Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

This season, Barcelona has rarely conceded so many goals in a single match.

But this match was completely different from their previous ones; Real Madrid, playing at home, were on a completely unstoppable rampage.

After Lin Feng regained the lead, Real Madrid's morale soared, and they launched a wave of attacks.

Higuain, Robben, and others took turns attacking Barcelona's goal, creating a tense atmosphere in front of Barcelona's goal.

The immense defensive pressure forced Barcelona, ​​a team accustomed to possession-based football, to drop back significantly into their own half to defend, making them look quite disheveled.

"This Barcelona is really unfamiliar. In the past thirty minutes, Barcelona has actually been overtaken by Real Madrid in terms of possession!"

"Yes, Real Madrid were in absolutely fantastic form in this match!"

"After all, it's a home game. I just don't know if Real Madrid can maintain this good form in the next Champions League semi-final!"

The next match is in three days. Although the time interval is very short, it will be difficult for the players to fully recover their physical strength after the exertion of this high-intensity match.

However, since only these two teams are participating in the match, it is considered fair for both sides.

Despite Real Madrid's relentless attacks, Barcelona's defense, though seemingly shaky, never completely collapsed.

In the 41st minute, after thwarting Real Madrid's fierce attack, Barcelona finally regained possession and returned to their familiar passing and control rhythm.

Perhaps because the intensity of the match was too great, the game only lasted 40 minutes, and both teams of players were sweating profusely and panting heavily.

This fast-paced, high-intensity confrontation and pressing is extremely taxing on the players' physical strength.

If they continue playing at this pace, I'm afraid most of the players on both sides will be exhausted by the 75th minute of the second half.

Towards the end of the first half, Xavi, after some stumbling, finally managed to advance the ball into the attacking third.

With the help of his teammates, Xavi finally broke free from Lin Feng's entanglement and hurriedly made a diagonal pass into the penalty area from the front.

Although the ball was passed in, the quality of the pass wasn't very good; the ball was a bit too big.

By the time Messi received the ball, he was already near the baseline.

Facing the Real Madrid full-back closing in, Messi feigned a pass, then turned and forced a shot from a tight angle on the left side of the penalty area.

Despite the unfavorable circumstances, Messi's shot did not go wide; instead, it headed straight for the far corner of the goal.

But this shot obviously posed no threat to Casillas, who quickly moved his feet and leaped to save the ball with one hand.

The first half ended quickly with the score at 3-2.

The moment the halftime whistle blew, both teams of players breathed a sigh of relief.

The first half had exhausted them; both teams felt heavy and fatigued, and all they wanted was to get to the locker room as soon as possible so the team doctor could give their sore muscles a good massage to relax.

"You played very well in the first half, keep it up in the second half!"

After entering the locker room, Mourinho instructed the team doctor and substitute players to massage and relax the muscles of the starting players. At the same time, he picked up the tactics board and began to write and draw on it, instilling the team's tactics for the second half into the players.

Real Madrid's counter-attacks and pressing in the first half were very effective. They not only seized their opportunities to take the lead but also limited Barcelona's attack, greatly relieving the pressure on Real Madrid's defense.

Seeing how well this tactic worked, Mourinho originally intended to continue using it.

But seeing the fatigue on the starting lineup, he knew that Real Madrid was not yet able to master this tactic.

If Real Madrid continues to apply the high-pressing style of play from the first half, their players simply won't have the stamina to sustain it for the entire match.

Therefore, Real Madrid needs to adjust their tactics in the second half, try to reduce the players' physical exertion, and win the game in a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly way.

Otherwise, if the league is too exhausting, what about the Champions League matches?
Real Madrid is adjusting its tactics, and Barcelona is also busy adjusting its tactics.

In response to Real Madrid's pressing tactics in the first half, Guardiola tried to shift the ball from the center-backs to the flanks to avoid interference from the opposing forwards.

Although the opponent's high pressing posed a significant obstacle to Barcelona's passing and possession, this tactic had to be implemented. There was plenty of space in the backfield, and as long as Barcelona could successfully pass the ball out, their forwards would be able to face the opponent's goal directly.

