Chapter 36 : Back to Back

Espanyol Locker Room – Halftime

The Espanyol locker room was tense, but not with fear—with determination. The players sat on the benches, their jerseys damp with sweat, some catching their breath, others hydrating as they listened to the echoes of Barcelona's frustrated fans outside.

Sergio González stood at the center, his hands on his hips, scanning the room before speaking.

Sergio González:

"We're not here to admire them. We're here to beat them."

His voice was firm, his eyes burning with belief.

"They came out flying, but we fought back. We didn't break. We're still in this." He pointed toward the tactics board. "Two-nil down at the Camp Nou? Most teams collapse. But look at us now—we've got them questioning themselves."

He turned to Nico, who sat on the bench, legs spread, arms resting on his knees, his breathing steady. He was calm, focused. Unshaken.

"You've been brilliant, Nico," Sergio nodded. "They're terrified of you. Keep finding those gaps, keep making them pay. This game isn't over."

He shifted his focus to the rest of the squad.

"Stuani, Lucas—keep pressing. Force them into mistakes." His eyes landed on the defenders. "And at the back, we need to stay switched on. We cannot—CANNOT—let them run us over in the second half. They will come at us with everything."

Sergio paused, letting his words settle. Then he took a deep breath and clapped his hands together.

"But you know what? They should be worried about us, not the other way around. We've got them rattled. We've got them sweating. And we're just getting started."

Nico stood up, stretching his legs. He looked around the room, then spoke quietly, but his words carried weight.

"Two-nil wasn't enough for them. Two-two isn't enough for us."

A moment of silence.

Then Stuani nodded, Lucas Vázquez smirked, Víctor Sánchez clenched his fists.

The belief spread like wildfire.

Sergio grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Now let's go out there—"

He slammed his fist into the tactics board.

"—AND FINISH WHAT WE STARTED!"

A roar erupted in the locker room. Players stood up, clapping, hyping each other up.

Espanyol weren't satisfied.

They wanted more.

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Barcelona Locker Room – Halftime

The Barcelona locker room was quiet. Not the comfortable silence of a team in control, but the tense, simmering kind—the kind that came when things weren't going as planned. Luis Enrique stood in front of the players, his jaw tight, arms crossed.

Luis Enrique:

"Two-nil up at home. Dominating the game. And yet here we are—level at halftime."

His voice was measured, but everyone could hear the edge to it. He scanned the room—Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi, Piqué… all of them looked frustrated.

"We played them off the pitch for half an hour. We should have buried them. But instead, we let them breathe. And when you let a team like this breathe, they come back swinging."

His eyes locked onto Piqué and Mascherano.

"That second goal? Unacceptable. We let Nico turn, we let him run, and we let him finish. Where was the challenge? Where was the aggression?"

Mascherano exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. Piqué nodded but said nothing.

Enrique turned to the midfield.

"Sergio, Xavi, Iniesta—we need more control. Nico is dictating the tempo. We should be the ones suffocating them, not the other way around. We need to take the sting out of their game."

Xavi leaned forward, elbows on his knees, already running scenarios in his head.

Finally, Enrique looked at the front three. Messi, Neymar, Suárez.

"You've had the chances. You've had the space. But we haven't killed the game. That has to change—now. No more mercy. No more wasted chances. You get an opening? You put them away."

Messi gave a sharp nod, Neymar cracked his knuckles, and Suárez sat up straight. They were ready.

Enrique took a deep breath, then clapped his hands once, loud and firm.

"They think they belong on this pitch with us. Show them they don't."

The mood shifted. The frustration melted away, replaced by determination.

Barcelona weren't just coming out for the second half.

They were coming out to win.

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As the referee blew the whistle for the second half, Barcelona immediately imposed their dominance with even greater intensity. They wanted this win badly, and their intent was clear from the first touch. The passes were crisp, the movement relentless, and Espanyol found themselves pinned back, struggling to get a foot on the ball.

The move started deep in Barcelona's half with Gerard Piqué, who calmly played the ball to Sergio Busquets. The defensive midfielder took a single touch before releasing it to Xavi Hernández, who turned and found Andrés Iniesta in space.

Andrés Iniesta took a delicate touch before spreading the ball wide to Jordi Alba on the left flank. The left-back surged forward, drawing Espanyol's right-back Anaitz Arbilla towards him. Just as the pressure came, Jordi Alba flicked a clever pass down the line to Neymar, who controlled it with ease.

Neymar danced past Álvaro González with a quick step-over before cutting inside. Instead of forcing a shot, he played a sharp pass infield to Lionel Messi, who had dropped deep to receive. Lionel Messi let the ball run past his body, taking a delicate touch to turn and immediately found Luis Suárez making a run between the center-backs.

Luis Suárez, with his back to goal, controlled the ball and held off Héctor Moreno before laying it off to Xavi Hernández. The Barcelona captain saw the movement of Neymar and Messi, and with a single touch, he sent the ball to Iniesta, who quickly shifted it back to Busquets.

Sergio Busquets, under no pressure, rolled the ball forward to Lionel Messi, who was now approaching the penalty area. With a flick of his left foot, Messi played a quick one-two with Luis Suárez, leaving Espanyol's defensive line scrambling.

Luis Suárez, with perfect awareness, returned the ball instantly. Lionel Messi, now in a dangerous position, feinted a shot, forcing Álvaro González to commit. As the defender lunged in, Messi slid a no-look pass to Neymar, who was arriving at the edge of the six-yard box.

Neymar, without breaking stride, struck the ball first-time with his right foot. The shot was low and precise, curling past Kiko Casilla into the bottom corner of the net.

