The twentieth minute.
Swept up in Barca's rhythm, Osasuna's players began to lose their composure.
After all, this was Barca's home ground. The home fans' waves of jeers—especially the deafening chants from behind the goal—left Osasuna's players feeling as if they were sitting on pins and needles, with thorns in their backs and a fish bone in their throats...
When De Jong passed the ball across to Messi, he made the pass just a little too strong, whether intentionally or not.
Messi brought it under control, but the ball ended up just a little too far from him.
Toro, Osasuna's defensive midfielder, had been somewhat lulled by Barca's possession game. His eyes lit up, and he charged forward to make the tackle.
Toro's move made Osasuna head coach Arrasate, standing on the touchline, grimace.
That tackle was far too rash.
If Toro was beaten, there would be a small pocket of space on that side of the defense.
One move could set off a chain reaction.
Someone would have to cover for him.
And then the whole formation would fall apart.
Sure enough, Messi had been baiting him.
Seeing Toro step forward, Messi lightly tapped the ball with his toe. Like a little spirit, it slipped between Toro's legs.
Messi accelerated in an instant and glided past him.
Oh no!
Toro felt a chill run through him. Why had he suddenly lost his head and rushed in for the tackle?
That was one of the hallmarks of the possession-based style that had made Barca famous over the past decade and more.
Even after the coach had repeatedly warned them beforehand not to fall for it, not to rush in recklessly, and to hold their positions, once they were on the pitch, Barca's players passed the ball around without a care, keeping possession and pulling them out of shape—and the players' thinking began to change.
Some people said Barca's football was like hypnosis. It didn't just hypnotize you while you watched on TV; it could hypnotize the opposing players too.
That was exactly what had happened to Toro. Twenty minutes of possession play had lulled his mind into a stupor. He'd long since forgotten the coach's warnings, and when he saw a chance to win the ball, muscle memory sent him charging forward to make the tackle.
It was too late for regrets.
Messi had already beaten Toro and was facing Osasuna's back line.
Osasuna had set up in a very resolute formation today: 5-4-1, or perhaps even 5-5-0. Their lone striker was stationed about forty meters away, running tirelessly.
From above, Barca's half of the pitch had only Ter Stegen, standing bored on the edge of the penalty area and pacing back and forth.
Only one defender, Umtiti, stood near the center circle, watching for a change of possession.
But in Osasuna's half, especially within thirty meters of the goal, the area seemed packed with players.
After Messi got past Toro, Osasuna's entire formation surged toward him at remarkable speed.
A great name cast a long shadow.
No team dared take Messi lightly.
Messi's feet fluttered back and forth like a butterfly among flowers. With barely any room to spare, he slipped past the fullback who charged at him.
Danger.
He had beaten one fullback, but Osasuna still had plenty of defenders. In an instant, both center-backs moved across to cover.
But as the two of them charged over, they both realized with a jolt: the middle was wide open!
Messi flashed a faint, satisfied smile, flicked his ankle, and threaded a cunning through ball past their feet.
Griezmann ghosted in from behind and, without even bringing the ball under control, met it with a first-time side-footed shot.
The opposing goalkeeper spread himself out, but the distance was too short and the angle too tight. He could only watch helplessly as the shot went in.
In the twentieth minute of the first half, Barca took a 1–0 lead over Osasuna at home.
Camp Nou erupted like a volcano.
Osasuna had held on for twenty minutes, but at last their goal had been breached.
From there, the match should have been straightforward: Osasuna had to come out and attack.
After all, whether they lost 1–0 or 10–0 made no difference to Osasuna.
But the game was already playing out at Barca's pace, and Osasuna's players weren't united in their thinking. Should they keep defending, try to counterattack, or go all out? Even head coach Arrasate, standing on the touchline, looked grave.
Before Arrasate could make any adjustments, Messi won the ball high up the pitch, cut in from the channel, and reached the edge of the penalty arc. He looked up at the goalkeeper's position and fired immediately, sending a superb long-range shot toward the top corner.
The opposing goalkeeper's view was blocked. By the time he saw the ball, it was too late. He could only watch as it traced a beautiful arc and struck the back of the net.
2–0.
The first half was only about twenty-five minutes old, and Barca already had a two-goal lead.
Arrasate, still debating whether his team should attack, came to his senses. With a grim expression, he beckoned his captain over and gave him some instructions.
While Barca celebrated, the captain gathered all the players together and got them on the same page.
They would defend and counterattack, but defense came first. They couldn't let Barca score so easily again.
After the kickoff, Barca soon regained possession.
Osasuna knew the score and retreated as a team into their own half, looking as if they were saying, "Come on, then."
But when Barca's players entered the area forty meters from goal, they suddenly felt Osasuna's defense harden.
That was Osasuna's response: they knew scoring might be difficult, but they weren't going to let Barca score again either—not unless Barca wanted to risk pointless injuries.
Sure enough, faced with such aggressive defending, which carried a hint of malice, Barca's attack ground to a halt.
Barca's players passed the ball around outside the forty-meter mark, but Osasuna's players couldn't be bothered to chase them. As long as they didn't move forward, they could pass it around out there all they liked.
The crowd wouldn't stand for it, and the stadium filled with loud jeers.
The jeers were aimed at Osasuna's players, condemning their negative approach.
Of course, they were aimed at Barca's players too.
Messi tried to dribble past them several times, but each time the opposition stopped him with their bodies.
Messi sat on the ground and spread his hands, but the referee signaled that there would be no yellow card.
All Messi could do was flick his hand in frustration.
Time began to slip away in the first half.
Barca's attack ground to a complete halt.
In the forty-fifth minute, the fourth official held up the board: two minutes of stoppage time.
Barca's players were feeling physically and mentally exhausted. This possession game was a huge headache for their opponents, but it was a test for Barca's players too.
Alba made a casual cross-field pass, but the ball barely had any power behind it.
Busquets, ready to receive it, saw a figure sprinting at full speed out of Osasuna's half.
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