Football: My AI System Provides Max-Level Predictions-Chapter 697 - 489 "Don’t be fooled by him!" Facing Messi, my mind is clear, but my body won’t obey!

"Another lightning strike at the start!"

"Pique failed playing with fire in front of the penalty area!"

"Tang Long intercepted the ball and decisively took a shot!"

"The interception was decisive, and the shot was even more spectacular!"

Not only Pique was dumbfounded, but even Guardiola on the sidelines was surprised.

He touched his bald head, thinking, "It's not even two minutes yet, did I grab the start so quickly, huh?"

After leaving Barcelona, Guardiola coached Bayern and once faced his old club in the Champions League semifinals in the 2014-2015 season.

Both games were incredibly tough, never like today, scoring a goal right at the start!

The sudden happiness made Guardiola a bit unaccustomed~

Pique, the Barça mainstay center-back, was also nurtured by Guardiola when he was at Barça.

Guardiola couldn't quite understand why Pique was so easily intercepted by Tang Long?

Guardiola, standing dozens of meters away from the incident, naturally couldn't see clearly.

But Iniesta, who was closer, knew exactly what happened!

He clearly saw that as soon as Pique tried to turn, Tang Long had already anticipated his move and intercepted the ball.

However, Iniesta was not surprised by just a forward intercepting a defender's ball.

What surprised him was Tang Long's ball sense!

"When Pique turned, his body was already shielding the ball. How did Tang manage to lightly flick the ball out with his toe without touching Pique's foot?"

Although Iniesta wasn't known for defense and interceptions.

This midfield maestro had vast experience and had seen everything on the field.

At that moment, he realized that Tang Long's ability to control the ball's direction in such a tight space and with Pique partially blocking his view demonstrated his exceptional ball sense.

During the celebration of the Manchester City players, Iniesta called midfield partners Busquets and Rakitic over and advised them:

"Tang is an expert. Let's not take risks in the midfield and avoid trying to dribble past him."

After conceding an early goal, Barça played more cautiously.

Players no longer held onto the ball, frequently making one-touch passes.

Through their skilled one-touch play and intricate three-man runs, Barça deftly broke through Manchester City's pressing multiple times.

After the successful start, Manchester City also appropriately withdrew.

Once Barça regained possession, the game rhythm shifted to their familiar pace.

During this period, Tang Long had limited opportunities to take the ball, but he wasn't idle.

His position was left winger, Messi's position was right winger, perfectly matched;

With Manchester City's formation withdrawing, Tang Long also had more opportunities to drop deeper, closing the distance to Messi.

Like a scanner, his eyes continually observed Messi's every move with the ball at close range.

[Recording...]

However, it seemed Messi wasn't exerting himself much, opting to pass rather than charging into the penalty area, leading some to wonder if Messi lacked the desire to score in this match.

In the 25th minute of the first half.

Center forward Suyare, receiving a pass from Busquets, faced Stones' pressing, and his gaze sharpened instantly. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

He didn't pass, first using his strong body to firmly hold off the opponent, feeling the pressure Stones applied, then lightly nudged the ball past Stones' feet.

The move seemed simple, yet it encapsulated precise control of the ball and shrewd use of physical confrontation, showcasing his ball sense.

It's a pity the final shot was slightly off target.

One wave has barely subsided when another rises.

This time, it was Neymar showcasing his ball sense.

In a counterattack, he received a through ball from Messi, with Kolarov swiftly coming up to defend.

Neymar, seeing Kolarov charge forward, smirked slightly, contemplating in his mind, "Watch how I get past you."

First, he feinted left, his eyes locked on Kolarov's, watching for his reaction.

That's a key characteristic of Neymar's feints: unlike some forwards who don't care after making a move and just charge ahead, he makes the move, waits for the opponent's reaction, then reacts on the fly.

Through the street samba football he grew up with, Neymar's moves are exceptionally agile, and he has this confidence.

Seeing Kolarov's balance shift, Neymar lightly flicked the ball to the right with his right foot, intending to break out of Kolarov's encirclement.

Kolarov, standing at 1.87 meters, is a full size larger than Neymar, and naturally has longer legs. He quickly made a second compensatory move, extending his leg to intercept.

Unexpectedly, just as Neymar was about to speed up, he stopped the ball with his foot, just as Kolarov extended his foot, only kicking up a tuft of grass, touching nothing!

"Damn it!"

Once Kolarov was seated on the ground, the Brazilian started a second samba move, bypassing him.

With a quick, slow, and then quick again, he left Kolarov far behind!

During this process, Tang Long watched with clear admiration.

Because whether Neymar was fast or slow, the ball under his feet seemed to be tethered by an invisible string, always staying within his control range.

His ball sense and flexibility were astonishing, every touch filled with creativity.

Kolarov, seeing Neymar easily pass him, was full of helplessness: "This guy, he's too agile, can't defend him at all!"

Tang Long chased from behind, but Neymar's speed was no less than Tang Long's, and he had a positional advantage;

The two, one in front and one behind, Neymar entered the penalty area from the left side, continually shifting towards the center!

Neymar lifted his foot, his gaze fixed intently on Bravo's position. Just as everyone thought he was going to unleash a thunderous strike, Neymar suddenly slowed down~

With a light step on the ball, a gliding step, he pulled the ball back.

But the pull was a bit wide, causing Manchester City's players to think Neymar was just trying to get past Tang Long, resulting in a sudden stop error;

The ball rolled just a couple of turns, and as Stones was about to intercept, a nimble figure suddenly appeared—it's Messi!

The instant Stones extended his foot, it was destined that he would be beaten by Messi.

Contesting a 50-50 ball with Messi, whoever reached first meant doom!

Messi gently prodded the ball with his toe, bypassing Stones, and seeing Kompany coming to cover, Messi executed a left shoulder drop!

Kompany had studied Messi extensively before the match.

He knew Messi's signature dribbles weren't flashy, and had almost never seen Messi do step-overs.

His dribbling relied entirely on rhythm changes, with the most obvious being the shoulder drop.

So, upon seeing Messi drop his left shoulder, Kompany's first thought was: Messi is deliberately luring my balance that way!

"Don't be fooled!"

Kompany continually repeated this in his mind.

But strangely, his body seemed bewitched, clearly his brain told his body not to lean right, yet for some reason his body didn't listen, stubbornly following Messi's feint!

Then Messi nudged with his left foot!

With no excessive feints, this drop and nudge actually sent Kompany sprawling on the ground!

"Messi!"

"Messi bypassed two defenders, breaking into the box!"

"Bravo charges out!"

"Messi chips!"

"Goal!"

"Messi equalizes!"

"Both sides are back on level terms!"

"Messi, who hadn't been much in the frame, scores immediately once he appears!"

"Truly swift as a startled hare!"