Chapter 360: Mars hits the Earth

The referee of this match was the famous bald referee Collina from Italy, who took the initiative to ask for the refereeing job.

In front of the player tunnel on the west side of the stadium, when the players were not on the field, Collina stood there and attracted the attention of most fans. He had a barren scalp, a forehead with exposed veins, and a pair of wide-open eyes. This image easily reminded people of some kind of marine creature or from a planet outside the universe. This was also the only image of Collina in the hearts of fans in the past ten years.

Unfortunately, Collina has been an international referee since 1995, and this year marks exactly ten years. According to the age limit for referees set by FIFA, Collina, who is already 45 years old, will wave goodbye to his international refereeing career in June. Before that, he will of course take the initiative to enforce some top competitions to end his refereeing career. This battle of the century at Camp Nou is bound to be a classic, and Collina will not miss it.

At this time, Collina looked down at his watch, then raised his head and stared at those terrifying eyes. He whistled lightly, indicating that the players of both teams could start entering the field.

Wang Li followed Chelsea's starting players out of the player tunnel and into the Camp Nou. At this time, the huge stadium was already packed with people, most of whom were Barcelona fans. There were many slogans and banners in the stands cheering for Barcelona. There were also some radical Catalan fans who put up labels satirizing Chelsea, such as "Traitor, get out of Camp Nou" and so on.

However, perhaps these Catalans do not know Wang Li at all. In any case, there are very few slogans about Wang Li in the stands. On the one hand, this reflects Ronaldinho's status in the hearts of fans. Although the media hyped up the duel between the two, in fact, the fans do not believe that the 18-year-old Wang Li can defeat the World Footballer of the Year. On the other hand, there is the issue of Wang Li's influence. Although he is almost known to everyone in England, his influence in Spain is not worth the fans shifting their focus to him - perhaps there is another reason. These Catalan fans do not want to admit that he has the strength to compete with Ronaldinho.

At this time, Wang Li, who had just walked into the stadium and lined up with the other teams, heard the commentator of the Camp Nou stadium introducing the players one by one.

"Deco!!!"

There was a sudden burst of enthusiastic shouts from the fans in the stands. They used this way to express their love for Deco. It was obvious that this old player of Mourinho had conquered the hearts of many Barcelona fans in just over half a season.

"Ronaldinho!!!"

As the commentator shouted, almost all Barcelona fans shouted in unison. This is the influence of the World Footballer of the Year. It is certain that Ronaldinho’s popularity in Barcelona over the past two years is incomparable to that of ordinary players. He has conquered all Barcelona fans with his gorgeous Brazilian samba-style footwork, continuous attack and stable performance! ! In Camp Nou, he is the unique king! !

Wang Li listened to the calls in his ears, and he was not timid at all. Instead, he smiled evilly in his heart. Imagine if he conquered the world's most magnificent stadium with his feet in front of nearly 100,000 Barcelona fans, that feeling would be really exciting! !

Of course, this is a blow to Barcelona fans.

After the players from both teams took their positions, with Collina's whistle, the game finally began amid everyone's anticipation.

Barcelona kicked off first. Their players wore traditional Barcelona jerseys today. The wide red and blue stripes represent the will and spirit of Barcelona. Today, these players really looked high spirited. Before the game, Ronaldinho even declared that "all Premier League teams were defeated", which also showed the confidence of Barcelona players in this game.

The game was extremely intense at the beginning. The two teams fought for the ball near the center line, but despite several crises, the ball was always at the feet of Barcelona players. This even made defender William Gallas want to rush forward, but he was stopped by John Terry. Turning around to see the captain's eyes, Gallas also understood that now the opponent is Barcelona, ​​and the most important thing in their territory is to maintain a stable defense.

Before the game, Rijkaard had been worried that Barcelona, ​​which had been winning streak, would become slack in midfield and be exploited by Chelsea. However, after more than a minute of fighting, the ball was still at the feet of the Barcelona players, which made Rijkaard breathe a sigh of relief. At least the Barcelona players were not too careless when facing Chelsea.

Barcelona's football style is very similar to that of the Spanish national team. In fact, it is true that Barcelona's style has seriously influenced the Spanish team, because half of the players in the main lineup of the Spanish national team in each season are from Barcelona. This style is to continuously pass the ball back and forth in the backcourt, pulling the opponent's defense line to create opportunities for themselves and strive for a sure hit.

This is different from the back-passing style of Juventus, the 'Old Lady' team. The 'Old Lady's' approach is to control the rhythm, that is, they are good at using the changes in rhythm to make the opponent panic, and the back-passing is more of a preparation for a quick attack, while Barcelona's back-passing and attacking rhythm are equally fast, and they are better at coordination and technology.

This is the difference between traditional Italian style and Spanish style influenced by South America.

At this time, almost all the fans in the stadium were cheering for Barcelona, ​​and the cheers of the Blues, who only had a few thousand people, seemed as fragile as a drop in the ocean.

Wang Li was also roaming in the frontcourt. When he saw the ball passed to the opponent's No. 12 Van Bronckhorst, he immediately approached Van Bronckhorst unconsciously, wanting to seize the opportunity to steal the ball and counterattack.

