Chapter 840 - 150: World-Class Goal! Advancing to the Semifinals! The Disruptor, Wang Shuo! Fierce Battle at Camp Nou! Classic Goal Frenzy!

After all, it had worked a week ago. Moreover, as long as they snatched an away goal, Bar?a would need to score three.

Before the match, when they received Bar?a’s starting lineup, it was basically identical to the first leg. Neither side’s formation had changed much. But when the starting whistle blew, it became apparent that Guardiola had made a massive adjustment.

In the first leg, Bar?a held an overwhelming advantage in possession, but they didn’t have many threatening attacks. Bar?a had definitely been reflecting on this themselves. Guardiola’s answer was that pairing Fabregas and Harvey as midfielders wasn’t effective. Therefore, he pushed Fabregas into the false 9 position to play as a center forward. Messi returned to his most familiar right flank, while Sanchez played on the left. Iniesta, Busquets, and Harvey partnered up as the three midfielders. The defensive line remained unchanged. The players were the same, but their positioning had changed, and the tactics shifted accordingly.

When Keppers, the referee from the Netherlands, blew the opening whistle, the two teams immediately entered a fast-paced battle of attack and defense. This was aligned with both head coaches’ deployments. Guardiola had made it clear before the match that they had to do everything possible to bring the game into Bar?a’s favored rhythm, while Arsenal went straight into the fast lane. Just a minute and a half after kickoff, Bar?a took the first shooting of the match with a long-range effort from Fabregas.

However, in the third minute, following a straight passing from Matuidi, Wang Shuo launched a swift counterattack. He dribbled the ball all the way to the 30-meter zone before distributing it to the unmarked Hazard, quickly surging forward into the penalty area himself. Hazard didn’t choose to pass it back to Wang Shuo; instead, he cut inside horizontally and suddenly curled a shot toward the far corner. It went slightly wide!

Afterward, both teams continued to employ attacking tactics, each getting chances to take shots on goal. But in the seventh minute, as Alves dribbled down the right flank against Vermaelen’s defense, the Brazilian executed a series of feints before suddenly squaring the ball to Fabregas just outside the penalty box. Facing the direction of the attack, the Spanish player didn’t trap the ball but directly chipped Alves’s passing forward. The ball sailed over the heads of Subotic and Verthongen, dropping toward the right side of the penalty area. Messi charged forward at high speed, controlled the ball with his chest, and unleashed a furious left-footed shot. The ball zipped past Szczeny and drilled into Arsenal’s net. 1–0!

The entire Camp Nou Field erupted in excitement! Guardiola even sprinted to the sidelines, tightly clenching his fists and cheering loudly. Everyone at Arsenal felt disappointed. Last season, although the Gunners played conservatively, they at least held on until the second half. But this time, they conceded a goal just seven minutes into the match. What else was there to say?

After Arsenal fell behind by one goal, Wang Shuo could clearly feel the anxiety among the Gunners’ players. Their passing frequently resulted in errors. Bar?a began to repeatedly intercept the ball near the midfield line and within Arsenal’s half. The defensive line was stretched thin, and the penalty area was in total chaos. The most outrageous moment came in the 12th minute when Szczeny, during a clearance, kicked the ball directly into Verthongen.

The Bar?a players were highly experienced; they immediately saw through the impatience of the Arsenal players and began applying relentless forward pressure. Not only did they push the tempo to breakneck speeds, but they also launched wave after wave of attacks. Wenger constantly shouted at the players from the sidelines, signaling them to hold their ground and steady themselves. As a result, none of the players listened. They were like provoked, red-eyed bulls in a bullring.

During a defensive retreat, Wang Shuo had no choice but to tackle Harvey. It was a foul, conceding a free kick to Bar?a on their attacking right flank—which was Arsenal’s left.

"What are you guys doing?" Wang Shuo walked to the edge of the penalty area, yelling sternly at his surrounding teammates. "You’re playing like a complete mess! What are you in such a rush for?" He clapped his hands forcefully. "Everyone, steady yourselves and stick to your roles, okay?"

At this moment, Wang Shuo’s leadership in the locker room became apparent. In a crucial moment, a single roar from him on the pitch was more effective than Wenger shouting himself hoarse on the sidelines. It wasn’t that Wang Shuo had more prestige than Wenger, but rather because he was right there on the pitch. He stood alongside his teammates, fighting shoulder to shoulder.

After steadying their footing, Arsenal had to change their strategy, suitably pulling their formation back a bit and conceding more possession. It was a choice made out of necessity. Wang Shuo finally understood it—at Camp Nou Field, Bar?a’s passing and ball-control abilities were simply too strong. This was his first time playing at Camp Nou. It was also his first time at Camp Nou experiencing Bar?a’s possession-based style of play firsthand. They were a level higher than in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium, and even higher than in last season’s Champions League final. Perhaps even more than that.

Previously, Wang Shuo hadn’t quite understood how Mourinho, despite deploying a defensive midfielder like Pepe and adopting a strictly defensive tactic, still ended up losing 5–0 at Camp Nou. Now, he truly understood! So, following Wenger’s intentions, he first focused on steadying the team.

After equalizing the aggregate score and unleashing a torrential wave of opening attacks, Bar?a also began to slightly slow their offensive pace. However, possession and the tempo of the match remained entirely under Bar?a’s control. They were still constantly passing, stretching the defense, and penetrating the lines. The moment Arsenal’s defense showed even the slightest crack, they could immediately manufacture a dangerous situation. The Gunners’ players were also shouldering a heavy burden of pressure.