Chapter 142: Header Equalizer! Li Ang Only Scores in Clutch Moments!
The fans' frustration was understandable, but neither Mourinho nor Guardiola wavered in their tactical resolve.
And so, this bizarre match—Barça not attacking, Madrid not reacting—continued at Camp Nou, stubbornly dragging on like a stalemate of nerves and pride.
The tension was so thick it was almost comedic. In the VIP box, both Rosell and Florentino Pérez were wearing stiff smiles that barely hid their discomfort.
They were both boiling inside, but under the camera's gaze, they had to keep up appearances—project confidence, pretend this was all part of the plan.
It was painful.
Finally, after enduring a grueling and lifeless first half, Rosell pulled out his phone with a face like thunder, furiously tapping out messages.
Florentino, who had also been planning to use his phone, paused when he saw this, then calmly set it back down and resumed his composed posture.
When the second half began, Mourinho and Guardiola wore very different expressions.
One was visibly anxious and conflicted. The other? Calm and collected.
But on the pitch, the stalemate held. Until the 70th minute.
Both sides suddenly shifted gears, raising the tempo and probing more aggressively in attack.
Mourinho and Guardiola exchanged another glance from their technical areas—and this time, they didn't look away. They actually smiled at each other.
In that silent exchange, they might as well have said:
"I knew you couldn't resist going for the kill."
"Same to you, Jose. Looks like you've learned to be more patient."
The cameras captured the iconic moment perfectly.
But the warmth of that shared grin didn't extend to the pitch.
Now it was time to go all in.
And the one to draw first blood? Messi.
Li Ang had been watching him closely all match. Even when Messi wasn't making those signature runs, Li Ang never slacked—not for a second.
Because you don't relax around one of the greatest attackers in history. Ever.
Still, it wasn't enough.
In the 76th minute, Messi exploded into action.
He had spent most of the match lurking deep, conserving energy.
And now? He unleashed it all.
Even when Li Ang resorted to a risky slide tackle, Messi danced right past him, cutting between Ramos and Pepe before either could collapse properly.
Li Ang shouted a warning, but it was a beat too late.
Messi laid it off to the far post, where Fàbregas, having shaken off Arbeloa, met the pass with a clean finish past Casillas.
There was no hesitation, just a precise strike into the far corner.
Casillas, always quick off his line, couldn't stop it this time.
Camp Nou exploded.
Rosell, who had been fuming minutes earlier, now applauded wildly, beaming with joy.
Florentino, meanwhile, frowned.
He could stomach a dull draw. But a loss? That was much harder to accept.
Still, Mourinho showed no sign of panic.
Even as the stadium roared and the Barcelona bench celebrated, he was already moving.
Immediately, he called for substitutes to warm up.
Yes, Messi had burst through. Mourinho hadn't expected such a late-game detonation from him—that was on him.
But there were still ten minutes left. And Mourinho had a plan.
"Higuaín's coming on? So he's replacing Benzema?"
Xu Yang offered the obvious read when he saw Higuaín standing near the fourth official.
But that wasn't it.
Within a minute, Mourinho made a double change: Di María and Arbeloa out. Higuaín and Carvajal in.
"Madrid's going for high crosses! Mourinho's going all-in!"
He Wei nailed it.
In less than ten seconds after the changes, Madrid transformed into a 4-4-2.
Carvajal didn't slot into right-back. He pushed up to midfield. Essien dropped back to cover right-back duties.
Li Ang?
He stepped forward. For the first time in the match, he joined the attack.
This late-game tactical shift sent chills through the Camp Nou crowd.
Guardiola, suddenly wide-eyed, started yelling instructions, pointing furiously to reorganize the back line.
They had to stop Madrid from reaching the flanks, because if crosses started flying in—Barça were in trouble.
With no Piqué, the tallest players on the field were Busquets and Song, both barely over 1.80 meters.
Against Madrid's aerial threats? That wasn't going to cut it.
Guardiola acted quickly. But Madrid were already in motion.
Li Ang, fueled by frustration, drove the ball forward like a bulldozer.
Forget Xavi or Iniesta. If they stood in his way? He would shove right through them.
