The moment Messi received the ball, Casemiro moved across immediately.
The Brazilian defensive midfielder had defended Messi enough times to know better than to dive in recklessly.
He did not stretch out a foot or commit to an early tackle. Instead, he held his ground, kept a measured distance, and tried to block Messi's route forward.
Two seconds later, Modrić arrived behind Casemiro.
Together, the two Madrid midfielders used the same familiar approach.
Surround him, delay him.
Do not stab at the ball unless the chance is absolutely clear.
When Messi saw that neither Madrid player was willing to make the first move, he did not force the dribble either.
Instead, he suddenly lifted his left foot and sent a long diagonal pass toward the left flank.
Bang!
The ball flew beautifully across the pitch.
At that moment, Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba had already charged high up the touchline.
Messi's switch landed perfectly in front of him, and there was no Madrid player close enough to interfere.
For Barcelona, this was an excellent attacking chance.
Alba did not hesitate.
With his left foot, he cut the ball back toward the middle.
The pass rolled toward the top of Real Madrid's penalty arc.
And Messi arrived right on time.
This was one of Barcelona's favorite attacking patterns.
Messi to Alba.
Alba back to Messi.
Then Messi, arriving in that deadly pocket outside the box, would do the rest.
In this area, Messi's scoring probability was terrifyingly high.
Neither Kroos nor Casemiro had held their position properly.
They had lost track of Messi.
Bang!
Messi struck through the ball, sending it low and hard toward the bottom corner.
Courtois had no chance.
He did not even manage to dive.
The ball flew into the net!
1–1.
Barcelona had equalized.
"Messi! Of course it's Messi!" Rob Palmer called. "Barcelona are level at the Bernabéu, and that is a classic move from their little magician."
"It's the connection Madrid should have expected," Terry Gibson said. "Messi finds Alba, Alba cuts it back, and suddenly Messi is arriving on the edge of the box with space. You simply cannot give him that kind of shooting lane."
"Courtois is furious," Rob added. "And honestly, you can understand why. Once Messi receives there, the goalkeeper is almost helpless."
Courtois turned immediately toward his defenders and midfielders, his anger impossible to hide.
"Hey! Don't give Messi that kind of shooting space!"
He pointed sharply toward the edge of the box.
"Focus! If you let him shoot like that, you're making things impossible for me!"
On the touchline, Zidane had already spotted the problem.
Once Theodore moved into the attacking line, Real Madrid's midfield no longer had anyone who could truly stop Messi from finding shooting positions.
That was a serious issue.
If Madrid wanted to beat Barça, the first task was always the same.
Limit Messi.
If they continued allowing him to receive the ball in dangerous areas so easily, Barcelona could absolutely turn the match around.
And that was not a result Zidane intended to accept.
After thinking for a couple of minutes, Zidane made his decision.
Theodore still had to be the one to watch Messi.
In Madrid's current squad, apart from Theodore, there was no one capable of defending Messi one-on-one.
That kind of job could only be handed to him.
"Theodore!" Zidane shouted from the touchline. "Drop into midfield! We're switching to 4-4-2!"
Then he pointed toward Messi.
"You're on him! Don't let him get those shooting chances so easily!"
After receiving the instruction, Theodore immediately dropped back from the front line into midfield.
The moment Koeman saw that, a hint of helplessness appeared on his face again.
His brows furrowed, and his expression grew ugly.
For Koeman, he now had to give Barcelona a clear direction as well. The score was level again, so the question became simple.
Should Barcelona keep attacking?
Or should they return to their defensive shell?
He needed to make the decision clear to the players on the pitch.
After the restart, Madrid had possession.
Benzema immediately passed the ball to Theodore.
Although Theodore's position had dropped deeper into midfield, that only applied when Madrid were defending.
In attack, Theodore could still appear anywhere on the pitch.
This time, after receiving the ball in midfield, Theodore did not rush to release it.
He calmly placed his right foot on top of the ball.
A few seconds later, Busquets and Frenkie de Jong closed him down together.
Even so, Theodore remained as steady as a mountain.
He did not hurry the dribble.
He did not panic under pressure. Instead, he used the corner of his eye to watch his teammates' movement.
Benzema and Vinícius had already rushed into Barcelona's penalty area.
Only then did Theodore make his move.
Bang!