GOOOOAAALLL FOR BARCELONA!

The Camp Nou erupted in celebration as Neymar sprinted towards the corner flag, sliding on his knees with his arms spread wide. Lionel Messi and Luis Suárez rushed to embrace him, while Xavi Hernández clenched his fists in satisfaction.

Ian Darke: "That is pure Barcelona. That is tiki-taka football at its finest. Espanyol were chasing shadows, and in the blink of an eye, they were completely undone."

Àxel Torres: "It is impossible to defend against that kind of movement and passing. The precision, the intelligence, the understanding—Barcelona are simply playing on another level right now."

As Barcelona celebrated, Nico Cruyff stood near the halfway line, his eyes locked onto the ball inside the net. He took a deep breath before jogging to retrieve it, his expression unreadable.

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Barcelona were in full control, their passing sharp, their movement fluid. They probed Espanyol's defensive lines with patience, searching for another breakthrough. However, football is ruthless—even the smallest mistake can turn the tide in an instant.

It happened in the 59th minute. Deep in Espanyol's half, Xavi Hernández attempted a clever flick to Lionel Messi just outside the box, but it was intercepted by Víctor Sánchez. The defensive midfielder wasted no time, immediately sending the ball to José Cañas, who quickly turned and played a first-time pass to Lucas Vázquez on the right flank.

Espanyol had caught Barcelona out of shape. The quick transition left the home side scrambling to get back. Lucas Vázquez sprinted down the right wing, using his pace to surge past Jordi Alba. He lifted his head and spotted Nico Cruyff making a run through the center, completely unmarked.

Vázquez didn't hesitate. He swung in a perfectly weighted low cross, curling past the desperate stretch of Gerard Piqué and finding Nico Cruyff at the top of the box.

Nico controlled the ball with his left foot and immediately found himself faced with Javier Mascherano, who rushed in to close the space. But Nico was a step ahead. With a lightning-quick feint, he shifted the ball onto his right foot, sending Mascherano lunging the wrong way.

Now, it was just him and Ter Stegen.

Nico took one more touch to set himself and, with absolute composure, curled a precise low shot into the bottom left corner. Ter Stegen stretched, but the ball was already past him, kissing the inside of the post before rolling into the net.

GOOOOAAALLL! ESPANYOL STRIKE BACK!

Nico didn't waste time celebrating. While his teammates rushed toward him in joy, he sprinted straight into the goal, grabbed the ball, and turned toward the center circle. His expression was cold, his mind focused.

He pointed toward the halfway line, signaling his teammates to reset.

Ian Darke: "And just like that, Espanyol are back in it! A devastating counterattack, and Nico Cruyff is the man once again! He read the mistake, broke forward with pace, and finished it with ice in his veins!"

Àxel Torres: "This is why he's so special! He doesn't just play well; he punishes mistakes instantly. The way he shifted past Mascherano—so smooth, so effortless. And look at him, no celebration, no distractions—he's locked in. Espanyol believe they can come back, and with Nico on the pitch, they just might!"

The atmosphere inside the Camp Nou shifted. The Barcelona fans, who had been singing just moments ago, suddenly fell quiet. They had seen what this boy could do.

And now, they were worried.

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Barcelona were shaken but not broken. Conceding to Nico had momentarily silenced the Camp Nou, but the champions of Spain were not a side to crumble under pressure. If Espanyol wanted a fight, they were about to get one.

The goal ignited Barcelona into action, and their response was immediate. The midfield trio of Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, and Andrés Iniesta took control, suffocating Espanyol with relentless possession. The ball zipped between the Barcelona players like a magnet, every pass calculated, every movement precise.

Sergio Busquets received the ball at the base of midfield and calmly rolled it to Xavi. The veteran maestro took a touch, scanned the field, and played a disguised reverse pass to Dani Alves on the right flank. The Brazilian full-back, already making his overlapping run, burst forward, dragging Espanyol's left-back Juan Fuentes out of position.

Alves didn't stop. He exchanged a quick one-two with Lionel Messi, who had dropped deep to receive. The Argentine, despite being tightly marked by Víctor Álvarez, flicked the ball with the outside of his left boot, releasing Ivan Rakitić just outside the box.

Tiki-taka at its finest.

Rakitić took a soft touch and immediately lifted his head. Espanyol's defense was scrambling, caught in the whirlwind of Barcelona's quick passing. In the chaos, Neymar had ghosted in behind Álvaro González, perfectly positioned inside the penalty area.

Rakitić threaded a perfect ball through the tiny gap between Espanyol's defenders. Neymar sprinted onto it, controlled it with his right foot, and with a cheeky dink over the onrushing Kiko Casilla, sent the ball floating into the net.

GOOOAAALLL! BARCELONA STRIKE AGAIN!

The Camp Nou erupted, the Barcelona fans roaring in approval. Neymar slid on his knees in celebration as his teammates rushed to embrace him. The goal had been vintage Barcelona—quick, precise, devastating.

Ian Darke: "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant from Barcelona! They were under pressure, but this team never stays down for long! Neymar with the ice-cold finish, but credit to Rakitić and Messi in the buildup—it was all so beautifully worked!"

Àxel Torres: "This is the Barcelona we know! Tiki-taka at its absolute best! Look at the speed, the awareness, the movement—Espanyol just couldn't cope with it! Neymar knew exactly what to do, and that finish, the delicate chip over Casilla, was just exquisite!"

Barcelona players gathered around Neymar, high-fiving and patting him on the back. The momentum had swung back in their favor, but one player remained unmoved.

Nico Cruyff stood at the halfway line, arms crossed, watching the Barcelona celebrations.

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