Chapter 515: Taking the Initiative

At half-time, neither side made any adjustments.

Pellegrini didn't say much to the players, just asked everyone to continue to concentrate on defending and put more troops in the counter-attack.

At the start of the second half, Barcelona suffered a series of injuries, starting with Thierry Henry being hit by Pepe while scrambling for a header, and suffered a brief shock and went to the sidelines to receive treatment.

Marcos then suffered a muscle strain while dribbling the ball without anyone around him and had to leave the field.

Puyol, who was not yet healed from his injury, came in for him.

After the 55th minute, Barcelona gradually stepped up their attack, with Xavi and Andres Iniesta giving up more through balls.

It's a risk, and if it happens, it can naturally pose a threat to Real Madrid; If the pass is broken, it is likely to give Real Madrid the opportunity to play a counter-attack.

But this game is Barcelona's home stadium, and Guardiola is certainly not willing to settle for a 0-0 game, so the appropriate risk still has to be taken.

In the 61st minute, Messi received Xavi's pass, and his powerful volley was blocked by the defender, Alves followed up with a strong follow-up shot, and Casillas made a wonderful save to defuse the danger.

In the 67th minute, Russ. Diarra was fouled and gave a well-placed free-kick and Alves took a powerful free-kick that went just over the crossbar.

In the 69th minute, Xavi sent a superb through-ball and Eto'o burst into the box to shake off Pepe for a one-on-one chance, but his shot was magically denied by Casillas.

Xavi whipped in a corner and Pique got to the spot, but his header flew over the crossbar......

Barcelona's strong attack left the opponent a little breathless.

After a fierce battle of ideas, Pellegrini finally decided to let the team hold on to the draw and hold on to the draw, but this time he did not dare to replace Ricardo, who stayed on the pitch as a threat that would make Barcelona not 100% attacking.

Pep Guardiola also made a move, and in the final moments of the game, Hleb and Bojan replaced Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o.

Bojan had just come on and had a great chance when Alves' cross found the right head of him.

However, the small player Bojan is really not good at heading, he missed the opportunity to kill.

In the end, the two sides had to shake hands and make peace.

In his post-match press conference, Manuel Pellegrini said he was happy with the score and with the performance of his players.

Pep Guardiola did not complain about the opponent's bus, in the Champions League semi-finals, it is already a common thing for the away team to put the bus, there is nothing to complain about.

"The score is fair for both sides," he said, "and Real Madrid today was more tenacious than I thought. The next two games were played at the Bernabeu which was very bad for us, but I am confident that the team can get a good result. I'm already familiar with Real Madrid's style of play and if Pellegrini continues with today's tactics, they will pay the price. ”

The score was also acceptable to both players.

β€œβ€¦β€¦ The key is the next two games," said Ricardo, "and I have a hunch that there will be no more draws." Victory won't come easily, but we'll give it our all. ”

"We were all cautious in today's game, there weren't many good chances for both sides," Messi said, "and in the next two games, Real Madrid can't continue to play the bus, we will have better chances to score." ”

The royal media of both sides, Ace, Marca, World Sports, and Daily Sports, also quarreled, supporting their home teams and belittling their opponents.

But football is not something that can be won with words, it has to be done with real words.

At 8 p.m. on May 2, the most watched match of the 34th round of La Liga started at the Bernabeu.

If Real Madrid win this game, then the points will be equal for both sides, with Real Madrid sitting at the top of the table on goal difference. If Real Madrid lose at home, the gap will widen to six points, and they will be completely desperate, and there will be no suspense about the league title this season.

In the event of a draw, the 3-point gap is not irreversible in the next 4 rounds, and the suspense may even remain until the last round.

There was only one change to Barcelona's starting line-up from the previous game, with Puyol starting in place of the injured Marcos.

It was a huge test of fitness for Barcelona.

On the Real Madrid side, Pellegrini set up a 4231 formation at home, Pepe was suspended for accumulating yellow cards, Guti was injured in midweek, the goalkeeper was still Casillas, defenders Heinze, Metzeld, Cannavaro and Ramos, and the double back is Russ. Diarra and Gago, with Ricardo, Kaka, Raul in front, and Higuain as the lone striker.

Compared with the previous game, Real Madrid has changed 4 players, and the physical strength of the whole team is more guaranteed.

It was a must-win game for Real Madrid, and Barcelona could accept a draw, so it was clear that the pressure on the Real Madrid players was even greater.

Just 24 seconds into the game, Ramos made a mistake on a pass from the back, and his cross ball was cut off by Messi, who immediately crossed the ball to the edge of the box and Xavi stepped in to get the ball.

Xavi wasn't fast enough and lacked the ability to break through, so he didn't try to break through again against the last defender, Metzelde, and instead shot straight at goal, Casillas was in solid form, smashing the ball into his arms.

After Real Madrid established their position, they also quickly launched an attack.

The two sides go back and forth, quickly skip the tentative stage and go straight to the point. The game becomes good to look at.

In the third minute, Ricardo won the ball on the wing and broke through Alves, then changed direction to the bottom line, used his speed to gain space and then crossed with his feet, Higuain turned and shot in a very awkward position in front of the goal, and the ball was high, missing a good chance.

In the 7th minute, Messi sent a wonderful diagonal pass, Eto'o scrambled to shoot, hit Metzelde's leg and bounced in the opposite direction, Casillas saved his team in time.

In the 12th minute, Pique inserted an assist and sent a precise through pass, Messi successfully countered offside, but he was a little bigger, and Casillas came out in time to confiscate the ball and defuse the danger.

He immediately counter-attacked with a hand-tossed ball, and Real Madrid sent the ball in front of Ricardo after a few simple passes.

Ricardo burst out of nowhere and scrambled to touch the ball past Yaya Toure before delivering a diagonal cross that pinpointed Ramos, who had the assist. After Ramos broke through Abidal, he immediately passed the ball into the box, and Higuain grabbed the nod and smashed through ValdΓ©s.

"Higuain Goallllll! Real Madrid takes the lead! It's a routine they've been playing a lot this season, with Ricardo running down the middle to pick up the ball and passing the ball to the full-backs who have the assist on either side, who crosses into the box. It's a very simple routine, but it's hard to defend because it's direct enough! Simple, but deadly! ”

"Licardo's great vision created this goal! Real Madrid has the initiative in the game and the initiative to compete for the title this season! ”