With one through ball, he slipped the pass between Frenkie de Jong and Busquets.
The ball skimmed along the grass, cutting straight into Barça's penalty area.
On the right side of the box, Benzema received it with his back to goal.
Behind him were Araújo and Mingueza.
Clearly, if Benzema tried to turn and shoot directly, the difficulty would be extremely high. He understood that better than anyone.
So he chose the better option.
The instant the ball arrived, Benzema nudged it on with his right foot, laying it smoothly into Vinícius' path.
Vinícius did not take a touch.
He hit it first time.
The ball flew like a cannonball past the defenders and slammed into Barcelona's net!
Ter Stegen's save came a fraction too late.
2–1.
Real Madrid were back in front!
"Vinícius! Madrid answer immediately!" Rob announced. "Barcelona had only just equalized, but Real Madrid have struck again!"
"Theodore is the key," Terry noted. "He pauses in midfield, attracts Busquets and Frenkie de Jong, and still finds the pass between them. Benzema's touch is clever, Vinícius finishes it, but that whole move begins with Theodore manipulating the pressure."
"Real Madrid lead again," Rob added. "And the Bernabéu is bouncing."
The stadium erupted once more.
Tens of thousands of Madrid fans rose to their feet, shouting Vinícius' name wildly.
📱 @MadridistaHQ ✔
VINÍCIUS! Barça equalized for about two minutes and Madrid said, "That's enough."
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Theodore split Busquets and Frenkie like they weren't even there. Ridiculous pass.
📱 @LaLigaCentral ✔
Madrid's second goal is pure attacking chemistry. Theodore draws the pressure, Benzema lays it off, Vinícius kills it.
| ↳ 📱 @CulerPain
| Reply: We scored one and immediately forgot how to defend again.
On the touchline, Koeman kept shaking his head.
This was not the scene he wanted to see.
He had a very strong feeling that Barcelona might lose heavily again tonight.
After the restart, Barcelona still played with considerable aggression.
As the team's core, Messi once again dropped into midfield to receive the ball.
Unfortunately for him, the moment he brought the ball under control with his left foot, Theodore appeared in front of him.
Every time Messi saw Theodore step into his path, an instinctive tension rose in his chest.
It was not normal fear.
It was the kind of pressure that came from knowing the opponent had studied him, matched him, and stopped him before.
Messi subconsciously wanted to pass.
But Theodore moved first.
He stepped in at exactly the right moment and took the ball cleanly from Messi's feet.
He had predicted Messi's decision.
In an instant, Real Madrid had a counterattacking opportunity.
"Theodore steals it from Messi!" Rob shouted. "That is not something you see often."
"Brilliant reading of the game," Terry said. "Messi wants to release the ball quickly, but Theodore is already there. He doesn't just react, he anticipates. That's why he wins it."
After taking the ball, Theodore immediately unleashed his speed.
He charged toward Barcelona's half at the first opportunity.
Messi tried to counter-press, but after chasing for only a few steps, he realized the distance between himself and Theodore was only growing larger.
So he stopped.
There was no point.
He simply stood there and watched Theodore carry the ball into Barça's half.
"Look at the speed," Rob said. "Theodore is flying."
"There is no one in Barcelona colours getting close to him," Terry added. "Once he opens up that stride, it becomes a different kind of race."
Before Rob could even finish, Theodore had already completed his shooting motion.
Bang!
The ball flew like a drawn blade, tearing through the air with terrifying speed.
Ter Stegen stood there stunned.
He had no time to react.
The shot ripped into the net!
3–1.
The Bernabéu exploded!
Theodore had stolen the ball from Messi, carried it through midfield, and finished the move himself.
📱 @MadridModeOn ✔
THEODORE JUST ROBBED MESSI AND SCORED. THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
| ↳ 📱 @BlancoPulse
| Reply: Took it off Messi, ran half the pitch, smashed it in. That's a Ballon d'Or moment.
📱 @BarcaUniversal ✔
Messi loses it, Theodore scores. That might be the most painful sentence of the season.
| ↳ 📱 @CulerHeart
| Reply: I hate how inevitable he feels. Every mistake against Madrid becomes a goal.
📱 @LaLigaWatch ✔
Theodore Bjorn has just produced another monster solo sequence in El Clásico. Barcelona are in serious trouble now.
---------
Read 30 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator