From the Era of the Twin Football Giants

"Goal!!!"

"Incredible! Absolutely unbelievable! The first team to score at Camp Nou is Manchester City!"

"Lin, this 18-year-old rising star, made his first appearance at Camp Nou and scored against his former team! Once again, when his team was in trouble, he stepped up and scored a golden goal with a long solo run!"

"You can always count on Lin!"

"Barcelona is in danger. If the match ends with this score, their chances of advancing will be in serious jeopardy!"

"Even if they defeat Manchester City later, conceding an away goal at home puts them in a tough position to advance!"

The commentators on TV were all in a frenzy the moment Lin scored. 

Before the match, few believed in Manchester City. And based on the first thirty minutes, the game had been going exactly as expected. 

The powerful Barcelona had the upper hand, and Manchester City looked like they were on the verge of collapsing under Barca's fierce attacks. It seemed like only a matter of time before Barcelona would win.

However, Lin's goal shattered all of that!

What good are high possession stats or numerous shots on goal if they don't lead to actual goals? 

Football is ultimately about who scores more, and right now, Manchester City has a goal, while Barcelona still has none!

Because of this, many experts began to question their predictions. 

Had Barcelona really had the advantage?

On the sidelines, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino pondered the same question. 

Since taking over Barcelona, Martino had noticed that the possession-based tactics left behind by Pep Guardiola weren't as effective as they used to be.

Tiki-taka football requires a team with high technical ability and immense stamina to press the opposition high up the pitch. The core of Guardiola's strategy was controlling the ball and using attack as a form of defense.

This tactic had been wildly successful a few years ago. Not only because other teams hadn't figured out how to counter it, but also because Barcelona's squad back then was younger.

During Guardiola's reign, Messi was in his early 20s, Xavi was under 30, and Iniesta and Busquets were both in their prime, aged between 23 and 26.

At that time, they had the energy to press high and control the ball relentlessly. Opponents either couldn't get the ball or, if they did, would quickly lose it to Barcelona's high pressing, leading to more relentless attacks.

But now, it was difficult for Barcelona to execute the same high press. 

The players were older and couldn't run as much. Moreover, influenced by José Mourinho, other teams had developed ways to counter tiki-taka by trading space for time. 

Football is ultimately a game of time and space.

Barcelona's tiki-taka maximized space, with players patiently moving the ball, swapping positions, and creating opportunities through intricate passes, waiting for the defense to slip up before delivering a killer blow.

But this approach took a lot of time.

Mourinho flipped this on its head, focusing on time efficiency and abandoning the contest for space. He didn't care about possession and simply waited for the opponent's mistakes.

Once his team won the ball, they would launch an ultra-fast counterattack, with forwards making direct runs toward the opponent's goal.

It only took a few passes for Mourinho's Real Madrid to move the ball from their own box to the opponent's.

Mourinho's Real Madrid could finish an attack in ten seconds or less.

Because of the speed of the attack, most opposing players didn't have time to retreat into defense. This made Real Madrid's counters extremely efficient—once the ball reached the feet of their forwards, a goal was likely.

Manchester City's recent attack had been a replica of that Real Madrid style.

This realization left Martino doubting. 

Even Guardiola's Barcelona had struggled against Mourinho's tactics toward the end of their rivalry. 

And now, this Barcelona team was two years older than that one. Could they truly overcome Manchester City's tactics?

Martino wasn't the only one with these doubts. Many of Barcelona's players felt a sense of defeat after seeing Lin's goal.

They had worked hard to control the ball for 30 minutes, taking six shots but not scoring once.

Meanwhile, the opposition had only countered once—and scored!

The stark contrast was demoralizing for Barcelona's players.

Neymar, who had joined Barcelona last summer and hadn't experienced the peak of tiki-taka, even began to question whether the tactic was still effective.

Messi, standing on the field with his hands on his hips, watched Lin being surrounded by his celebrating teammates.

He wasn't surprised Lin had scored. What puzzled him was how Lin seemed to understand his playing style so well, even predicting his movements.

