Chapter 47: The Smell of Gunpowder: 12 vs. 9
Referee Cantalejo, a whistle blows.
Espanyol, who were at home, kicked off first.
Tamudo passes the ball to Rieira and the game begins.
Levi was walking nearby, and Barcelona did not press immediately after the opening, but kept in formation for a long time, waiting for the Spaniard to make a mistake.
After all, it is impossible for the Spaniards to start a possession battle with Barcelona.
Riera passed the ball to Levy, Iniesta was not far from him after Levi took the ball, he moved forward with the ball, Iniesta ran over to lower the center of gravity, and cooperated with Alves to block Levi's direct breakthrough.
Laroux has also stepped forward to Levi's side, this guy is very fast, but the work under his feet is average, and one-on-one must not be Alves's opponent.
Levira spun around and gave the ball back to Gabi.
As soon as the ball was passed back, Gudjohnsen, who was in front of Barcelona, posted it.
Gabi had no choice but to pass the ball back again.
From the very beginning of the game, before Barcelona had yet to possess the ball, Levi felt a pressure that he had never encountered before.
Barcelona's three midfielders are not the type of defenders who are particularly tough.
But the running position selection is very clever, and Guardiola has worked out the correct use of Alves during this time.
The Brazilian right-back can attack and defend.
When plugged in, he and Habaib formed a quadruple midfield to increase the midfielder's strangulation ability.
Puyol, Pique and Abidal temporarily formed a back three to establish a defensive position.
The Spaniard failed to find the right opportunity on several occasions.
When Roman Martinez passed the ball to Levi again.
"Find Levi again for this ball! Ouch, this transfer is so beautiful! Sound east and west, ah, this is. ”
When Levi received the ball, Busquets was already behind him and he looked to the side of the flank, as if looking for La Cruz.
In fact, when he touched the ball, he directly sent the ball to Riella, who was following in the middle.
Busquets could only see Levi's back and judge the direction of his pass by turning his head, at which point Levi turned and ran past him, only to realize that the ball had been given to Riera's feet, and turned to follow Levi again.
Half a body behind, Rieira fed the ball forward, Levi regained possession of the ball, and Busquets followed closely.
Suddenly, Levi made a big stride inward, and walked with his left foot to the outside.
"This Levi seems to have eyes in the back of his head, and the feint is shaking the person behind him."
Busquets, who was difficult to catch up, directly stretched out his hand and grabbed Levi's jersey, and the drag force made Levi's body stunned, and under the combination of the two forces, the jersey was torn and the collar was stretched.
"The speed gap is too big, and I can't prevent it, so I can only get started."
The referee blows the whistle.
4th minute of the game.
Sergio Busquets was shown the first yellow card of the game.
The Spaniard restarted the free-kick and Rieira passed the ball to Levi, who moved the ball to the wing.
"Ouch, look at this time, Alves posted it beautifully!"
He Wei shouted.
On the field, Levi and Lacruz tried a wide attack, and Lacruz was quickly leaned up by Alves after trying to get started, and the speed was completely suppressed, almost on the verge of conceding the ball.
"It's embarrassing to turn around and smash the ball this time, and I want to go back to Levi, but Alves blocks it quickly, and Iniesta is also rushing here."
"If you want to pass the ball, you can't pass it, there is still a certain gap in strength."
Levi rushed to the vicinity of the two, and Lacruz flicked left and right to shake off the angle pass, but was always blocked by Alves.
It's just that near the touchline, the Brazilian didn't rush down.
"Pass! Hit Alves on the leg, out of bounds, throw-in. ”
La Cruz quickly sent the throw-in, and after looking around, Levi was caught between Alves and Busquets, and had to throw the ball to Riera.
The moment Riera received the ball, Levi got up and drilled into the gap, and Xavi had already made a pressing move when Riera played the ball.
The ball refracted under Xavi's interference, but instead it stumbled into the space between the Barcelona players.
The four Barcelona players are arranged in an irregular quadrilateral.
