Chapter 210 Chapter 210 Wanting to go back ten years, to give AC…
His teammates quickly caught up, and Marcelo shoved Fino, trying to push him to the ground and pile him on top of each other.
Fino held on bravely. It had just rained, and he wasn't about to roll around in the muddy grass, especially since his white jersey would look so dirty!
"Well done, Marcelo!" Fino smiled and hugged Marcelo, who had passed him a great ball, and ruffled his tousled hair.
Immediately, teammates swarmed around them, cheering and celebrating the goal. So what if the head coach couldn't be there to direct the game? So what if two key defenders were suspended? So what if they were surrounded by boos? They were in the lead now—at Camp Nou!
After the celebration, Fino signaled to his teammates to stay calm, continue to play steadily, and not to be reckless just because they had a temporary lead. He advised them to stick to their previous strategy and let Barcelona control the ball.
With this away goal, Real Madrid can sit back and wait patiently for Barcelona to make a mistake.
Real Madrid got their chance just before the end of the first half.
As Barcelona passed the ball around in their own half, Real Madrid's attacking players suddenly began pressing high. To avoid the onrushing Higuain, Mascherano passed the ball back to goalkeeper Valdes in the penalty area. Valdes then passed the ball to Alves, but it was intercepted by the onrushing Cristiano Ronaldo.
Before Busquets could close in for the ball, Ronaldo passed it back to Marcelo, who then passed it to Lass Diarra on the right wing. Lass Diarra then passed it across to Fino near the center circle...
Viewers watching on television were amazed by what they saw. The scene on the field looked as if Real Madrid and Barcelona had swapped jerseys, with Real Madrid players constantly making short passes and shifting possession, leaving Barcelona players completely disoriented.
If Fino could hear the audience's thoughts, he would definitely shake his head. Just as he has always believed, if you can't penetrate into the opponent's backfield, passing and possession are just futile attempts to increase possession, and they are meaningless.
Fino glanced at the vast Barcelona half in front of him; all of Barcelona's players had already retreated to their own half.
Fino gestured behind him, and two seconds later, Arbeloa, who played as the right-back in this match, made a run down the right flank into Barcelona's backfield.
At that moment, the ball was passed to Fino's feet again. Fino immediately made a long pass to Arbeloa, who was making a run down the right flank, and then signaled to Alonso to join him in making a run down the middle to provide support.
Arbeloa received a pass from Fino about 10 meters from the Barcelona penalty area, with Villa closely behind him. Puyol moved laterally from inside the penalty area, and together with Villa, sandwiched Arbeloa at the right corner of the penalty area.
Under double pressure, Arbeloa did not choose to force his way into the penalty area, but instead cautiously turned and cut back, avoiding Villa, and crossed the ball back to Fino who had made a run forward.
With the defense extremely tight near the penalty area line, Real Madrid players began to pass the ball around the perimeter, from the center to the left and then to the right, and Barcelona's defensive focus shifted accordingly.
When the ball was transferred to Kaká's feet on the right, Kaká suddenly chipped the ball towards the Barcelona penalty area. Higuaín, who was standing on the edge of the penalty area, had already rushed into the penalty area. Upon seeing this, Valdes quickly rushed out from near the goal and caught the ball near the edge of the six-yard box.
At that moment, the linesman raised his flag, indicating that Higuain was offside the instant Kaká passed the ball.
The first half ended with Real Madrid leading by one goal.
During halftime, Mourinho connected with the locker room via video to prepare for potential changes in the second half.
After finishing his business, Mourinho praised the players' performance in the first half. He has always been adept at the art of language, able to unleash his full offensive power when he talks big, and equally admirable when he praises others.
The players grinned from ear to ear as they were praised.
After praising them, Mourinho gave the players a stern talking-to.
"We can mentally despise Barcelona, but we must take them seriously in the game. This is Camp Nou, and Barcelona won't be content to be eliminated at home. So in the second half, everyone must not underestimate them and must continue to defend well. If Barcelona can't change the score for a long time, they will lose their composure, and that will be our opportunity. The defense must follow Igor's instructions and protect our goal. Everyone must act according to Fini's instructions. After 45 minutes, victory will definitely be ours!"
After Mourinho finished speaking, the players roared in the locker room.
After the players quieted down, Mourinho sincerely said to Fino alone: "Fino, thank you for your hard work."
He has never been stingy with his praise for Fino, and he has always done so when facing the media, but at this moment, he did not want to use flowery words to disguise his sincerity.
Fino really had a tough year.
On the pitch, he transformed perfectly from a sharp striker to a midfield commander, becoming the team's backbone; in the locker room, he was a neutral and impartial maintainer of order, a stabilizer; when representing Real Madrid at events, he was elegant and poised, perfectly showcasing Real Madrid's great, noble, and glorious image to the outside world...
He was a reliable captain who did not wear a captain's armband.
He had silently resolved countless locker room problems for him, to the point that even he himself couldn't say. And now, in such an important match, he couldn't even be on the sidelines, and when the situation on the field changed in an instant, all the pressure of on-the-spot command fell on Fino's shoulders.
Mourinho was grateful to Fino, but his position as manager prevented him from saying more publicly, and in the end all his gratitude was expressed in a simple "thank you for your hard work."
Fino crossed his arms and nodded with a smile.
He understood Mourinho's thoughts and feelings; everything was understood without words.
