Whistle!!!
With a long blast from Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers, the entire Louis II Stadium erupted.
Barcelona, who kicked off first, had Messi pass the ball to Villa. The Spanish forward immediately sent a long pass upfield, finding the back line and reaching Pique's feet.
Led by Su Dong, with Di Maria and Sánchez on the wings, Man City's front three sprinted toward Barcelona's half the instant the whistle sounded. They first chased into the center circle, then headed straight for the back line.
After receiving the back pass, Pique quickly sent it to Mascherano.
The midfielder who had transferred from Bayern Munich had been moved to the back line by Mourinho while Puyol was out injured, filling the gap left by Puyol. The moment he received the ball, he discovered that his former teammate Su Dong had already closed in.
After controlling the ball, the Argentinian defensive midfielder quickly passed it down the right to Alves.
When Su Dong saw this, he grinned at Mascherano. The Argentinian smiled back, but Su Dong immediately turned away, constantly adjusting his position so that he stayed between Mascherano and Yaya Touré.
Whether they were fans in the stands or viewers watching from the elevated camera angle, everyone could clearly see that Su Dong's movement had perfectly positioned him in a spot that made Alves extremely uncomfortable.
Barcelona's right-back had no way to pass the ball backward.
Alves knew exactly how fast Su Dong was and how explosive he could be, but he had no confidence he could get away.
With Su Dong always blocking that position, Alves felt extremely uneasy whether passing to Mascherano or to Yaya Touré in midfield. Neither option was secure enough.
But if he carried the ball forward, Di Maria had already latched onto him, leaving him with