"Dembele has sent in a superb cross!"
"Griezmann—ah, the ball's gone over his head! He couldn't get to it!"
"Oh my God, it's at the far post!"
At the far post, Li Mingyu soared into the air like a roc spreading its wings. With no one marking him, he tucked in his waist and whipped his head forward, powering a fierce header straight into the corner of the net.
Sevilla's goalkeeper stretched out as far as he could, reaching for the ball with his fingertips. But by the time his hand got there, the ball had already crossed the line.
The entire Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium seemed to have been put on pause. An eerie silence fell over it, like a graveyard.
Every fan stared in shock at the young man celebrating wildly.
"Li!"
He was incredible. They had never seen a newcomer this good.
He had completed a hat trick in each of his last two matches.
What a terrifying young player.
Li Mingyu was soon surrounded by his Barcelona teammates. The friendly head ruffles, pats on the shoulder, and kicks to the backside began all over again.
Damn it, quit kicking my ass!
The two coaches on the sidelines presented a stark contrast.
Barcelona's head coach, Koeman, celebrated with another stylish knee slide, as though he had scored the goal himself.
Heaven had truly smiled upon him, giving him such an incredible player. Even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo hadn't scored at this terrifying rate when they were starting out!
Sevilla's head coach, Lopetegui, had long since lost the composure he'd shown in the first half. He was like a lion that had been provoked.
He had repeatedly warned his players during halftime to keep an eye on Barcelona's number 36, Li.
And yet they had still given him such an easy chance to shoot.
Watching Li Mingyu surrounded by his teammates, Lopetegui could only manage a bitter smile. Damn Barcelona. Heaven was treating them far too well. Why had it given them another player this good? Was La Liga going to be dominated by Barcelona again?
The score was 1–4. Sevilla were now three goals behind on their home ground.
After recovering from their shock, the fans at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium started making noise again.
They cheered for their team. Win without becoming arrogant; lose without losing heart. That was what it meant to be a true fan.
But even they had to admit that Barcelona's number 36 was terrifying.
Plenty of players had spent their entire careers without ever scoring a hat trick. But this kid had played in just two matches and already scored two hat tricks. It was unbelievable.
After play resumed, Sevilla finally let loose. They were already three goals behind, so what did they have to lose?
Sevilla launched a furious attack on Barcelona.
But Barcelona's second-half strategy was to defend and counterattack, so Sevilla's aggression played right into their hands.
One attack after another came to nothing. Again and again, Sevilla's players took hurried shots from long range. It was clear their nerves were getting the better of them.
In the 75th minute of the second half,
the coach saw that Li Mingyu could barely run anymore and sent Pedri to warm up, preparing to substitute him.
Li Mingyu also noticed the substitution being prepared on the sideline. He planned to come off at the next stoppage in play.
Just then, Sevilla made a mistake in the attacking third, passing the ball straight to a Barcelona player.
In an instant, the teams switched from attack to defense.
Almost all of Sevilla's players had pushed forward.
Li Mingyu was standing inside the center circle on his own side. Seeing the situation, he seemed to be struck by inspiration and began to accelerate.
The moment Li Mingyu took off, De Jong received the ball facing his own goal. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he spun around 180 degrees and sent the ball away with an almost ghostly pass. It landed directly in the opposition half.
Everyone looked toward the ball.
There was no one in Sevilla's half. Li Mingyu sprinted toward the dropping ball like a wild horse breaking free.
Sevilla's defender chased after him in desperation.
Li Mingyu was already running out of stamina, but he pressed on through sheer force of will, his legs pumping mechanically. Even so, the defender behind him could only watch the ball race farther away.
The opposing goalkeeper had already come well out of his penalty area, standing far forward. Now he faced a choice: rush out and clear the ball, or retreat into the box and wait for the defender to catch Li Mingyu, doing everything he could to protect the goal.
Just as the goalkeeper hesitated, Li Mingyu made the decision for him.
The instant Li Mingyu caught up with the ball, he chipped it. It sailed straight over the goalkeeper's head and dropped into the net.
The opposing goalkeeper sat down on the spot.
Thank you. Now I don't have to agonize over it anymore!
Damn it!
Those last few strides had drained every bit of Li Mingyu's energy. After watching the ball enter the goal, he felt his calf cramp, then fell flat on his back.
Griezmann was closest. Seeing Li Mingyu go down, he thought he was injured and hurried over.
"Li, are you all right?"
Li Mingyu grimaced. "Cramp..."
Seeing Li Mingyu twitching, Griezmann relaxed. The team couldn't afford any more injuries right now.
Especially not to a speedy striker like Li Mingyu, who could score goals and break down defenses.
Koeman, watching from the sideline, was nearly scared to death. The moment Li Mingyu went down, he waved over the team doctor, who had been waiting nearby, without even waiting for the referee's permission. The doctor rushed onto the pitch.
It had been a false alarm.
Besides, Li Mingyu had been due to come off anyway.
As Li Mingyu was carried off on a stretcher, scattered applause rang out through the silent Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. Gradually, the clapping grew louder until the entire crowd rose to its feet and applauded him of their own accord.
They were convinced!
He had won them over completely!
Four goals.
Even Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had never put on a performance like this at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Today, the 19-year-old Chinese-born youngster Li Mingyu had been treated like a hero at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.
Messi, sitting in the stands, fell silent. But in his eyes, a blazing flame of hope had been kindled.
Li Mingyu's stamina might have been poor, but in the short time he had played, he had scored four goals by himself. Single-handedly, he had conquered the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium!
Hearing the deafening applause, Li Mingyu was stunned. Like a little boy being praised, he lowered his head shyly.
With one arm around the team doctor, Li Mingyu slowly got to his feet. At the edge of the pitch, he straightened up and bowed respectfully to the crowd.
When someone shows me respect, I give them even more in return!
Before you continue