Was it just luck?

Or did Lin really understand him down to the smallest detail?

Messi decided to test it again!

As play restarted, Messi called for the ball. His teammates trusted him and passed it right away.

Sure enough, Lin appeared in front of him again.

This time, Messi wasn't as casual. While Lin wasn't a dedicated defender, based on his earlier challenge, Messi knew he couldn't underestimate him.

Messi made a feint, shifting his weight to the right and preparing to break through.

Seeing Messi's movement, Lin immediately became alert.

Here it comes!

This was the defensive dilemma all players faced against Messi!

If he ignored the feint, Messi would turn it into a real move and break through. But if he reacted to the feint, Messi would use his speed to adjust and get past him.

Either way, it seemed like the defender would always lose!

Lin often used this very move to beat defenders in one-on-one situations, with a very high success rate.

But knowing its power didn't mean Lin could stop it!

Although Lin was familiar with Messi's playing style and habits, he wasn't Messi himself. He couldn't predict exactly what choice Messi would make.

When Lin used this move, he adjusted based on how the defender reacted.

Seeing that Lin hadn't reacted, Messi smoothly broke through on Lin's right side.

Lin was a step too late. By the time he turned to chase, it was already too late.

Kroos saw Lin get beaten and immediately stepped up to intercept.

Messi passed the ball to Neymar, who drove it down the wing.

Manchester City's fullback rushed forward, but Messi had already moved to the wing, receiving Neymar's pass and cutting inside toward City's box.

Kompany quickly stepped up to block Messi, leaving him no room to shoot or advance further.

Messi passed the ball again, this time to Iniesta, who had made a forward run to the edge of the box.

Iniesta received the ball and lobbed it toward the left side of the box, where no one was at the moment. But Iniesta knew Messi would run there.

Sure enough, after passing the ball, Messi didn't bother watching what Iniesta would do with it. He trusted their chemistry.

Had Messi run directly to the open space on the left side, Manchester City's defenders might have been more alert.

But Messi was clever. After passing the ball, he took a step back, executing a reverse run.

This fooled Manchester City's defenders, preventing them from following Messi as he made his run into open space!

For a player like Messi, being given such space was a fatal mistake!

As Messi arrived at the left side of the box, Iniesta's pass landed perfectly at his feet.

From there, it was simple. Messi controlled the ball with his chest and volleyed it into Manchester City's goal.

City's defenders raised their hands, signaling for offside.

But the linesman didn't raise his flag, and the referee confirmed the goal.

A slow-motion replay showed the goal was onside by the narrowest of margins.

As Messi started his run, City's defenders had moved forward just slightly, making it appear offside.

Had Messi been just a fraction of a second faster or the defenders moved up slightly quicker, it would have been called offside.

In the 33rd minute, thanks to Messi's goal, Barcelona equalized.

The Barcelona fans at Camp Nou could finally celebrate without restraint.

Meanwhile, Messi, the hero of the goal, performed his trademark celebration, pointing to the sky.

The biggest storyline in this match between Manchester City and Barcelona had been the direct clash between Messi and Lin.

Messi had gained fame earlier and had more accolades.

Before the game, most people favored Messi. But surprisingly, it was Lin who scored first, shocking everyone and putting pressure on Messi.

Now, Messi had finally scored as well. He no longer felt overshadowed.

It was strange, though. No matter how much the media hyped up his rivalry with Cristiano Ronaldo, even giving them the title of "The Two Football Kings," Messi had always remained calm about Ronaldo.

He never truly saw Ronaldo as his rival and didn't care much about the media's narratives.

But Lin was different!

From the first time Messi saw Lin play, he knew that this guy would become his biggest competitor!

Messi had quietly followed Lin's career for two years. During that time, he had even learned a few things from Lin's playing style and techniques, using Lin as a mirror to improve his own game.

Though he had never admitted it publicly, Messi had long considered Lin his greatest rival!

That's why Messi cared about this match more than anyone realized!

Seeing Messi's goal, Lin couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated.

