Football: Starting from the 05 World Youth Championship

Mourinho was still hesitating, but the situation on the field was already close to getting out of control.

In the 74th minute, Messi delivered a low cross from the right side of the penalty area, and Eto'o surged ahead, but his shot from 7 meters out at the near post was narrowly saved by Casillas on the goal line.

A minute later, Messi moved to the left and took a shot.

Although he still didn't create a goal, his actions of attacking with both hands and treating Real Madrid's penalty area like his own home, coming and going as he pleased, already spoke volumes.

Real Madrid's defense is no longer able to contain Messi's performance.

If Real Madrid are allowed to continue this performance, it's only a matter of time before they concede a goal.

"Cut off their passing lanes, don't let the ball get to Messi's feet!"

Mourinho shouted anxiously from the sidelines, but actually, Lin Feng and others on the field had already done so without his reminder.

Seeing that the team's defense was under tremendous pressure, he knew that Mourinho's design was intended to free him up to play a greater role in the attack.

However, Lin Feng could not stand idly by while the team's goal was under siege, so he had to temporarily retreat to the edge of the penalty area to work with his other midfield teammates to harass the opponent's midfield.

"You guys keep an eye on Xavi and Iniesta, Messi is mine!"

After retreating, he discovered that his teammates were too exhausted to keep up with Messi's pace, which allowed Messi to move freely in Real Madrid's penalty area.

Lin Feng immediately stepped forward and took on the task of defending Messi.

In the 76th minute, when Messi was about to break through with the ball again, he found a tall figure blocking his way.

Messi looked up and realized that the person was actually Lin Feng.

"Here it comes! The showdown between Lin Feng and Messi!"

The commentators, the fans at the stadium, and those watching on television were all thrilled by this scene.
The two are not opposing players and have few opportunities to face each other directly on the field. However, as the two most talked-about players, fans and onlookers are very interested in a direct confrontation between them.

Nothing proves your strength better than defeating your opponent in a one-on-one match!
Seeing that the defender was Lin Feng, Messi became extremely focused and used a feint to lower his shoulder to try and trick Lin Feng into losing his balance so that he could easily get past him.

However, Lin Feng was very familiar with Messi's techniques and was not fooled.

Seeing that his opponent wasn't fooled, Messi went with the flow, turning his feint into a real breakthrough.

Because of his extremely fast footwork, Messi can make three or even four touches of the ball in a single second.

This allows him to do many things that others cannot, and defensive players, unable to keep up with his pace, can easily be shaken off.

However, after Messi made this move, he was surprised to find that Lin Feng had actually followed him, and he had not been able to shake off the other party.

This guy's got some skills!

Messi's fighting spirit was instantly ignited. He put aside his contempt and began to regard Lin Feng as a formidable opponent.

Within seconds, Messi made several quick cuts and changes of direction in a tight space, trying to shake off Lin Feng's entanglement.

He succeeded; with his continuous spikes and changes of direction, he finally managed to shake off Lin Feng.

But he failed, thanks to Lin Feng buying enough time for his teammates to be ready.

Messi found himself dribbling past opponents in vain, not only failing to create scoring opportunities but also feeling like he was wasting valuable attacking chances.

Messi, slow to realize, only then did he realize he had been tricked.

This guy never expected to stop me from the start; all he did was stall for time!
Thinking about this, Messi felt somewhat frustrated. He had been too competitive and had inadvertently fallen into his opponent's trap.

Messi himself has not yet reflected on his behavior, but his fans have already begun to celebrate:

Messi is the best in the world. I told you that guy surnamed Lin couldn't stop him, right?

[Given Messi's inhumanly fast pace, I don't think anyone in the world could stop him one-on-one. Not even Lin Feng, let alone peak-era Cannavaro, Maldini, or Nesta could have done it!]

[Hehe, Messi defeated Lin Feng in a head-to-head match. Let's see how Lin Feng's fans dare to boast that Lin Feng is the best in the world from now on!]

As the man who has suppressed Messi for several years, Lin Feng can be considered the number one enemy in the hearts of Messi fans.

Even more so, many people regard him as the ultimate villain and hope to achieve instant success by defeating him.