His fitness still intact, Li Ang coordinated with teammates to bulldoze through Barça's midfield line.
Busquets considered committing a tactical foul to stop him.
But then he remembered: when Li Ang gets fouled, he goes down hard and draws free kicks in dangerous areas.
That might be worse than letting him go.
So Busquets held back, hoping Alba and Alves could hold the wings.
But he forgot the most important thing.
Carvajal had fresh legs.
With Li Ang feeding him clean balls down the right, all he had to do was sprint and cross.
Alba, having already played 80 minutes, had no chance of keeping up.
And that... was only the beginning.
The fans' groans were justified, but Mourinho and Guardiola never once abandoned their tactical conviction.
A match where Barça refused to press and Madrid refused to move—somehow it continued, this bizarre chess match playing out under the Camp Nou lights.
The spectacle—or lack thereof—was so strained, even Rosell and Florentino Pérez wore identical, awkward smiles in their VIP suite.
They were clearly fuming inside, but with the cameras watching, they had to keep up the facade—projecting confidence, pretending this was just part of the plan.
Both angry. Both silent. And both miserable.
Finally, after enduring the torture of that goalless first half, Rosell's face turned thunderous. He whipped out his phone to furiously send off messages.
Florentino, who had been about to do the same, paused when he noticed Rosell, then silently returned the phone to his pocket and kept his expression stoic.
When the second half began, Guardiola and Mourinho wore very different expressions.
One was visibly conflicted and annoyed. The other remained cool, as though everything was unfolding exactly as expected.
But the game remained static—until the 70th minute.
Suddenly, both teams picked up the pace. They began probing more aggressively, testing each other's back lines.
The two managers shared another glance—this time in full view of the broadcast cameras—and both cracked wry smiles.
It was a moment that seemed to say:
"I knew you wouldn't let this chance pass."
"Right back at you, Jose. You've learned to be sneakier."
The moment went viral—two of football's greatest tacticians, sharing a silent joke as they unleashed their final gambits.
But while the dugouts smiled, the pitch was all business.
Messi struck first.
Li Ang had never lost focus, even when Messi had dropped deep and remained quiet most of the game.
He never made the mistake so many defenders do—assuming Messi could be ignored.
And yet, in the 76th minute, Messi exploded.
He had conserved his energy, held back, bided his time. Now, he erupted like a flash flood.
Li Ang dove in with a full-blooded slide tackle, but Messi spun past him with a lightning-quick shift of direction.
As Ramos and Pepe collapsed on Messi, Li Ang shouted a warning, but it was already too late.
Messi slipped a pass through to the far post.
Fàbregas, having just broken free of Arbeloa's tracking, coolly slotted the ball past Casillas.
Far corner. Clinical. Gamebreaker.
Casillas dove with everything he had, but it wasn't enough. Barça had taken the lead.
Rosell jumped out of his seat, clapping and grinning from ear to ear.
Florentino's face tightened, his brows furrowing in a rare show of tension.
He could accept an ugly draw—but a loss?
That was different.
On the sideline, Mourinho's eyes narrowed—but there was no panic.
Even as Camp Nou thundered in celebration, he reacted immediately.
Three players began warming up. Mourinho didn't have time for regrets.
He'd miscalculated Messi's remaining burst, yes—but there was still over ten minutes to go.
He had adjustments ready.
"Higuaín's coming in? Replacing Benzema?"
Xu Yang called it like everyone expected.
But Mourinho had more in mind.
In a double change, he subbed off Di María and Arbeloa, bringing on Higuaín and Carvajal.
"Mourinho's going for the aerial assault!"
He Wei immediately recognized the intent.
Within ten seconds, Real Madrid had completely shifted formation—4-4-2.
Carvajal didn't play right-back. He pushed into midfield. Essien dropped into defense.
Li Ang moved forward.
Now he was joining the forwards, surging into attack.
The sudden shift shook the stadium. Camp Nou had barely finished cheering when the mood changed.
Something was coming.
Guardiola began shouting instructions, frantically reshuffling his back line.
He couldn't let Madrid cross the halfway line with control—not now.