However, Barcelona's passing frequency was very fast, and most short-distance cooperation was just one-kick pass. After Van Bronckhorst got the ball, he only took a slight step forward and then kicked the ball to Marquez. This kind of cooperation seemed to be in their bones, and even left Wang Li behind. The latter's running also dodged Drogba's interception. This efficient cooperation made Wang Li feel a little powerless.

However, Chelsea's midfielders are very capable. Marquez had just got the ball when Thiago Mendes, who started the game, pressed forward. While running, he also blocked most of the passing routes between Marquez and the frontcourt, which made the latter a little hurried. He turned his head and found that the opponent's black-haired boy No. 21 was also pressing forward from behind, so he immediately kicked the ball to the backcourt.

Wang Li and Mendes, who failed in the double-team, looked at each other helplessly, separated and turned around to grab the ball again.

When Chelsea just started the game, most people couldn't adapt to Barcelona's ball-controlling style of play. Although Mourinho carefully explained to them the tactics and style that Barcelona was good at using before the game, after all, written knowledge and real games are different. Fortunately, with John Terry's command in the backcourt and Wang Li's support in the frontcourt, the formation was not in chaos.

The ball was always under the feet of Barcelona players. More than a minute later, after two quick passes, they launched an attack. At this time, the cheers of the fans in the stadium became more intense.

No. 5 Puyol inserted into the center line and made two short passes with winger Albertini, allowing the ball to go straight to Chelsea's outside line. Then, before Makelele stepped forward to grab the ball, Albertini passed the ball to Deco in the middle. The latter let the ball slip and dodged Lampard's interception, and the ball fell to Ronaldinho's feet.

As early as the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, Ronaldinho had proved his ability. After transferring from Paris Saint-Germain to Barcelona, ​​he became the steady attacking midfielder of this world-class team, the core of the team's offense, and the engine of the whole court. As an attacking midfielder, what Ronaldinho made fans remember was his gorgeous technique with a strong Brazilian style and his accurate passing ability. In the eyes of professional football people, these are secondary, and the ability to control the whole court is the most important.

To use a professional term, it is the overall view.

In the game, Ronaldinho's overall view is definitely world-class, at least Wang Li is far behind him now.

The moment Ronaldinho received the ball, the cheers of the fans in the stadium suddenly reached a height, as if to continue this enthusiastic cheering. Ronaldinho lightly kicked the ball with his left foot with his heel like a juggler, and the ball flew directly into Chelsea's penalty area.

Samuel Eto'o!!!

This black man, who won the African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, just joined Barcelona at the beginning of this season, but he has now become a regular starter. Last summer, he had the opportunity to join Chelsea, and he wanted to try the Premier League, but Mourinho gave up on him and chose Drogba. Now facing Chelsea and Drogba on the field, he is full of energy and wants to prove to the world that he is better than Drogba! !

The match had just begun when the opportunity came. Chelsea captain John Terry blocked Eto'o's position and prevented him from getting the ball. However, Eto'o used his body to move the ball forward with his heel and then shot the ball directly! !

"Eto'o, shoot!!!"

Eto'o's shot was only about 7 meters away from the goal. Peter Cech, who was standing in front of the goal in the starting lineup, was very nervous. If this kind of ball was hit at the right angle, even the world's top goalkeeper would not be able to react at his best. However, the next moment, he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

John Terry fell in the path of the ball and blocked the shot with his body.

This time, even the Barcelona fans in the stadium couldn't help but give a thumbs up to Terry. This iron man defender of Chelsea is definitely not just a hype. He is selected into the European Best Team almost every month not only because of his personal strength, but also because of his "desperate" will on the court! !

The football was blocked by Terry's body and went out of the penalty area. Paul Ferreira next to him hurried over to help Terry up and see what was wrong with him.

"Look here, good man, what are you doing!!"

What the Portuguese defender didn't expect was that Terry stood up and instead of thanking him, he just yelled at him.

In fact, the game was not over. After the ball bounced out of the penalty area, it was still grabbed by Barcelona players. However, Chelsea was by no means a soft persimmon. After forward Giuly grabbed the ball, Lampard immediately pressed back. In the scramble, Giuly accidentally took the ball out of the sideline.

Less than 3 minutes into the game, Barcelona's first attack made Chelsea players break out in a cold sweat. Wang Li, who was in the frontcourt, felt inexplicably excited as he watched Barcelona's attack. For him, it would be interesting if this kind of opponent won, as this was the battlefield that would truly test himself.

While the Barcelona fans in the audience were still immersed in the attack just now, Thiago Mendes was already standing on the sidelines preparing to kick the ball. However, at this moment, two Barcelona players pressed forward, and other Barcelona players also kept a close eye on the Chelsea players who could receive the ball, which made Mendes a little at a loss. He didn't know who to pass the ball to.

While Mendes was still looking for someone, Wang Li, who was being harassed by Barcelona players about 10 meters in front of him, frowned and shouted, "F..., pass it over here!"