"Levi is up to speed, is this an offensive opportunity for the Spaniards, Alves is chasing back, Pique is also rushing this way!"
Levi was running at full speed towards the football, and Pique, who was not far away, had already seen Levi's speed before.
When he was still a few meters away from the ball, he immediately threw his body's weight out, and while his toes shoveled directly to the ball, his body was also blocking the path of Levi's direct insertion into the penalty area.
Levi knocked the ball a few meters away as he touched the ball, and the whole person jumped directly over Pique's body.
"Picked it up! It's too fast, is Alves hurrying or is it a little bit away? ”
Puyol up front quickly moved to the right to fill the void left by Pique.
Tamudo was firmly tangled by Abidal after entering the box, and Levi did not have the first passing option.
Rieira was disrupted by the Barcelona midfielder's passing lane.
Levi strides around the ball, but Puyol just keeps an eye on his next move.
On the pitch against a top team, the opportunity is fleeting.
Pique and Alves were back in place in the blink of an eye.
"Cut! This time, Puyol is following very closely! ”
Levi felt that the central defender, who was less than 1.8 meters tall and had long curly hair like a lion, suddenly pressed his arm against the direction he was heading, and his thick and stocky body was like a wall.
"Get the ball back and go back! Alves and Busquets also followed, and they were caught in layers! ”
Levi was squeezed by the three big men and fell into a chaotic battle.
"Stumble, find an opportunity in the cracks to kick first! The angle is very tricky, but the power is not enough! ”
Levi still found a kick in the clash and tried a shot.
The home fans on the sidelines let out a sustained cheer as he dribbled the ball, holding their breath and waiting for the result.
But at least the Spaniard found his first chance on the pitch.
"Knock on the mountain and shake the tiger! Right, let's take a kick first and beat the momentum out! ”
Xu Yang said.
The ball was safely won by Valdés.
"Levi's ball and dribbling are already quite sharp, but it's hard to support it alone, and the opportunity is too difficult to grasp."
"You said it's impossible to take your feet as calmly as you would against a weak team."
He Wei saw the embarrassment of Li Wei on the field, his teammates did not want to support, but the strength in all aspects was still suppressed by the Barcelona players.
"Barcelona's opening formation limited the Spaniards very uncomfortable, the Spaniards gave up the formation of the previous games, and the control ability of the middle and back was enhanced, but Levi from the side to the middle, can he adapt to this tactic."
Xu Yang observed the situation on the field and gave his own evaluation.
6th minute of the game.
Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta linked, and Iniesta beat La Cruz with a series of small croquettes.
Stuff the ball to Alves with the edge.
Alves won the ball and advanced along the flanks and knocked the ball near the baseline to Messi in the ribs.
Messi adjusted his position after winning the ball and sent a cold shot to Henry at the far end.
Thierry Henry stopped the ball and tried to smash it down the side of the net in search of another opportunity, but was stopped by Thiago Silva, who arrived next.
After attempting to break through, Henry retreated with the ball and spotted the opportunity to whip up a shot from a tight angle.
"Henry volleys!"
But the ball was too much of a dead corner, and it was sliced along the outside of the post.
The Spaniard takes a goal kick.
After a period of diverting to find opportunities to no avail, Barcelona snatched the ball again.
Since then, Barcelona have been steadily controlling the situation on the field, slowly draining the energy and patience of the Espanyol players.
The possession rate on the field once reached 73 open.
The Spaniards struggled to regain possession and could only take advantage of the few opportunities they had to counter-attack.
"It's Barcelona's turn, and once the ball is lost, it's difficult to get it back."
Pochettino stood on the sidelines waving his arms, his nerves kept at a high level of tension, and the movements on the pitch looked a little hysterical at the moment.
The Spaniard's formation quickly fell into place, effectively turning into a back five, with the midfield starting to limit Barca's progress.
Barcelona is not in a hurry, Xavi and Iniesta calmly manage the rhythm on the field, with Gudjohnsen as the bridgehead in the front, and Henry and Messi on the left and right.
