Camp Nou’s Silence!

"Dear viewers, welcome to our live broadcast of the Champions League quarterfinals, where Barcelona hosts Manchester City!"

In the CCTV studio, commentators Medraawd and Iruk Yoj quickly introduced the lineups and formations of both teams before continuing:

"This is Lin's first return to Camp Nou since leaving Barcelona. What kind of performance will he deliver against his former team today?"

As Lin stepped onto the Camp Nou field, the boos and insults he had anticipated never came. Instead, Barcelona fans chose to ignore his presence completely. They loudly cheered for every Barcelona player, chanting their names in unison.

When the stadium DJ announced the names of Neymar and Messi, the crowd's cheers reached a fever pitch.

"We have Messi, we have Neymar, we don't need a player who wasn't loyal to Barcelona!"

This seemed to capture the sentiment in the hearts of the Barcelona fans.

Lin only glanced around briefly before turning his attention back to the game. He wasn't interested in what the Barcelona fans thought. His only focus now was to leave this place with a victory!

The referee for this match was Björn Kuipers from the Netherlands. In 2013, Kuipers was ranked the third-best referee in the world, known for his strict enforcement of the rules and frequent use of cards.

For Manchester City, this wasn't ideal. They were used to the more lenient officiating style of the Premier League, and the sudden shift to a stricter referee might throw them off and lead to more bookings.

At exactly 7:00 PM, the referee's whistle signaled the start of the match.

Manchester City, in their blue kits, took up the right side of the field, attacking from right to left. Barcelona, in their red and blue kits, occupied the left side, attacking from left to right.

Barcelona kicked off first, with Messi passing the ball to Neymar before running forward. Neymar returned the ball to Iniesta and quickly moved to the wing.

Barcelona played aggressively from the start. This was their home ground, so they had no reason to hold back. With the support of the home crowd, Barcelona's players surged forward, swiftly passing the ball among themselves. Manchester City soon felt the full force of Barcelona's famous tiki-taka style.

In the 3rd minute, after several passes in the attacking third, Xavi delivered a through ball. Messi had already started his run before Xavi's pass, leaving the defenders behind and receiving the ball near the edge of the box.

Messi adjusted slightly, feigning a shot to draw the Manchester City defenders, then quickly dribbled into the penalty area. Both Zabaleta and Kompany were drawn to Messi, rushing to close him down.

But Messi didn't shoot. Instead, he passed the ball to Neymar, who had made a run into the box from the wing. Neymar took the shot without stopping the ball, sending it with power toward the goal, but Joe Hart, fully focused, managed to tip it over the crossbar with one hand.

"Stay focused! Don't let the wings slip through!" Joe Hart shouted to his teammates as he got back on his feet. Against a top team like Barcelona, even the smallest mistake could be fatal.

Kolarov raised his hand apologetically, acknowledging his mistake. He hadn't closed down Neymar quickly enough, giving him the space to shoot.

Seeing Neymar's missed shot, Messi rubbed his chin, lowered his head, and walked out of the Manchester City penalty area, ready for the corner kick. Neymar, on the other hand, clutched his head in frustration. He knew he had squandered a golden opportunity to become Barcelona's hero.

The corner was taken, and Kompany cleared it, but the ball fell to a Barcelona player outside the box. Xavi tried a long-range shot, but it deflected off a defender and bounced back into play.

De Bruyne and Iniesta both lunged for the ball, colliding and falling to the ground. The referee stopped play and checked on the players.

Fortunately, neither was injured, and the match quickly resumed.

The referee awarded possession to Manchester City, but they lost the ball almost immediately under Barcelona's pressing, allowing the home team to resume their relentless assault on City's goal.

In the opening minutes, Manchester City found themselves pinned back in their own half. Their formation was compressed, and even when they managed to regain possession, they couldn't spread out quickly enough to launch a meaningful counterattack.

Seeing their team dominate, the Barcelona fans at Camp Nou erupted into their club's anthem.

"We are the blue believers!"

"We share the same faith!"

"We bear a name that commands the world!"

"Barça!"

"Barça!!"

"Barça!!!"

Amid the deafening chorus of Barcelona fans, the home team launched wave after wave of attacks against Manchester City.

In the 13th minute, Messi's shot was blocked by Joe Hart's legs. In the 17th minute, Neymar's long-range effort sailed over the crossbar. In the 22nd minute, Iniesta's shot hit the post!

Barcelona was getting closer and closer to scoring.

This couldn't go on—Manchester City was being far too passive!

With this in mind, Lin decided to drop back and help with the defense.

