Boss Mei Scores with a Pass and Shot (Seeking Collection and Recommendations)

The twentieth minute.

Swept up in the rhythm set by Barca, the mentality of the Osasuna players began to shift.

After all, they were at the Camp Nou, and the relentless jeers from the home crowd—especially the deafening clamor from the fans behind the goal—left the Osasuna players feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles, their backs pricked by thorns, a lump stuck in their throats...

When De Jong passed the ball to Messi, he intentionally or unintentionally gave it a bit too much weight.

Messi trapped the ball, but it settled just a little too far from his body.

Toro, the Osasuna defensive midfielder who had been numbed by Barca's passing and possession tactics, saw an opening; his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward immediately, ready to intercept.

Toro's movement caused the face of Osasuna's head coach, Arrasate, to darken on the sidelines.

This tackle was far too reckless.

If Toro were to be dribbled past, a small vacuum would form in the defense on that side.

Pull one hair and the whole body moves.

When that happened, someone would inevitably have to cover the space.

And once that happened, the formation would completely collapse.

Sure enough, Messi was fishing.

Seeing Toro's approach, Messi tapped the ball lightly with his toe, and it slipped between Toro's legs like an elf.

Messi accelerated in an instant, brushing past Toro.

Oh no!

A chill ran through Toro's heart; how could he have suddenly lost his head and lunged for the tackle?

In truth, this was a hallmark of the passing and possession art that Barca had relied on to build their reputation for over a decade.

Even if the head coach had given a thousand instructions beforehand—never to take the bait, not to press rashly, and to mind one's position—once on the pitch, under the relentless, unbridled passing, possession, and maneuvering of the Barca players, the players' thoughts would inevitably shift.

Some say Barca's football is like hypnosis; it doesn't just hypnotize you while you watch on TV, it hypnotizes the opposing players as well.

That was exactly what had happened to Toro just now. Twenty minutes of passing and possession had numbed his brain, casting the head coach's words to the winds. When he saw a chance to intercept, muscle memory compelled him to rush forward and commit to the tackle.

It was too late for regrets.

Messi had already broken through Toro's defense and was facing the Osasuna backline directly.

Osasuna's formation today was incredibly resolute—a 5-4-1, or perhaps more accurately, a 5-5-0, with their lone striker hovering around the forty-meter mark, running actively.

If viewed from high above, the only person in Barca's half was Ter Stegen, standing bored on the edge of the penalty area, pacing back and forth.

Only one defender, Umtiti, stood near the center circle, guarding against a counterattack.

Meanwhile, in the Osasuna half, especially within the thirty-meter zone, it felt overcrowded.

As Messi broke past Toro, the entire Osasuna formation swarmed toward him with great speed.

A famous name carries a heavy shadow.

No team dared to underestimate Messi.

Messi's feet flickered back and forth like a butterfly dancing through flowers, and in a split second, he dribbled past the encroaching fullback.

Danger.

Although he had bypassed one fullback, there were still plenty of Osasuna defenders left, and suddenly, both center-backs shifted over to cover.

But as the two of them moved simultaneously, a jolt of alarm struck them both: Oh no, the middle is open!

Messi wore a smile of triumph as he flicked his ankle, sending a cunning through-ball past their feet.

Griezmann ghosted in from the back line and, without even stopping the ball, met it with a clean push-shot.

The opposing goalkeeper stretched his body out, but alas, the distance was too close and the angle too sharp; he could only watch the ball in despair.

Twenty minutes into the first half, Barca led Osasuna 1-0 at home.

The Camp Nou erupted with a sound like a volcanic explosion.

Osasuna had defended for twenty minutes, and finally, their goal had been breached.

The rest of the match would now be simple, because Osasuna had to push forward.

After all, 1-0 and 10-0 were the same thing to Osasuna.

However, the match had already fallen into Barca's rhythm, and the Osasuna players were not of one mind—whether to continue defending, to play on the counter, or to go all out. Even Arrasate, the Osasuna head coach standing on the sidelines, wore a grave expression.

Before Arrasate could make any adjustments, Messi intercepted the ball in the front court, cut inside from the flank, and reached the edge of the penalty arc. He glanced up at the goalkeeper's position, took a shot, and sent a high-quality long-range strike straight into the top corner.

The opposing goalkeeper's vision was blocked, and by the time he saw the ball, it was already too late; he could only watch helplessly as the ball carved a beautiful arc and crashed into the net.

2-0.

With only about twenty-five minutes gone in the first half, Barca was already two goals ahead.

Arrasate, still agonizing over whether to attack, was jolted back to reality. With a grim face, he gestured for his captain to come over and receive instructions.

While Barca was busy celebrating, the captain gathered all the players together to unify their mindset.

Defensive counter-attack, but focused primarily on defense; they could not allow Barca to score easily again.

After kickoff, Barca quickly regained control of the ball.

Osasuna was very sensible, retreating their entire squad back into their own half, wearing an expression that practically dared them to "come and get it."

However, as the Barca players entered the opponent's forty-meter zone, they suddenly felt the Osasuna defense turn aggressive.

This was Osasuna's way of responding: I know I might struggle to score, but don't even think about scoring again, unless you want to risk meaningless injuries.

Sure enough, under the opponent's incredibly tough and slightly malicious defensive maneuvers, Barca's attack stalled.

Barca players passed the ball around outside the forty-meter zone, but the Osasuna players couldn't be bothered to engage; as long as they didn't push forward, they could pass it around outside all they wanted.

At this, the fans in the stadium grew restless, letting out a chorus of loud boos.

These boos were directed at the Osasuna players, despising their negative style of play.

Of course, they were also directed at the Barca players.

Messi attempted a few breakthroughs, but each time he was blocked by the opponent's physical presence.

Messi sat on the ground and threw up his hands, but the referee signaled no yellow card.

Messi could only shake his hand in frustration.

Time in the first half began to slowly tick away.

Barca's offense had come to a complete standstill.

In the 45th minute of the first half, the fourth official held up the board for 2 minutes of stoppage time.

The Barca players felt physically and mentally exhausted; this style of passing and possession wasn't just a headache for the opponents, it was also a test for the Barca players themselves.

Alba sent a careless cross that ended up being soft and powerless.

Busquets, preparing to receive the ball, saw a figure charging at high speed from the Osasuna half.