Their smooth sailing in the first half had made Barcelona's players let their guard down.
As soon as the second half began, the game took a sudden turn.
Villarreal seized the moment while Barcelona's players were still getting settled and launched a surprise attack.
Villarreal's first-choice striker, Gerard Moreno, drove forward at speed, broke through Barcelona's defense, and fired a shot that blasted past Ter Stegen and into the net.
Less than a minute into the half, Villarreal had pulled one back.
On the sidelines, head coach Koeman angrily kicked a bottle of mineral water away.
How many times had he told them? They had to stay focused at the start of each half.
Unfortunately, Barcelona's players hadn't taken his words to heart.
And so Villarreal had seized their chance and scored a beautiful goal.
The score was now 2–1, with only one goal separating the teams.
Villarreal could see a chance to equalize, perhaps even take the lead.
From then on, they played superbly at both ends of the pitch.
Barcelona, on the other hand, seemed completely rattled by the goal.
Without Messi, Barcelona had finally exposed the problem everyone had worried about most.
Li Mingyu was no Messi.
Messi had earned his place through more than 700 goals and over 700 appearances for Barcelona across 17 years.
With Messi on the pitch, Barcelona's players felt reassured, even when he didn't say a word.
Li Mingyu was still too young. He had scored plenty of goals, but he hadn't yet earned the team's true confidence.
Seeing his teammates lose their shape, Li Mingyu grew anxious. He sprinted tirelessly around the pitch, trying to help them find their rhythm again.
But all his running couldn't bring the others back to their senses.
The impact of Messi's injury on Barcelona was finally becoming clear.
Villarreal's confidence soared, and they began trading attacks with Barcelona.
To everyone's astonishment, Barcelona even seemed to be getting the worse of it.
Dembele, back in the starting lineup, had completely lost his way on the familiar left flank.
Griezmann, in the middle, could get no support from midfield. He kept dropping back to collect the ball, leaving him unable to put any pressure on Villarreal's defense.
Li Mingyu ran tirelessly, but Villarreal controlled the ball for most of the second half, leaving him to spend much of his time running for nothing.
Koeman watched with a deep frown. He couldn't understand how Barcelona's players could look like two completely different teams before and after halftime.
In the 55th minute, Villarreal sent a long diagonal pass from near midfield to Gomez up front. After taking the ball, Gomez deftly flicked it over Umtiti, who had rushed in recklessly, leaving him cleanly beaten.
Gomez glanced toward the middle and sent in a cross.
Villarreal's first-choice striker, Gerard Moreno, beat the offside trap and hurled himself forward to head the ball powerfully into Barcelona's goal.
A deafening chorus of boos swept through Camp Nou.
Barcelona's players stared blankly at the ball in their net.
Ter Stegen picked it up and booted it angrily upfield, then roared in helpless frustration.
The morale of the entire Barcelona team visibly began to sink.
Even Busquets, Barcelona's captain on the pitch, shook his head in dismay.
"We're Barca!"
Amid the deafening boos, a voice suddenly rang in Barcelona's players' ears.
Busquets looked up in surprise. A fierce face appeared before him, and the hunger to win in those eyes stirred a familiar memory.
"We're Barca! This is our home! Do we think this performance is fair to our fans, or to our captain, who's fighting to recover right now?"
"What are you doing? We're only level—we haven't lost! We still have time. We can still come back!"
"We'll show them that no one can humiliate Barca!"
Li Mingyu seemed like a stranger to all the Barcelona players.
Until now, they had seen him as a prolific scorer and a popular player, but also as a modest young man who spoke softly.
But the Li Mingyu standing before them now was like a lion provoked by a pack of wolves, roaring to wake his teammates with his voice.
As Busquets listened, Li Mingyu's face seemed to change before his eyes.
Messi!
Yes, Messi!
Busquets realized that the hunger to win in Li Mingyu's eyes was exactly like Messi's had been.
Never admit defeat!
Never give up!
Busquets wasn't the only one who felt something new stirring inside him. The other Barcelona players felt it too!
[Congratulations, host. You have comprehended the Heart of a Superstar.] [Heart of a Superstar: When the team is in trouble, use words to inspire your teammates and greatly boost the team's morale.]
Li Mingyu felt strength surging through him. Seeing everyone lift their heads again, he smiled with satisfaction.
"Never humiliate Barca!"
"Never humiliate Barca!"
"Never humiliate Barca!"
Every Barcelona player shouted the words together, a chant their fans would never forget.
Koeman also breathed a sigh of relief on the sidelines. Seeing the team's spirit return finally lifted the weight from his heart.
The importance of this match was obvious. Barcelona were only three points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.
If they lost, their hopes of winning the title would depend on Atletico Madrid dropping points later.
But in their remaining four matches, aside from this crucial clash with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid would face three teams ranked below tenth. It would be difficult for any of them to threaten Atletico Madrid.
So for Barcelona, every one of these four matches was a battle for survival.
The referee blew his whistle, and the match resumed.
Villarreal's players surged forward again, hoping to deal Barcelona another decisive blow.
But Barcelona had regained their confidence and fighting spirit. They were no longer the helpless lambs they had been moments earlier.
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