When the match between the Netherlands and Chile grew more and more intense, the game between China and Spain entered a relatively calm phase.

The game also entered its final ten minutes, but Mata's missed shot dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Spanish players.

If it had just been this one time, it would have been one thing. But the key was that Villa also missed a sure goal in the first half.

Missing two sure goals would make the Spanish players wonder if God wasn't on their side in this World Cup at all…

Led by Zhou Yi, the Chinese players, holding a two-goal lead, played very steadily. If there wasn't a very good opportunity, they would rather not attack than easily give up possession.

In addition, the Spanish players' mental breakdowns and increased unforced errors also helped China.

Seeing this, Liu Jianhong joked, "We can say it now—there's not much time left for Spain!"

As soon as these words came out, they drew knowing laughter from Chinese fans on the internet.

"Saying this famous line of Chinese football to the defending champion feels so damn good!"

"Hahaha! Not much time left series! I never thought that in my lifetime we would be able to say such things to the world champion!"

However, this also led to another question—should Zhou Yi be substituted early?

Many Chinese fans actually thought Zhou Yi should be substituted, after all, this was his first official match after recovering from injury, and it was also a World Cup match of such intensity. His stamina might not have fully recovered, and everyone was worried about whether the injured part of his body felt any pain. Substituting him early could effectively protect him and avoid re-injury.

But at the same time, everyone was worried that after Zhou Yi was substituted, the Chinese team would lose control, allowing Spain to come back. This was not without precedent, and Chinese football had experienced many "black three minutes." Comparing this game with the previous two games, everyone knew that the Chinese team with Zhou Yi and without Zhou Yi were two completely different teams.

For Spain, Zhou Yi was like a strategic nuclear weapon. Being on the field was a deterrent. Once he was off the field, it was like China had voluntarily destroyed all its nuclear weapons. You wouldn't have the capital to deter others. Could the Chinese team withstand Spain's full-scale attack?

While Chinese fans were feeling conflicted about this, Lippi had already made a decision.

He started making substitutions from the eighty-first minute. First, he replaced Yang Hao with Zhao Xuyang. Yang Hao had consumed a lot of energy in this game. As a defensive midfielder responsible for sweeping the midfield, he needed to rely on a lot of running to defend. In addition, the pressure brought by the world champion meant that the Spanish players he was defending were all top-notch stars who had experienced many battles in the European arena, while he was just a player playing in the domestic league. There was a big gap in strength between the two sides, and the pressure was great, which also made his energy consumption faster and greater than in ordinary games.

It could already be seen that his running was not as active as before, and his reaction speed was also declining. If he wasn't substituted, the Chinese team's midfield defense would easily have problems.

Yang Muge was reassuring, after all, he had been tested and tempered in the Bundesliga and Champions League. Whether it was the rhythm of the game or the reasonable distribution of physical energy, or his own physical reserves, he was better than Yang Hao. At this point in the game, he still seemed to have energy to spare, able to accelerate when he should accelerate, and not falling behind in physical confrontation.

In the eighty-fifth minute, Lippi replaced Wu Lei with Gao Lin.

Wu Lei worked hard in this game and had opportunities, but he didn't seize any of them. This was quite in line with his abilities—he had excellent off-the-ball running ability and a positive attitude towards the game, but his shooting skills were relatively poor, and his feeling in front of the goal was far inferior to He Ying. Although he was the top domestic scorer in the domestic league, the defensive intensity of the domestic league certainly couldn't be compared with the World Cup. Moreover, Lippi's positioning of him was not to make him a scoring weapon for capturing strongholds, but to use his speed and running to contain the opponent's defense and create opportunities. In this regard, Wu Lei completed it quite well.

Lippi hoped to strengthen the team's ball control ability by bringing on Gao Lin. Gao Lin was also not the kind of shooter with exquisite shooting skills. Although he played as a center forward, whether in the club or in the national team, he had always been positioned as a "tactical center forward," using his body and skills to control the ball and make plays for his teammates.

After Gao Lin came on the field, He Ying went to the right, and Gao Lin was in the center, so the Chinese team still had the ability to launch counterattacks.

If Spain was to launch an all-out attack at the last moment, the Chinese team could also use quick counterattacks to threaten Spain's goal.

But Spain's offensive still lacked organization and couldn't threaten China's goal.

