Chapter 32: The Second Meeting
October 18, 2017 – Camp Nou, Barcelona
Champions League Matchday 3: FC Barcelona vs. Olympiacos
This wasn't a match.
It was a lab experiment in front of 90,000 fans.
Barcelona had already beaten Olympiacos in Lisbon.
But tonight, Noah wanted more.
Not a result.
A reaction.
International Build-Up – The Watchful World
England – The Guardian
"Barcelona's geometric shape returns tonight. The real question is—how far can Pedri go?"
France – L'Équipe
"Mbappé dances better when Messi disappears. We expect both to move like shadows tonight."
Italy – Sky Italia
"Barcelona plays like chess. Olympiacos plays like a hammer. We'll see which cracks first."
Germany – ZDF
"Noah's control systems have hypnotized opponents. What happens when someone just refuses to blink?"
Pre-Match – Tactical Reveal
In the tactics room, Noah clicked the screen.
The 4-3-3 appeared. Then rotated. Then broke into triangles.
Noah called it:
"The Diamond Spiral"
A rotation built to trap man-marking into chasing air.
To Messi:
"You'll be the invisible string."
To Pedri:
"You set the rhythm. But never stay where you start."
To Mbappé:
"Wait longer than you want to. They'll break shape first."
Starting XI vs. Olympiacos
GK: Ter Stegen
DEF: Alba – Umtiti – Piqué – Semedo
MID: Busquets – Puig – Pedri
FOR: Messi – Mbappé – Suárez
System: 4-3-3 Diamond Spiral Variant
Rakitic and Deulofeu on the bench. Iniesta rested. Kubo watching from the stands.
Kickoff – Minute 1 to 15
Olympiacos sat in a 5-4-1, cautious and compressed.
Barcelona didn't rush.
They rotated.
Passed.
Moved like they were solving something.
Minute 9 — Pedri dropped between center-backs.
Puig slid into the left half-space.
Messi floated across the top.
Suddenly Mbappé had room.
He cut inside—
Shot—saved.
But the pattern was etched.
Minute 19 – First Breakthrough
Semedo, Pedri, and Messi formed a triangle wide right.
Then Pedri peeled off.
Messi passed blind.
Puig darted forward, curved the ball behind the line.
Mbappé met it.
One touch. Finish.
GOAL – Mbappé.
1–0 Barcelona.
The spiral had pulled the net tight.
Minute 27 – Olympiacos Struggles
They chased shadows.
Puig to Pedri.
Pedri to Busquets.
Back to Messi.
Out to Alba.
Cut inside.
Suárez tapped it wide—
Mbappé fired again. Off the bar.
Still 1–0.
Minute 39 – The Second Twist
Alba overlapped and cut it across.
Messi let it roll.
Pedri arrived—no shot.
Instead, he tapped it backward to Puig.
Puig curved a lofted ball back across the box.
Messi, now at the far post, chested it down.
Volley.
GOAL – Messi.
2–0 Barcelona.
A complete web.
Even the commentators stopped mid-sentence.
Halftime – Calm and Quiet
Noah kept his speech brief.
"To kill with clarity… is the rarest thing in football."
He turned to Pedri.
"You have five minutes before they close you."
Pedri asked, "Then what?"
Noah smiled.
"Then let Puig speak."
Second Half – Minute 46 to 60
Olympiacos pressed higher now. Desperate.
Barcelona responded by folding into a tighter spiral.
Minute 51 — Messi drifted left.
Puig stepped up.
Mbappé ran across the top of the box.
Through pass.
Mbappé stopped—cut back.
Suárez met it. Goal.
3–0 Barcelona.
The crowd applauded in rhythm.
Minute 62 – Substitutions
Out: Messi, Alba
In: Rakitic, Digne
The energy slowed.
Olympiacos attacked once—
Shot from range.
Ter Stegen caught it. Smiled.
No danger.
Minute 85 – Final Touch
Puig carried it from deep.
Three touches.
Then a long, splitting pass.
Mbappé broke behind.
He didn't shoot.
He squared it to Pedri.
GOAL – Pedri.
4–0.
A curtain call.
Full-Time – Barcelona 4 – 0 Olympiacos
Not a contest.
A concert.
The spiral didn't collapse.
It expanded.
And across Europe, analysts scrambled to find new words.
Post-Match – Locker Room Conversation
Noah sat beside Pedri.
"You controlled the room."
Pedri looked down.
"But I still lose the ball under pressure sometimes."
Noah shrugged.
"Composers make mistakes. But they never stop conducting."
Press Conference
A reporter asked, "You've outscored your Champions League group 8–1 across three games. Is this dominance sustainable?"
Noah replied, "It's not dominance. It's understanding."
Another asked, "How do you explain the triangle patterns?"
Noah leaned forward.
"We don't play in triangles.
We play in promises."
Final Tactical Summary
Result: Barcelona 4 – 0 Olympiacos
Goals: Mbappé, Messi, Suárez, Pedri
Assists: Pedri (2), Puig, Mbappé
Messi Influence: 8.9
Pedri Rating: 9.7 – MOTM
Puig: 92% pass accuracy, 1 assist
Mbappé: Threat Rating – 9.4
System Integrity: 96%
Next Fixture: Málaga (La Liga – October 21)
System Alert:
"Diamond Spiral: Stable.
Pedri-Puig Coordination: Confirmed.
Messi Gravity Shift: Balanced.
European Watchlist Engagement: Spiking.
Tactical Benchmark: Set."