"He wants to create space! You follow him immediately!"
Puyol glanced at Suker warily and gave a command to Busquets.
Busquets's lips twitched slightly.
He felt it was very hard to mark Suker. He could barely keep up, but going head-to-head with Suker? He wasn't confident at all.
Busquets was puzzled.
Suker was like a tapeworm inside his gut—just like in the previous match, and the same in this game.
Every time Busquets tried to pass, Suker would pre-position himself to intercept, making passing very difficult.
And Suker always anticipated his decisions when he had the ball.
Having your playstyle read so clearly was extremely frustrating, but there was nothing he could do.
Busquets saw Suker start to drop back.
Puyol looked at him, forcing Busquets to close in on Suker.
Suker retreated a few steps and saw Busquets coming closer.
"I don't go to you, but you come to me instead!"
Suker glanced at Busquets casually, then kept retreating.
Busquets followed step by step.
Suker kept retreating until he was level with Benzema.
Benzema saw Suker's retreat and immediately made a diagonal run behind him.
"Don't bother with him!"
Just as Busquets was about to follow, Puyol waved his hand, signaling to take care of Benzema himself.
Busquets grimaced.
He really didn't want to follow Suker, but he had no choice.
Di María had the ball on the flank.
He looked eager, wanting to try a dribble breakthrough.
At this moment, seeing Suker run toward the right side, Di María immediately passed the ball and sprinted forward along the wing.
"Don't think you can rush through!"
Alves immediately tracked back.
He wouldn't let Di María repeat his earlier run.
But just as Alves tracked back and prepared to intercept Suker's pass, Suker lightly tapped the ball backward, turned nonchalantly, and ran to the left side, passing the ball to that flank.
Alonso quickly moved to receive it, Marcelo was ready to overlap on the side.
However, Barcelona's retreat was timely.
"Take it slow!"
Alonso pressed down with both hands and passed the ball back.
So far, Real Madrid was still leading and not rushing their attack.
"Real Madrid is slowing the tempo!" Gonzales observed from Barcelona's half; "Barcelona is playing very passively, especially after conceding a goal. They find it hard to push forward, with no forwards to support upfront, and Real Madrid is aggressive in midfield!"
It wasn't just that.
Gonzales watched the field and saw Suker and Benzema drop back to midfield.
Real Madrid kept increasing their numbers in zones.
This was the result of active running.
After several passes, the ball came back to Suker near the halfway line.
Suker grimaced in frustration.
Barcelona was too stable!
Most players would have gotten anxious by now.
But Barcelona was calm and steady, setting their formation and waiting to steal the ball.
Suker knew clearly that if Barcelona launched a counterattack, Real Madrid would become extremely passive.
About 10 minutes left in the first half.
Suker looked at his teammates again. After 30 minutes of high pressing and active running, his teammates were already physically drained.
It would be very hard to keep sprinting across the pitch.
Plus, the second half would focus more on defense.
So, they had to widen the score gap as much as possible in the first half.
Could they still score?
Suker wasn't sure, but he knew he had to put more pressure on Barcelona.
With that thought, Suker suddenly dropped back again.
Busquets followed closely.
As Diarra was about to pass, Suker called out.
"Pass it to me!"
Suker called, then leaned back on Busquets.
Diarra immediately slipped the ball through.
Busquets hurried to shove Suker, not wanting him to control the ball comfortably.
Meanwhile, on the flank, Xavi and Keita immediately closed in, wanting to surround Suker.
But Suker didn't stop the ball.
Instead, he lightly flicked the ball over his head with the toe, sending it behind Busquets.
After flicking, Suker quickly turned sideways.
"Don't let him turn!"
Xavi shouted.
Busquets reached out, trying to push Suker away.
Suker had no choice but to fight through.
He twisted his waist and turned around; Busquets's arm pressed on his chest but still couldn't hold him back.
"Damn it!"
Busquets clenched his teeth.
His arm felt like it was about to give out.
How was this guy so strong!
Suker pushed off hard with his feet, eyes fixed on the ball.
He felt the pressure from Busquets's arm gradually lessen.
"Now!"
Suker suddenly turned sharply and sprinted away, creating distance.
Busquets stumbled, yelling, "Clear it!"
Bang!
Puyol was the first to see the ball's landing spot, kicking it to the flank.
Suker missed the ball, feeling a little regretful.
But he had no time to dwell and immediately retreated to defend.
Barcelona's counterattack was coming!
