"I honestly can't remember the last time I saw this level of talent in such a young player."
"He reminds me of so many great players from the past, yet there's something uniquely his own about him."
Gerrard watched Leo Lin—Leo Lin celebrating wildly, Leo Lin putting his team back in front once again.
As an England legend, Gerrard should have been cheering for England.
But as a Liverpool icon, he felt an inexplicable emotional pull toward Leo Lin. The conflict left him deeply torn.
Liverpool's players were also watching the final. Klopp had deliberately organized a large team-building gathering, bringing together all club staff and players.
Inside the conference room, everyone watched Leo Lin's performance unfold. The first-team stars all sent him their congratulations.
As teammates, they naturally hoped Leo Lin would go on to lift the trophy.
"With that goal, doesn't this put Leo Lin even closer to the Golden Boot at this U17 World Cup?"
Firmino suddenly raised the question. Salah immediately pulled out his phone to check the live top-scorer standings.
"Leo Lin has drawn level with Foden—they're joint top!"
The Liverpool players erupted into cheers, everyone eagerly anticipating what would come next.
After the celebrations, the match resumed.
England continued with their pack-wolf approach, maximizing the role of every player.
On the touchline, Greg made adjustments, shifting the team into a two-wing attack.
The fullbacks began pushing high, especially Gibson on the left, who constantly combined with Hudson-Odoi through overlapping runs.
Both players had blistering pace and strong attacking ability.
"England are no longer trying to break through the middle. Whenever they get the chance, they go straight to long balls from the wings, deliberately avoiding Leo Lin."
"It's a smart choice. With Leo Lin anchoring midfield, England clearly can't go head-to-head with Spain in the center."
"If they want to equalize quickly, the wings are their only real option."
On the right, Morey had always been Spain's weakest link—lacking pace.
He was comfortable on the ball, but his one-on-one defending left a lot to be desired.
Denia usually kept him on the pitch mainly to help with buildup from the back.
But up against Hudson-Odoi and the constantly overlapping Gibson, Morey's weaknesses became more and more exposed.
Ferran Torres had to drop back repeatedly to help him defend.
Gradually, England began to regain attacking momentum through wing breakthroughs, creating more and more shooting opportunities.
Leo Lin didn't dare abandon his central position. If he shifted wide to help defend, England's midfield would come alive.
Gallagher and Smith Rowe—both immensely talented English prospects.
If they were allowed to dictate play in midfield, Spain would be in serious trouble.
29th minute!
"Spain still looking to go through the middle. Leo Lin drives forward with the ball."
"One-on-one with Angel."
"Shoulder drop, cuts inside!"
"Explosive burst in tight space, but Gallagher is right on him!"
"Leo Lin shields the ball with his back to goal, shrugs off the defender, and plays it wide."
"Miranda overlaps to meet it, cutting diagonally into the box at forty-five degrees!"
"Ruiz flicks a header!"
"Too central! Anderson gathers it comfortably!"
"A powerful throw launches the counterattack—once again down the left."
"Gibson surging forward from deep, Beitia scrambling to defend."
"He powers through!"
"He's beaten him!"
"Hudson-Odoi plays a one-two, Gibson collects and drives to the byline!"
"Cutback!"
Gibson flicks his ankle and delivers a perfectly weighted cutback, slicing through the defense!
Smith Rowe arrives through the middle, opens his body, and curls the shot!
Álvaro is rooted to the spot—too close, too fast to react!
Spanish fans plunge into despair as the stadium falls eerily silent!
Then…
"Bang!!!"
"Ohhh!"
"It crashes off the post and goes out of play!"
"So close!"
"England's twin-wing attack is producing chance after chance. Greg's in-game adjustments have been excellent—Denia needs to respond quickly."
At that moment, Denia rose from the bench and hurried to the touchline, waving Leo Lin over.
He had grown accustomed to letting Leo Lin relay tactical instructions on the pitch.
"Tell the two fullbacks to tuck inside."
"Both wingers drop deeper and become wide midfielders. In attack, push your position higher and switch to a 4-4-2."
"When we're defending, you drop back and make it a 4-5-1!"
Denia decided to unleash his trump card—a system Lopetegui was particularly fond of.
Spain's U17 side had practiced these dual attacking and defensive shapes countless times, allowing them to play with speed in attack while staying compact at the back.
What worried Denia most was Leo Lin.
In this setup, Leo Lin was the crucial lynchpin.
Defensively, he had to retreat deep into midfield.
In attack, he needed to push high and support the front line.
It demanded enormous coverage and relentless running.
But more than anything, it tested Leo Lin's football intelligence.
He had to appear in the right place at exactly the right moment.
Denia had absolute faith in him—this was the true meaning of an all-around midfielder.
Leo Lin quickly passed the instructions on to his teammates, and play continued.
Spain's movement noticeably increased, especially the tireless running of the two wingers, drawing the crowd's attention.
"Spain have shifted into a 4-5-1 when defending. Both wingers drop deep, effectively shutting down England's wing-based attacks."
"When they go forward, those same wingers burst ahead, while Leo Lin pushes into a very advanced position."
"It's an incredibly demanding system, but it's clearly working—Spain are slowly taking back control of the match!"
Leo Lin ran relentlessly.
Gallagher chased just as desperately.
Gallagher, known for his stamina, was stunned to realize he couldn't keep up with Leo Lin's tempo.
More than once, he caught himself staring at Leo Lin as if he were some kind of monster.
As one of England's standout midfielders, Gallagher had always been considered elite among his peers—a so-called genius.
Only now did he realize the truth.
His "genius" was nothing more than a ticket.
A ticket that allowed him to stand across from Leo Lin.
43rd minute!
With the first half nearing its end, some fans even began leaving their seats early to buy hot dogs and beer, hoping to avoid the halftime queues.
"Foden drives down the right and unleashes a long-range effort!"
"His trademark low shot, but Álvaro gathers it cleanly."
Leo Lin immediately dropped back, waving his arm.
Álvaro launches a powerful throw to start the counterattack!
With his back to goal, Leo Lin holds off Gallagher, leaps high, and nods the ball down to Anthony O!
The latter takes a touch and slides a diagonal through pass, finding Gómez perfectly!
"Crack!" Gómez sends it first time, a long diagonal ball toward the right.
"Bang!" Ferran Torres collects and cuts it back!
Leo Lin explodes forward, barges past Angel, and receives the ball at the edge of the box.
That familiar spot again!
That familiar motion!
The Riser Howitzer once more!
"Bang!!!"
A thunderous, violent strike!!!