"The two sides have met 30 times, with Spain winning 13, drawing 6, and losing 11, scoring 57 goals and conceding 35—they have the advantage."
"From the goal statistics, you can see Spain's attacking ability is much stronger than France's."
"From the Blanc era to now, France's biggest problem remains singular attacking tactics and weak offense. Previously they relied on Ribéry's individual ability, now they rely on Julien's wing breakthroughs to create chances."
The TF1 commentator self-deprecatingly said, "Perhaps France is accustomed to relying on one heroic figure to lead us in any industry."
He changed the subject, returning to this match. "So, Spain's defense is relatively easy, they only need to watch France's wing attacks.
But France's defensive pressure will be enormous. From the starting lineup, Del Bosque is still using that false nine formation.
Goalkeeper Casillas.
Four-man back line: left-back Arbeloa, right-back Alba.
Busquets filling in at center back partnering with Ramos.
The midfield is star-studded: Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Iniesta, David Silva, Pedro.
Playing as the false nine is still Fàbregas.
Strictly speaking, only Pedro could be considered a forward on the entire team.
This lineup's greatest power lies in these midfield masters' various forward runs and penetrations, it looked impossible to defend against.
Can the French team hold them off?"
In the player tunnel.
The French players were also considering this question—could they withstand Spain?
France now could almost be described as a combination of green recruits plus a group of disappointed veterans.
They were experiencing the era of the worst French team in history.
Julien stood among them. He scanned the Spanish lineup where stars were shining brilliantly.
In the past three major tournaments, these people had laughed last, becoming the most successful national team in the world.
Beyond the starting lineup, the bench still had top players like Cazorla, Torres, Villa, Javi Martínez, and Jesús Navas.
Spain was rich in talent.
For Julien, the only good news was that Xavi, Iniesta, and others were gradually aging.
Spain was still obsessed with the success that possession had brought them in the past, unable to realize that without peak Xavi and Iniesta, the tactics that had made them successful not only couldn't be played by others, but couldn't even be played by themselves.
Everyone had their own views on Barcelona and Spain's success.
But Julien believed it was simply that Barcelona and Spain had encountered this group of players.
These were midfield stars who could support an era, change an era.
Not that the tactics were so strong.
No matter how good the tactics, players still had to execute them.
Even the simplest counterattack could cut through everything if the players were capable enough.
That last sentence was what Deschamps had told him.
Because in this match, the counterattack point was almost entirely on Julien's side.
Ribéry and Giroud both had to defend.
Deschamps allowed Julien not to track back deeply, but he still needed to participate in defense appropriately.
"Let's go."
At the front of the line, the head referee gestured for the players to enter.
BOOM!!
The moment they walked out of the player tunnel, they were met with a sea of red.
And the commotion filling the entire stadium.
The procedures progressed in order.
Julien and the Spanish players lined up and exchanged handshakes.
The two captains did the coin toss.
Spain won the kickoff.
The players took their positions in the center circle.
At this moment, whether it was the broadcast or the fans in attendance, all attention was on the pitch.
This World Cup Qualifying Group I clash was about to begin!
The cameras focused on each Spanish player, then on the French players.
They lingered a bit longer on Julien.
The TF1 commentator said: "Tonight, Julien's performance is crucial. We'll see if he can break through the defensive cage Spain has built for him. Spain has won 24 consecutive qualifying matches and remained unbeaten for 47 matches. In this match, Spain will surely continue challenging for new records."
At nine o'clock sharp.
Tweet!
The referee blew the whistle to start the match right on time.
THUMP!
Fàbregas passed the ball to midfield Xavi, then Spain pressed forward methodically.
France quickly retreated immediately.
From the opening, the tone was basically set.
France yielded possession and focused on defense; Spain controlled possession and attacked.
Spain wasn't in a hurry to attack, instead slowly passing and penetrating, trying to break down France's compact defense.
Julien didn't wait for the ball on the wing but moved slightly inside, closer to the center.
Just two minutes into the match, Iniesta suddenly pulled wide to the winger position, running behind Debuchy. Xavi chipped a pass over the top.
Fortunately, Koscielny was focused. When the ball went over Debuchy, he immediately covered and, without time to adjust, decisively kicked the ball out for a throw-in.
WHOOSH!
Seeing this forward combination, Spanish fans exclaimed, feeling somewhat disappointed.
If Iniesta had gotten that ball, it would have been a shooting opportunity.
On the sideline.
Del Bosque looked relatively calm, while Deschamps looked somewhat serious and tense.
He continuously waved his hands, signaling players to maintain their defensive shape.
The Spanish players' technical skills were excellent, making French players afraid to tackle easily.
Fortunately, Spain lacked absolute pace.
The French team held their positions around the box and could temporarily withstand Spain's attacks.
France had almost no possession.
Spain kept trying to penetrate. If there was no opportunity, they immediately passed back, not losing possession.
This passing made France not dare to relax or be careless.
"Spain completely controls the match tempo. France has turtled in the box. Except for Julien, the other ten players are almost all in the box. I don't know if this defense can—oh my God! Xavi!"
The TF1 commentator was still talking when he suddenly shouted.
Xavi and Iniesta combined continuously on the left wing, completely beating Cabaye and Debuchy.
They attracted France's attention, forcing them to cover, then Xavi played a through ball.
The ball went straight to Pedro's feet as he ran forward.
The latter shot powerfully without stopping the ball.
Unfortunately, the angle was a bit straight—it went right into Lloris's arms.
Lloris caught the ball and lay on the ground, then slowly got up. When the Spanish players thought he would waste time by slowly taking the goal kick.
Suddenly he booted it long.
The ball flew straight toward where Julien was!
Here it comes!
JULIEN!!
The French fans in the away section couldn't help but stand up, staring fixedly at Julien.
Julien saw where the ball would land.
Alba was right behind him, pressing against him, the two engaged in constant physical contact.
Julien couldn't quite hold him off.
Fortunately, the ball came down.
Julien suddenly stepped forward, breaking away from Alba's pressure. Alba stumbled slightly. The ball landed behind both of them.
Julien seized the moment, quickly moved forward, and pushed the ball ahead.
But this step was too forceful.
The touch was too heavy.
Ramos came over with a sliding tackle. The ball was cleared out for a throw-in.
After getting up, Ramos wagged his finger at Julien, muttering:
"No vas a poder pasar por aquí!" (You're not getting through here!)
Julien's expression remained unchanged.
He didn't understand Spanish.
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