The halftime break passed quickly.
The players streamed out of the locker rooms and onto the pitch.
In the players' tunnel, Li Mingyu jogged along, eager to get out there and play.
"Hey, kid!"
Li Mingyu heard a voice and looked over curiously.
Ramos was watching him with a grin.
Li Mingyu glanced around, pointed at himself, and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
Ramos moved closer and whispered in his ear, "Yellow-skinned monkey. Keep your head down in the second half, and don't get too cocky!"
With that, Ramos gave him a contemptuous smile and strode away.
The insulting words filled Li Mingyu with anger.
Although he was now a Spanish citizen, because of his father, he still took great pride in his yellow skin and black hair. And when he spoke Chinese with other Chinese people, you couldn't hear a single flaw in his accent.
Watching Ramos's retreating back, Li Mingyu wore a fierce grin. In his nineteen years, he had never hated anyone so much.
Messi walked past Li Mingyu. Seeing that something seemed to be bothering him, he asked with concern, "What's wrong, Li? Are you feeling okay?"
Li Mingyu waved a hand. "Captain, in the second half, I want to..."
Hearing Li Mingyu's words, Messi looked astonished. He studied Li Mingyu for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Li, go for it. I've got your back!"
Those words warmed Li Mingyu's heart. He was so lucky to have a humble senior like Messi. He felt completely at home at Barca!
Back on the pitch, the referee blew his whistle, and the second half began.
Karim Benzema tapped the ball backward, then stepped into Barca's half. Real Madrid's first attack was underway.
Real Madrid's second-half tactics were clear: they would keep pressing forward. They were already three goals behind, and if they didn't attack, they were as good as dead.
After several quick passes, the ball made its way back to Real Madrid's right flank.
Valverde and Isco played a beautiful one-two, leaving Li Mingyu lunging at empty air as he tried to intercept the ball.
Li Mingyu stopped chasing and slowly shifted toward the halfway line, closer to the center.
His position made Ramos, who had been preparing to join the attack, pull up short. He frowned at Li Mingyu.
Barcelona's defense was intense, and Real Madrid attacked cautiously. When there was no opening, they quickly passed the ball back rather than forcing it forward.
What a disciplined team.
After a few passes, Barcelona's defense left a tiny gap. Isco seized on it, received Casemiro's square pass, and created some space. From more than thirty yards out, he unleashed a superb long-range shot toward the top corner.
Just as Real Madrid's fans were getting ready to cheer, a giant hand suddenly shot up. Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen leaped into the air, stretching out fully to tip the shot over the crossbar with one hand.
As he got back to his feet, Ter Stegen roared at his defenders not to lose focus.
Pique was drenched in a cold sweat. It was his fault—Karim Benzema's sudden run had drawn his attention, and he hadn't been able to close Isco down right away.
If Ter Stegen hadn't been so alert, Barcelona would have conceded right at the start of the second half.
Isco was frustrated too. The moment he struck the ball, it had felt perfect. He'd even been ready to raise his hand in celebration, only for the goalkeeper to deny him.
What a buzzkill.
A corner for Real Madrid.
Isco took his place in the corner arc, ready to deliver the first corner of the second half.
As soon as Ramos saw the corner coming, he sprinted into Barca's penalty area and tussled with the defenders.
Ramos was excellent in the air and often scored spectacular headers from Real Madrid's corner routines.
He had already scored three headed goals this season.
When Ramos came forward, Barca sent Busquets to help mark him.
Isco signaled the corner routine and sent a superb curling ball straight into Barcelona's penalty area.
The box instantly became a scene of chaos, with players grappling all around.
Ramos's eyes lit up. The ball was dropping right within his reach, so he took a couple of quick steps, trying to shake off Busquets.
Busquets was one of La Masia's finest exponents of the dark arts. When he saw Ramos's arm reach out, he didn't hold back—he threw his own arm across it.
Their arms tangled together.
The ball sailed over their heads, and neither man managed to jump for it.
They both hit the ground at the same time, crying out in pain.
But by then, Umtiti had already headed the ball clear from the far post.
Messi collected it outside the box and, without taking a touch, sent a diagonal pass straight to the already accelerating Li Mingyu.
The only man between Li Mingyu and the goal was Varane.
Facing Varane's defense, Li Mingyu accelerated and kicked the ball hard into space. He swung an arm out, knocking away Varane's arm as the defender reached to grab him.
Li Mingyu raced forward, caught up with the ball he had passed to himself, cut inside, and charged toward goal.
A one-on-one.
Courtois watched Li Mingyu calmly. The moment Li Mingyu entered the penalty area, Courtois charged forward like a tiger unleashed, lowering his center of gravity as he tried to narrow the angle.
Li Mingyu stared at Courtois without expression and unleashed his signature move: Ronaldo's trademark Pendulum Dribble.
With Li Mingyu's increased strength and physicality, his athleticism had grown even greater.
His Pendulum Dribble was now more dramatic than ever.
Courtois was powerless to stop it. Cursing as he lunged to one side, he could only watch Li Mingyu slip past him on the other. Li Mingyu then placed a shot into the net, scoring against Real Madrid.
0–4.
At Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Li Mingyu had completed his first poker in El Clasico.
The entire stadium fell as silent as a graveyard.
Some longtime fans watched Li Mingyu's move and couldn't help but shed tears. Back in the day, Real Madrid had also had a superstar who would humiliate visiting goalkeepers with his Pendulum Dribble.
Who would have thought the tables would turn? Now it was Real Madrid being humiliated!
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