Darren Fletcher: "Ling drew the defenders' attention at the near post, while Mahrez delivered the corner to Rashford at the far post!"
Steve McManaman: "Nélson Semedo made a crucial defensive play there. He positioned himself early to disrupt Rashford, causing him to mistime his header and sending the ball straight out of bounds!"
Darren Fletcher: "Semedo not only offers more in attack than some traditional full-backs, but his defensive awareness is also a level above."
In the Chinese broadcast booth, Zhan Jun's tone carried a hint of regret.
He felt that with Manchester United's significant height advantage, the chances of scoring from a corner were high, but this specific attacking routine was rather lackluster.
If only they could have targeted Ling...
But that probably wouldn't have worked either.
Pique and Lenglet were like stubborn stickers, physically clinging to Ling and refusing to let go in the box.
Trying to cleanly win the aerial duel under their double-team and then power the header into the net would have been extremely difficult.
"Pick up the attacking tempo! The first half is about to end!" Sergio Busquets shouted instructions to his teammates.
Being constantly threatened by Manchester United's direct attacks meant the pressure on the Barcelona defense couldn't be relieved.
Sooner or later, if they kept inviting pressure, it would explode like a bomb!
Therefore, the frontline had to aggressively ramp up the offense, forcing the Manchester United players to run themselves ragged and preventing them from launching quick, organized counterattacks.
Busquets cleanly passed the ball to Ivan Rakitic. Croatia's magical journey to the World Cup runner-up spot owed much to him and Luka Modric.
Rakitic's all-around attributes allowed him to play nearly every position in midfield.
His excellent passing and close control were also the absolute guarantee for Barcelona's right-wing attacks.
Under Rashford's aggressive pressing and harassment, Rakitic still maintained firm control of the ball and executed a slick, quick one-two with Messi up front.
"Leo, pass it back!" Rakitic moved forward to receive the return pass, seamlessly transitioning into a stop-and-go move that left the chasing Rashford completely in the dust!
The chief Messi admirer then followed up with another incisive through ball.
The ball swiftly rolled past Herrera's right side, landing precisely at Luis Suarez's feet.
This time, Barcelona had learned their tactical lesson. No more floating aerial balls against Maguire and Luiz—only rapid ground passes!
Center-backs like Harry Maguire, with their robust builds, all shared the same fatal flaw—they were slow! Slow to turn, slow to tackle, slow to accelerate.
Thus, Suarez could receive the ball on the turn, perform a series of rapid feints, and break through relying entirely on his explosive power over short distances.
The key lay in the turn itself!
Suarez held off Maguire with sheer upper-body strength, baring his sharp teeth in a grin.
Although he wasn't as tall as many traditional center-forwards, he made up for it with a solid lower body, rarely losing possession even under intense physical duels.
He stepped over the ball with his left foot, feinting a turn in the opposite direction before audaciously flicking it backward with his heel!
That was the flair of South American footballers! The ball slipped cleanly through Maguire's legs and rolled toward the sprinting Messi!
The Argentine might not be tall, but his short-distance burst of speed was nothing to scoff at—otherwise, he wouldn't be able to pull off those dazzling, logic-defying moves.
Ashley Young was gritting his teeth as he chased desperately from behind.
'Can't catch up, really can't catch up! Too bad this isn't a contract year!'
Inside the penalty area, Professor Young didn't dare commit a cynical foul.
Otherwise, a penalty and a red card would mean Barcelona would likely tear them apart today!
David De Gea stared intently at Messi, adopting his classic "K" stance, ready to block!
During the World Cup, his market value and reputation had been halved by Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against Spain.
It had taken most of this season to recover his confidence, and he absolutely couldn't let Messi humiliate him on this stage!
Seeing the shooting angle narrowing rapidly, Messi didn't hesitate any longer, suddenly pushing the ball forward with his left foot!
Thud!
With a dull thump, the ball shot like an arrow directly toward De Gea's crotch!
