Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 581 Dawn of Victory

For the next ten minutes, Neymar was embroiled in a battle with Nainggolan, repeatedly trying to get past him, but with few successes. Even when he did manage to get past Nainggolan, he missed his best attacking opportunities because of the entanglement with him.

The match is proceeding as Pellegrini had envisioned.

However, Neymar was in trouble, while another player was more active.

That's Sanchez.

In the 34th minute of the match, Sanchez received the ball ten meters from the penalty area. Facing Van Dijk's interception, he made a feint and then continued to accelerate and forcefully break through.

Van Dijk intercepted the ball.

Van Dijk's interception was very decisive; he seized the opportunity and tackled both the ball and Sanchez to the ground.

The referee didn't see it very clearly. Although Van Dijk tackled the ball first, the referee still awarded the ball to Barcelona.

Van Dijk was very dissatisfied with the decision and was about to argue with the referee, but his teammates stopped him. If he got a yellow card from the referee, it would be a bad thing.

Sanchez was dispossessed this time, and also won a free kick in a good position.

This is the power of Barcelona's attacking line; the dribbling ability of several players is their most important weapon.

Whether it's Messi, Neymar, or Sanchez.

Possession is merely a means to an end, intended to disrupt the opponent's defensive formation and create opportunities for those in the attacking third to break through.

Barcelona's style of play is possession-based, which is their tradition, but maintaining possession for a long time is not easy, especially when the opponent is strong.

Therefore, they rarely make long passes that are easy to intercept. They usually break through the defensive formation with a series of short passes and finally get the ball to the key position.

However, when the opponent's defense is tight, players need to break through with strong attacks to open up the game.

Neymar was in trouble, and Iniesta's performance wasn't great either, but Sanchez's breakthrough earned him a free kick.

Neymar took this free kick. When Messi is not on the field, he is the core player and has the right to control the ball first.

A precise, curved shot was launched, the ball soaring over the wall and heading straight for the corner.

Granada's goalkeeper, Fernandez, was fully prepared. He leaped into the air and made a narrow save to deny the ball.

But that wasn't the end of it. Fabregas, who came from the other side, followed up with a shot and successfully put the ball into the empty net.

The ball went in!
The Camp Nou stadium immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.

"1 to 1! 1 to 1!"

"Fàbregas has scored! But this goal is a team victory!"

"Sanchez's breakthrough drew a foul from the opponent, winning the team a free kick. Neymar's free kick was saved, but Fabregas followed up with a shot!"

"Barcelona equalized in the 34th minute!"

Amidst the Spanish commentator's frenzied shouts, Barcelona fans cheered for the goal, with many excitedly chanting Fabregas's name.

Despite Fabregas's less-than-stellar performances since returning to Barcelona from Arsenal.

But after all, this is their own child, and the fans are still happy to applaud Fabregas.

Meanwhile, Granada's players were extremely frustrated.

In the past, Shan Yongzhuo's goal made them a little complacent, but afterwards, they really felt the gap in strength. The ball was mostly controlled by Barcelona. Although Messi was not on the field, the other players were all renowned players.

Iniesta, Fabregas, Neymar, Sanchez, Pedro...

The opposing team has very few unknown players. In contrast, Granada's truly star-level players are only Shan Yongzhuo, and perhaps Nainggolan as well.

Shan Yongzhuo was also a little frustrated. He really wanted to score again, but unfortunately, he got very few and far between.

Granada struggled to get the ball into the attacking third, resulting in very limited support for them.

Even when he retreats, he can easily get trapped in Barcelona's defensive encirclement, leaving him with few good options.

When the game restarted, Barcelona's momentum was even stronger.

Despite Neymar's ongoing struggle with Nainggolan, and the fact that he clearly doesn't have a good way to deal with him.

However, the midfield trio of Fabregas, Busquets, and Iniesta firmly controlled the rhythm of the game, along with the two wingers, Sanchez and Pedro.

Relying on their two flanks, Barcelona continued to threaten Granada's goal.

Suddenly, the situation on the field became very unfavorable for Granada.

Granada's players are starting to look exhausted. Their flanks have always been their weakest point, and now Barcelona is targeting them specifically, putting them in a very difficult situation.

Barcelona's attack quickly yielded the result they wanted.

In the 42nd minute of the match, another attack was launched from the wing.

Iniesta made a long run, breaking past Oquez. Facing Nyom, Iniesta and Sanchez made a short pass, passing Nyom once and then getting past him.

Iniesta himself broke into the penalty area from the right side.

Van Dijk rushed over to cover, but Iniesta passed the ball directly to the middle.

Neymar and Nainggolan both fell to the ground at the near post, but neither of them managed to touch the ball.

Pedro, however, got there before Shawcross and unleashed a powerful shot.

Fernandez's attention was focused on the near post, and he didn't notice Pedro at the far post at all. By the time he realized what was happening, it was basically too late.

Pedro almost scored into an empty net.

The ball went in!
Instantly, the atmosphere at Camp Nou reached its peak.

After scoring, Pedro rushed to the sidelines in ecstasy, where his teammates piled him on top of each other in a human pyramid.

The Barcelona players were indeed very excited.

They were already behind within the first ten minutes, which made them very frustrated.

But now, thanks to their own efforts, they have finally taken the lead just before the end of the first half.

If they can take the lead into the second half, the game will be very favorable for them.

They even have a good chance of winning this game.

This is very important to them.

After all, their opponent is Granada.

This is Shan Yongzhuo's team, and many people in the Barcelona squad have a deep obsession with defeating Shan Yongzhuo.

They have lost to Shan Yongzhuo far too many times.