Stopping Messi was really tough. He shouldn't have hesitated earlier.

He should've either gone all-in and gambled on who had faster reflexes, or forced Messi to make the first move. The difficulty in defending against players like them came from their incredible foot speed, which allowed them to react to a defender's decision and then make their move.

Even if Lin

 and Messi had the same quickness, Messi still held the advantage as the one making the first move, leaving Lin in a reactive, defensive position.

In this type of battle, Lin would likely lose more than he won.

Was there any way to contain Messi?

Lin pondered the question.

…

Messi's goal boosted Barcelona's morale. They increased the pace of the game, applying more pressure with high pressing.

The ball moved quickly between Barcelona players, with Messi, Neymar, and others constantly switching positions. Both fullbacks also pushed forward to assist.

Messi, Neymar, and Iniesta all had shooting opportunities, as Barcelona unleashed a wave of attacks.

During this phase, Manchester City was on the back foot, with Yaya Touré and Kompany both receiving yellow cards for fouls.

True to his reputation, referee Kuipers had a strict standard and wasn't shy about handing out cards.

After receiving yellow cards, Touré and Kompany became more cautious, making City's defense even harder.

For a while, Joe Hart became the busiest player on the field.

From his goal line, Hart made save after save, keeping Barcelona's relentless attacks from widening the scoreline.

But City couldn't keep playing this way. After the earlier goal, Barcelona became much more vigilant about City's counterattacks.

Whenever they lost the ball, they immediately launched an aggressive counter-press, often sending multiple players after the ball.

Apart from Lin, City's other players struggled to hold the ball under such pressure, let alone launch a counter.

With the first half winding down and unable to get the ball, Lin decided to drop back to the edge of his own box and help defend.

At the very least, they needed to survive the first half.

Barcelona, of course, didn't want to let City off that easily. They aimed to score another goal before halftime to head into the break with a lead.

In the 41st minute, the ball found its way to Messi again.

Lin stepped up, facing Messi once more.

Again?

Seeing Lin in front of him, Messi wasn't as bothered as before.

They had faced off twice now, with one win each.

But after his earlier success, Messi felt much more confident.

He repeated the same move, presenting Lin with the same dilemma.

But Lin had already figured out a solution. He took a step back.

If it's hard to choose, then I won't choose at all.

I'll leave the initiative to you!

Messi was surprised by Lin's decision to back off: Was Lin scared?

No, it couldn't be!

Messi knew Lin wasn't one to back down from fear.

Yaya Touré was closing in, so Messi didn't have time to think. Using the extra space from Lin's retreat, Messi made his move forward.

But Lin had anticipated this. As he stepped back, he quickly turned, positioning himself alongside Messi.

At the same time, Lin leaned his body into Messi, engaging in a physical battle and limiting Messi's space.

Messi was uncomfortable. Lin had the advantage in height and weight, and in this physical contest, Messi was at a clear disadvantage.

Realizing this, Messi quickly turned away, relieving the pressure but losing his chance to break into City's box.

Seeing Lin successfully contain Messi again, both the fans and commentators were surprised.

Once might be luck, but twice?

Can that still be considered luck?

"Wow! That's really impressive! Lin just contained Messi in a one-on-one defensive situation!"

Messi, a nightmare for defenders in both La Liga and the Champions League, rarely faced players who could successfully stop him one-on-one. So, seeing Lin do it twice left everyone amazed.

"Lin has been outstanding at both ends of the pitch. So far, his overall performance has been even better than Messi's!"

As the first half neared its end, the score remained 1-1. Both Lin and Messi had scored, but in terms of overall impact, Lin had contributed more on defense.

For an attacking player to do all this—what more could anyone ask?

"Before the game, many doubted whether Lin belonged in the same league as Messi and Ronaldo. I think after this match, those doubts will quiet down."

Back in the CCTV studio, commentator He Wei couldn't stop praising Lin after seeing his first-half performance:

"Lin is undoubtedly on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo!"

"From now on, the era of the two football kings is becoming a three-way rivalry!"