Soccer: I have the attributes of Messi in his Prime

Chapter 560: A Sluggish Manchester City

Italy is no pushover. After conceding, they immediately launched a counterattack, trying to equalize before halftime. Italy's offense was effective in the final moments of the first half, completely dominating possession and applying intense pressure. Spain's defense was under constant threat, making it seem like their goal might collapse at any moment.

However, time wasn't on Italy's side. Despite their improved attack, they couldn't capitalize in the final minutes to score. The 0-1 scoreline held until the end of the first half.

At the start of the second half, after a pep talk in the locker room, Italy continued their aggressive offensive approach, trying to break down Spain and either equalize or even turn the game around.

But Italy seemed to forget that Spain had set up their formation specifically for counterattacking today. By pushing so many players forward, Italy left themselves vulnerable to Spain's fast counters.

In the 55th minute of the second half, Spain launched another counterattack that was almost identical to the one that led to their first goal. To make matters worse for Italy, their defensive rock, Buffon, made a rare mistake during his save attempt, allowing the ball, which he should have saved, to slip into the net.

The score now stood at 2-0!

The Italian fans in San Siro were on the verge of losing their minds.

What on earth was happening? Why can't we ever beat Spain?

Since losing to Spain in the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Championship, Italy had seemed cursed, always losing to Spain whenever they met.

Could Spain really be Italy's kryptonite?

Buffon silently got back to his feet, hands on his hips, watching as Lin Quan and his teammates celebrated on the sidelines. He let out a long, helpless sigh. At 38 years old, Buffon didn't know how much longer he could continue playing at this level. He had always hoped to conquer the Spanish mountain with his teammates. But once again, they were losing.

Even though more than half an hour remained in the match, the probability of Italy coming back from a two-goal deficit was slim to none. This was Spain after all—a team almost impossible to overturn once they were ahead.

It seemed Buffon would never get to see Italy beat Spain before he retired.

Though the team's morale took a hit, Italy didn't give up and continued to press forward. In the 82nd minute, a Spanish player committed a handball in the box, and the referee awarded Italy a penalty. De Rossi stepped up and converted, bringing the score to 2-1.

This goal temporarily boosted Italy's spirits, giving them a glimmer of hope. However, Spain's rock-solid defense soon extinguished that hope.

In the end, Italy lost 2-1 to Spain at home, a painful defeat in this crucial battle for the top spot in the group.

After the match, the Spanish coaching staff breathed a sigh of relief. Defeating Italy, their direct rival, gave Spain a significant advantage in the race to finish first in the group. As long as they didn't slip up in the following matches, they would maintain their lead until they met Italy again in September the following year.

Still, they couldn't afford to become complacent. Although the upcoming matches weren't as high-pressure, they needed to approach each game with the right attitude. If they were to slip up against a weaker team, all the hard work from this victory would have been for nothing.

Three days later, in Albania, Spain comfortably won 3-0 with goals from Diego Costa, Morata, and Lin Quan, securing their third consecutive group-stage win and solidifying their position at the top of the group.

Meanwhile, Italy narrowly avoided an upset in North Macedonia. Despite scoring first, Italy allowed two goals, and it was only thanks to Immobile's stoppage-time winner that they avoided a draw.

Seeing Italy struggle to secure points, just as they had predicted, gave the Spanish squad a sense of reassurance.

...

After the match against Albania, the national teams disbanded, and the players returned to their clubs to prepare for the intense league and Champions League fixtures ahead.

In October, there was a stark contrast between the fortunes of the Spanish national team and Manchester City. Spain had been on a winning streak in World Cup qualifiers, while Manchester City had been struggling in the Premier League.

Following their loss to Tottenham, Manchester City only managed a draw at home against Everton.

City's performance was so poor in that match that they missed two penalty kicks! De Bruyne missed the first in the first half, and Agüero missed the second in the second half. While City was squandering their chances, Everton's Lukaku scored a goal. Although he had been dreadful in the national team, back at his club, Lukaku was on fire, making it seem like he wasn't giving his best effort for his country.

Unable to watch his team falter any longer, Guardiola brought on Lin Quan, who was supposed to be resting. After coming on, Lin Quan quickly revitalized City's attack and assisted Son Heung-min's equalizer in the 78th minute—the only goal City managed to score.

In the end, City could only manage a 1-1 draw against Everton at home, meaning they had now gone two games without a win in the league. As a result, they slipped to second place on the Premier League table.

Arsenal had overtaken City, moving to the top of the league on goal difference.

Tottenham missed a chance to go top after being held to a draw by West Bromwich Albion. Meanwhile, in the Merseyside derby, Liverpool and Manchester United played out a goalless draw, with both teams feeling frustrated.

For Liverpool, this result interrupted their winning streak and prevented them from closing the gap on Arsenal and Manchester City. For United, it was even more disappointing. They had now gone two games without a win, slipping to seventh place in the standings—far from their pre-season goal of winning the title.

If City's two-game winless streak in the league wasn't enough to raise alarm bells, their performance in the Champions League made it clear that something was wrong.

On October 20th, the third round of the Champions League group stage began. The marquee matchup in Group C was Barcelona vs. Manchester City.

This was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2014-2015 Champions League final, where they had faced off 18 months ago.

Barcelona was eager for revenge and fully prepared to do so at home. As soon as the match began, it was clear that every Barcelona player was burning with determination. Messi and Suárez, in particular, were brimming with intensity, and their intent to score was palpable.