Now that half of this wish has been fulfilled, all that's left is to keep going and eliminate the opposing team to complete the mission!

Unfortunately, they were too happy too soon.

Lin Feng's retreat weakened Real Madrid's attacking power, but greatly strengthened their defensive capabilities.

With him, Pepe, Mascherano, and Diarra forming a midfield shield, they withstood the vast majority of Barcelona's attacks.

Under the tireless running and interference of the four players, Barcelona midfielders such as Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi were separated from their forward teammates.

The connection between the two lines was severed, making it much harder for Barcelona's forwards to create as many scoring opportunities as before.

The only player who can consistently pose a threat to Real Madrid's defense is Messi.

Messi is indeed difficult to defend against; even Lin Feng couldn't stop him.

But when dealing with a player like Messi, Real Madrid doesn't need to send anyone out to fight him one-on-one. They can just swarm him and give him a good beating. Who cares about chivalry then?

Then, Guardiola, standing on the sidelines, soon made a surprising discovery:

He discovered that Real Madrid seemed to have built a huge cage around Lin Feng, with Lin Feng as the supporting axis.

As long as he is inside this cage, no matter where Messi goes, he will always be surrounded by at least two defenders.

Although Messi's highlight reels often feature amazing moments of him taking on two or even three opponents at once.

But this kind of thing can't be as simple as eating and drinking. If Messi could really make such an unsolvable individual breakthrough, then Barcelona wouldn't need to make their attacking tactics so complicated. They could just give the ball to Messi and let him charge into the penalty area.

With the situation on the verge of a stalemate, Guardiola continued to change tactics.

He released the seal on Yaya Toure and began to make use of Yaya Toure's excellent forward attacking ability!
In the 78th minute, Messi passed the ball back after a failed breakthrough. Xavi, under pressure from Real Madrid's defensive midfielder, was unable to receive the ball and could only pass it back to his teammate behind him.

Under normal circumstances, after receiving a pass back from Xavi, Barcelona players in the backfield would usually pass the ball around a few times to stabilize the situation before giving it back to Xavi to reorganize the attack.

But Yaya Toure didn't do any of that after receiving the ball; instead, he unexpectedly dribbled forward.

His forward run caught Real Madrid players somewhat off guard. With Lin Feng dropping back and Raul being substituted, Higuain was left as the only striker on the front line.

He couldn't possibly care less about the numerous players in Barcelona's backfield. In the instant Yaya Toure dribbled forward, no one nearby could come forward to interfere.

Yaya Toure dribbled smoothly into the attacking third, breaking the fragile balance on the field.

Yaya Toure's long-range shot was threatening, and Real Madrid dared not continue to let him dribble forward without intervention.

Mascherano, who was closest, had no choice but to abandon marking Xavi and charge toward Yaya Toure.

But as soon as he left, Yaya Toure immediately passed the ball to Xavi. Without Mascherano's restriction, Xavi felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

He had already planned the passing route before the ball even came to his feet.

"Don't let him pass the ball out!"

Lin Feng, also a top-class midfielder, immediately sensed the danger and had to loudly warn his teammates.

Seeing that he couldn't stop the pass in time, Pepe made a desperate move and slid in to tackle Xavi's ankle.

Xavi was startled; if he hadn't dodged the ball, his ankle would have been ruined by the tackle.

Faced with the choice between passing the ball and protecting himself, he could only choose to retreat.

Even so, he was still brought down by Pepe.

Beep!
The referee blew his whistle immediately, and while reaching into his pocket to get the cards, he ran towards the scene with a serious expression.

Unsurprisingly, Pepe paid the price for his foul, receiving a yellow card and giving the opponent a free kick in a very good position.

But Pepe didn't regret it. In that situation, if Xavi had passed the ball out unattended, the consequences might have been more serious than just a yellow card.

Because he dodged in time, Harvey was actually not seriously injured.

But he felt it was a great pity, because Eto'o and Messi had both made runs into open spaces, and there was a very high probability that the ball would have gone in if he had passed it to either of them.

It's a pity the ball wasn't passed out.

The opposing number eight was too alert, and Pepe's foul was too decisive, giving him no time to handle the ball.