In the 27th minute, the ball found its way to Messi again.

As Messi prepared to advance, he noticed someone stepping up to challenge him.

He instinctively looked up and was surprised to see who it was—Lin!

What's he doing back here in defense instead of staying up front? "It's happening! Lin is finally facing off against Messi!"

"Who do you think will win?"

"Obviously, it's going to be Messi. Lin isn't a dedicated defender, so his effectiveness against Messi will be limited."

"Come on, that's a bit harsh. Lin might not be elite defensively, but for a forward, he's quite good!"

"True, but forwards are supposed to attack. Since when do forwards specialize in defense?"

The online chatter found the situation amusing. While Lin was solid defensively for a forward, his primary role was attacking, not stopping Messi.

"Manchester City has been completely dominated for the first thirty minutes. Just looking at the play, it seems like these two teams aren't even in the same league!"

"Nothing surprising if you watch Barça regularly. They always play like this. If you check the possession stats, the disparity would be even more stark."

"Barcelona's pressing is intense, but whether they can convert it into goals is another story. Their attack seems weaker this season compared to last."

"Absolutely. Last season, Barcelona scored 115 goals in La Liga. Even though there are seven games left this season, they're still 26 goals behind that mark—catching up seems impossible."

"Isn't Neymar supposed to be really good? How come after he joined Barça, their attacking power decreased?"

"Neymar's talented, but Barça's midfield is aging. Xavi hasn't been in the same form this season, and he's struggling to keep up for a full game. Without Xavi orchestrating the play, Barcelona's attack isn't nearly as potent!"

"Barça will need to reinforce their squad this summer. If they don't, their performance might decline even further next season."

On the pitch, Messi was only momentarily surprised. Realizing Lin was an attacking player and not a defender, any concern quickly vanished.

Your defenders can't stop me; what makes you think you can? Messi nudged the ball forward, intending to dribble past Lin.

But it was as if Lin had predicted Messi's move. Just as Messi made his touch, Lin extended his foot, aiming to intercept.

Against most players, Lin might not have succeeded, but this was different.

After all, Lin was using a template based on a prime version of Messi. He knew exactly what Messi would do next.

Lin's anticipation startled Messi, who quickly tried to regain control of the ball.

In the past, this move worked flawlessly against defenders.

But today, Messi had met his match.

Lin's footwork matched Messi's speed—if not surpassing it.

Lin reached the ball first, attempting to pass it to Agüero near the center circle.

Although Messi was a split-second late, he managed to graze the ball, altering its trajectory.

The ball flew past both players, heading behind Messi.

De Bruyne, positioned nearby, saw the ball coming his way and his eyes lit up.

But before he could settle the ball, he was quickly dispossessed by Alves and Xavi.

Xavi then passed the ball to Iniesta, who feigned a forward run before cutting into the box and sending a reverse pass to Messi.

Messi sidestepped Kompany and aimed for the top left corner of the goal. It was a high-quality shot, but Manchester City's goalkeeper Joe Hart, in outstanding form tonight, leaped high and saved Messi's effort!

Seeing his shot saved, Messi couldn't help but scratch his head in frustration.

This goalkeeper is on another level tonight!

Lin had already started running forward when De Bruyne gained possession, preparing to join the attack. But after a few steps, the ball was lost again.

Just as he was about to track back on defense, Lin saw Joe Hart make the save.

Without a second thought, Lin turned and sprinted toward Barcelona's half.

Joe Hart noticed Lin's movement and mentally gave him a nod of approval.

Instead of immediately throwing the ball to Lin, Hart tossed it to Kroos near the edge of the penalty area.

Kroos also spotted Lin's run, but rather than passing directly to him, he quickly played the ball to De Bruyne.

De Bruyne was closer to the halfway line. After receiving the ball, he glanced in Lin's direction and delivered a precise through ball.

Manchester City's quick, ground-passing counter

attack was highly effective. Most of Barcelona's players hadn't yet retreated, and City's counter was already well into Barça's half.

"Get back! Defend quickly!"

Seeing Manchester City's efficient counterattack, Barcelona's coach Martino widened his eyes in alarm.

This kind of fast, direct counterattack reminded him of Mourinho's Real Madrid.

Could this be Manchester City's well-prepared trump card? Fortunately, Martino had a contingency plan: Busquets! Lin had just crossed the halfway line when Busquets appeared in front of him.

As Lin's national teammate, Busquets was well aware of Lin's capabilities.

This was no time to rush in. During Spain's national team training sessions, Lin had shown everyone what happens when you recklessly challenge him.

