During halftime, Barcelona made one substitution.
Chilean star Arturo Vidal replaced Sergi Roberto.
At the start of the second half, Barcelona's overall formation underwent a significant change.
Messi and Aguero led the attack, with Griezmann in the number 10 position, and Frenkie de Jong, Busquets, and Vidal forming the defensive midfield trio behind them.
Clearly, this was an adjustment made by coach Setién based on the first-half performance.
Vidal replaced Roberto to strengthen the midfield. Griezmann's placement as the number 10 was meant to link the midfield with the attack, avoiding the disconnect seen in the first half.
As for pairing Messi and Aguero up front, it was clearly an attempt to boost attacking power.
Conceding five goals in the first half was a disgrace for Barcelona. Setién's decision to switch to a 4-3-1-2 formation in the second half was a desperate but understandable gamble.
However, Leeds United immediately saw through Barcelona's tactical intentions.
After Pochettino began the second half, he did not push his team forward as aggressively as in the first half. Instead, he opted for a more conservative approach, focusing on the area near the midfield line and not pressing too far forward, allowing Barcelona to push up with the ball.
But Barcelona's problems remained unsolved.
Although the players showed improved morale and fighting spirit after halftime, and their physical condition had recovered significantly, leading to a more active performance, issues still persisted.
The biggest problem with the 4-3-1-2 formation was the defense on the flanks.
Leeds United's biggest strength lay in their rapid counter-attacks after regaining possession, exploiting the time difference during transitions. Barcelona's 4-3-1-2 made it difficult to quickly shift into a defensive posture.
To neutralize Leeds' wing attacks, Barcelona would need at least two wingers.
In this formation, the only way to achieve that was for the three defensive midfielders to quickly shift to the flanks to help the full-backs.
But this limited the full-backs' ability to push forward and join the attack.
Without overlapping runs from the full-backs, Barcelona's offense relied too heavily on the central area and the individual abilities of the three forwards. The lack of width was a major problem.
On the other hand, if the full-backs were allowed to push up, the front line's pressing became ineffective when transitioning from attack to defense.
Aguero and Messi were both aging and not the type of players who could cover large areas or press intensely after losing the ball. Griezmann was similar. This meant that Barcelona's forward line couldn't apply enough pressure after losing possession.
Once Leeds broke through the midfield, the pace of players like Alphonso Davies, Achraf Hakimi, Vinicius Junior, and Jadon Sancho often left Barcelona's full-backs unable to recover in time. The three midfielders also couldn't shift wide quickly enough, allowing Leeds to invade the final third with ease.
Of course, the 4-3-1-2 with three defensive midfielders did have its strengths.
The dense central midfield limited Leeds' central penetration.
When the flanks created danger, Leeds' central attack relied on Haaland fighting against Barcelona's two center-backs, supported by late runs from players like Bruno Fernandes and Valverde.
This explained the stalemate early in the second half.
Leeds subtly regained the initiative and created more chances, while Barcelona became more passive. However, neither side scored.
This situation was far more beneficial for Leeds, who were already five goals ahead.
Even if the score remained unchanged, Leeds had all but secured a massive away win and their spot in the semi-finals.
In contrast, Barcelona, having conceded five goals in the first half and now forced into a defensive second-half posture, were utterly humiliated.
Worse still, Barcelona's squad was aging. The longer the match dragged on, the more it played into Leeds' hands.
So, Pochettino didn't make any substitutions. He just continued to let Barcelona wear themselves out.
Time ticked away.
By the 55th minute, the 100,000 fans at Camp Nou were full of resentment as they watched Barcelona play such a passive match.
Boos rang out, and chants calling for Setién to be sacked echoed through the stadium.
Clearly, the fans were deeply dissatisfied with the current performance and tactical approach.
They were already five goals down. Shouldn't the team be pressing hard and fighting back with everything they had?
Why were they becoming more conservative?
The jeers from the stands made the Barcelona board members in the VIP seats, especially President Bartomeu, look increasingly uncomfortable.
If Gao Shen and the others weren't present, they might have left already.
Though they stayed out of courtesy, everyone was extremely tense.
When the game reached the 60th minute, the deadlock remained. Barcelona had even lost possession to Leeds during the second half and had only managed one shot on goal. How could the home fans tolerate such a performance?
It was disgraceful.
Getting bullied like this on home turf, and not even daring to fight back?
Barcelona's players were visibly losing confidence and motivation.
