The new midfielder Wijnaldum saw the vast world in front of him and couldn't help but assist.
When Li Mingyu was turning in the midfield, he had already seen "Du Mu" inserting, so he made a fake pass to Messi, and passed the ball to Wijnaldum who inserted on the left.
Wijnaldum was very excited when he saw the ball coming. It was the first time for him to play for Barcelona, which was a very happy thing for him.
After receiving the ball, Wijnaldum quickly started running with the ball.
Because of Li Mingyu's movement, both he and Messi appeared on the left side of Espanyol, and Espanyol's defensive attention was completely drawn to the left side of the court.
So, the other side is almost empty.
After seeing Li Mingyu play the ball, Espanyol's defense suddenly realized and rushed towards Wijnaldum.
However, such a sudden defensive change will test the team's consistency.
It's a pity that Espanyol can't achieve such good consistency.
Because Li Mingyu and Messi were too threatening, these defensive players didn't know whether to give up on them and defend Wijnaldum, or to continue to defend them tightly.
Li Mingyu's pass completely reflected his vision and football intelligence.
Messi also looked at Li Mingyu in a new light. This football is definitely world-class.
After Li Mingyu played the ball, Messi and Li Mingyu also started to push forward.
Seeing the two men suddenly getting involved, these defensive players stopped worrying and just chased, what else were they thinking about.
When Li Mingyu and Messi approached the arc of the penalty area, they made a cross move without any communication.
Messi ran towards the middle of the penalty area, while Li Mingyu ran towards the back post.
This cross-positioning caused Espanyol's defense to completely collapse.
Wijnaldum saw a huge hole in the opponent's defense and made a very high-quality cross directly into the penalty area.
Since the ball had strong internal spin, the goalkeeper could not get it at all. He could only stand in front of the goal line and stare at the trajectory of the ball.
Griezmann, who was at the front, jumped high, but the ball slipped slightly over his head.
However, Griezmann's jump shook Messi behind him.
Messi thought that Griezmann should be able to hit the ball, but Griezmann unexpectedly missed the ball. At this time, Messi had no time to take off again. He could only watch the football bounce on the ground in front of him and point back.
Everyone's eyes turned to the back position, and there was no Espanyol defensive player there.
The cross-positioning of Li Mingyu and Messi caused Espanyol's defensive players to head towards the center of the goal.
After all, Messi is an eternal nightmare in their hearts.
I saw Li Mingyu at the back post. He stepped hard on the ground with his left foot, raised his right foot high, made a bow and arrow gesture, faced the incoming ball, and fired a cold volley.
There was a loud "bang", and the ball kicked out by Li Mingyu rushed towards the goal with a heart-stopping whistling sound.
The opponent's goalkeeper stood in the middle of the goal. When he saw Li Mingyu shooting, he started to move towards the defense line of the back post.
But how can the speed of human movement be comparable to the speed of football?
When he made the save, the football had already penetrated into the goal behind him.
3:1.
In the 40th minute of the first half, Li Mingyu completed a hat trick with this beautiful volley.
The first hat trick of Spain Football League A in the 2021-2022 season was born, and it only took forty minutes.
After Li Mingyu scored, he rushed to the sidelines excitedly, grabbed the team emblem on his chest with his left hand, and showed it to the fans in the stands.
The fans were very excited. The goal just now was really powerful. Real men should score goals like this.
The stands of Spain are relatively close to the stadium. Li Mingyu was standing on the edge of the stands. Many fans reached out their hands very excitedly and kept patting his back.
Damn it, it was a very dirty move!
Li Mingyu felt the "love" of the fans and quickly escaped from the edge of the stands and hugged his teammates.
After accepting the quality of his teammates for three consecutive rounds, Li Mingyu tidied his hair, which had become a chicken coop, and looked resentfully at the people who were leaving laughing and joking.
I still got a kick on the butt, damn it!
In the last five minutes of the first half, the two sides fought back and forth, but no goals were scored.
However, before the end, Wu Lei's long-range shot made the Barcelona fans break out in a cold sweat.
The referee blew the whistle and the first half of the game was over.
After returning to the locker room, Messi and Li Mingyu discussed the goal in the first half.
"Li, I think you are quite suitable to be pulled into the midfield. That pass in the first half was so cool!"
Li Mingyu chuckled and said, "I just had an idea, I can't take it seriously!"
At this time, Koeman opened the door and walked in, saying, "Our lineup will be slightly adjusted in the second half. Griezmann, Messi. You two will play as double forwards. Li, you return to the midfield, and you will organize the team's offense in the second half."
Li Mingyu said quickly, "Sir, I'm afraid I can't do it!"
Koeman laughed, patted Li Mingyu on the shoulder, and said, "I have always seen your progress. You should not be tied to the side of the court. Your consciousness and ball feel are very good. I am very optimistic about you."
Li Mingyu still wanted to speak, but Koeman shook his head and said, "What Barcelona lacks is not Messi. We have Messi. What we lack is Xavi."
As soon as these words came out, everyone fell silent.
Even Messi nodded slightly.
Don't look at it for so many years, Messi is the one who has been in the limelight, but only those who understand the Barcelona system and Barcelona tactics know that Messi will never be the most important person in the team.
Xavi, they are the engine of the team.
After Xavi left, Barcelona never climbed to the top of Europe again.
Barcelona's football godfather Cruyff once said that Messi is the best football player I have ever seen, but Xavi is the most suitable person for Barcelona.
For so many years, Barcelona is still a strong team in everyone's mind, but they will no longer be feared by others because they have lost their helmsman, their engine, and the great man hidden behind Messi.