Without Messi, Griezmann was Barca's designated penalty taker.
Griezmann had gone three matches without scoring, and he hoped to end his drought with this penalty.
But Li Mingyu already had two goals. If he took the spot kick, he might even complete a hat trick.
A newcomer scoring hat tricks in two consecutive matches—that had to be a record!
However, when Griezmann handed the ball to Li Mingyu, Li Mingyu surprised him by refusing.
"Antoine, the coach said you should take the penalty!"
Seeing the confused look on Li Mingyu's face, Griezmann smiled wryly. "Li, if you take this penalty, you can get your hat trick!"
Li Mingyu blinked and waved his hand. "I don't like completing a hat trick that way. You take it!"
Griezmann felt a surge of excitement. He really did need a goal like this to secure his place, so he didn't waste any more time.
Li Mingyu stood outside the penalty area, watching Griezmann place the ball, a wry smile on his face.
What did he mean, he didn't like scoring that way?
Wasn't a goal a goal?
What was wrong with a penalty?
If anyone had asked the coach of Barca's youth team, they probably would have learned the reason.
Back in the youth team, Li Mingyu had always been the team's first-choice penalty taker. But once, against Real Madrid's youth team, the opposing goalkeeper saved three of his penalties in a single match. After that, Li Mingyu never dared take another one.
Even in training, whenever they practiced penalties, Li Mingyu's shots were weak and feeble.
A tiger in open play, a lamb from the penalty spot.
Penalties had become a psychological shadow for Li Mingyu.
The whistle blew. Griezmann fooled the goalkeeper with a feint and calmly slotted the ball home.
The score became 1–3, with the home side, Sevilla, trailing by two goals.
The goal didn't hurt Sevilla's morale. Instead, it made them even more furious.
As soon as play resumed, Sevilla launched a fierce attack on Barca.
With a two-goal lead, Barca wasn't in a hurry. Everyone dropped back to defend, while Li Mingyu alone roamed near the center-circle arc, keeping Sevilla from committing fully to the attack.
The first half ended after Sevilla sent a long-range shot from outside the box sailing over the crossbar.
Li Mingyu and his teammates slowly walked off the pitch and headed for the locker room.
Once inside, Koeman first asked about Li Mingyu's fitness.
Li Mingyu nodded. "Coach, I can keep going!"
Koeman looked at Li Mingyu with approval. "Manage your stamina carefully in the second half. You don't need to track back. I need you to occupy their attention in the middle and attacking thirds."
Li Mingyu listened carefully and nodded.
Koeman said, "Everyone, you did well in the first half. Keep it up after the break. Their attack is rather one-dimensional, so just watch the link-up between Jordan and En-Nesyri. In the second half, I want you to cut off the passing lane between those two."
"Be ready to defend when the half begins. I'm sure they'll try a surprise attack right from the start. Stay focused!"
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash.
The second half was about to begin.
Standing near the halfway line, Li Mingyu watched the two Sevilla players preparing to kick off inside the center circle. They were whispering to each other.
The whistle blew.
Jordan gently nudged the ball forward, and En-Nesyri took off like a rabbit from a starting block, driving quickly up the middle-left channel.
Koeman had warned everyone during the break that Sevilla might launch an early attack, but once they came back out, they all forgot.
In football, plenty of goals were scored right after kickoff in either half. Most came because the opposing team had let its guard down and lost focus, leaving itself open to a quick strike.
That was exactly what happened this time. En-Nesyri had already broken through the midfield and was bearing down on Barca's back line.
Goalkeeper Ter Stegen shouted at the defenders to stay alert, step up, and provide cover.
En-Nesyri spotted a small gap in Barca's defense and immediately cut inside, aiming for the middle.
If he reached the center, the defense would be compressed and he'd have no defensive midfielder in front of him. He could go straight at goal.
The defenders would still be there, but if he managed a powerful long-range shot, there would be little they could do.
But just as En-Nesyri cut inside, Jordan roared behind him, "Watch out!"
En-Nesyri was already planning to shoot from distance once he cut across, but the instant the ball left his foot, he felt a green figure flash past his side. The player knocked the ball toward the back line.
The center-back quickly took control of the ball, while the goalkeeper wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
That spot had been far too dangerous. It was like facing a long-range shot in training, with the defenders in front offering no real protection and possibly even blocking his view.
The player who had tracked back was Li Mingyu.
When play was about to restart, Li Mingyu saw Jordan and En-Nesyri whispering to each other and immediately remembered what Koeman had said at halftime.
So after kickoff, Li Mingyu didn't move into the opposition's half. Instead, he returned to his own.
Just as he'd guessed, En-Nesyri took the ball and charged into Barca's half.
Li Mingyu sprinted back and managed to get the ball away just before En-Nesyri could shoot.
After making the clearance, Li Mingyu didn't stop. He turned and continued running toward the opposition's half.
Alba passed the ball into midfield, finding Busquets. Busquets played a short pass to the team's engine, De Jong.
De Jong sent a through ball to Dembele, who was charging forward.
Dembele raced toward the opposition's goal line like a thoroughbred.
A brilliant sequence of passes tore right through Sevilla's defense.
Sevilla's back line began to panic.
On the left wing, Dembele performed a flashy stepover that left the defender completely beaten, then drove to the byline and crossed.
It was a superb cross, and it sent Sevilla's penalty area into chaos.
Griezmann burst forward, drawing two defenders with him, but the ball sailed right over his head.
There was a huge gap at the far post.
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