The entire Camp Nou erupted in startled cries.
Osasuna's number 11 striker, Barja, charged out like a lion that had spotted its prey. He stuck out a foot right in front of Busquets and poked the ball away.
There was nothing but open space ahead of him. In Barca's half, there was no one except Ter Stegen.
Barja surged forward with the ball, while Barca's defenders raced back for their lives.
But the defenders, caught off guard and forced to chase, were no match for Barja, who had already picked up speed.
Although Barja wasn't known for his pace, this once-in-a-lifetime chance to go one-on-one with Barca's goalkeeper sent his adrenaline surging. The defenders behind him even started to feel as if they were chasing Li Mingyu.
Ter Stegen retreated into the six-yard box, muttering curses. This wasn't the time to rush out.
It was only 40 meters from midfield to the penalty area, and Barja covered it in less than five seconds. He reached the edge of the box with Barca's closest defender, Alba, still two or three meters behind. It looked like there was nothing he could do to stop the shot.
Ter Stegen suddenly charged out of the six-yard box, trying to cut down the angle.
Barja's expression was firm. Ter Stegen's charge didn't faze him. He kept his footing steady and drove a low shot straight through Ter Stegen's legs.
Damn it, why was I always the one who got hurt!
Ter Stegen looked back and saw the ball rolling obediently into the net.
Boos filled Camp Nou.
To concede a goal like that to the opposition on their own home ground was nothing short of humiliating.
After scoring, Barja raced to the sideline and made a "shut up" gesture toward the Barca fans.
That immediately ignited the fury of the entire Camp Nou crowd.
The fans closest to the pitch looked murderous, as if they wanted to climb over the barriers and beat Barja up.
Barja hurriedly ran back, frightened.
Barca's players felt insulted by Barja's provocation and all rushed over, surrounding him.
Osasuna's players weren't about to let one of their own get pushed around, so they rushed in too. It looked like the two groups were about to come to blows.
The referee stood off to the side, watching coolly and blowing his whistle repeatedly in an attempt to calm everyone down.
The players on both sides stayed fairly composed, though. They only traded insults about each other's families, keeping their hands behind their backs as if afraid the other side might claim they'd been touched.
If someone from northeastern China had seen this, they would've looked on with disdain and said, "You're practically nose to nose. How can you still not fight?"
Once he saw neither side seemed ready to throw a punch, the referee stepped in and separated them, sending everyone back to their own half.
In the end, Barja received a yellow card for provoking the home fans. On Barca's side, Alba had been the first to shove Barja in a fit of anger, so he got a yellow card too.
Both sides got their share of punishment.
After the kickoff, Barca began a furious attack on Osasuna's half.
But they'd only taken one step when the referee blew the whistle. The first half was over.
Messi walked up to the referee, visibly unhappy, and tried to talk things over.
But the referee shook his head, picked up the ball, and quickly left the pitch with the two assistant referees.
Stoppage time had already gone on for two minutes. The scuffle had wasted some time, and the referee could have added more if he wanted to. But if he didn't, there was nothing anyone could say.
The referee didn't want to invite any further trouble, so he ended the first half right then.
Go back to the locker room and cool off!
But Barja's provocation had left Barca's players seething.
What kind of nobodies did they think they were, acting out at Camp Nou?
The Barca players returned to the locker room, all looking grim.
The opposition had scored just before the end of the first half, then humiliated them on their home ground.
Could they tolerate that?
Even Li Mingyu, who had been sitting on the bench at the time, was furious.
Coach Koeman entered the locker room with a blank expression and looked coldly at the players sitting there, simmering with anger.
"I feel ashamed. They've humiliated all of Camp Nou! I have nothing more to say about the second half. Give them back the humiliation they brought you!"
With that, Koeman walked straight out.
But when he heard the roars from inside the locker room, a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face.
Messi stood up, and the noise died away. Everyone looked at the short, imposing "bearded man."
"Everyone, in the second half, I need you to attack their back line relentlessly, no matter how much energy it takes. Make them understand the consequences of humiliating Barca!"
"Barca cannot be humiliated!"
"Barca cannot be humiliated!"
"Barca cannot be humiliated!"
Caught up in the feverish mood of the locker room, Li Mingyu couldn't help standing up and shouting along.
Half-time passed in the blink of an eye.
The two teams came back onto the pitch.
Deafening boos rang out around Camp Nou, of course aimed at Osasuna's players, and especially at their striker, Barja.
Whenever Barja touched the ball, or Barca got past him, the crowd let out a huge roar of boos.
Barja regretted it a little. He'd scored that goal in the first half, then made that gesture because he'd been too excited.
Although no one had said anything to him in the locker room, he had still sensed the doubt in their eyes.
"Man, have you gotten carried away?"
"Why'd you make a gesture like that at Camp Nou?"
"Did you think they were still asleep, and you had to wake them up like that?"
"There was no need!"
"A boat's not just a boat when you call it a ship!"
"A wave's not just a wave when you call it a surge!"
Barja was feeling pretty annoyed himself.
As soon as the second half kicked off, he realized Barca were targeting him.
Whenever he dared to take the ball, at least two Barca players would come after him, making Osasuna's other players afraid to pass to him.
Alba in particular was on him like a shadow, clinging to him like a piece of flypaper.
The mistake in the first half had left Alba furious with himself, so from the start of the second half, he focused his defensive efforts on Barja.
Barja was Osasuna's only attacking outlet up front. Once that outlet was shut down, Osasuna went quiet and had no choice but to retreat into their defensive shell again.
Before you continue