After Paris Saint-Germain was removed from the list, I led England to victory!

The night of the quarterfinals.

The stadium looked somewhat deserted under the night lights, but it was broadcast live globally.

Every fan watching on screen could feel the tension and anticipation that almost overflowed from the screen.

At 3:00 AM Beijing time, this highly anticipated Champions League quarter-final is about to kick off.

The narrator's voice was transmitted to every household via radio waves.

"Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals! I am your commentator, Zhan Jun, and my partner is Zhang Lu."

This match was incredibly dramatic. Arsenal versus Barcelona, ​​the shocking 10-0 aggregate score in last season's Champions League knockout stage seems like it was just yesterday, and Yan Yuan's imitation of Messi's jersey-hanging celebration at Camp Nou added even more drama to the story of the two teams.

Times have changed. The format has become a single-elimination tournament. Barcelona has undergone a change of manager and adjustments, with Xavi returning eager to lead the team to revenge. Arsenal, on the other hand, is in excellent form, having just won the FA Cup and eliminated Bayern Munich. Their central axis of Yan Yuan, Rice, and Rodri is considered top-tier in Europe.

Zhang Lu said.

"Hehe, I think the key is in the first fifteen minutes. Barcelona will definitely want to stabilize the tempo and play their passing and possession game, but will Arsenal, like they did against Bayern, put you under high-intensity pressure from the start and disrupt your plans?"

Especially regarding Busquets, he is Barcelona's metronome, but he is getting old and his mobility has declined. If Arsenal, as we have guessed, assigns players like Yan Yuan and Odegaard to focus on marking him, Busquets will be in a very difficult position.

Furthermore, in a single-elimination match with no room for error, the players' mentality, especially that of Barcelona players who experienced last season's humiliation, is crucial. Their ability to withstand pressure and quickly adjust in adversity will be a key factor in determining the outcome of the game.

Zhan Jun continued.

"That's right, just as Coach Zhang said, we can see that both teams' players have entered the field! Arsenal are wearing their traditional red and white home kit today and have lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation."

The referee blew his whistle, and the game began!

Arsenal kicked off first!

Just as the commentator predicted, after a few simple passes in the backfield, the entire Arsenal team suddenly surged forward like a wound-up toy.

Especially the players in the midfield and forward positions, who pounced on their prey like hungry cheetahs.

The first line of defense, consisting of Yan Yuan, Ødegaard, and Saka, was clearly targeting Barcelona's key playmaker in the backfield – Busquets.

Aubameyang was tasked with pressuring Pique and Lenglet, cutting off their passing lanes to Busquets.

Just two minutes into the game, Busquets barely received a pass from Pique under close pressure from Rice. As he turned around, he found that Yan Yuan had silently closed in on him, forming a double-team with Rice.

Busquets, with his experience, tried to shield the ball with his body, but Yan Yuan's footwork was extremely swift and precise, poking the ball out of bounds with a toe.

Although no counter-attack was launched, this successful pressure gave Arsenal players a great deal of confidence and put Barcelona's backfield play under immense pressure from the very beginning.

"Wow! Arsenal's momentum at the start is incredible! They're not giving Barcelona any chance to organize their play calmly. Look at Yan Yuan, he's not just pressing, his positioning is very intelligent, always blocking Busquets' most likely passing lanes," Zhan Jun commented.

"That's right, this is the high pressing in modern football. It's not about running around aimlessly; it's about teamwork and anticipation."

Arsenal's tactical execution today was clearly meticulously prepared by Nagelsmann.

"Barcelona seemed a bit stunned, making numerous passing errors. Pique and Lenglet, under pressure from Aubameyang, could only frequently launch long balls, but possession easily returned to Arsenal," Zhang added.

For the first 15 minutes, the game was completely in Arsenal's predetermined rhythm.

Barcelona's possession-based football today is like a rusty machine, running haltingly.

Messi had to drop far back into midfield to receive the ball.

But as soon as he gets the ball, he is immediately surrounded by Rice and Rodri, while Saliba and Upamecano are always vigilant in blocking his lines to cut inside or pass threatening balls.

This is one of the most expensive perimeter fencing projects in the Premier League.