Unlike Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​with a three-point lead, doesn't face as much pressure in the game.

Barcelona doesn't need to beat Real Madrid away from home; a draw would be perfectly acceptable.

Even if they lose this game, it's just back to square one with their opponents; they can afford to lose!

However, after the start of the second half, Guardiola seemed a bit bewildered: Why did Real Madrid retreat again?
Didn't we agree to have a fierce and epic battle?
However, Real Madrid's decision to relinquish possession allowed Barcelona's possession-based tactics to resume, and the game seemed to return to the rhythm of the previous match at Camp Nou.
Barcelona patiently passed the ball around in the opponent's half, occasionally trying to create opportunities by utilizing the dribbling abilities of players like Messi and Iniesta.

But Real Madrid's defense was very solid and did not give them such an opportunity.

Messi made several attempts to break into the penalty area using his individual skills, but Real Madrid's impenetrable defense blocked them each time.

Left with no other option, he could only try his luck with long-range shots from outside the penalty area.

However, with limited space to shoot and defenders blocking and interfering from the front, Messi's long-range shot failed to pose a threat and went wide of the goal.

In the 55th minute of the second half, Lin Feng took advantage of the Barcelona players' relaxed vigilance and once again intercepted the ball from Xavi's feet, then sent a long pass to the frontcourt.

Robben took the lead, first using his speed to dribble past the opposing full-back on the wing, then cutting inside to the center, and as the opposing center-back came to cover, he cut inside to create space and took a shot.

Although Valdes reacted immediately, Robben's shot was very tricky, the ball almost flying straight into the top corner.

Barcelona's goal was breached once again, making the score 4-2. The Flying Dutchman's goal helped Real Madrid extend their lead once more.

"A very beautiful goal, a textbook example of Real Madrid's counter-attack!"

"Yes, Real Madrid intercepted the ball in the middle and immediately shot at the striker without any transition, giving the opposing defense no time to react."

"When facing a team like Real Madrid that is very good at counter-attacks, we must be vigilant at all times. With Lin Feng on the field, even losing possession in the attacking third can be fatal because his long passes are like having a GPS track, incredibly accurate!"

"Mourinho's team may not be known for its fancy playing style, but when it comes to counter-attacking efficiency, they are second to none!"

Commentators from various television stations were full of praise for Real Madrid's counter-attack. Although Barcelona's defense was not weak, they still seemed somewhat powerless against such an extremely fast counter-attack. Puyol stood in his penalty area, hands on his hips, panting heavily.

He glanced back at the soccer ball lying in his own goal frame, then at his teammates who also looked bewildered, and felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.

It was too fast; they couldn't react in time.

So accurate!
The opponent's long pass didn't give them a chance to contest the header at all; the ball was almost directly delivered to Robben's feet, and with enough lead time that Robben didn't need to slow down.

Robben's speed and inside cuts are already unstoppable, and with this almost nanny-level passing, how difficult it is for Barcelona to stop his breakthroughs.
If they were to launch a counterattack like that again, they probably still wouldn't be able to stop it.

On the sidelines, Guardiola's forehead began to sweat.

Was the connection between Lin Feng and Robben really that powerful?
But why didn't Real Madrid use this combination before?

On the Real Madrid coaching bench, Mourinho seemed to be meeting Lin Feng and Robben for the first time. He hadn't expected this combination to have such good chemistry, which caused a slight wavering in his heart.
Why not try to keep Robben and not sell him this summer?
But when he thought about the poor relationships among the other players in Robben's team and his Mavericks-like style on the court, he dismissed the idea.

Forget it, let's just buy another fast winger. There are plenty of good wingers in football, no need to hang ourselves on Robben.

Messi, standing in the center circle, had an extremely solemn expression on his face.

The team was only down by one goal just now, so it shouldn't be too difficult to equalize.

In the blink of an eye, the score difference widened to 2 goals. It's not easy to catch up when you're behind like that.

The thought that Lin Feng had already completed a hat-trick while he had only scored one goal made Messi feel immense pressure.

