Chapter 519: Destroy the classic
After taking the lead, the situation on the field seemed unchanged, with Barcelona still attacking while Real Madrid defended. However, the players' mentality inevitably felt the impact.
The confidence of the home team's players grew stronger. This goal gave them a glimpse of victory and hope for a comeback, while the away team gradually became restless, with memories of past failures haunting their minds.
The direct result was an increase in long-range shots from outside the Barcelona penalty area. When unable to penetrate the opponent's defense, players like Messi and Villa frequently attempted long shots.
However, this approach obviously didn't work and only wasted attacking opportunities. On the sidelines, Guardiola anxiously urged his players to stay calm while contemplating the changes to come, especially in the second half.
As the first half neared its end, just when everyone thought the score wouldn't change, a new twist occurred.
In the first minute of injury time, Real Madrid won the ball in their own half and launched a quick counterattack down the left flank. Alonso delivered a long diagonal pass to Di Maria on the right.
The Argentine winger forced his way to the byline and crossed, with the ball hitting Abidal's right leg and going out for a corner kick, giving Real Madrid a chance.
Sneijder stepped up to take the corner, lofting it to the near post. Under pressure from defenders, Higuaín could only head the ball forward, but with too much force.
The ball floated slowly towards the penalty spot, where Wang Feng, lurking behind the defense, rushed out to meet it. At the same time, Busquets also moved to clear the ball with a header.
There was no time for any adjustments or hesitation! The Chinese superstar immediately leaned back, lifted his right leg, and used the back of his heel to strike the ball before Busquets could reach it.
"Bang!" The powerful backheel shot headed towards the left side of the goal. Although Valdes reacted quickly, spreading his legs and arms to make a sprawling save, the ball still slipped past him into the net.
"Goal!" The ball went in! Just before the end of the first half, Wang Feng extended Real Madrid's lead with an incredible backheel goal!
"This is unbelievable! According to statistics, the home team's possession rate dropped to 35% at one point, with only four shot opportunities, yet they managed to score two goals."
"In contrast, Barcelona had a lot of possession, with 17 shots but only eight on target. Their attacking quality was poor, and if they continue like this, they will surely lose."
"Could the Catalan team really repeat the mistakes of recent years and once again watch their arch-rivals climb to the top over their corpses?"
Absolutely disastrous! Guardiola felt that if he still had any hair, it would have all fallen out by now. Being one goal down was already precarious enough, but nobody expected to concede a goal in injury time.
He could adjust tactics, but did they have the confidence to execute them? Looking at the despondent players in front of him, the Spanish coach felt truly exhausted. Perhaps he should leave Barcelona after the end of the season, this heart-wrenching place.
Just then, Messi stood up. He walked to the front of his teammates and said firmly amidst skeptical looks, "Guys, it's not time to give up yet. We still have time."
"Don't forget how Real Madrid fights. They never give up halfway through a game. It's this belief that allows them to turn defeat into victory time and time again, and what Real Madrid can do, we can definitely do too!"
"Believe in yourselves, believe in me!" The Argentine star encouraged his teammates passionately, showing this side of leadership for the first time, combined with his superb skills, it was very inspiring.
Iniesta responded first, "Yes, we're just two goals down. We're still three points ahead of them. A draw is a victory for us. I believe in you, Leo, you're no less than Wang Feng!"
Others also chimed in, dispelling the despondent atmosphere in the dressing room. Even Guardiola looked at Messi in astonishment, as if seeing him in a new light.
Puyol was very pleased. He could finally put down the burden on his shoulders and entrust the team to the Argentine, thinking that Messi would need several more years to grow, but he didn't expect him to progress so rapidly under the pressure from Wang Feng.
Next, the coach began to arrange tactics for the second half, with two key points: use possession and immediate pressing to stop Real Madrid's counterattacks, and on the attacking end, find opportunities for Messi to create chances.
The Argentine wasn't just talking big; after the start of the second half, he frequently relied on his individual abilities to break through. Usually, it was difficult for Khedira, Ashley Cole, and Ramos to stop him, which increased the pressure on Real Madrid's defense.
In the 68th minute, Iniesta passed the ball to Messi in the frontcourt. The Argentine broke through, evading multiple attempted tackles and distractions from Sneijder and Diarra.
Seeing the defensive attention focused on himself, Messi suddenly used the back of his heel to lift the ball into the penalty area, where Villa, who had pushed up from the back, volleyed it in as it fell, piercing Casillas's fingers. 2-1, Barcelona pulled one back!
After that, the away team continued their momentum, making the fans in the Bernabeu nervous. Even veteran fans like Desantys couldn't pretend to be calm anymore, holding onto his jersey tightly and loudly urging the team to hold on.
In the 81st minute, as Real Madrid prepared to counterattack, Di Maria was dribbling past the halfway line but was dispossessed by Busquets.
He immediately passed to Messi, who quickly dribbled forward, evading Sneijder and Diarra with consecutive small steps and maneuvers.
With all defensive attention on himself, he suddenly used his heel to lift the ball into the penalty area, where Villa volleyed it in as it fell, piercing Casillas's fingers. 2-1, Barcelona pulled one back!
The Argentine's smile froze instantly, and even the roaring commentator was momentarily stunned, then continued shouting, "It didn't go in! It didn't go in! Oh my God, Wang Feng, who was tracking back, blocked the ball from going over the goal line at the last moment!"
"Messi just pulled off a miraculous solo run, reminiscent of Maradona. If it had resulted in a goal, it would have been a classic to rival his predecessors!"
"But everything was disrupted by Wang Feng. Where did he come from? Let's take a look at the replay."
"Oh, the close-up camera was following Messi the whole time and didn't capture the presence of the Chinese superstar. Looking at it from a wider angle, it becomes clearer. When Messi started his run, Wang Feng was still involved in the attack in the opponent's half. Seeing the danger, he immediately tracked back."
"And his approach was very clever. Instead of getting close for a tackle like other defenders, he positioned himself on the potential shooting path of Messi, ready to block at any moment."
"Because in the process of rapid retreat defense, it's easy to be bypassed by attackers using rhythm changes and dribbling skills, and Wang Feng understands this well. He has once performed an ultimate show of breaking through seven defenders and scoring a goal."
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