Barcelona's most dangerous attack came from Messi's long, lobbed pass to Alba after dropping back, but Achraf was quick to recover and cleared the ball first.

The match was played out in a fast-paced offensive and defensive transition and physical confrontation.

In the 21st minute, Yan Yuan made a beautiful croquet dribble on the right wing to get past Alba, and then delivered a precise cross. Aubameyang overpowered Lenglet in the middle and headed the ball towards goal, but unfortunately it was too straight and Ter Stegen caught it.

Barcelona escaped a close call.

"Arsenal's counter-attacks are very decisive. Yan Yuan is a huge threat on the right wing, and Alba is under immense pressure. Barcelona must stabilize their position as soon as possible, otherwise, conceding a goal is only a matter of time." Zhan Jun's tone was tense, whether for Barcelona or for the suspense of the match, it was unclear.

What was bound to happen finally happened, and it happened so suddenly, like two heavy blows in quick succession!

In the 23rd minute, Barcelona controlled the ball in their own half. Under pressure from Aubameyang, Pique passed the ball to Busquets, who had dropped back to the center-back position.

Rice clung to Busquets like a shadow, preventing him from turning around easily.

Busquets tried to shield the ball, but Rice's strong body kept applying pressure.

Busquets opted to pass the ball back to his center-back partner, Lenglet.

This is a seemingly safe option.

However, when Lenglet received the ball, Aubameyang was already rushing towards him like an arrow.

The French center-back appeared somewhat flustered. He noticed that goalkeeper Ter Stegen was moving to the right to prepare to receive the pass, so he instinctively sent a weak cross in that direction.

Just as the ball left Lenglet's foot, a red figure appeared like a ghost from the top of the penalty area.

Yan Yuan's extraordinary football intelligence and anticipation allowed him to have already discerned the passing intentions and potential mistakes of Barcelona's defense.

He was like a cheetah that had been lying in wait, striking at the most opportune moment!

"Danger! Lenglet's cross to the goalkeeper! Too weak! Arsenal captain Yan Yuan!!!" Zhan Jun's voice suddenly rose.

Yan Yuan's speed was on full display at this moment.

He took two steps ahead of the onrushing Ter Stegen, and with a gentle flick of his toe, he poked the ball under the German goalkeeper's arm.

Ter Stegen missed and fell to the ground.

Yan Yuan gracefully leaped over the fallen goalkeeper, faced the empty net, calmly adjusted his stance, and easily pushed the ball into the net with the instep of his right foot!

"Goal!!!! Yan Yuan!!! 16th minute! Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona! A fatal mistake! A perfect anticipation and interception!"

Yan Yuan, this young leader on the field, punished Barcelona's careless pass with his unparalleled insight! He didn't celebrate!

He simply turned and pointed to his 'teammate' who had passed him the ball—Lenglet—and was then surrounded by ecstatic teammates! Arsenal's lightning-fast tactics had worked wonders!

That's right, Yan Yuan pointed at Barcelona's Lenglet, meaning "Thank you for the pass."

Xiao Yan is trying to destroy his spirit.

The entire coaching bench erupted in cheers, and Nagelsmann celebrated with a powerful fist pump.

Barcelona's players and coaches looked bewildered. Coach Setién spread his hands on the sidelines, finding it hard to believe this basic mistake.

Lenglet held his head in his hands, his expression pained.

Ter Stegen got up from the ground and roared angrily at the back line.

Before the Barcelona players could fully recover from the blow of conceding a goal, an even bigger blow followed!

In the 24th minute, after the kickoff from the center circle, the Barcelona players were clearly impatient and tried to launch an immediate attack to equalize the score.

Messi received the ball in midfield and tried to get past Rodri, but the Spanish midfielder made a precise tackle, poking the ball and sending it rolling right to Rice's feet.

Without hesitation, Rice immediately passed the ball to Theo Hernandez, who was making a high-speed run down the left flank.

"Arsenal intercept the ball! Quick counter-attack! Theo is coming up! Barcelona's defense is not fully in position yet!" Zhan Jun shouted.

Theo, the left-back known for his explosive power and long-range shots, was like a wild horse, charging down the left flank.

