Right from the start of the match, Neymar was hit with extremely intense fouling. Carvajal stayed tight to him, giving him absolutely no room to receive the ball.
Sergio Ramos was constantly ready to cover. With his strong mobility, he could step in at any moment to back up Carvajal.
If Carvajal was beaten, what awaited Neymar was the ever so gentle Sergio Ramos and his equally gentle defensive style.
As a result, a very unpleasant scene unfolded on the pitch.
Neymar's cries of pain rang out again and again. Just like in previous matches, Spain showed no mercy. This was Zubizarreta's defensive plan.
"To stop Neymar, you cannot step in after he receives the ball and turns to face you."
"Once he is facing you with the ball, his magic will leave you completely beaten."
"So the key moment to stop Neymar is right before he receives the ball."
"As long as he has his back to you and is preparing to receive it, you must immediately close in from behind and prevent him from turning."
"If that first step does not work, then go straight into physical contact. Increase the intensity. Do not hesitate."
Zubizarreta had repeated these instructions to Spain's defenders countless times before the match, and they were executing them perfectly.
Neymar was brought down again, and Brazil earned a free kick in the attacking third.
Neymar stepped up once more, sending the ball toward the near post and into the center.
Gabriel Jesus leapt high, but Piqué got there first and cleared it with a header, winning the first ball.
"Gabriel Jesus is the player in this Brazil squad whose style is closest to Neymar."
"He is agile and caught the attention of Manchester City. Some call him Aguero's successor, but he needs to improve his finishing."
Neymar's performance was somewhat limited, but the rest of Brazil were playing normally. In fact, because Spain were constantly double teaming or even triple teaming Neymar, the other Brazilian players found themselves with more space.
Coutinho waited patiently. A true genius knows how to use his dribbling to create chances.
Brazil as a whole showed a strong samba style. Every player, whenever they got the ball, would show off some footwork and flair.
16th minute.
"From the current situation, both sides are still probing. Neither has fully committed forward yet."
"Brazil are frequently creating chances down the flanks. Neymar is tightly marked, but Willian is not at a disadvantage in one on one situations. He is faster than Alba."
"And whenever Sergio Ramos moves to cover Neymar, Jesus pushes into the space behind him, creating a one on one situation with Piqué in the box."
"Piqué must read Jesus's movements perfectly every time. If he gets beaten, Jesus will have a clear sight of goal."
Brazil kept searching for a breakthrough.
Spain were also waiting for chances to counter.
Whenever a Brazilian player lost the ball during a dribble, Spain would immediately launch a quick counterattack.
At this point, one Brazilian player stood out. Unlike the typical samba style, he relied on small fouls and physical disruption to limit David Silva. He played a key role in breaking up Spain's counters.
That player was Fernandinho, also from Manchester City.
Fernandinho focused entirely on David Silva. This was a decision made by Brazil's coaching staff.
Naturally, their main attention was on Leo Lin. However, in previous matches, David Silva had played a crucial role in Spain's counterattacks.
Drifting inside from the wing, he acted as a pivot, linking midfield and attack, which fully freed Leo Lin to push forward and repeatedly charge into the penalty area.
Once Leo Lin pushed up, he could receive passes from David Silva and create chances for himself and his teammates.
So in Tite's view, David Silva was the core of Spain's counterattacks.
Fernandinho was known at Manchester City for his experienced and calculated fouls.
He was not physically imposing, yet he could play as a lone defensive midfielder in the Premier League. That alone showed his quality.
22nd minute.
"Brazil counter."
"They go left again, looking for Neymar."
"Back to goal, he shields it and lays it off centrally. Neymar does not try to take it on himself."
"Paulinho carries it forward and tries a long shot."
"He hits it!"
"The angle is off. De Gea gathers it comfortably."
"A powerful throw from De Gea starts the counter. Spain are on the break!"
De Gea launched the ball quickly down the middle. Leo Lin rose high, beating Coutinho in the air and flicking the ball on accurately to David Silva, then immediately turned and pushed forward.
Spain's attacking shape was already clear.
As long as David Silva could turn and thread a through ball, the moment Leo Lin received it, Spain would have a four on four in attack with a real chance to score.
David Silva brought the ball down with his thigh. Just as he was about to turn, Fernandinho suddenly rushed in from behind and drove his knee into David Silva's backside.
He went down instantly.
A clear malicious foul.
"Whistle!"
The referee immediately called the foul and rushed over, showing Fernandinho a yellow card.
He wanted to calm the Spanish players, because he had already seen Leo Lin charging over, eyes blazing.
The referee stepped in front of Fernandinho and warned Leo Lin to stay under control, while David Silva lay on the ground, clutching his backside in pain.
"You piece of trash!"
"Is that how you play? Garbage!"
"You..."
"You..."
The Brazilian players quickly surrounded Fernandinho. Leo Lin shoved forward in response, pointing at Fernandinho and shouting angrily.
Fernandinho looked stunned. He had never seen the young Leo Lin explode like this on the pitch.
"Why do you talk so harshly?" Fernandinho shot back.
"Why do I talk harshly?" Leo Lin laughed.
"Because I am doing it on purpose."
"You think you deserve nice words?"
"Touch my teammate again and I will do a lot more than just talk."
Leo Lin stared at him coldly.
"I promise you, Fernandinho."
"Try another dirty foul on my teammate."
The sudden pressure from Leo Lin forced Fernandinho to take two steps back before quickly leaving under the referee's protection.
Leo Lin helped David Silva up and brushed the dirt off him. Thankfully, it was only a dull ache and nothing serious.
But this was far from over.