Suker rushed toward Messi's direction, thinking Barcelona's counter would rely on passes between Xavi and Messi.
If Iniesta was there, Barcelona's attack would be more complex, but now it would probably go to Messi.
As Suker thought this, Xavi suddenly stopped.
He looked up to Messi, then sharply poked the ball.
The pass went straight through Diarra's legs, ripping through Real Madrid's defense.
Xavi's signature move!
A surgeon-like through ball!
"Through ball!! Can Pedro keep up? Ramos keeps disrupting Pedro's run, Casillas rushes out—who will reach the ball first?"
Bang!!
Casillas rushed out of the box and cleared the ball.
Pedro was a step too slow under Ramos's interference.
"Nice!"
Suker shouted excitedly.
But the crisis wasn't over.
The ball rolled toward the sideline, Marcelo and Keita fought for possession.
If Keita got it, Real Madrid's goal would be open!
Bang!
Marcelo decisively kicked the ball out for a throw-in.
"Don't let him quick throw!"
Casillas jumped up and shouted while running back.
Keita grabbed the ball.
Marcelo reached out to the ball boy.
The ball boy foolishly threw the ball in.
Marcelo threw it into the pitch and walked away.
Keita was about to quickly throw the ball in but saw another ball flying in.
According to rules, there can't be two balls on the field.
This was Real Madrid's tactic to delay the game.
"Damn it!"
Keita angrily threw the ball at Marcelo.
Marcelo dodged skillfully.
Suker saw all this and grimaced.
What made him speechless was the Barcelona ball boy.
Marcelo asked for the ball, and the boy actually gave it.
That kid was probably going to get scolded afterward.
Even the home advantage was wasted.
"Marcelo threw the ball in first, so Barcelona lost the chance to restart quickly. But the referee started hassling Marcelo!"
Gonzales laughed at Marcelo's antics.
But this was actually a clever move.
Moreover, this action could be judged either way depending on interpretation.
Marcelo gave the standard answer:
"I didn't see he had the ball. I just wanted to throw it to them."
Marcelo spread his hands with innocent eyes.
The referee was helpless.
Besides, this was within the rules.
The referee left after giving a verbal warning, but Barcelona lost a great chance to attack.
"Barcelona's problem now is they can't find Messi. Although Messi has great dribbling skills, Real Madrid is marking him tightly. Barcelona finds it hard to pass the ball back to Messi during the buildup. Even if passed, Messi would immediately face a foul or get surrounded!"
Gonzales shook his head.
Messi and Suker were both good at breakthroughs with exquisite skills.
But the difference was Suker had stronger physicality and a risk-taking style.
Even when surrounded, he could usually keep the ball safe or escape to counterattack.
Messi was somewhat lacking in this.
Suker led the team, boosting team morale.
Messi integrated into the team, focusing on the overall play.
Each had advantages, but in critical moments, Suker was clearly more threatening.
In the Camp Nou stadium, the jeers from Barcelona fans persisted.
Since the match started, the sharp whistles never stopped.
Whenever Suker had the ball or touched it, the jeers intensified.
They tried to pressure Suker that way.
When Suker ran to the flank, objects were even thrown from the stands.
Ledep kept protesting to the fourth official.
The official passed the message to security but couldn't stop the fans' behavior.
Of course, Suker had no time to care.
His eyes kept scanning Busquets.
With repeated pressure, Busquets was on the verge of exhaustion.
Whenever Suker had the ball, Busquets got very nervous.
A bit of tension helps performance.
Too much tension makes muscles stiff!
Bang!
Di María and Diarra combined to steal the ball.
Di María passed immediately to Alonso.
Alonso was about to look forward when Suker suddenly shouted:
"Pass on the ground!"
Alonso didn't hesitate, trusting Suker, and kicked it straight.
As Suker prepared to receive, he leaned back to seek confrontation.
Busquets slammed into Suker's back hard.
Both bodies swayed, but Suker regained balance faster.
Suker twisted his body to the right, eyes and head looking that way.
Right side!
Busquets judged quickly and stepped right.
But Suker suddenly twisted his hips the opposite way and flicked the ball back, stepping and turning 90 degrees to escape on the other side of Busquets's shifted center of gravity.
"Suker!!"
Gonzales shouted loudly.
Suker's sudden turn opened a gap in Barcelona's defense, and he strode toward the opponent's penalty area.
"Follow him!"
"Charge!"