At that point, all they wanted was for the game to end as soon as possible.
But just then, a long pass came from deep in the Leeds half, landing on the left side of the penalty arc, just outside Barcelona's box.
...
Pique tried to push aside the Norwegian striker in front of him, but Haaland's build was strong and solid. While not as monstrous as Drogba, he was still more than enough to handle.
Pique did everything he could, but he couldn't budge him.
Leeds attacked cleverly, first going down the right wing before switching to the left.
Vinicius and Alphonso Davies had tried to threaten from the left, but were shut down by Barcelona and forced to pass the ball back.
Then, suddenly, Militao launched a long pass, bypassing the midfield and delivering the ball accurately to the left side of the penalty arc.
Pique cursed under his breath.
Why was no one pressing Leeds' center-backs up front?
But there was no time to complain. He realized he couldn't win the aerial duel against Haaland, so he immediately changed tactics, trying to keep Haaland from controlling the ball while calling for his teammates to pick up the second ball.
He wasn't sure if Lenglet understood him.
But there was no time to worry.
His full attention was on Haaland now.
With no room to maneuver, Haaland leaped.
Pique was stuck behind him and couldn't jump.
The ball was too far from goal for a direct header, so the key was to control the second ball.
Haaland won the first header and flicked it to the right side of the penalty arc.
Just as expected.
They were going for Sancho?
That thought flashed through Pique's mind.
Lenglet should be able to handle him, right?
Feeling the pressure ease slightly, Pique turned to look at the second ball.
Sure enough, Lenglet was in position.
But just as Pique was about to relax, a white figure darted in from midfield at top speed.
Even worse, none of Barcelona's midfielders had tracked back.
Valverde!
Where was De Jong?
Pique panicked and rushed over.
Valverde had sprinted from midfield. While Lenglet waited for the ball, Valverde intercepted with his right foot, controlled it in the box, and followed it up.
Pique reacted quickly, but Valverde was even quicker, blasting a shot.
The ball screamed into the net.
6-0!
The Uruguayan midfielder roared in celebration, punching the air and unleashing all his emotions.
Everyone in Barcelona stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the penalty area, the net, and the ball nestled in the bottom corner.
6-0!
What just happened?
How did it come to this?
It was one thing to play conservatively, but they couldn't even hold on?
...
If Barcelona had held their ground in the early part of the second half, Valverde's goal shattered all hope.
They had completely lost their will to fight. Everyone had the same thought in their minds.
Let this nightmare end already!
When would this kind of match finally be over?
Meanwhile, Leeds' morale soared after Valverde's goal.
A minute later, Pochettino brought on Rashford for young winger Vinicius.
This was a clear signal for an even stronger attack.
Everyone knew that Rashford was a better finisher.
He could play as a striker or on the left wing, and his form this season had been steadily improving.
In the 70th minute, Pochettino brought on Enzo Fernandes for Bruno Fernandes.
Though both shared the same last name, Enzo and Bruno had very different styles.
The former was more well-rounded, especially strong in passing and orchestrating play. The latter specialized in late runs into the box.
Enzo had delivered surprises almost every time he came on this season, and this time was no different.
Less than five minutes after entering the pitch, he intercepted the ball in midfield and delivered a diagonal pass. Rashford surged down the left flank, shifted the ball to the right side of the penalty area, where Hakimi controlled it and fired a shot, scoring again.
7-0!
Only 74 minutes had passed.
Three minutes later, Enzo sent a through ball to Haaland, who exploited the large gap between Pique and Lenglet. Using his speed and explosiveness, he burst into the box, controlled the ball, and fired another goal.
8-0!
In the 82nd minute, substitute Ansu Fati combined with Hakimi on the right. Hakimi crossed from the byline, Haaland dummied at the near post, and Rashford, who had been waiting at the far post, leapt above Semedo and headed it into the net.
9-0!
Anyone could see that Barcelona's spirit had been completely broken.
The players were physically and mentally drained.
If Leeds continued at this rate, a double-digit scoreline was entirely possible.
The Barcelona players were well aware of this, which is why they began increasing the intensity of their tackles.
Alaba, Aguero, and Vidal all received yellow cards in quick succession. Hakimi also picked one up, and the two sides nearly came to blows.
In the end, Leeds let Barcelona off the hook, choosing not to humiliate them further in the final minutes and easing off.
But the 9-0 scoreline was already shocking enough.
(To be continued.)