When the whistle blew, a strange expression appeared on Li Mingyu's face.
[Congratulations, Host, on checking in at the La Masia Training Base. You have obtained Iniesta's Croqueta.]
You can check in at a training base too?
Li Mingyu was so excited he could hardly contain himself. This was a great way to do it.
[The La Masia Training Base is a one-time check-in location. You cannot check in there again!]
Tch!—
How boring!
He'd been hoping he could come here and check in every day.
What a sneaky system.
"Li, take the ball!"
Midfielder De Jong sent a low through ball. Li Mingyu drew back his instep and trapped it neatly, then accelerated at once. The defender behind him barely had time to react before Li Mingyu slipped right past him.
"Beautiful skill!"
Coach Koeman watched from the sideline, full of admiration.
The smooth, flowing move was a real pleasure to watch.
However, after yesterday's performance, the opposing players were all on high alert. The moment Li Mingyu broke through, two men moved in to block him.
The defense was well organized. If Li Mingyu tried to force his way through, the players behind them would surely stop him.
Koeman had put Li Mingyu in the starting lineup today and carefully arranged the other side's defense. He wanted to see Li Mingyu's true ability.
Yesterday's match, in Koeman's eyes, hadn't really proved anything.
A young man full of energy had faced an exhausted team that had already played 80 minutes. Using what was almost a sneak attack, he had caught them completely off guard.
Huesca had been careless and paid for it.
More importantly, Huesca knew nothing about Li Mingyu. Once he was on the field, he'd unleashed a flurry of blows and knocked them flat.
The match had been thrilling, but it still wasn't convincing enough.
Li Mingyu still needed to prove he truly had what it took to break down a defense and score.
After all, his next opponent would be Sevilla, who were in red-hot form. Having played two fewer matches, Sevilla were currently five points behind Barca.
But Barca had received some good news. In a match yesterday, Real Madrid had taken the lead against Real Sociedad, only to concede a goal late in the second half. In the end, they had to settle for a draw.
That meant Real Madrid had missed their chance to catch up with Barca. Despite having played one fewer match, they still trailed Barca by three points.
By now, every La Liga team had its eye on Li Mingyu. Sevilla would certainly assign someone to mark him in the next match, because the speed he'd shown so far was actually easy to deal with.
Huesca had been stunned in the previous match, and their midfield general had lost his composure. That was what had led to Li Mingyu's hat trick.
Looking at the well-organized defense in front of him, Li Mingyu let a faint, knowing smile curl his lips.
If this had been yesterday's Li Mingyu, he would probably have had no choice but to dribble toward the wing or pass the ball back to a teammate.
But now that he had Iniesta's Croqueta, Li Mingyu already had a plan.
Just like yesterday, Li Mingyu charged straight at the defenders with long strides.
Koeman frowned slightly and murmured, "Li's still too young!"
Fernandez, the defensive midfielder, saw Li Mingyu barreling toward him without hesitation and felt a surge of irritation.
Kid, yesterday's performance was impressive, but that doesn't give you the right to look down on your old pal Fernandez.
Fernandez turned his body slightly and stared intently at the ball at Li Mingyu's feet, waiting for the moment he made his move.
Li Mingyu quickly reached Fernandez. Without even bothering with a feint, he took a step and prepared to push the ball past him.
"Kid, that's exactly what I was waiting for!"
Fernandez was experienced. He took a step to cut across Li Mingyu's path, intending to lean into him and slow him down before working with his teammates to win the ball.
Fernandez had it all figured out. If he won the ball, he'd calmly wag a finger at Li Mingyu and say, "Young man, come back in a few years if you want to get past me!"
Just thinking about it was enough to get him fired up!
Maybe the coach would see how brilliant his tackle was and give him a chance to play in the next match!
Fernandez had cut off the route completely. He was just about to lean into Li Mingyu when Li Mingyu suddenly accelerated and swept past him like a gust of wind.
Fernandez felt himself leaning against empty air. He stumbled and went straight down.
What incredible speed!
On the sideline, Koeman covered his forehead with his hand. That idiot! Had he already forgotten how that unlucky Garcia had fallen and dislocated his shoulder yesterday?
Past Fernandez, the center-back Umtiti was already waiting, ready for him.
The ball rolled between Li Mingyu and Umtiti, closer to Umtiti.
Even though Fernandez hadn't stopped Li Mingyu, their defensive formation was still intact. Like a chain, it seemed to have Li Mingyu's heavy touch covered, and Umtiti looked ready to win the ball.
Seeing Li Mingyu charge toward him like a reckless bull, Umtiti's lips curled in disdain. Young man, you've picked the wrong path. Do you think I'm one of those lousy Huesca defenders?
Let your old pal Umtiti teach you how to behave!
Umtiti hadn't stayed put. As soon as Li Mingyu got past Fernandez, he had already taken two steps forward.
As the ball rolled toward him, Umtiti stuck out his right foot, ready to clear it.
But then something happened that left everyone stunned.
Koeman, standing on the sideline, widened his eyes and let out a Spanish curse.
Umtiti seemed to be moving at half speed, while Li Mingyu seemed to be moving at double speed. The distance between the two men and the ball closed in an instant.
The ball had been closer to Umtiti, but just as his outstretched foot was about to touch it, he was horrified to see that Li Mingyu had already reached the ball first.
What kind of superhuman speed was this?
But Umtiti could feel the inside of his foot touching the ball, so he relaxed. Damn, that scared me! I thought I was about to screw up. You're fast, sure, but you're still just a tiny bit too late!
Li Mingyu had also pushed his speed to the limit and just managed to poke the ball with his left foot.
Umtiti stared in disbelief as the ball slid sideways past the inside of his foot.
Li Mingyu's right foot swiftly followed, lightly tapping the ball. After two touches, it obediently slipped between Umtiti's legs!
I got nutmegged!
Before you continue