The game quickly restarted, and in the 57th minute, referee Rienko, in midfield, was unable to avoid Iniesta receiving the ball.

Seeing this, Lin Feng decisively moved forward to intercept the ball and launched a counterattack, sending a through pass to the edge of the penalty area.

The little smoker arrived quickly and swung his right foot to unleash a low shot towards the goal.

Valdes made a crucial save; he sprinted to the ground and stretched out his leg to block the ball.

A collective sigh of regret rippled through the Bernabéu stadium; what a golden opportunity, yet Higuaín failed to capitalize.

Fortunately, the ball didn't go in. If it had, the Barcelona players would definitely have surrounded the referee demanding an explanation, because the goal could almost be considered an assist from the referee.

Guardiola couldn't sit still on the sidelines.

The team made too many mistakes in those few minutes, and the opponent's number eight player's consecutive steals almost killed the game.

He knew why his players made mistakes. The intense physical and mental exertion in the first half had caused a decline in the players' physical condition and concentration, which led to these errors.

This trend isn't limited to midfielders; even Messi is making fewer dribbling attempts in the attacking third.

However, Guardiola was puzzled as to why the opposing number eight player seemed completely unaffected, still running around the field with boundless energy.
He had heard that Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung was also very good at running and was known as Park the Three Lungs at Manchester United.

Could it be that Asian players really have an extra lung compared to Europeans, which is why they can run so fast?

As the match continued, the players on both sides showed an increasingly obvious trend of declining physical fitness.

In the 67th minute of the second half, Puyol was shown a yellow card for a tackle from behind on Ramos while defending in the backfield.

Just four minutes later, Marcelo was also shown a yellow card for a tackle on Messi's ankle from behind.

Both yellow cards were issued because the defending players were too exhausted and their movements became distorted.

After being fouled and given brief treatment by the team doctor, Messi, enduring the excruciating pain, limped to his feet and ran to the penalty spot to take the free kick himself.

Marcelo's foul was in a very sensitive position, not far from the goal, and in a good position, allowing him to shoot directly.

Since it's difficult to break into Real Madrid's penalty area to shoot, then try to create more opportunities with set pieces and long-range shots.

Messi took a deep breath and took a free kick from 25 meters out on the right side of the penalty area.

Messi's hard work in practicing free kicks paid off; the ball dipped noticeably in front of the goal, making it a true knuckleball!

But Casillas reacted quickly, diving to save the ball.

Messi is completely exasperated. Why is it always this guy who ruins his plans?

If it weren't for Casillas's incredible save, he felt he would have already completed a hat trick!

As time went by, Barcelona's attacking pressure increased.

In the 71st minute, Iniesta dribbled past Pepe in front of the penalty area and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot, which grazed the far post and went out of play.

One minute later, Marcelo made a mistake in passing the ball in the backfield, and Messi broke through Ramos on the right side of the penalty area before shooting low from a tight angle, but the ball went wide of the far post. Barcelona launched a small attacking surge.

But the goal still hasn't been scored!
In the 78th minute, Messi made a series of dribbling maneuvers on the right side of the penalty area, which confused Ramos who was defending him. He then broke into the penalty area and, facing Thiago Silva's cover, chose to use the outside of his left foot to shoot low into the far corner.

Casillas's view was obstructed, and Messi's shot was so tricky that he had no chance to make a save.

The ball slipped under my sister-in-law's raised leg and rolled along the ground into the net.

Seeing the ball roll into the net, even the usually reserved Messi excitedly ran around the field, pointing both fingers to the sky as if thanking God.

It was so hard-won! He worked hard for over fifty minutes and made countless attempts to score this goal, and finally he did!
His teammates were even more excited than he was, with Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, and others rushing up to surround Messi.

Messi's brace brought the score to 4-3.

The suspense of the match, which had been gradually fading away, was rekindled with Messi's goal.

With just over ten minutes left in the game, Barcelona only needed one more goal to equalize and maintain their lead over Real Madrid!

If Real Madrid wants to win the La Liga title this season, they must keep a clean sheet and avoid conceding any more goals in the remaining time. (End of Chapter)