"Li Mingyu had been forced toward the touchline by Real Madrid's defenders. It looked like he was about to lose the ball. Oh, Li Mingyu was still too young. That opening goal had really just caught Real Madrid off guard. But now that they had reacted, Real Madrid wouldn't be so easy to get past."
"From that last play, we could clearly see how experienced Vazquez was on defense. He used his body to lean into Li Mingyu, preventing him from picking up speed, then worked with the onrushing Varane to force Li Mingyu all the way to the touchline."
"Oh! Li Mingyu's backheel pass went right through Varane's legs! Griezmann—it's Griezmann! My God, that pass from Li Mingyu was truly inspired!"
"Griezmann has the ball. Real Madrid's defense is already out of shape. Too many players have gone out wide, leaving the middle somewhat exposed. Griezmann cuts straight in from the half-space..."
"Griezmann draws back his leg. Ramos rushes in to block him. My God, it's not a shot—it's a pass! Griezmann flicks his ankle and sends the ball back. Li Mingyu—it's Li Mingyu! When did he slip out of Real Madrid's double-team? Varane is right behind him, reaching out to grab him, but Li Mingyu is far too fast for Varane to catch!"
"Li Mingyu has the ball! One touch takes him into the penalty area. Now, the only one who can stop him is Real Madrid's goalkeeper, Courtois."
"Courtois rushes off his line, preparing to close down Li Mingyu's shooting angle."
"Li Mingyu makes a crossing motion—oh! It's a feint! Courtois has been fooled! Li Mingyu is incredible! One feint was enough to throw Courtois off balance. Li Mingyu cuts the ball back, then delicately slots it in with his left foot. That's his second goal!"
"Li Mingyu has scored twice at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium! He's incredible!"
"Li Mingyu, you're a legend!"
The Tencent Sports commentator finally couldn't hold back and blurted out a line that sent Chinese fans into a frenzy.
After scoring, Li Mingyu was no longer dazed like he'd been after his first goal. He jogged over to the away supporters' stand, hopped up, and pointed both thumbs at the name on the back of his shirt.
"Li!"
"Li!"
"Li!"
The two thousand die-hard Barca fans in the stands roared with a force to rival tens of thousands of Real Madrid supporters.
Li Mingyu was showing his gratitude to the fans who had followed the team on the road.
"Li, how are you so amazing?"
Griezmann's huge face appeared before Li Mingyu once more. He launched himself at Li Mingyu and knocked him straight to the ground!
Li Mingyu let out a silent curse and tried to get up, only to realize he was completely helpless.
As he felt the weight piling on top of him, Li Mingyu knew that these already exuberant Barcelona players were starting to form a human pyramid.
But Li Mingyu, stuck at the bottom, was bearing a weight no one his age should have to endure.
In the end, captain Messi rescued Li Mingyu.
Though Li Mingyu felt sore and achy all over from being crushed, he suddenly realized something.
Huh, this way, nobody could kick him in the butt!
Li Mingyu found himself facing a rather perverse dilemma.
A human pyramid or a kick in the butt—which should he choose?
In less than ten minutes, Real Madrid had conceded two goals at home. The humiliating spectacle had the fans at the Bernabeu ready to explode.
And their opponents were none other than their sworn enemies, FC Barcelona.
They weren't just rivals in El Clasico, either. Barcelona were also the team currently ahead of them in the standings.
If Barcelona won this match, Real Madrid might as well give up on the league title this year.
Real Madrid's players were fired up, and after the restart, they began playing with greater intensity at both ends of the pitch.
But in the face of Real Madrid's impatience, Barcelona didn't change their approach. They kept playing methodically.
The two teams began a tense battle of attacks and defense.
Real Madrid's challenges were getting rough, and Barcelona's tempers were slowly rising too.
The referee became the star of the match, repeatedly stopping play to issue stern verbal warnings to both sides.
But to these seasoned veterans, a verbal warning was nothing but an empty threat.
Sure enough, during one of Li Mingyu's runs with the ball, Valverde discreetly hooked his foot from behind, sparking the first major scuffle of the match.
Captain Messi rushed to the scene immediately and planted himself in front of Li Mingyu, shielding him as he lay on the ground.
As a longtime Barca player, Messi knew Real Madrid's players liked to pull little tricks during El Clasico.
Messi shoved away the Real Madrid players trying to approach Li Mingyu, pointing at them and insulting their families.
The referee hurried over and separated the players from both sides.
After all, this was El Clasico, the showpiece of Spanish football. The players knew that minor clashes were inevitable; they were part of football.
But no one wanted things to get out of hand.
The referee pulled out the yellow War God card and showed it to Valverde, who had started the scuffle. He also flashed one at Marcelo, who had been the most involved in the shoving match with Messi.
Finally, the referee walked over to Messi and showed him one as well.
Messi waved it off. Just a yellow card. No big deal.
But when Li Mingyu saw that Messi had been booked, he was furious. He rushed up to the referee and began protesting anxiously.
Li Mingyu had seen how Messi protected him just now. He had tremendous respect for his senior teammate!
But the referee had no intention of changing his decision. Instead, he signaled for Barca to take the free kick and get the match underway again.
Seeing the referee's black hand reach toward his pocket, Li Mingyu spat and cursed as he went over to the ball.
The free kick was more than thirty-five meters from the goal, a perfect distance for Messi's left foot!
Real Madrid put five players in the wall, tightly covering the near side of the goal.
Courtois didn't dare let his guard down and carefully directed his teammates into position.
At a time when Li Mingyu should have been waiting inside or outside the penalty area, he stood in front of the ball with Messi.
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