"This is the 2010/2011 season, La Liga Round 33, Real Madrid versus Barcelona."

"After 32 rounds, Real Madrid currently sits at the top of the table with an unbeaten record."

"But Barcelona is also clinging tightly to the points, still trailing by just five points. Only by winning this match does Barcelona have a glimmer of hope. If they lose, they will essentially lose their chance at the title!"

Gonzalez provided pre-match commentary while also sharing various details about the players.

"Currently, Suker has reached a total of 37 league goals, just three goals away from the 40-goal milestone. It's safe to say that this season, Suker has a great chance of breaking through that 40-goal barrier."

"Meanwhile, Messi, in second place on the scoring charts, also broke through the 30-goal mark in the last match. He now trails Suker by seven goals."

"In the Champions League, Suker leads Ronaldo by one goal and remains at the top of the scoring charts."

"Suker continues to demonstrate his exceptional shooting efficiency. Whether he can maintain that efficiency in this match remains to be seen. At the same time, we also have high expectations for Messi. His performances against Real Madrid have often been underwhelming, leading many media outlets to speculate whether he suffers from 'Suker-phobia.' If he wants to take the next step, he must break this narrative!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!!

The sound of collective clapping echoed through the stadium. In perfect unison, the rhythmic clapping created a deafening roar that seemed capable of lifting the entire arena off its foundations.

The Real Madrid fans' passion burned fiercely. Their confidence in the match was absolute, born from a season of continuous victories that convinced them this game would be no different.

As the warm-ups concluded, both teams retreated to their locker rooms for final preparations. An intense silence hung over both camps. Under the weight of enormous pressure and match tension, players focused on regulating their breathing and mental states.

The team captains led their squads into the player tunnel. No mind games, no tricks - at this critical juncture of the season, in such a decisive match, tactics became secondary. While strategies might provide early advantages, the final stages would be decided by team resilience and overall cohesion.

Barcelona's tiki-taka!

Real Madrid's high press!

These were their fundamental philosophies. This would be a direct clash of styles.

The starting lineups were as follows:

Real Madrid (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Casillas

Defenders: Srna, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo

Midfielders: Khedira, Alonso, Di María

Forwards: Kaká, Benzema, Suker

Barcelona (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Valdés

Defenders: Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Adriano

Midfielders: Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi

Forwards: Messi, Villa, Pedro

Both sides fielded their strongest possible teams. Managers Mourinho and Guardiola locked eyes, electricity seeming to crackle between them in a clear display of mutual confrontation.

On the pitch, Suker bounced lightly, keeping his muscles warm. Across from him, Barcelona players did the same. There was no question - Barcelona would fight desperately today. Every remaining match would demand total commitment. Victory meant championships; defeat meant becoming mere footnotes in history.

"Damn, just watching this gets me nervous!"

At Carrington's tactical room, Manchester United players gathered to watch the match.

Vidić flexed his arms, unable to contain his thoughts. "These two teams are like monsters. Just seeing them face off is suffocating!"

Modrić nodded. "At full strength, they'd be extremely difficult to handle."

Others murmured agreement. Though United were strong this season, they lacked the cohesive perfection of Madrid and Barcelona. Fortunately, these two titans would batter each other first. Even if one reached the Champions League final, they'd likely be battered and diminished.

Ronaldo clenched his fist. Though he disliked winning through others' exhaustion, against these two teams, it seemed the only way.

"It's starting!" Modrić said solemnly.

On the screen, Barcelona kicked off, and the match began.

"Press them!" Suker led the charge, sprinting into Barcelona's half to immediately initiate the high press.

Against Barcelona, Real Madrid showed no mercy or hesitation, applying maximum pressure from the opening whistle.

Yet Barcelona seemed somewhat prepared for Madrid's aggressive pressing, using rapid one-touch passes to work the ball out from defense.

Thump!

Kaká scythed down Xavi.

The moment Xavi received possession, Kaká brought him down.

Peep!

The referee's whistle blew, signaling Kaká's foul.

Kaká offered no argument, immediately turning back to defensive position.

"Kaká directly takes down Xavi. This is a warning to Barcelona - don't expect smooth possession. Even through fouls, Madrid won't let Barcelona's passing flow comfortably."

Suker nodded approvingly, giving Kaká a thumbs-up.

Against teams like Barcelona, you had to apply pressure immediately. Any slight relaxation or lapse in concentration would let these players score.

Busquets took the free kick quickly, finding Iniesta amidst the crowd. Iniesta immediately laid it back to Xavi, who was facing forward.