Busquets glanced at his teammates. Piqué was not far behind, retreating toward the penalty area.

Ahead, Fabregas was sprinting back as fast as he could.

If Busquets could delay Lin just a little longer, either until his teammates caught up or until they were closer to the penalty area where Piqué and Mascherano could help, they could stop this attack.

Busquets quickly made his decision: no rash challenges. He began retreating while keeping his focus on Lin's feet.

Busquets planned to buy time, either waiting for Lin to make a mistake or for his teammates to arrive and assist.

When an attacking player is advancing and a defender keeps a cautious distance, it puts immense psychological pressure on the attacker.

If the attacker grows impatient and makes a mistake, the defender can seize the moment to intercept the ball.

Even if the attacker remains composed, once they reach the penalty area, the defender gains the upper hand, with the goalkeeper as an additional barrier.

So, retreating defense is a very effective strategy.

Unfortunately, most defenders or coaches at this time hadn't fully grasped this concept, but Busquets had figured it out ahead of time.

Seeing Busquets' choice, Lin frowned.

Retreating defense to close down space? It's a bit annoying—no reckless challenges, no hasty tackles, just a constant retreat.

When a defender is backpedaling, they naturally move slower than an attacker running forward.

This means the gap between the attacker and defender gradually shrinks, reducing the safe space between them.

Once the space is small enough, if the attacker tries to dribble forward, it's like handing the ball directly to the defender.

If the attacker doesn't want to lose the ball easily, they have to slow down and maintain close control of the ball.

And once they slow down, the fast break is essentially over.

In his Liverpool days, Virgil van Dijk used this very tactic to defuse countless threats, nearly winning the Ballon d'Or as a defender!

However, Busquets was no van Dijk, and Lin was no ordinary player.

The distance between them was already closing, but instead of slowing down, Lin suddenly accelerated.

Busquets widened his eyes, sweat starting to bead on his back.

Is he really going to push through?

Busquets lowered his center of gravity, bracing himself for a challenge.

As Lin advanced, the ball stayed close to his feet, never straying far with each touch.

Most players would be happy if they could keep the ball within a meter of themselves, but Lin, like Messi, could control the ball within half a meter.

With the ball so close, it was incredibly difficult to dispossess him!

But not impossible—it all came down to timing!

Busquets was biding his time.

If he timed his tackle perfectly as Lin touched the ball, he could intercept it.

But he only had one chance.

If he missed, Lin wouldn't give him a second.

Busquets knew time was running out. At their current pace, if he didn't act soon, Lin would blow past him.

Finally, as Lin touched the ball and it rolled closer to Busquets, he made his move!

But just as Busquets lunged, Lin touched the ball again, nudging it past him.

A trap!

Panic surged through Busquets as he realized he'd been outsmarted.

He reached out, trying to grab Lin's jersey.

Such a move could earn a card, but if done subtly and quickly released, the referee might not notice.

Lin felt the tug on his jersey, causing him to stumble slightly, nearly losing his balance.

The referee saw Busquets' foul but allowed play to continue under the advantage rule.

Great chance! Seeing Lin stumble, Piqué rushed in to make a challenge!

No! Busquets turned just in time to see it happen, but it was too late to warn his teammate.

Just as Piqué's foot was about to connect with the ball, another foot intervened, knocking it away.

Piqué was shocked, quickly turning to recover, but he wasn't quick on his feet, and by the time he turned, Lin was already in the box.

His teammates had been beaten so thoroughly and quickly that Barça's goalkeeper, Pinto, had no time to react.

He crouched slightly, eyes locked on Lin, ready to gauge the direction of the shot.

Lin glanced at the goalkeeper's position and swung his leg, shooting just before Mascherano could slide in to block.

The shot was aimed at the same top-left corner that Messi had targeted earlier!

Although Pinto had braced himself, he was 37 years old—no match for the reflexes of a 27-year-old Joe Hart.

Not to mention Hart's extraordinary form tonight!

With a loud bang, the ball struck the inside of the crossbar and post before bouncing into the net.

After nearly 30 minutes of being under siege, Manchester City broke the deadlock in the 29th minute of the first half.

The score was now 1-0, with City taking a surprising lead.

The result caught everyone off guard—not just the Barcelona fans, but even the traveling Manchester City supporters.

Under relentless pressure for almost thirty minutes, yet they scored first?

Is this real? Camp Nou fell into a brief silence before an overwhelming wave of boos erupted, flooding the stadium.

The Barcelona fans were finally jolted awake!