Lukaku forced out an awkward smile and muttered under his breath:

”Oh, we’re so screwed.”

”Hey, Koke.”

”What?”

”You know Lance better than anyone. Do you know what his weakness is?”

At Spain’s training base, Koke found himself surrounded by teammates as soon as training ended.

Isco, Fàbregas, Pedro, Azpilicueta, and several others had gathered around him.

After Atlético Madrid’s historic treble-winning season, both Koke and Saúl had been selected for Spain’s European Championship squad.

Koke had even started in the group stage victory over Turkey, helping Spain win 3-0.

He was named Man of the Match after an outstanding performance.

However, in the decisive match against Croatia, veteran manager Vicente del Bosque chose not to trust him.

Instead, he started Busquets, Fàbregas, and Iniesta in midfield.

The aging Fàbregas and Iniesta struggled against a Croatia side led by Luka Modri?.

Spain lost 2-1.

Not only did they lose the match, but they also surrendered first place in the group and were forced into a Round of 16 clash with Belgium.

Afterward, Spanish media heavily criticized Del Bosque’s decisions.

”Why Didn’t Koke Play?” quickly became a trending topic.

Even Del Bosque—the manager who had guided Spain to the 2008 European Championship, the 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 European Championship—found himself facing growing criticism.

Now that the knockout matchups had been finalized, what Belgium didn’t know was that Spain were nervous too.

Neither side was particularly happy with the draw.

As a result, everyone wanted firsthand information from Koke, the player who knew Lance best.

Surrounded by his teammates, Koke looked utterly helpless.

Fortunately, Saúl arrived and chased the group away.

”Isco, didn’t you meet Lance years ago at Real Madrid?” Saúl said. ”Shouldn’t you know him pretty well?”

”I’m not even a starter,” Isco replied. ”And I barely played against him.”

”Then go ask Busquets. Go ask Iniesta.”

”...I wouldn’t dare.”

Atlético Madrid had beaten Barcelona to both the league title and the Copa del Rey.

Isco had no desire to rub salt into old wounds.

Fortunately, Koke was an honest man.

After thinking for a moment, he answered seriously.

”When you’re facing Lance, don’t even think about completely shutting him down.”

”We should focus on attacking instead.”

The answer was practically useless.

The Spanish players remained uneasy.

Lance’s performances in La Liga the previous season had terrified almost every defender in Spain.

Most of them still carried some psychological scars.

At that moment, Del Bosque walked over.

He dismissed everyone else and deliberately kept Koke behind.

”Koke.”

”Coach?”

Koke looked puzzled.

”Against Lance, I want you to use your experience to limit him.”

”Me?”

Koke pointed at himself.

”Yes. I believe you can do it.”

In reality, Del Bosque didn’t believe it either.

He understood Lance’s abilities very well.

But what choice did he have?

Busquets had already been completely dominated by Lance and practically lost confidence whenever he saw him.

Among Spain’s midfielders, Koke was probably the only one with any chance.

”Alright.”

”I’ll do my best.”

As he prepared to face Lance as an opponent for the first time while starting, Koke was also curious.

He wanted to see exactly how large the gap between himself and his club teammate had become.

After training, Koke made a phone call.

The call connected quickly.

Lance’s familiar voice answered in fluent Spanish.

”Hey, brother. What made you call?”

Lance was surprised.

Koke rarely contacted people first.

”In the next knockout match, I’m going to shut you down.”

Koke got straight to the point.

Lance didn’t laugh.

Instead, his expression grew serious.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

”Good.”

”Then give it everything you’ve got.”

”Because I’ll be giving everything I’ve got too.”

June 26, 2016.

Saint-Denis, north of Paris.

Stade de France.

The two club teammates who had spoken days earlier finally met again in the player tunnel.

Lance wore Belgium’s red home kit.

Koke stood opposite him in Spain’s white away strip.

”Brother.”

”I hope this will be a great match.”

”I hope so too.”

No further words were necessary.

Until the final whistle, they were opponents.

The tense atmosphere lasted only a few seconds.

Then it was shattered.

Saúl suddenly appeared and wrapped an arm around both of them.

”Brothers! What are you two talking about?”

”Get lost.”

”This is a conversation between starters. Substitutes aren’t qualified to listen.”

”Damn it!”

Saúl clutched his chest dramatically.

The words cut deep.

Lance couldn’t help smiling.

At Atlético Madrid, he often teased Saúl this way.

After all, the midfielder was still usually a substitute.

The three chatted briefly before separating.

Lance returned to the front of Belgium’s lineup and glanced toward Spain’s starters.

Juanfran met his gaze from afar.

The two exchanged silent nods.

As for Busquets, Piqué, Ramos, Iniesta, and the others...

Their expressions were somewhat complicated.

The Champions League Final and Copa del Rey Final were still fresh in their minds.

The psychological scars Lance had left behind had yet to heal.

Who would have thought this ”Oriental Devil” would follow them all the way to the European Championship?

If Busquets understood Chinese, he would probably be muttering about his terrible luck.

Now that they were here, however, there was no choice but to face him.

Both teams stepped onto the pitch amid a mixture of tension and anticipation.

Thousands of miles away in the East, countless fans had already gathered in front of their televisions.

The familiar commentator’s voice rang out once more.

”Alright! Both teams have entered the field!”

”The marquee matchup of the European Championship Round of 16 is about to begin!”

”Let’s take a look at the starting lineups!”

Belgium (4-2-3-1)

Courtois

Meunier, Alderweireld, Vermaelen, Vertonghen

Fellaini, Witsel

De Bruyne, Lance, Hazard

Lukaku

Spain (4-3-3)

De Gea

Juanfran, Ramos, Piqué, Alba

Koke, Busquets, Iniesta

Silva, Morata, Pedro

Beep—!

”CCTV! CCTV!”

”Dear viewers, you are now watching the featured Round of 16 match of the 2016 European Championship!”

”Lance’s Belgium take on the defending European champions, Spain!”

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