When halftime ended and the players prepared to line up again, Casillas adjusted the captain's armband on his left arm, signaling everyone to put their right hands together. They all shouted "Hala Madrid!" to cheer themselves on.
Fino added loudly, "In 45 minutes, Camp Nou will be plunged into despair and weeping!"
"Let Camp Nou be plunged into despair and tears!" the teammates shouted in unison, their spirits instantly lifted.
In the second half, Barcelona, burdened by the pressure of falling behind, was clearly getting anxious. However, Real Madrid's midfield resolute defense repeatedly thwarted Barcelona's attempts to penetrate through the middle.
As the final four matches of the season progressed, Real Madrid became increasingly comfortable against Barcelona's renowned short-passing and penetrating style. The players' teamwork improved, and they gradually shed their mental burdens.
In the 56th minute, Xavi made a long diagonal pass to Pedro on the right flank. Pedro dribbled down the wing but was intercepted by Marcelo. Pedro then passed the ball to Iniesta, who dribbled to the edge of the penalty area near the byline and passed it from the outside to Messi inside the penalty arc.
Messi dodged Albiol's sliding tackle, dribbled into Real Madrid's penalty area, and shot before Carvalho and Arbeloa could close in. Casillas guessed the right way, but he quickly realized the shot posed no threat and then quickly withdrew his hand, letting the ball go wide of the post.
Messi gave a slightly embarrassed grin, while Guardiola on the sidelines covered his face with his hands and spun around on the spot.
In the following period, Messi became increasingly active, frequently dropping back to midfield to receive the ball and then using his individual skills to break through and create attacking opportunities for Barcelona.
Alonso and Carvalho struggled to defend against Messi's speed, and Fino tucked a stray hair that had fallen from his headband behind his ear and decided to take the field himself.
"Cabrini and Messi are going head-to-head! The star players of Real Madrid and Barcelona have begun their individual offensive and defensive battle. In the first leg, Cabrini briefly faced off against Messi, and that encounter ended in a victory for Cabrini, as Messi couldn't break through Cabrini's defense head-on. Now, Cabrini looks like he's going to mark Messi very closely!" the commentator exclaimed. "At the end of the first leg, Cabrini joked that he could play as a defender, and although we haven't seen him perform in defense yet, judging from his defensive skills, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Real Madrid's defense was impenetrable. Barcelona's short passing penetration was completely shut down, and their attacks on both wings were also cut off. Now they can only rely on Messi's individual dribbling ability to break through the defense, but Real Madrid has started to mark Messi one-on-one while maintaining a good zone defense." The commentator exclaimed, "Mourinho is not here, but he has left no stone unturned. Time is running out for Barcelona."
Messi feels the situation is a bit tricky now, as Fino is unlike any opponent he has faced before.
Fino wouldn't use violent fouls to stop him, but instead maintained a minimum safe distance, seemingly avoiding physical contact, yet preventing him from taking a comfortable step. Moreover, Fino seemed to be able to read his mind, anticipating his every move, and his continuous changes of direction were precisely blocked time and time again.
The first round of competition was no accident; Fino had definitely studied his dribbling breakthroughs in detail.
Fino has indeed studied Messi extensively, starting when Mourinho began experimenting with the three-defensive-midfielder formation. He has always hoped to have a head-to-head match with Messi. However, he also understands that in the three-defensive-midfielder formation, he is not simply a defensive midfielder. He needs to shoulder responsibilities such as midfield command, transition between attack and defense, and long passing, making it difficult to have a one-on-one opportunity with Messi.
Unexpectedly, this opportunity quietly arrived in the final El Clásico of the season.
Messi's dribbling skills are difficult to defend because of his unique pace, ball touch frequency, and ability to change direction continuously. It is difficult for opponents to predict his movement trajectory, and they may easily commit a defensive foul if they are not careful.
Fino didn't tackle easily; he simply blocked Messi's path, preventing him from changing direction at all, as if he were locked in a cage, allowing Messi to retain possession of the ball but preventing him from going anywhere.
It sounds easy, but it's actually very difficult, requiring extremely high levels of anticipation and reaction speed from the defenders. This is why most defenders, even if they know how to defend Messi, can't stop him without resorting to violent fouls.
"My God, Messi's unstoppable breakthroughs seem to have lost their magic in front of Cabrini, and Barcelona's third attacking path has been blocked by Real Madrid." The commentator murmured, "Cabrini's strength is terrifying. Does he really have any weaknesses?"
After hearing the commentator's question, a Barcelona fan posted a message on social media, which received countless likes and quickly went viral.
[I wish I could go back ten years and sponsor growth hormone for AC Milan's youth academy, helping Cabrini grow to 1.9 meters tall!]
For the next period of time, Fino closely marked Messi, and the two frequently clashed, with Fino gaining the upper hand most of the time.
After several unsuccessful dribbling attempts, Messi's fighting spirit intensified. However, this was the Champions League semi-final, and Barcelona was trailing, making it not a good time to continue one-on-one battles with Fino.
Moreover, Fino was not fighting alone. Alonso and Lass Diarra would frequently come up from the side, and he easily lost possession of the ball due to the coordinated play of Real Madrid's three defensive midfielders.
Messi made a gesture to his teammates, and the other players tacitly stopped passing the ball to him and started looking for other opportunities.
With less than 20 minutes left in the match, Guardiola anxiously scratched his bald head on the sidelines, biting his thumb as he pondered what to do.
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Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support! [cheering emoji]
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