Constantly tearing apart the Spaniards' defense by running.
During this period, he repeatedly threatened the Espanyol penalty area.
In the 12th minute of the game, Rieira was yellow carded for blocking Alves' advance with a foul action.
Sergio Busquets played the ball back to Alves, and Levi moved to pressure as the Brazilian held the ball.
Instead of a rash break, Alves knocked the ball across to Pique.
With Puyol under his guard, Pique calmly played the ball out to the midfielder and the boring game of possession resumed.
15th minute of the game.
Xavi used his escape stunt again when Riera stepped forward to press quickly.
It's like a delicate circle planning on paper, and it's skimming Riera.
Anthony, watch the video and learn from others.
Riera's scramble gave Andres Iniesta a space to move forward, and Gabi was still young at the moment, and when he stepped forward to protect the pickup, Alves stepped in.
Barcelona changed formations, Iniesta reversed and stuffed Alves in front of him, and the ball crossed in front of Gabi.
Alves touched the ball and pulled and plugged, without the slightest intention of wrestling with La Cruz.
And in the depth of the Spaniard's right side, Messi has started.
"This is Barcelona! Messi took the ball, continued feints, gradually approached the penalty area, and the central defenders did not dare to put their feet! ”
Halke didn't dare to rush up, and cooperated with Torrejon to temporarily make Messi unable to break through for the first time, waiting for his teammates behind him to arrive.
Messi made a gesture to the left, attracting the Spaniard to move in the same direction as a whole to block, and suddenly gave the ball to the right without looking at the ball, and Alves cut in just in front of the goal.
"The Espanyol's defence has been broken! Before Alves knocked on the door, Gudjohnsen was fighting Thiago for the ball, and Gudjohnsen tackled! ”
At the last moment, Bravo leaned over to block the shot and blocked the ball with his arms forward.
"Roman Martinez squeezed Xavi, the Spaniard still has to use his body and speed, and there are few people who can play Barcelona."
The ball was given to Gabi, and in a chaotic rhythm, Iniesta stepped up to try to regain control again.
Gabi turned, keeping the ball in front of him first, as Andres Iniesta moved along his side.
Suddenly he turned and squeezed past Iniesta and found a passing space.
"Pass to Levi, the ball has a certain amount of advance, Busquets is also grabbing, Levi is in front of the ball first."
As Busquets marked, Levi flicked the ball behind him with his heel and moved to the left, as Busquets pulled away to follow him.
After another step, he pulled the ball back with the outside of his right foot, almost grazing Busquets.
Busquets was constantly shaken his center of gravity, and it was already very difficult to follow.
The ball suddenly passed under his crotch, and Levi flicked Busquets past him.
"The continuous getaway action makes Busquets too embarrassed!"
"It's the same youth training, why is it too anxious to fry each other!"
He Wei said.
Before He Wei could finish saying this, Levi was shoveled to the ground by Pike, who rushed over.
The referees of both teams gasped.
This ignited the irritability of the players on the field.
Levi got up, glared at Pique, and scolded directly.
Greetings to Peake's vice-chairman, Grandpa.
Pique also showed no weakness, with a small flat head like chicken feathers, and replied in a weird manner.
"The best players in Catalonia wear red and blue jerseys, what about you?"
"I wear nmlgb!"
The players of both teams around him surrounded him, and while he temporarily blocked the coach's view, Levi pushed Pique hard, and the two groups pushed each other.
But on the whole, it was quite restrained.
On the pitch, it's the goal that really slaps the opponent in the face, not the courage of the horseman.
Referee Cantalejo stepped forward to separate the crowd.
A free-kick in front of Espanyol was awarded, but no cards were awarded to Pique.
"Fuck, this is here on a mission."
Levi glanced at the referee's departing figure from a long distance and spat on the lawn.