Fortunately, they were awarded a free kick, which they must make good use of.

"I'll take the penalty!"

Xavi originally intended to continue taking free kicks himself, after all, his previous free kicks had almost resulted in a goal.

But just as he was about to take the penalty kick, Messi spoke up.

"Leo, are you sure you want to take the free throw?"

Xavi asked a question with some hesitation, and Messi responded with a firm nod.

"Alright, I'll cover for you, you take the penalty!"

Seeing that the other party was so determined, Xavi didn't say anything and readily gave up the free throw opportunity.

On the sidelines, Guardiola noticed this scene, frowned slightly, but said nothing.

After setting up the football, Messi took a deep breath, stood behind the football, and had a determined expression on his face.

Cristiano Ronaldo, far away in England, couldn't help but frown upon seeing this scene:
What's going on today?

Why do I always see myself in these two guys?
He suspected the two guys were cricketing at him, but he had no proof.

Beep!
The referee blew his whistle, and Messi rushed toward the ball, pushing off with his left foot, lifting his right foot, and leaning his body to the extreme left, slamming the ball down hard on the bottom.

With a muffled thud, the ball flew into the sky.

The Real Madrid wall behind the penalty area line jumped immediately, but no one touched the ball.

All eyes were drawn to Real Madrid's goal, where a blue figure was moving rapidly.

Casillas once again became a wall of sighs, making a quick move and then diving to tip the ball over the crossbar.

After making the save, Saint Casillas landed with a clenched fist and let out a roar, displaying his kingly aura.

In fact, Messi's free kick posed a great threat to him. If the ball had been a little faster, even he wouldn't have been able to save it.

Fortunately, after nearly 80 minutes of high-intensity play, the opponent's stamina dropped. If they had taken a free kick of this quality right at the start of the game, Casillas would have had a real problem defending against it.

Still not working?
Messi stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the goal with some disappointment, and let out a sigh.

Why can that guy do it, but I can't?

Is it because my talent is inferior to his?

Or am I not trying hard enough?
His teammates might have sensed Messi's frustration, but at that moment, no one had time to comfort him.

Time is running out for Barcelona!

In the 81st minute, Barcelona made another substitution, replacing the exhausted Henry with the young Pedro.

Although his current skills are not yet at their peak, his greatest advantage lies in his youth, energy, and drive.

After 80 minutes, even Barcelona made several mistakes in their coordination due to fatigue, let alone Real Madrid.
In the past, most of Barcelona's opponents have collapsed under the combined physical and mental strain of their possession-based tactics.

While Real Madrid is stronger than those teams, it's not enough to completely erase this disadvantage.

Therefore, their physical exertion must be greater than that of Barcelona.

This is Barcelona's chance!

The young and strong Pedro immediately wreaked havoc on Real Madrid's right flank after he came on.

Pedro's footwork wasn't as good as Messi's, nor as good as Neymar's later, but he was hardworking enough.

When not in possession of the ball, make wide-ranging runs to stretch the opponent's defense and wear them down, sparing no effort in expending your own energy.

When they lose possession, they immediately counter-press, willingly doing the dirty work and hard work for the team without complaint.

He may not be the core member, but he can be a wingman, and he never overshadows the leader.

When the ball is at his feet, if his teammates are in a better position, he will pass the ball without hesitation, even if he has the opportunity to shoot and score.

More importantly, Pedro is a product of La Masia's youth academy, which allows him to fit perfectly into Guardiola's TIKI-TAKA passing and possession system.

With him as a wingman, even Messi felt much more comfortable playing, often going to the left wing to play one-two or two-two combinations with him.

Real Madrid wasn't worried about Barcelona's close-range passing combinations at the very beginning of the game.

However, the players' physical fitness has declined drastically, and their running ability has decreased significantly. Once they fall behind and are left behind by the opponent, there is almost no possibility of them chasing back to defend.

In the 84th minute, Pedro cut inside from the left and passed the ball back low. Messi received the ball, made a strong run into the penalty area, and fired a low shot that once again pierced Real Madrid's goal.

The score became 1-2, with Barcelona completing the comeback. (End of Chapter)