In the 18th minute, Haaland suddenly moved to the right flank of the attacking third to receive a pass from a teammate.
The Norwegian center forward shielded Alba with his body, stopped the ball, then immediately turned and cut inside.
He was like a rampaging heavy tank, and Alba couldn't stop him at all.
Not only Alba, but Pjanić, who tracked back, and Busquets, who tried to help, were also unable to contain him.
Haaland, a left-footed player, dribbled in from the right sideline, bypassing Barcelona's defenders, and delivered a cross to Enzo Fernández, who was unmarked on the left flank.
The Argentine midfielder controlled the ball and advanced. At first, he intended to combine with Rashford. After tricking Frenkie de Jong into blocking his path, he suddenly stopped, flicked the ball with his right foot, made a slight adjustment, and unleashed a long-range shot from about 28 meters outside the penalty area.
The ball, like a missile, traced a beautiful arc and landed in the right side of Barcelona's goal.
Barcelona goalkeeper Neto was helpless and could only watch as the ball flew into the net.
"Goalllllllllllllllllll!!!"
"Enzo Fernández!!"
"In the 18th minute, the young Argentine midfielder scored a stunning long-range effort to breach Barcelona's goal."
"1-0!"
Leeds United take the lead at Camp Nou!
"Enzo should definitely thank his teammate Haaland for that goal."
"It was Haaland's dribbling and cut-in from the right that drew away defenders and broke through Barcelona's defensive shape, creating the opportunity for Enzo Fernández's forward run."
"This goal also exposed Barcelona's defensive issues, especially their vulnerability on the flanks."
"The backline dropped too deep."
"Of course, if Piqué and Lenglet had pushed out, Rashford and Sancho could have threatened the penalty area, which would have been very dangerous."
When Haaland cut inside, Sancho was already positioned on the right side of Barcelona's box, and Rashford was attacking from the left. The only gap was through the center.
If Barcelona's center-backs had moved out, Haaland could've opted for Sancho instead of Enzo.
Likewise, if Rashford had been unmarked on the left, Enzo would've passed to him.
It's worth noting that Rashford excels at cutting in from the left side of the box and shooting.
In short, the moment Haaland surged forward from the right wing, Barcelona's defense had already fallen apart.
...
After conceding the goal, Barcelona did not show any urgency. Instead, they continued trying to slowly control the tempo and possession.
Leeds United, on the other hand, maintained their aggressive and high-energy style, despite being the away team.
Especially in the attacking third.
This is the biggest difference between young teams and aging sides.
Young squads are full of energy. Their players have stamina and excellent movement.
For older teams like Barcelona, it would be better to adopt a defensive counterattacking approach like Real Madrid used to play under Koshin. But if they insist on playing possession-based football, the results can be disastrous.
For example, just seven minutes after the first goal, Barcelona tried to build from the back.
The goalkeeper, Lenglet, and Piqué passed the ball between themselves. Busquets also dropped deep to offer support, but Leeds United's front three pushed high simultaneously, making it impossible for Barcelona's backline to move the ball upfield.
Sancho pressed Alba, forcing a back pass to Lenglet.
Rashford stayed on Piqué, while Haaland left Busquets to press Lenglet.
The French center-back was left with only two options: play it back to the goalkeeper or attempt a forward pass.
At that moment, Pjanić dropped deep from midfield, raising his hand to call for the ball.
Lenglet passed directly to Pjanić's feet.
The Barcelona midfielder, with his back to goal, trapped the ball, turned, and tried to dribble forward.
Unexpectedly, Enzo Fernández reacted quickly, poked the ball away before Pjanić could settle it, and passed it to the retreating Valverde.
Valverde had a wide range of movement in tonight's match.
Facing forward, the Uruguayan midfielder received the ball, looked up, and saw Rashford dropping back, immediately playing a pass to him.
Rashford received the ball in space and surged forward.
At the same time, Haaland, leading the line, did something surprising. Instead of pushing straight ahead, he diagonally drifted left along the edge of the penalty area.
Rashford drove through the center. Both players were lightning fast.
This immediately caused trouble for Barcelona's defense.
The ball had been won too close to the box, and in the blink of an eye, Rashford was already at the edge of the area and within shooting range.
Piqué, Busquets, Lenglet, Dest, and Pjanić were all chasing him...
