Chapter 609
Lin Huang in a desperate situation, one man against the entire Barcelona team!
"Messi! Messi! Messi! Messi!"
"GOALLLLLLLLL!!!"
The Spanish commentator on the Catalan local television station, at the moment of the goal, spoke like a machine gun, calling out Messi's name four times in half a second, and the celebration lasted for a full minute and a half.
It makes you worry for him, that he might suffocate due to lack of oxygen.
However, Barcelona fans were even more frenzied than the Catalan commentators. The moment Messi scored, crowds of people went wild in both bustling bars and quiet neighborhoods, as if the entire city had been awakened at that moment.
Spaniards are like that; they have a passionate love for football. Many people save money by living frugally just to buy tickets to watch a game live, and some even take out loans to pay membership fees to football clubs.
On the pitch, Messi felt he had never experienced such excitement before.
After scoring his second goal, Messi, who usually doesn't like overly flamboyant celebrations, broke with tradition—his backside made intimate contact with the grass as he slid to the sidelines in a celebration.
His teammates swarmed around Messi, ruffling his hair, patting his shoulders, and giving him warm hugs.
At this moment, Messi is not only a hero for Barcelona, but also a hero for all of Catalonia.
His goal could very well eliminate the opponent and lead Barcelona into the final.
"Don't be discouraged, the game isn't over yet, we still have time!"
In contrast to Barcelona's celebratory festivities, Real Madrid's side was shrouded in gloom.
After Messi took the lead, the Real Madrid players' expressions turned to despair.
Including stoppage time, they only have ten minutes left!
It will be extremely difficult to break through Barcelona's defense and equalize the score within ten minutes, especially given their declining physical condition.
Moreover, even if they score another goal within these ten minutes, it will only tie the score and will not allow them to advance directly.
The two teams will now enter extra time. For Real Madrid, whose stamina is already exhausted, the thirty minutes of extra time will be a truly hellish test.
They can't figure out how to win!
On the sidelines, Mourinho was also trying to find a solution.
At this point, there's no point in continuing to pile up defensive players in the midfield and backfield; his team needs to score goals, so they must strengthen their attack.
Time was running out for him. Mourinho glanced at Benzema and Huntelaar before fixing his gaze on Benzema.
One minute later, Benzema was substituted on, replacing Real Madrid's defensive midfielder Diarra.
With Benzema coming on, Real Madrid's formation reverted to 4-3-3.
Barcelona wasted a minute and a half celebrating before reluctantly returning to the pitch amid boos from Real Madrid fans and urging from the referee.
The match continued, and Real Madrid kicked off.
With no way out, Real Madrid chose to go all out and launch a fierce attack on the opponent.
Seeing the opponent's aggressive approach, Barcelona took the initiative to retreat a distance, giving up some space, and put Eto'o at the forefront.
Guardiola's tactical intentions were very clear. He had anticipated that the opponent would launch a full-scale counterattack, so he deliberately kept Eto'o, the cheetah, in the attacking third to wait for an opportunity.
With the cheetah's speed and ability to seize opportunities, it will bring you rich rewards as long as you give it the chance.
Having made all these arrangements, Guardiola returned to the coaching bench and sat down calmly.
In his view, the outcome of the match was already decided.
Mourinho and his team cannot steal this victory from their own hands.
His thoughts had drifted to the final. Because of Real Madrid, he had been focusing his energy on studying them and hadn't done much research or analysis on the two Premier League teams.
After this match, he needs to spend more time studying his opponent carefully.
Although the outside world does not think Manchester United can defeat the two La Liga giants, the fact that the two teams have made it all the way to the final means that their strength is certainly not weak.
The ball is round, and the underdog triumphing over the strong has happened many times in past Champions League finals.
Moreover, in terms of football style, the physical style of play in the Premier League is actually quite effective against Barcelona's possession-based style, which Guardiola has to take seriously.
Just as Guardiola's thoughts were wandering, Real Madrid's attack had already reached Barcelona's goal.
Guardiola seems to have forgotten one thing: bringing on Pedro did strengthen Barcelona's attack, but at the cost of weakening Barcelona's control of the midfield.
The combination of Yaya, Toure, and Keita was indeed very effective in limiting Lin Feng's performance.
However, Keita had already been substituted off the field, and Yaya Toure was not strong enough to single-handedly contain Lin Feng.