In the 17th minute of the first half, Messi received an assist from Iniesta and scored the opening goal! Barcelona's teamwork was flawless, with Iniesta showing a return to form as he delivered a beautiful pass. Messi's control and finish were nothing short of masterful, taking one touch to control the ball and another to evade a defender before slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

The Camp Nou erupted into a frenzy, with over 90,000 fans cheering so loudly that the noise was deafening, as if the stadium had turned into a battlefield.

In stark contrast to Barcelona's fiery form, Manchester City looked sluggish and out of sorts, as if they hadn't woken up. Their poor form showed in their defensive play, with fouls piling up as they tried to stop Barcelona's attacks. In just 30 minutes, City had already picked up three yellow cards.

To make matters worse, in the 32nd minute, De Bruyne was injured, forcing City to make an unwanted substitution. Five minutes later, David Silva pulled his hamstring during a tackle and had to be subbed off as well.

By this point, the match had taken a worrying turn. City had multiple injuries, the players on the pitch seemed demoralized, and even their usual passing combinations were breaking down with frequent errors.

Seeing this, Barcelona's players were even more motivated, increasing the intensity of their attacks. They weren't going to miss the chance to kick their opponent while they were down.

During halftime, Guardiola tried to lift his players' spirits and adjusted their tactics. He knew that expecting City to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou under these circumstances was unrealistic. His hope was that they could stay calm, focus on defending, and avoid conceding any more goals.

Guardiola's adjustments had some effect. Early in the second half, City managed to contain Barcelona's attacks, and the game seemed to be heading for a stalemate.

But then, in the 61st minute, disaster struck.

City's goalkeeper rushed off his line to stop a one-on-one chance, only to bring down Messi in the process. The referee immediately showed a red card, sending the keeper off.

This red card was a death sentence for City. Guardiola only had one substitution left and was forced to bring on the backup goalkeeper, taking off a forward in the process.

With a man down and now missing their starting goalkeeper, City's hopes of even salvaging a draw were slim to none. Guardiola's substitution was a clear sign that he had accepted defeat.

But would Barcelona show any mercy?

Absolutely not.

With the numerical advantage and City's main goalkeeper off the field, Barcelona's attacks became even more aggressive. In the 63rd minute, Messi once again dribbled through City's defense, rounding the goalkeeper and scoring into an open net.

The score was now 2-0.

Five minutes later, Messi completed his hat-trick after receiving a pass from Suárez.

The 90,000 fans at Camp Nou were on their feet, chanting Messi's name, paying tribute to the king of their hearts.

As Messi ran towards the sideline, kissing the badge on his chest, the Barcelona fans erupted in even greater excitement.

For countless Barcelona supporters, this was a moment to be remembered forever. Led by their most beloved player, Barcelona had finally avenged themselves against a team that had cast a shadow over them for so long. And they had done it at home, no less.

Was there a better script than this?

Many Barcelona fans, while celebrating, couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

Even without Guardiola and Lin Quan, who cares?

We have Messi, and that's enough!

On the sidelines, Guardiola held his head in his hands, frowning deeply. Manchester City hadn't even shown half of their true strength in this match, and the defeat was humiliating.

He could accept losing, but not like this.

Since taking over City, it was rare for him to see his team concede three goals in a single match. To make it worse, this was happening at Camp Nou, a stadium that held special meaning for him.

But what could he do now? He had already used all his substitutions, and with one fewer forward on the pitch and his two main playmakers injured, City's hopes rested on Lin Quan's individual brilliance.

But was that realistic?

Could he really take on Barcelona single-handedly?

Lin Quan had taken a more laid-back approach this season, playing more like a midfielder and often passing up scoring opportunities for his teammates. This unselfish play had carried over to the national team as well.

But this time, with his teammates dropping like flies, Lin Quan knew he had to step up.

After the restart, while everyone expected City to pass the ball back, Lin Quan surprised them. After tapping the ball to Sané, he made a bold forward run.

Under pressure from Suárez, Sané managed to pass the ball, but it wasn't the best pass, forcing Lin Quan to slow down to receive it.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Rakitic rushed in for the tackle, but Lin Quan nutmegged him with a deft touch and slipped past him.

Mathieu, behind Rakitic, was startled and immediately moved to block Lin Quan's path, but Lin Quan was quicker. With a few sharp touches, he dribbled past Mathieu as well.

Stunned, Mathieu instinctively grabbed Lin Quan's shirt, pulling him down to the ground. The referee immediately showed him a yellow card. If Mathieu hadn't fouled him, Lin Quan would have been through on goal.

This solo run by Lin Quan shocked Barcelona's players. They hadn't expected him to dare to take on their entire defense, and he had almost succeeded.

However, they quickly regained their composure. No matter how good Lin Quan was, he couldn't single-handedly change the course of the match.

So Barcelona resumed their relentless attacks.

In the 71st minute, Kanté intercepted the ball in defense. Pressured by two Barcelona players, he hastily passed it to Gundogan, who, with no time to survey the field, sent a long pass to the wing.

Sané was sprinting down the flank but was soon blocked by a defender. For once, Sané, known for his individualism, passed the ball.

Lin Quan received it, now surrounded by Barcelona's two center-backs. Umtiti and Mathieu were marking him tightly, cutting off his path.

Barcelona's fans, seeing their defenders successfully block Lin Quan, began to breathe easier.

If it were any other player, they wouldn't be so nervous.

But this was Lin Quan—the man who had repeatedly stunned them by scoring against Barcelona in the past.

(End of Chapter)

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