After all, they had already been eliminated, and the result of this game, win or lose, wouldn't change. The so-called "fighting for honor" required a real sense of honor. This Spanish national team was now crumbling, and there probably weren't many people with a real sense of honor…

Under such circumstances, when the fourth official held up the sign for four minutes of injury time, Lippi decided to use the last substitution he had in hand.

Zheng Zhi stood on the sidelines.

Seeing this scene, Liu Jianhong said, "Zheng Zhi is about to come on the field… Who will he replace? Will it be Zhou Yi? Zhou Yi should indeed come off the field early to rest for a while. You know, this is his first official match after being injured for a month… He has performed very well, but we must also be careful to prevent the old injury from recurring…"

Soon a dead ball situation appeared on the field, and the fourth official held up the substitution sign, clearly showing that the Chinese team was making a substitution, number twenty-three off, number ten on!

The Chinese fans in the Arena da Baixada all stood up and gave Zhou Yi applause and cheers.

"Sure enough! Zhou Yi is about to come off the field! He didn't play the entire game, but he is the number one contributor to the Chinese team's victory… I'm sorry, is temporarily leading Spain in this game! Thank you, Zhou Yi!" Liu Jianhong said emotionally. "This game proves that Lippi and Zhou Yi's initial insistence was correct! Their waiting and dedication have also been rewarded accordingly! Rest well, Zhou Yi!"

"Lippi substituted Zhou Yi early, which may not be just to let him rest for a few more minutes. He feels that the greater meaning is to let Zhou Yi enjoy this honor alone. He deserves such treatment. Without Zhou Yi, it's really hard to say whether the Chinese team can defeat Spain, but with him, the score is clearly displayed on the big screen… Before the World Cup, people were worried about whether Zhou Yi could perform as well in the national team as he did in the club, but now everyone can dispel such doubts. Zhou Yi is still the same Zhou Yi! I am also more looking forward to the Chinese team's subsequent matches in the World Cup. What surprising performances will he bring us?"

※※※

Seeing that he was about to be substituted, Zhou Yi jogged towards the sidelines, while taking off the captain's armband from his arm and holding it in his hand.

When he reached the sidelines, he put the captain's armband on Zheng Zhi's arm, and then hugged him, completing the substitution handover ceremony.

Then he walked off the field, raised his hands, and applauded and thanked the Chinese fans in the stands, who responded with even greater applause and cheers.

Some fans even waved portraits of Zhou Yi to express their love for Zhou Yi.

The TV broadcast even captured several foreign fans in the stands wearing Zhou Yi's Borussia Dortmund jersey. Perhaps they were German Borussia Dortmund fans who had traveled all the way to Brazil to support Zhou Yi and watch Zhou Yi's game.

After thanking the fans, Zhou Yi walked to Lippi and extended his hand to shake hands.

But after Lippi shook his hand, he directly pulled him into his arms and gave Zhou Yi a firm hug, patting him hard on the back.

As a thank you to him.

※※※

Zhou Yi was off the field, and there were less than three minutes left for Spain.

Spain did launch a swift offensive in the final moments, but with Sun Pan and other Chinese players united in defense, they did not give Spain a chance to score.

In the ninety-fourth minute and seven seconds of the game, the referee Shukralla blew the whistle to end the game!

"The game is over!! The game is over! 2:0! The Chinese team defeated Spain in the life-and-death battle for qualification and won a valuable three points! In this way, the Chinese team will have five points. No matter what happens between the Netherlands and Chile, the Chinese team will qualify from this group!" Liu Jianhong's face turned red when he said these words, showing how excited and excited he was.

"This is a historic moment! The Chinese men's football team has entered the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time in history! Audience friends! We have witnessed the birth of history with our own eyes! Thank you Zhou Yi! Thank you Lippi! Thank you Sun Pan! Thank you Guo Nu… Thank you to every player on the Chinese team! Thank you to every staff member of the Chinese national team! At this moment, we are the happiest people, let us enjoy this happy moment to the fullest!"

As soon as Liu Jianhong finished speaking, a song familiar to every Chinese person was heard from the stands of the Arena da Baixada.

"The five-star red flag flutters in the wind, the victory song is so loud!!"

This was the first time that the song "Ode to the Motherland" was sung on Brazilian soil, but everyone who heard the song hoped that it would not be the last time.