Without the double-teaming of multiple players, Lin Feng became more active in midfield, delivering several brilliant passes to his teammates on the front line within just a few minutes.
Unfortunately, neither Benzema nor Higuain were able to capitalize on their opportunities.
On the sidelines, Mourinho saw Benzema waste another chance and was so angry he wanted to substitute him on the spot.
At this moment, he felt immense regret. If he had known this would happen, he would have preferred to have replaced Huntelaar with him.
This guy is weaker than Benzema in physical confrontation, back-to-goal play, and organizing attacks, but his shooting skills are far superior to Benzema's. At least if given the opportunity, he can really score.
On the other hand, what about Benzema?
Mourinho was so angry he didn't even want to talk!
Seeing that his teammates were unreliable, Lin Feng decided to take matters into his own hands!
In the 89th minute, Lin Feng dribbled the ball in midfield.
Instead of playing the same old game of cutting inside or crossing, he charged straight at Barcelona's defense.
Yaya Toure, who was full of energy and good at running and physical confrontation, was overjoyed when he saw this and took the initiative to rush forward.
I thought Lin Feng would pass the ball away after I stepped forward to block him, just like before. But I didn't expect that the opponent would not even look at me and would instead accelerate forward.
How could Yaya Toure tolerate such humiliation?
He immediately rammed into the opponent from the side, fantasizing about using his strong body to push past the opponent and steal the ball from his feet.
Unexpectedly, it was as if he had hit a wall. Lin Feng remained unmoved, while he himself lost his balance and stumbled forward.
When Yaya Toure was brought down by Lin Feng, the Barcelona bench erupted in commotion, even waking Guardiola from his deep thoughts.
"This...how is this possible?"
Although he didn't particularly like Yaya Toure, Guardiola was well aware of the guy's abilities.
Standing at 1.87 meters tall and weighing 80 kilograms, coupled with his Black physique, he almost never lost a physical confrontation in midfield. Even when he broke into the penalty area and went head-to-head with the opponent's center back, he was rarely at a disadvantage.
But in front of Lin Feng, he was like an old man trying to scam someone, falling over at the slightest touch.
Guardiola even suspected that the guy was trying to cheat a foul, otherwise there was no way to explain why this would happen.
On the court, Yaya Touré was also puzzled. When he played against Lin Feng before, he didn't think Lin Feng was that good!
Why did I suffer such a big loss just now?
When Lin Fengsheng ate the opponent's big black man's back, the Bernabéu stands erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"Lin, charge!"
"Don't let the Barcelona team steal the victory from us!"
"Emperor of the Bernabéu, show them what you're made of!" The Real Madrid fans in the stands, their necks stiff and faces red, roared at the top of their lungs.
On the field, amidst thunderous cheers, Lin Feng pushed his speed to its limit as if he were riding on wheels of fire.
Xavi rushed over to try to pull him away, but Lin Feng pushed him aside. Iniesta also rushed over, but he was thrown aside before he could even touch the hem of Lin Feng's clothes.
Messi gritted his teeth and charged after him.
The scene of the two legendary heroes facing off is recreated, only this time, the roles are reversed.
It's Lin Feng's turn to attack, and Messi is on defense!
As he charged forward, Messi imagined himself successfully stopping the opponent and becoming the team's hero.
However, reality is harsh; while he excels at dribbling, he is not good at defending against others' breakthroughs.
Lin Feng simply used a change of direction and acceleration to leave Messi behind.
Previously, when Lin Feng was defending Messi, although he couldn't completely defend him one-on-one, he was able to greatly limit Messi's performance.
But when Messi was defending Lin Feng, he was just watching him closely; he didn't do anything at all.
Messi was mortified. He knew his defensive skills were poor, but he never imagined they were this bad.
"Stop him!"
Puyol yelled and charged forward. Lin Feng glanced up at him and saw that the Barcelona players in the penalty area were already on high alert. He did not choose to continue charging into the penalty area. Instead, he dribbled the ball sideways, shook off Puyol's blockade, and then unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area!
The ball was powerful and heavy; as it flew over the heads of the Barcelona players in the penalty area, they could even faintly hear the sound of it cutting through the air.
Upon seeing Lin Feng's shot, Valdes immediately jumped, his body stretching out in the air as far as he could with his arms.