Xavi threaded a pass through the defense, perfectly finding Messi.

As Messi controlled with his left foot, two Madrid players converged, but instead of passing forward, Messi gently pushed the ball backward.

Iniesta curved around behind Messi, collecting the ball and driving down the wing.

Iniesta attempted step-overs to shake Srna, but the defender remained focused on the ball.

Not biting!

Iniesta abruptly stopped, passing right to Messi behind him before making a darting run.

"Watch out! He's cutting inside too!" Ramos immediately warned.

Srna couldn't move, so Khedira charged at Messi from behind.

But Messi remained calm. Khedira saw an opportunity and stretched to tackle, but Messi executed a V-pullback, evading the challenge.

He'd been waiting for Khedira to commit.

Now free, Messi raced along the edge of the box before unleashing a fierce curler with his left foot.

Thump!

Casillas flung himself right, barely tipping the ball over.

"Messi's shot! Oh~~ Casillas makes a superb save, denying the attempt. But Barcelona's attack still threatened Real Madrid's goal and earned the first corner."

"Moreover, Messi seems to have found another gear today. His performance has been outstanding."

Seeing Messi's display, Guardiola exhaled deeply. His extensive conversations with Messi, the psychological reinforcement, and granting greater tactical freedom had all helped restore Messi's confidence. This performance was the result.

He knew that to defeat Real Madrid, awakening Messi was crucial. Messi had to deliver.

Meanwhile, Guardiola glanced toward Madrid's half.

Suker had dropped back but not deep into the box, instead lurking near the edge of the area - perfectly positioned for counterattacks.

Guardiola pressed his lips together.

This corner was both an opportunity and a danger. If they couldn't turn the corner into a dead ball situation, Madrid could launch devastating counters.

Therefore...

Just as he thought this, Guardiola saw Casillas aggressively charge out, punching the ball clear.

"Oh no! The delivery was too close to goal!" Guardiola's heart clenched. He prayed the ball wouldn't find Suker.

At that moment, a figure leaped into the ball's path, gently cushioning it with his forehead to control it before turning and bursting forward with the dropping ball.

Suker accelerated rapidly, charging toward Barcelona's goal.

"Alves!!" Guardiola shouted. They couldn't let Suker enter shooting range.

"Suker controls it beautifully! Real Madrid counterattacking!"

Suker sprinted forward as Alves closed in from inside.

Suker judged the distance, suddenly pushing the ball far ahead and accelerating again.

Thump!

Alves threw himself into a challenge, the two making contact that sent Suker slightly off balance, his steps becoming unsteady.

But Suker used his hands to prevent falling, then pushed off powerfully again.

"Suker stays on his feet! He's still chasing the ball! But... can Piqué get there?"

Due to Alves' intervention, Piqué and Suker reached the ball simultaneously, but Piqué slid in, kicking the ball out of play.

"Piqué! Makes the clearance!"

Suker lightly hopped over Piqué, quickly rushing to the sideline.

'He wants to take the throw-in quickly!'

Piqué immediately recognized the danger - this guy was cunning, going off the pitch directly. Before Suker could throw, Piqué picked up the ball and tossed it back onto the field.

By the rules, there couldn't be two balls in play simultaneously.

Frustrated, Suker threw the ball directly at Piqué.

"Piqué shows great experience, preventing Real Madrid's quick throw-in and allowing his teammates to reorganize."

Piqué rubbed the back of his head. Though he'd been hit, it was worth it. If Suker had taken the quick throw with Barcelona players out of position, it would have been disastrous.

Guardiola slowly exhaled. They still couldn't underestimate Madrid's counters!

He clenched his fist tightly. The most important thing now was scoring!

Score before Madrid!

If Madrid scored first, their win probability was 100%. Though statistics weren't everything, in such matches, the psychological pressure would affect players' performances.

Thump!

Just then, Iniesta executed a sliding tackle, intercepting Alonso's forward pass. He'd anticipated Alonso's intention.

Sitting on the ground, Iniesta hurriedly passed to Xavi.

Xavi received without looking up, immediately pushing forward.

"Press him! Limit his options!" Xavi lacked the dribbling ability of Iniesta or Messi, making him easier to contain.

But Alonso charged too aggressively, creating space between the defensive lines that Ramos couldn't fill.

A gap opened in the center.

And into that space, Messi made a diagonal run from right to left.

"Oh no!" Ramos' heart sank.

Xavi already played the through ball.

Ramos charged forward, trying to reach the ball before Messi.