Facing Semedo's hasty defensive retreat, Theo didn't opt ​​for a simple cross; instead, he suddenly cut inside and dribbled laterally!

Barcelona's defenders were all drawn to Arsenal's central support, and for a moment no one stepped forward to block Theo.

"Theo has cut inside! Look at this angle! Should he shoot?" Coach Zhang said.

Theo, about 25 yards from the goal, made a slight adjustment, swung his right foot, and slammed it into the lower middle part of the ball!

The ball, like a cannonball, spun violently outwards, drawing a despairing arc that nestled into the top right corner of the goal.

Ter Stegen made a desperate dive to the side, his body fully extended, but the speed and angle of the ball were perfect, and it went into the net almost at the junction of the crossbar and the bottom edge!

"World-class goal!!! Theo Hernandez!!! A stunning long-range shot! Arsenal have scored two goals in two minutes! 2-0! Barcelona have had a nightmare start!" Zhan Jun's voice was filled with shock.

"There's no way around this goal, it's an absolute world-class strike! Ter Stegen did his best, but the ball was too fast and the angle was too tricky! Arsenal's tactics were perfectly executed: high pressing forced mistakes to take the lead, and then they took advantage of the opponent's unstable mentality to launch a quick counterattack, with the full-back delivering the fatal blow! Barcelona's defense has collapsed under the continuous attacks!" Coach Zhang analyzed, his tone filled with amazement.

The camera focused on Setién on the sidelines, his face ashen, his hand on his forehead.

Theo, who scored the world-class goal, was celebrating wildly with a knee slide, and his teammates swarmed him again.

In just two minutes, the balance of the game was completely broken.

The rest of the match was completely under Arsenal's control.

The confidence of Barcelona players was devastated after conceding two goals.

Messi's passing errors continued to increase, and he tried to lead the team through his individual ability, but he repeatedly got bogged down in Arsenal's well-prepared defense.

The midfield barrier formed by Rice and Rodri was impenetrable, and Saliba's marking of Suarez was watertight.

Upamecano used his excellent physical attributes and recovery speed to repeatedly thwart Griezmann and Alba's combinations on the left flank.

Arsenal played with more composure and confidence. They were not in a hurry to extend their lead, but instead, through the organization of Yan Yuan and Ødegaard, they patiently controlled the ball and looked for opportunities to further increase their lead.

Yan Yuan's vision and overall strategic awareness were fully demonstrated during this stage. He would sometimes drop back to the midfield to assist in organizing and orchestrating the attack, sometimes move to the wing to seek cooperation with Ashraf, and sometimes suddenly surge forward to threaten Barcelona's penalty area.

Every pass he made was extremely threatening, as if playing a melody called "Tear" on Barcelona's defense.

The best chance of the first half came in the 37th minute when Yan Yuan attracted two defenders on the right wing and then cleverly passed the ball to the edge of the penalty area with his signature "no-look pass". Odegaard, who had made a run into the box, met the ball with a powerful shot, but the ball grazed the post and went out of play.

Ter Stegen was startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

The only bright spot for Barcelona in the entire first half came from Messi.

In the 41st minute, Messi received the ball in the middle and, facing a pincer attack from Rice and Rodri, used his extremely fast pace and change of direction to squeeze through the gap between them.

He then unleashed a powerful long-range shot from about 25 meters out, heading straight for the bottom left corner of the goal. Martinez reacted quickly, making a brilliant diving save to push the ball out of bounds!

This was Barcelona's only shot on target in the first half.

The ensuing corner kick attack was also cleared by Upamecano.

When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the score was 2-0.

Arsenal players walked confidently toward the players' tunnel.

Barcelona's side.

Head coach Quique Setién was the first to walk into the tunnel; clearly, he needed to find a way to revive the struggling team during the fifteen-minute halftime break.

Under the night sky above the stadium, there was an atmosphere that suggested the storm had temporarily subsided, but an even bigger storm might be on its way.

For Barcelona, ​​these 15 minutes will determine whether they succumb to despair and repeat last season's nightmare, or whether they can muster the courage to stage a comeback.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have only 45 minutes left to go before they can defeat Barcelona for the second consecutive year and advance to the Champions League semi-finals.