After taking a three-goal lead, Leeds United didn't ease up.
The young Leeds players continued to pressure Barcelona and even stepped up their aggression.
At this point, Barcelona's players must have felt increasingly frustrated, watching the group of young, confident players in white shirts brimming with energy and determination, seemingly tireless.
More importantly, once Leeds United saw an opening, they immediately pounced and launched aggressive attacks.
They were like fearless calves facing a lion.
When Barcelona managed to create danger and Messi nearly scored, Leeds United didn't retreat. Instead, they pushed forward with high pressing, forcing their way into Barcelona's penalty area.
The most interesting moment came in the 33rd minute. Haaland fired a shot that went wide, giving Barcelona a goal kick.
Neto placed the ball at the edge of the six-yard box. Piqué and Lenglet, the two center-backs, stood on either side of the penalty area.
By now, Leeds United's attacking trio had already closed in.
From the stands, Vinicius, Haaland, and Sancho were all positioned just outside the box, clearly determined to pressure Barcelona to the end.
This immediately put Barcelona under strain, especially Neto, who passed the ball to Piqué to initiate the buildup. But Vinicius instantly closed him down on the left side of the box.
Piqué immediately felt the pressure.
Vinicius' pressing was calculated, carefully positioning himself between Piqué and Semedo to block the passing lane.
If Piqué wanted to pass to Semedo, he'd have to risk interception.
Piqué feinted, cut the ball back, and played it to Neto.
Vinicius sharply changed direction, accelerating toward Neto in a zigzag movement.
Receiving a back-pass, the goalkeeper couldn't use his hands.
Neto, seeing Vinicius charging, panicked and rushed to clear the ball.
The longer he lingered in the danger zone, the worse it would be.
But the rushed clearance didn't even reach the halfway line. It dropped in the 30-meter area and was easily brought down by Declan Rice, unmarked.
Leeds United launched another attack immediately.
Piqué and Lenglet had stepped up, and Vinicius pulled back onside.
Rice faced no real challenge and, upon entering the 30-meter zone, threaded a through ball toward the edge of the box on the right.
Sancho arrived and flicked it first time.
The ball looped diagonally into the left side of the box.
Haaland made a powerful run, brushing past Piqué with ease. He sprinted into the penalty area, leaped into the air, and met Sancho's chipped pass with a thumping header.
The ball flew past Neto and into the left side of the goal.
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"It's Haaland again!"
"A brace!"
"Leeds United have scored their fourth goal of the first half!"
"My God, this is a disaster at Camp Nou."
"No one expected Barcelona to suffer such a humiliating defeat at home tonight."
"Leeds United's counterattack was blistering. From Declan Rice's through ball, to Sancho's lobbed pass, to Haaland's header, it was all one-touch. The coordination and technique from Leeds United were flawless."
"4-0!"
"Barcelona are facing an unprecedented crisis!"
...
"Let's keep this momentum going and push again!"
In the stands, Gao Shen clenched his fists with excitement.
Lucas and Borrell both lost the bet, but they didn't care. They were just as thrilled.
In contrast, Bartomeu and the others sitting nearby wore grim expressions.
Bartomeu glanced over at Gao Shen. Gao Shen returned the look with a smile and a polite nod. Bartomeu awkwardly forced a stiff smile, gave a perfunctory nod in return, then quickly turned to talk to someone beside him.
It nearly made Gao Shen laugh.
This was the ultimate slap in the face.
Even though the VIP stands and the pitch are separate worlds, Gao Shen's presence here was clearly symbolic for Barcelona.
Ever since he took charge of Real Madrid and defeated Barcelona to win the double, he had become a nightmare for them. Even this season, after taking over Real Madrid again, the Galácticos entered a new 3.0 phase and made huge strides in both La Liga and the Champions League.
It was proof that top-tier ability gets global recognition.
Worse still, even his Leeds United team was now dismantling Barcelona at Camp Nou.
"Barcelona's success and failure both come from their system," Lucas sighed.
They had fallen into a vicious cycle.
To maintain consistency, Barcelona played possession-based football. To sustain that, they relied on veterans like Busquets, Messi, and Piqué, or academy products. With veterans and homegrown players cemented in place, and tactics tailored to a possession style, new signings struggled to integrate. Because they struggled to fit in, the team's running and defensive intensity dropped. Without enough pressing or coverage, they were exposed against top teams. And the more they lost control, the more they clung to stability and ball retention...
Within this loop, the real problem was clear to everyone.
Possession once brought them glory, but does it still work?
It's like the Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone sees the truth but no one wants to say it.
The entire club, fanbase, and Catalan region are still basking in the past.
"To be blunt, it's all Messi's fault," Borrell joked.
He had coached Messi personally and had a close relationship with him, but there was a reason for that statement.
Why?
Because Messi is too good.
When you have a player like Messi, the simplest solution is to build everything around him and unleash his talent.
And the possession system was the best tactical framework to do just that.
If Messi weren't there, maybe Barcelona would have bitten the bullet and rebuilt.
But because of Messi, they hesitated.
In the end, it's like the saying: I used to own a cow.
"They've collapsed mentally. We need to take full advantage of the situation now, push forward again, and kill the match," Gao Shen said calmly.
It wasn't fair to blame Messi alone for Barcelona's current mess.
After all, Messi isn't Benzema.
And Leeds United didn't let up on the pitch.
...
In the 40th minute, Leeds launched another attack. They committed numbers in Barcelona's half, keeping up the pressure.
Barcelona's midfield was in shambles. The players' confidence was shattered, and morale was low.
One of their attempted clearances barely left the defensive third and was recovered by Leeds.
Declan Rice headed the ball down and passed it to Bruno Fernandes, who had dropped into the final third.
The Portuguese midfielder received the ball with his back to goal, brought it under control, turned, and surged diagonally toward the box.
Not a single Barcelona midfielder closed him down.
Bruno quickly played it to Haaland, who had dropped just outside the penalty area.
Haaland shielded the ball from Piqué, then flicked a pass with the outside of his left foot toward Sancho on the right.
Sancho sprinted in, linked up with Haaland, and delivered a diagonal pass with his right foot.
The ball slid through the gap between Lenglet and Piqué.
Bruno Fernandes and Vinicius charged in together, but Bruno got there first and smashed a low shot past Neto.
5-0!
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!"
Camp Nou fell into total silence.
Everyone knew Leeds United were strong this season. Their young players had been excellent.
But to be leading 5-0 at Camp Nou in just one half?
Should we say Barcelona were too weak, or that Leeds were simply too strong?
Bruno sprinted to the touchline and celebrated wildly.
The Leeds players rushed over to join him.
A second goal for him.
The Portuguese midfielder showed once again his outstanding ability to time late runs into the box.
"The collapse is complete!"
"Barcelona have been dreadful at home tonight. Their midfield was completely overrun. Every Leeds United attack passed through the middle like it was empty space."
"With no midfield cover, the defense was constantly exposed to direct attacks, and the result was inevitable."
"To be fair, Leeds United's young players performed excellently. Every one of them looked full of energy. That combination just now was especially brilliant."
"Barcelona really need to start thinking about the future."
The Barcelona fans were stunned.
The stadium, packed with 100,000 spectators, was now dead silent, as if no one was watching the match.
Barcelona had been hammered before, even at home. They had also lost to teams like Götze's Dortmund.
But this — being dismantled at home by Leeds United within one half — was unprecedented.
And judging by the current momentum, if things kept going like this, how would the second half end?
Could they even finish the match with dignity?
Or would this turn into a historic humiliation?
(To be continued.)