In fact, as Chelsea's absolute main force, Wang Li and Mendes are definitely not the same kind of people. He rarely cooperates with this Portuguese midfielder in the game, so he doesn't know Mendes very well. In his opinion, Mendes should know him very well, after all, many of Chelsea's offensive tactics are built around him. But now, it seems that Mendes glanced at him but didn't pass the ball. Wang Li couldn't help but swear. Fortunately, he held back, otherwise saying such words in a football match would probably get a free yellow ticket.

When Thiago Mendes heard Wang Li's voice, he didn't care about his tone at all and threw the ball over. In his opinion, the person who should not be provoked by the most in Chelsea is this black-haired boy, because that will not only make him lose his foothold in the locker room, but even whether he can stay in Chelsea in the summer is a big suspense - although he did not perform well in Chelsea, he did not want to leave this club that can make a lot of money and always win.

In fact, according to the judgment of normal players, Wang Li’s move just now was not good, because Deco was blocking in front of Wang Li.

But just as the Chelsea players imagined, Wang Li took light steps and came in front of Deco in an instant. Before Deco was stunned, he had already taken the ball and left.

There was no need for the captain's command. All Barcelona players knew that Chelsea's most threatening player was definitely the black-haired boy No. 21 who was dribbling the ball. So, when they saw Wang Li dribbling forward, they immediately returned to defense, and Albertini and Marquez also ran towards Wang Li.

At this time, Barcelona players were running desperately towards their own half, while Chelsea's offensive players were quickly entering Barcelona's half. Wang Li was dribbling the ball on the wing, and only Joe Cole and Lampard were supporting him in the middle.

From this we can see the difference in the offensive styles of Chelsea and Barcelona. Barcelona is all about attack and defense, while Chelsea is balanced in offense and defense. Of course, both sides have advantages and disadvantages.

Now, the disadvantages of both sides are reflected. Since Chelsea is not all-out attack and defense, many backcourt players are not good at attacking, so Wang Li has many choices. He can only dribble the ball himself or pass it to Joe Cole who is closest to him. Passing it to Lampard is somewhat difficult.

The same is true for Barcelona. Because they had just invested too much offensive force, they had not been able to return to defense when Mendes sent the ball from the sideline. That was only a few seconds away. During this period of time, Barcelona's defense was still in chaos, and many players were even changing positions, and their ability to make temporary adjustments at the rear was very poor.

However, Chelsea's disadvantage did not appear too serious. Wang Li's outstanding personal ability has made up for this. He does not have to worry about the choice and does not need to think too much. He directly passed the ball to Joe Cole, then took a step forward and passed the double-team of Albertini and Marquez in an instant with lightning speed.

The two Barcelona players were caught off guard by this approach. They didn't know whether to grab the ball or chase Wang Li. However, Joe Cole's kick back helped them make a choice. Facts have proved that in Chelsea, apart from Robben and Duff, Joe Cole and Wang Li have the best tacit understanding.

Wang Li and Joe Cole's 2-on-2 cooperation directly broke through Barcelona's wing defense. After receiving the ball, Wang Li ignored the two people following behind him and directly dribbled the ball to the middle to look for opportunities. He learned this way of dribbling from Arjen Robben. The direct large-angle dribbling transfer not only made it difficult for the opponent's players to adapt, but also made it easier for him to position himself most appropriately and run with the ball. In this way, there would definitely be more opportunities to shoot.

In fact, Albertini and Marquez behind Wang Li and Puyol in front of him were left behind by his dribbling style. While dribbling from the wing to the middle, Wang Li glanced at Barcelona's goal out of the corner of his eye, and while running, he kicked the ball with his right foot and shot it hard! !

This unexpected shot horrified the Barcelona defenders nearby, and everyone's eyes turned to the Barcelona goal.

At this time, Barcelona goalkeeper Valdes standing in front of the goal was still in a state of confusion. Under the obstruction of the defender, he had no idea that the football was already flying towards the goal.

“Bang!!”

With a dull thud, the goalpost saved Barcelona! !

The football hit the right crossbar and bounced out of the bottom line, making the Barcelona fans in the audience breathe a sigh of relief. After they realized what was happening, they all looked up at the black-haired boy on the field who was running back with his hands on his head in frustration.

fear!!

Shocked!!

Danger!!

They didn't know how to describe this attack, but Wang Li's performance made them realize that the strength of this young black-haired boy with the most efficient goal-scoring ability in the Premier League and even in the world is not hyped up by the English media. It can be seen from this attack alone that he almost took out half of Barcelona's back line by himself. During the attack, he only cooperated with his teammates, simply, from counterattack to shot in less than 10 seconds. This efficiency is really unmatched - not even our players can do it.

As soon as this thought came to mind, Barcelona fans drove it out of their minds. The most important thing now is to build confidence among the players fighting on the field, rather than to admire the strength of the opposing players.

Just four minutes into the game, Barcelona launched a steady attack that threatened Chelsea's goal, but Wang Li's quick counterattack ended with a shot hitting the post. From the formation point of view, the two teams were evenly matched.

The game was just as the media had imagined before the game. It showed a 'Mars hitting the Earth' momentum from the start, making everyone in the audience even more excited for the next game.

(To be continued)