Leeds United immediately threatened Barcelona's goal at the start of the second half with a long-range shot from Valverde.
Subsequently, the White Rose pressed on, continuing their offensive against Barcelona.
In the 49th minute, Rashford dropped back to the left touchline to receive a pass from Alphonso Davies but was immediately double-teamed by Dest and Pjanić.
He promptly passed the ball back to Enzo Fernández and made a diagonal run into open space.
The Argentine controlled the ball, took a step horizontally, and then quickly passed it to Declan Rice.
The English midfielder, without stopping the ball, sent it forward with a single touch, perfectly into Rashford's running path.
At this point, Piqué had already moved to close him down.
Rashford seized the opportunity. Before Piqué could get close, he executed a stop-and-go move, effortlessly gliding past him and accelerating at an incredible speed, instantly leaving him behind.
The unfortunate Barcelona center-back was caught out of position and overrun.
In a reflex action, Piqué even reached out to tug Rashford's jersey, desperately trying to stop him and bring him down.
However, stumbling, he couldn't stop Rashford.
The jersey, slick with sweat, stretched and couldn't be held firmly, allowing Rashford to speed away in a cloud of dust.
Piqué's attempt to stop him did have some effect. At least right-back Dest had managed to get back into position, blocking Rashford's path and making it difficult for him to advance further.
Rashford, with his audacious skill, stopped the ball with his right foot, glanced towards the center, and sent a diagonal pass directly to the edge of the box.
Haaland was slightly behind Lenglet and Alba, and Rashford's pass arrived perfectly in front of him, right in the area behind both defenders.
Leeds United's trident worked in perfect harmony, understanding each other's passing intentions implicitly.
Haaland, receiving the ball in that position, used his right foot to control it into the penalty area. Then, pushing off with both feet, he sprang forward like a nimble cheetah eyeing its prey, accelerating rapidly.
Just as Lenglet was about to stop and mark him, he saw the Norwegian had already burst into action, moving incredibly fast, and instantly darting into the penalty area, leaving him no time to react.
Haaland forcefully surged between Lenglet and Alba, as if smashing through Barcelona's defense.
After catching up to the ball, he struck it with his left foot, sending it once again into Barcelona's net.
The goalkeeper was utterly helpless.
5-0.
"A quadruple!"
"My God, Haaland is playing like a god tonight!"
"From the first half until now, he has scored four consecutive goals, completing a quadruple!"
"It's hard to believe that this young Norwegian talent is only 20 years old, yet he is already a very mature top-tier striker, and the most threatening attacker in European football this season."
"Tonight, at Camp Nou, Haaland has continuously created goals, giving Leeds United a four-goal lead."
"But at this moment, the second half has only just begun for a little over 4 minutes, and there are still more than forty minutes left in the match."
"Barcelona is already five goals down. Every minute from now on will be an agony."
"Ronald Koeman must quickly come up with an effective solution to turn the tide of the game, especially concerning the team's defense."
...
After scoring, Haaland, overcome with excitement, sprinted off the field and ran wildly to the sidelines to celebrate.
The surrounding Leeds United players also chased after him, gathering around the Norwegian on the sidelines, wildly celebrating the team's fifth goal.
This was also his fourth goal.
Messi stood near the center circle, hands on his hips, breathing heavily, and spat, looking at his own half with a sense of utter disbelief. Then he turned his head to look at the wildly celebrating Haaland on the sidelines.
Around Haaland, the young Leeds United players were huddled closely, their faces radiating youth and passion.
For some reason, at this moment, Messi suddenly recalled his own situation when he was twenty years old.
At that time, European football was still in the era of Ronaldinho and Kaká.
The Brazilian was then the undisputed king, especially at Barcelona, where Ronaldinho was the admired focal point for everyone.
Messi still clearly remembered how his elder brother took special care of him, not only including him in daily training but also in casual indoor football games and even on the actual football pitch.
His first goal was scored with Ronaldinho's help.
He still remembered that day, May 1st, Labor Day, 2005, when Barcelona's opponent was Athletic Bilbao.
That year, Messi had just made his debut. He hadn't even gone to the World Youth Championship in the Netherlands yet and was still an unknown.