Even so, he still couldn't touch the ball.
The football struck the inside of the right post and bounced into the goal!
Valdes, sprawled on the grass, stared blankly at the football rolling inside his goal, his face filled with shock.
This guy will go to such lengths to achieve the perfect angle!
If the ball had gone just a little further out, it would have bounced off the goal!
Even if you swapped Casillas and Buffon for that shot, let alone him, they still wouldn't be able to save it.
Goal!
"An incredible goal, an absolute masterpiece!"
"Lin Feng miraculously tied the score in the last minute of the game!"
"Now both sides are back to square one, and the game is very likely to go into overtime!"
When Zhan Jun was commentating on this goal, his voice was trembling slightly.
Such a goal is truly exhilarating to watch; I only regret not being there to witness it in person.
[Lin Huang is awesome!]
[666, that's awesome!]
[I would never have believed that a shot like that could go in if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes!]
That's incredible! It's like he single-handedly took on an entire opposing team!
In adversity, rely on Lin Feng; in desperate situations, rely on Lin Huang!
On the sidelines, Guardiola sat frozen on the bench, his eyes fixed on his own goal, seemingly unable to accept the result.
The ball was scored by the opponent just like that?
Without any tactics or teamwork, relying solely on exceptional individual skill?
Lin Feng's performance once again refreshed his understanding, making him certain that he had greatly underestimated his opponent:
What the hell is that monster?!
"Pretty!"
"Hahaha, I knew he could do it!"
"Damn Barcelona, keep laughing! I'll show you what's what, now you can't laugh anymore, can you?"
The moment Lin Feng scored, Mourinho threw away his thermos, jumped up from the coaching bench, rushed to the sidelines, and roared loudly.
Under extreme pressure, Mourinho's emotions burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam.
Screw manners, screw etiquette, I just want to celebrate, to celebrate like crazy.
Seeing his face contorted and deformed with excitement, the teaching assistants who had planned to hug and celebrate with him were too scared to approach.
While everyone else was celebrating, Lin Feng did not.
His second goal merely brought the two sides back to a level playing field, but the situation remained unfavorable for Real Madrid.
To advance to the final, one goal isn't enough; he needs to hurry and score another.
Otherwise, if Barcelona successfully drags the game into extra time...
Then Real Madrid is really in grave danger!
Seeing Lin Feng's actions, his teammates, who had intended to go forward to celebrate, all stopped and turned to run back to their positions.
Clearly, they had understood Lin Feng's intentions.
Momentum is a very subtle thing; it cannot be seen or touched, but it certainly exists.
After Messi scored the first goal, the entire Barcelona team's momentum changed, and after a continuous attack for more than ten minutes, they finally scored the second goal.
At this point, Real Madrid's morale had already plummeted, while Barcelona's morale was at its peak.
If Barcelona hadn't opted for a conservative approach at this point, but instead launched a fierce attack, scoring another goal might not have been out of the question.
Once they score the third goal, Real Madrid will be completely finished, with no chance of a comeback.
Unfortunately, Barcelona did not choose that option. Faced with the immense temptation and pressure of reaching the final, they opted for a more conservative approach.
This gave Real Madrid a chance to launch a desperate counterattack!
Real Madrid's counter-attacks were indeed a gamble, and a slight misstep could have led to their defeat.
Real Madrid won their gamble, and now both sides are back on equal footing, but their morale is completely different.
Even after Real Madrid scored and it was Barcelona's turn to kick off, they didn't have control of the ball for long before it was snatched away by Real Madrid's relentless pressing.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Feng played a through ball to Benzema, who successfully beat the offside trap and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from 13 meters out, which was brilliantly saved by Valdes.
Real Madrid missed a golden opportunity to kill the game!
Conversely, Barcelona also threatened Real Madrid's goal with a quick counter-attack—Xavi's long pass from the back found Eto'o, whose chip shot from 10 meters out was brilliantly saved by Casillas.
In the final moments of the match, both teams were locked in a fierce battle, employing increasingly simple tactics while posing a growing threat to each other's goals.
Unfortunately, they didn't have enough time to launch an attack.
One minute later, the regular time ends.
The fourth official held up the injury time board on the sidelines; the stoppage time for this match is 5 minutes! (End of Chapter)