"Levi takes a free kick, it's a bit far away, let's see if he will choose to hit the goal directly...... A long ball was hoisted into the box to see who could get the ball, and the Spaniards were fierce with their players...... Tamudo took Puyol away, and the high point in the Barcelona penalty area is not enough! ”
"Riera and Pique scramble together, Riera doesn't get the ball, Pique clears! How did the ball go towards goal? ”
"Valdés saved the ball, it hit the crossbar and it bounced back, and this time, Riera hit it again!"
"Oh Valdés, God! The ball hasn't been cleared to safety yet, and it's still dangerous! ”
Levi took a free-kick and then inserted it into the box, and Valdés did his best to make two blocks.
The last pounce on the line bounced right in front of him.
"Levi! Hit the ball directly, push at a small angle! The ball is in! ”
Loud voices rang out like a tidal wave, countless Espanyol fans raised their arms and chanted, and the blue and white flag fluttered at the Mozussi Stadium.
Puyol stopped Pique and asked him with an unkind look why the ball had been cleared that way.
Pochettino jumped to his feet and let off steam.
Guardiola, on the other hand, was sullen.
"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it."
Xu Yang said.
"Nineteen minutes into the game, the data was in full lead, and Barcelona, which suppressed the opponent, conceded a goal first!"
Levi was knocked to the ground several times in this game, his blue and white shirt was stained with black and green, his face was stained with sweat and grass clippings, and the shirt was ripped by Busquets once.
The wide expanse of the stadium echoed the shouts of the DJs again.
Número siete (number seven)!
Levy!
Gol!
As the syllables of the goal were spit out, the crowd on the pitch became agitated again.
At this time, Levi ran to the spectator box of die-hard fans, and the surrounding area of the stadium was equipped with protective nets, and Levi ran to the protective nets. 、
Found Beagle among the fans in fancy costumes, as well as the small figure beside him.
Levi put his little finger through the net.
Young fan Brooklyn sat next to her father in a voluminous jersey with a face painted in Spanish navy blue and white.
Nearby media turned their cameras around and focused on him.
The fans shouted and rushed over, all wanting to get up close and personal with Levi.
"I've done what I promised."
Levi said seriously, his eyes were sincere, and he hooked his fingers with the little fan.
Guardiola looked at the figure of Levi in the distance, and said that this should not be a celebration, although there was a conflict with the players on the field, but there was still a little incense between each other.
The game resumes.
Although they led by one goal, the Spaniards had to face an even more frantic comeback from Barcelona in the following moments.
In the 36th minute, Alves made a direct pass after bypassing the position, Messi got the ball and got rid of the marking continuously, shook off the angle and came to the right side of the penalty area with a volley.
Confiscated by Bravo.
In the 40th minute, Xavi pushed into the box and crossed at a 45-degree angle, and the tall Gudjohnsen squeezed away Torrejon in the box and headed over the crossbar.
The referee made the decision to make three minutes of stoppage time.
After those three minutes, the Spaniard will return to the dressing room with a 1-0 advantage.
“Espanyol! nostre crit,Espanyol,surt del pit. Espanyol,Espanyol,Espanyol.”
Espanyol fans are already singing triumphant songs.
Scoring a goal in the Catalan derby and torturing bitter rivals Barcelona is happier than scoring in any game.
On the field, it is still Barcelona who is organizing the attack.
Xavi and Andres Iniesta and Puyol played a succession of triangular passes.
Puyol got the ball and found the right time to suddenly pass the ball to Sergio Busquets.
With Busquets' transfer, Alves will have a lot of room to advance.
Rieira spotted the ball in time and quickly settled near Busquets to intercept it, tangling with Busquets when he didn't hold the ball.
A fierce physical confrontation ensued between the two.
"Beep!"
A terrible whistle sounded.
Referee Cantalejo ran over and blew a stoppage for the game, and it was the last minute of stoppage time in the half.
All the Espanyol fans were celebrating the end of the half in advance, and they were all stunned and watched the situation on the field.
Riera had a yellow card on his back.
The surrounding Espanyol players all came around, and the ball was just a little intense on both sides, and they didn't get their feet down.
It belongs to the kind that can be judged or not.
A bright red light up.
Hold it high.