But Messi was faster.

And he didn't control it, instead letting it run through.

Villa surged forward.

"Villa!!"

Villa, on the left side of the box, unleashed a right-footed shot.

But as he struck, the ball was slightly deflected.

Srna slid in from the side, the ball brushing his calf, slowing slightly and popping up.

The ball arced toward goal.

Casillas, already set for the save with his weight on his left foot, strained to extend his body, desperately reaching to tip the ball.

"Clear it!!!!—"

Casillas palmed the ball out of danger, roaring loudly.

Pepe rushed to clear, but Messi suddenly appeared at the loose ball, gently heading it goalward.

The ball nestled into the net!

In the 14th minute, after intense back-and-forth, Messi opened the scoring.

Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona!

"Messi!! Messi!!!!—"

"Goal!! Messi finally delivers! After 388 days, he's scored against Real Madrid again! Barcelona lead away from home."

"From the opening whistle, Barcelona showed tremendous intensity. They came to the Bernabéu determined to win, seeking revenge and hoping to defeat Real Madrid to keep their title hopes alive."

The Bernabéu erupted in boos. The few Barcelona fans cheered wildly.

Real Madrid had conceded first, breaking their pattern of scoring first and winning. This gave Barcelona fans some comfort.

Meanwhile, Madrid fans booed Barcelona players loudly, hoping to disrupt them.

On the pitch, Suker watched Barcelona celebrate and shook his head in frustration.

So it's like this - one Ronaldo, one Messi.

These two just never quit!

Ronaldo causing trouble in the Champions League!

Messi making waves in La Liga!

No matter how you try to suppress them, they keep coming back.

Just when you think they've been quieted, they quickly remind you they're still here.

Absolutely frustrating!

On the sidelines, Faria worried: "Barcelona seems more comfortable against our high press compared to before."

Mourinho nodded: "They were bound to adapt eventually. They've clearly trained for this - their passing tempo and movement have increased specifically to counter our pressing."

It would've been strange if Barcelona hadn't adjusted. After losing five straight to Real Madrid, they'd naturally adapt to the high press and make corresponding changes.

Of course, Barcelona's player form was also a factor. These opponents were never easy to handle!

"Should we make any adjustments?" Faria asked.

"Not necessary!" Mourinho shook his head. "From now on, aside from normal substitutions, I won't make frequent tactical changes. In the pursuit of league and Champions League titles, small tricks are just tools - core tactics are what matter!"

"In the championship race, it ultimately comes down to clashes of fundamental philosophies!"

"Barcelona has tiki-taka, but we have counters that can threaten their defense. Plus, as time goes on, the situation will become more favorable for us!"

On the field, Suker stood at the center circle waiting for the restart. He pondered how to effectively break down Barcelona's defense.

Ultimately, there was only one answer.

"Focus on passing to me!" Suker took a deep breath.

Tiki-taka was about maintaining midfield stability. Suker's job was to constantly attack the defense, pressuring Barcelona until they lost composure, while also testing Alves - ideally getting him booked.

Once Alves received a yellow, the left flank would become Suker's personal highway.

Peep!

The whistle blew, and the match resumed.

After the kickoff, Suker didn't charge forward immediately but drifted left. He glanced at Alves' position while continuing to drop deeper to receive the ball.

Alonso passed to Marcelo, who played it down the line.

Xavi stretched to intercept but couldn't reach it, immediately turning back to press Suker.

Suker received on the wing and immediately accelerated down the flank.

He drove straight toward the byline.

Alves positioned himself to block Suker's cut inside, watching intently.

At that moment, Suker changed rhythm abruptly, feinting inside before cutting back outside and continuing toward the byline.

"Stay in position!" Alves recovered to chase Suker while reminding teammates to maintain shape.

Now Alves had pushed Suker toward the byline. Alves subtly opened a channel inviting Suker inside.

Suddenly, Suker cut inside sharply.

"Got you!" Alves immediately pounced - this was his trap.

But then Suker sharply cut back with his right foot, pushing the ball with his left.

The ball rolled along the byline into space behind Alves as Suker burst past.

A fried meatball move in the tightest of spaces!

"Suker's through!"

Alves immediately raised his hand, claiming the ball went out.

But the referee ignored him as Suker played a diagonal through ball.

Benzema and Puyol both charged toward the ball. Benzema stretched but was disrupted, neither making contact.

The ball rolled into space on the right.

Kaká met it with a thunderous strike.

Clang! Swish!

An explosive finish.

The ball struck the crossbar and bounced into the net.