But Ronaldinho took great care of him. When he learned that then-coach Frank Rijkaard would arrange for Messi to play, he continuously encouraged him and promised to help him score.
Athletic Bilbao was no pushover, and Barcelona had a very tough game that day.
Ronaldinho only assisted Eto'o in scoring a goal in the 66th minute.
And Rijkaard only kept his promise in the 88th minute, allowing Messi to make his debut.
For a young kid, this was truly not easy.
After coming on, Ronaldinho pulled him aside and told him to wait in the penalty area.
"I'll bring the ball over to you. Remember, don't think about anything else, just think about how to score. Leave the rest to me."
Messi still remembered those words.
Coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute, replacing goal-scorer Eto'o, he had only a few short minutes left.
At that time, Messi's first thought was, "This is impossible."
Who can guarantee they can create a perfect scoring opportunity for a teammate within a few minutes?
So he just smiled and thanked him, but didn't take it to heart at all.
But surprisingly, it really happened.
Ronaldinho dribbled past Athletic Bilbao's fierce defenders, bringing the ball to Messi. The young Argentine was caught off guard and shot wide.
At that moment, Messi was completely stunned.
He never expected Ronaldinho to actually pull it off.
At that very moment, the Brazilian king was like a god.
But soon, Messi deeply regretted missing that golden opportunity. He blamed himself for not believing Ronaldinho could do it.
But the Brazilian laughed, revealing his signature buck teeth, and patted Messi's shoulder, saying with a smile, "It's okay, it's okay, I'll get you another one."
Messi was truly speechless.
Such an opportunity, could it really be created a second time?
For Ronaldinho to create it the first time was already a miracle, wasn't it?
After the first attempt, Athletic Bilbao was already prepared. Did he still think he could create a second one?
Messi's reaction at the time was, "This is absolutely impossible."
Even if Maradona were reborn, he couldn't do it.
But in stoppage time, Ronaldinho actually created another chance for him. This time, the chance was even better than before, and Messi calmly sent the ball into the net.
Thus, he made history.
At that time, Messi was completely dazed. He only felt Ronaldinho and the others surrounding him, wildly celebrating his goal, reveling without restraint.
Even now, he still clearly remembered every detail of that night.
And at this moment, watching the Leeds United players celebrating wildly, for some reason, he suddenly thought of Ronaldinho and that night.
He felt like crying.
At that time, his situation at Barcelona was quite difficult because he was just a rookie, but that goal made everyone remember Messi's name.
Because he set a record.
And now, his situation was still very difficult.
Barcelona's management, fans, and even teammates in the locker room... Messi's situation at Barcelona was very bad, and he had even contemplated leaving more than once.
Back then, when he needed it, there was still the elder brother Ronaldinho who stepped up and, with his magical Brazilian skills, created a goal for him.
But now, he could only rely on himself.
Suddenly, he truly envied these Leeds United players. He truly envied Haaland.
Seeing the young Norwegian, he seemed to recall his younger self, full of inexhaustible energy.
But now, he was truly old.
Others might not feel it much, but Messi knew in his heart that he was truly old.
His body, his movements, his stamina, and even many skills he once performed with ease were now beyond him, far from what they used to be.
But precisely because of this, he particularly envied Haaland.
He truly, truly envied him.
But soon, Messi composed himself.
He heard the boos from the Camp Nou stands. He heard the anger and dissatisfaction of the Barcelona fans.
Over this period, with some people deliberately guiding public opinion, even fanning the flames, all fingers pointed at him.
This made Messi incredibly angry.
He never felt that Barcelona's current problems were solely caused by him, nor did he ever feel that he should be responsible for the current situation.
Because he truly gave his all.
But why was everyone blaming him?
Could it be that it was truly time to leave?
He had come to Barcelona as a child, struggled his way up from the academy to the first team, and reached where he was today. Could it be that he really had to leave?
After leaving Barcelona, where could he go?
Messi suddenly became overwhelmed with thoughts, filled with melancholy.
He knew his form wasn't good, and he knew his situation wasn't ideal, but he didn't have many good solutions.
He simply couldn't change many things at Barcelona now, nor could he change the will and actions of the management.
He was just a player.
Even if he was Messi, he was still just a player.
(To be continued.)