Because if Madrid got the ball wide and crossed?
Barça couldn't stop it.
Without Piqué, their only defenders over 1.80 meters were Busquets and Song.
Not enough.
Mourinho knew it. Guardiola knew it.
Madrid's intent was clear.
And Li Ang was leading the charge.
Fueled by frustration, he bulldozed his way upfield, shrugging off Xavi and Iniesta like they weren't even there.
Busquets considered fouling him. Thought about it for half a second.
But he knew: Li Ang would go down hard. And Madrid would get a dangerous free-kick.
So Busquets held back, hoping his teammates could contain Madrid's flank play.
He forgot the most important thing.
Carvajal was fresh.
Powered by Li Ang's through ball, Carvajal sprinted past a tired Alba, who had already played 80 minutes.
Alba couldn't keep up.
Forced to foul, he reached in and dragged Carvajal down just outside the box.
Free-kick, right side of the box. Prime crossing territory.
Madrid played it short.
Marcelo received, jinked toward the byline, then whipped in a deep cross to the far post.
In the box, chaos erupted.
Pepe leapt at the near post, drawing defenders. Ramos and Higuaín did the same.
Callejón made a darting run to the middle.
Ronaldo surged toward the back post.
Everyone was covered.
Except...
Li Ang.
He'd hovered just outside the back post, drifting in late.
Fàbregas, assigned to mark him, was caught ball-watching.
And before anyone could react, Li Ang launched himself into the air, planting a hand on Benzema's shoulder for extra lift.
Benzema winced.
Li Ang didn't care.
He rose high—higher than anyone else—and met the ball with his forehead.
A clean, controlled redirect.
The ball flew back across goal, completely wrong-footing Valdés, who was diving the other way.
He couldn't stop it.
Goal.
The net rippled. Camp Nou fell silent.
And Li Ang?
He was already falling—back-first toward the ground.
Benzema caught him.
Stunned for a split second, Li Ang opened his eyes to the roar of the away fans.
Then he smiled.
A hundred arms grabbed him, yanked him to his feet. Teammates howled with joy.
Li Ang twisted his neck to see it:
The ball, resting in the net.
He grinned wider.
On the pitch, Barça's players looked stunned.
Messi stood outside the box, hands on hips, staring at Li Ang.
A strange thought entered his mind:
"Is Li Ang really... destined to stand in my way?"
On the sideline, Mourinho hugged Karanka, unable to contain himself.
In the VIP box, Florentino clapped, finally smiling.
Rosell's face fell again.
Within ten minutes, the emotional tide of the entire stadium had flipped.
Boos began to trickle out from the Barça fans—but the Madrid contingent didn't care.
They were roaring, arms flung skyward, reveling in the late equalizer.
And viewers around the world?
They finally got what they came for.
Messi's dazzling solo.
Li Ang's heroic header.
Ten minutes of magic that outshone the previous seventy.
And after the equalizer?
Both teams eased off.
Neither wanted to be the one left gutted by a last-minute winner.
Madrid kept feeding Ronaldo. He tried a final long-range shot.
Valdés saved it. Full-time.
"Final whistle! 1–1! Real Madrid leave Camp Nou with a point thanks to Li Ang's crucial equalizer!"
"It wasn't the prettiest Clásico, but this title race just got a lot more intense! Neither side can afford to slip up now—La Liga could be closer than ever!"
He Wei was electric in the booth.
Xu Yang couldn't stop praising Li Ang's big-moment heroics.
But on the pitch, amid the high-fives and hugs, Li Ang's thoughts weren't joyful.
He was just relieved.
Relieved he'd had a chance to make up for letting Messi slip through earlier.
Because if Madrid had lost?
He'd have been the one wearing the blame.
Still deep in thought, he looked up—and saw Messi walking toward him.
"You almost made me the villain tonight, Leo."
"Didn't you equalize in the end?"
"Exactly. I said almost. So… dinner after this?"
"???"
"Come on. I'm buying. Steak?"
"Steak, huh…"
"I'll bring someone. You bring someone. Even if the press catches us, there's nothing to spin, right?"
"…Alright. Meet you at the parking lot."
"You got it."
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