'Right leg down!'
De Gea snapped his long legs shut with lightning speed.
Just before the ball could slip through his legs, the tip of his knee barely grazed the leather, altering its trajectory and deflecting it safely to the edge of the six-yard box.
Chaos ensued.
Countless legs scrambled frantically for the loose ball, but David Luiz was the quickest to react, poking it out of the penalty area first.
But there was Busquets! He had been lurking outside the box, waiting specifically for Manchester United players to clear the ball into his zone.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a fierce, first-time shot.
The ball whistled toward the goal!
At this moment, Manchester United fans held their breath, anxiously watching the green pitch.
But Manchester United's Spanish guardian angel stood tall once again, taking a small preparatory hop before diving sideways at full stretch to parry Busquets' shot away from danger!
"David, brilliant!" Ling couldn't help but praise, jogging back.
From initially struggling to adapt to the physical Premier League years ago to gradually becoming one of the best in the world, De Gea's performances for Manchester United had grown stronger year after year.
Now, his hand-eye coordination, lateral movement speed, and pure shot-stopping abilities ranked among the absolute top in Europe!
Of course, he wasn't without his flaws.
He wasn't particularly adept at rushing off his line or distributing the ball under pressure like Ederson or Alisson.
But the center-backs Mourinho employed all possessed exquisite long-passing skills, which more than compensated for De Gea's distribution shortcomings.
"David, you're our guardian angel today!" Maguire exclaimed excitedly, wrapping the exhausted De Gea in a tight bear hug.
De Gea raised a gloved hand to shield himself from Maguire's spray of spit, using all his strength to try and escape the suffocating embrace.
But the difference in sheer physical strength was too great.
He could only grumble, "Harry, I'd be very grateful if you'd let fewer players nutmeg you in the box!"
Ling glanced at the stadium scoreboard—it was the 43rd minute.
He reminded his teammates, "Hold on a little longer, lads, and we'll head back to the dressing room with the lead!"
"Let's go!!" The Manchester United players responded with loud, unified cheers.
...
Not far away, Gerard Pique's eyes held a brief trace of nostalgia.
Once, he too had worn the red jersey and fought for Manchester United at Old Trafford as a youngster.
He hadn't realized so many years had passed in the blink of an eye.
'I absolutely cannot lose to my old club,' Pique silently steeled himself before darting into Manchester United's penalty area for a set-piece.
But Barcelona opted for a tactical short corner, recycling the ball back to the attacking third to reorganize their shape. This was their style.
After nearly four minutes of patient, back-and-forth passing, with stoppage time about to end, Barcelona finally bared their fangs!
Busquets executed a nimble half-turn, once again effortlessly evading Pogba's pressing.
The "football illiteracy filter"! Since Xavi and Iniesta departed, he had become Barcelona's central brain, seamlessly dictating the rhythm and direction of the game.
He played a seemingly ordinary diagonal pass.
When Coutinho received the ball on the left, Manchester United's defensive shape shifted accordingly to close him down.
But the Brazilian youngster cut inside toward the center, only to unexpectedly opt for a lateral pass midway!
Steve McManaman: "Messi!"
Darren Fletcher: "Compared to his dribbling on the wings early in his career, his true stage is now in the center!"
Steve McManaman: "According to recent statistics, Darren, an incredible 76% of Messi's goals are now scored from these central half-spaces!"
Moreover, this sudden horizontal run also avoided being double-teamed by Ander Herrera and Ashley Young, giving him a brief, terrifying one-on-one opportunity!
As if the ball were glued to his boots, Messi's continuous changes of direction and rapid feints left Herrera under immense pressure.
"Enough!" Seeing Messi prepare to shoot, Ander Herrera gritted his teeth and resorted to a blatant, cynical tug on his shirt!
Waiting any longer would only allow Messi to curl a shot with even greater threat into the top corner.
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As Messi hit the ground, the referee signaled a foul, awarding Barcelona a dangerous free-kick!