If time were frozen at that moment, you'd see that five Barcelona defenders surrounded Rashford, completely cutting off his shooting angle and space.
But they overlooked Haaland's diagonal run to the left.
Or rather, they couldn't do anything about it.
Rashford had the physique of a tall center forward, but his footwork was good. If he hadn't grown so tall, he might have been even more technically refined.
So just outside the box, surrounded by five defenders, he suddenly stopped, threw a series of feints, and then played a diagonal pass with his right foot.
The ball passed right in front of Dest and dropped on the left side of the penalty area.
Haaland arrived on cue, turned, faced the onrushing goalkeeper, and struck with his left foot.
The ball flew past Neto and went straight into the bottom right corner.
"Goallllllllllllllllllllll!!!"
"Haaland!"
"A calm, clinical left-footed finish!"
"In the 25th minute, Haaland scores again for Leeds United!"
"2-0!"
"We saw how Leeds United's pressing in midfield and the attacking third disrupted Barcelona's passing lanes and forced repeated turnovers near the halfway line. And their counterattacks are lightning quick."
...
After scoring two quick goals, Leeds United's morale soared.
These young players were bursting with motivation, launching wave after wave of attacks on Barcelona.
Barcelona's players, meanwhile, were struggling with both morale and fitness. Their lack of movement seriously impacted their performance.
The most obvious problem was their inability to maintain possession. Their build-up was constantly disrupted.
They couldn't complete passing sequences. The midfielders and forwards couldn't get on the ball. Messi, up front, was effectively idle, which was a serious issue.
Griezmann and Felipe Anderson dropped back to receive passes, but nothing got through.
Leeds United's midfield trio completely dominated Barcelona's midfield, which no one had expected.
Even more surprising was that Leeds United also dominated possession.
At one point, the stats showed a staggering 65% to 35% in Leeds' favor.
Yes, Leeds United had 65% possession.
That was astonishing.
When a team that prides itself on possession loses that battle under pressure, it's a devastating blow.
But that was exactly the situation Barcelona found themselves in at Camp Nou.
They sadly discovered they couldn't even do the one thing they used to be best at—keeping the ball.
Barcelona's players simply couldn't adapt to Leeds United's relentless, high-pressing, fast-paced attack.
It was like an old man being forced to keep up with teenagers.
Add in the defensive issues that have plagued them for years, and it was a recipe for disaster.
For instance, in the 34th minute.
Barcelona's midfield and backline pushed up slowly, trying to regain control.
When Frenkie de Jong played the ball sideways to Busquets, the veteran midfielder raised his hand to signal his teammates to slow things down.
At Barcelona, possession is life.
But Busquets didn't expect Sancho to show absolutely no "sportsmanship," charging in from the side and using his body to shield both him and the ball, knocking him down.
Busquets is a seasoned veteran.
As soon as Sancho leaned into him, he hit the ground, covering his face like he'd been viciously assaulted.
All that remained was for the referee to blow the whistle.
But Busquets lay there, rolling and writhing, waiting… yet nothing came.
On the contrary, Sancho kept his balance, took the ball cleanly, and immediately launched a counterattack.
Leeds United's attacking trio burst forward, quickly creating a 3-on-2 in the final third.
Piqué and Lenglet had just stepped up and now had to sprint back.
Leeds United's front three were simply too fast.
Sancho dribbled inside, with Rashford on the left and Haaland slightly behind on the right.
Rashford drew Piqué. Sancho attracted Lenglet. The right side of the penalty area opened up.
Sancho passed to Haaland, who timed his run perfectly and struck with his left foot.
The goalkeeper rushed out but couldn't stop the shot, which flew into the bottom left corner.
At that moment, Busquets was just getting up, only to see his team concede again. He was completely stunned.
This script is wrong!
"Goalllllllllllllllll!!!"
Haaland scores again. His second of the night.
"Leeds United's front three are incredibly active. As soon as they win the ball, their counterattack launches instantly. All three are excellent players."
"Barcelona's defense simply couldn't cope with Leeds United's attack, especially their front three."
"Haaland, Rashford, and Sancho, this Leeds United trident might be the strongest attacking trio in European football this season. Even Real Madrid's and Paris Saint-Germain's forward lines are arguably a step below."
"Especially Haaland. He's been scoring as easily as breathing this season!"
"This really makes us believe what Gao Shen once said: the era of the great center forward has arrived!"
(To be continued.)