"Push forward! Push forward!"
Not only Suker, but Benzema, Di María, Alonso, and others also surged forward.
From above, it looked like a white wave fiercely crashing toward Barcelona's goal.
"Another counterattack by Real Madrid! Suker used his individual ability to break through Barcelona's midfield line, Benzema and Di María on the wings, Alonso following up. Real Madrid is attacking Barcelona's defense!"
Gonzales shouted; "Let's see how Suker handles the ball now!"
Under all eyes, Suker suddenly pushed the ball sideways, then hooked it.
The ball slipped between Puyol and Piqué.
"Oh~~ A through ball!!"
Gonzales shouted.
Benzema suddenly accelerated toward the ball and fiercely shot with his right foot.
Bang!
A pair of big hands appeared in front of the ball.
"Valdés made a spectacular save! Even up close, he managed to push the ball away."
Valdés saved it, but the ball wasn't controlled and flew to the right open space.
"The danger isn't over!"
Puyol rushed toward the ball, but Di María was faster.
Di María didn't care about anything and volleyed hard.
Ping!!
The ball hit the crossbar and bounced out.
"Oh my God! Lady Luck favors Barcelona's goal! Real Madrid's two shots failed to score. Is there still a chance?"
The Camp Nou fell silent.
The ball dropped near the penalty area, and Suker appeared there.
Oh no!!! —
Barcelona fans held their heads in despair.
Suker was in the most dangerous spot — they knew exactly what that meant.
"Busquets!!"
Puyol yelled in panic.
Busquets slid from the side, trying to block.
Suker faced the falling ball, feinted a shot, but his left foot gently flicked the ball to the left.
Seeing Busquets slide past him, Suker adjusted his footing and swung his left foot again.
"Danger~~"
Gonzales shouted.
This time it was really dangerous.
Once more! Once twice! No third time!
Suker leaned left, looking like he was about to fall, and suddenly whipped his left foot from inside out, sweeping the ball.
This was Modric's signature outside-foot shot.
At this moment, Suker copied it.
Bang!
His foot struck the ball hard with an outward spin.
Valdés bent down, prepared to jump, but it was too late.
Swish!
The ball zipped into the bottom left corner of the goal.
At 43 minutes, Real Madrid scored their second goal!
"Goal!! Real Madrid! The second goal! Madrid leads by two!"
"Suker! A brilliant outside-foot shot. Even without fully adjusting his body, he still delivered a high-quality strike!"
"This is the scoring ability of a top-class striker."
"The development of this match surprises everyone. Barcelona is two goals behind at home."
"Guardiola urgently needs to adjust tactics. If this continues…"
The camera zoomed in on Suker.
He sprinted toward the Barcelona stands.
Everyone was surprised.
What was he doing?
Approaching the stands, Suker took off his jersey, flipped it, and held it up by the two ends.
'Worship me!'
If you're going to show your shirt, just show it.
Suker had one assist and one goal in the first half — he fully deserved this.
The Nou Camp was silent for a moment, then suddenly erupted with loud noise.
Barcelona fans angrily shouted at Suker.
Objects flew from the stands.
Suker wasn't stupid — after showing off, he quickly left.
Hatred peaked, but Barcelona fans were helpless.
They gritted their teeth, furious.
That damn Croatian dared to be so arrogant at Nou Camp!
But based on the current situation, Suker indeed had the capital to be arrogant.
They could only say that Barcelona played too poorly in the first half.
"We have to make adjustments in the second half."
Guardiola frowned, looking at the field.
His original plan was a false-nine formation to play penetrating attacks, but Real Madrid's high pressing made it difficult.
Now, two goals behind, he had to bring on some effective forwards in the second half.
Henry!
Ibrahimović was coming on!
If they lost this game, Barcelona might really say goodbye to the La Liga title this season.
In contrast, Real Madrid was in high spirits.
Though physically exhausted, their hearts were joyful.
Nothing was better than leading by two goals away.
Of course, the game wasn't over yet.
In the first half, Real Madrid charged hard and earned two goals.
But starting the second half, they would defend.
Whether they could withstand Barcelona's counterattack would be the key to this match.
Following Real Madrid's goal, the last two minutes saw both sides mutually slow the pace.
This was to prepare for second-half adjustments.
For Barcelona, they had to complete the comeback in the remaining 45 minutes.
For Real Madrid, they would defend the lead.
Except for Suker, who stayed up front, the rest would retreat and defend tightly.