Suker pulled Pepe back, and the conflict came to an end.
Alves paid the price for his action with a yellow card.
This also made the left-wing defense precarious.
After Alves received the card, he would become even more passive when defending against Suker.
However, what was unexpected was that Alves also made such aggressive moves against his National Team teammate Marcelo.
Neymar looked a bit scared.
This was much more intense than the Spanish Super Cup period.
After all, the match wasn't that important, so there wouldn't be too many intense actions.
But once it came to a match that determined League points, neither side would show any mercy.
As for the conflict between Alves and Marcelo, it was quite common.
They were National Team teammates, yes, but only teammates, not close friends; they played for different clubs, so they would tackle and pull without hesitation.
After all, they spent most of their time playing for their clubs, so they naturally had to put in the effort.
Real Madrid had a set piece in the left rib area, and since the angle wasn't ideal, Kaka took the kick.
Suker and others had already rushed into the penalty area, ready to contend for the header.
"Kaka takes the set piece!"
Bang!
The ball was kicked out, and players from both sides immediately became entangled.
With all the pushing and pulling, no one managed to jump successfully, and the ball just went past them.
The ball flew out of bounds, resulting in a Barcelona goal kick.
"These guys have practiced set-piece defense!"
Suker said as he retreated.
Barcelona's defensive mode had changed; from previously marking high balls, they had shifted to man-marking.
And when marking, they also divided into several areas; although the specifics were unknown, their defensive efficiency was quite good.
Suker wanted to squeeze in, but he was pulled and dragged, unable to reach the jumping point, let alone contend for the header.
"It would be strange if they didn't study it!"
Kaka shrugged.
Barcelona had been breached by Real Madrid's headers many times; it would be problematic if they didn't research aerial defense tactics.
It was Barcelona's turn to attack.
The ball gradually moved from the flank to the center and was accurately delivered to Messi's feet.
Without as much targeted pressure, Messi's performance became much more stable, and he also didn't give Real Madrid as many opportunities to foul him.
Messi felt he could easily complete transfers and also share the pressure.
Another reason was that Neymar's performance was indeed excellent, attracting a lot of attention.
When the ball was passed to Neymar's feet, this time, he didn't break through towards the flank.
Instead, he directly initiated an attack along the diagonal of his reception, which was the rib area.
The most crucial thing was that at the moment Neymar stopped the ball, he stopped it in front of his breakthrough direction, which turned the contest between Neymar and Casemiro into a race.
Casemiro was still facing away from Neymar and needed to turn, so he naturally couldn't keep up.
"Srna! Cover!"
Casemiro immediately roared.
Srna also rushed over immediately.
The position of this ball was a bit awkward, right where Srna could clear it.
Therefore, Srna charged forward.
However, Neymar accelerated a second time, reaching the ball's position first; at this point, Srna couldn't even brake in time and could only brace himself and go for it.
"Oh no!"
Srna was startled.
But at this moment, Neymar lightly stepped on the ball, a slight pause, and after Srna swept past him, he continued to press forward.
As Neymar burst into the penalty area, Real Madrid's defense instantly fell into disarray.
"Neymar!! Here he comes!! Barcelona's chance!"
After Neymar reached the vicinity of the six-yard box, Pepe rushed forward regardless, and Goalkeeper Diego López looked even more serious.
Just then, Neymar suddenly turned sideways and lightly passed the ball out.
The ball went on a reverse diagonal pass, and there, Messi had almost no defending players around him; he easily pushed the shot, and the ball precisely nestled into the bottom right corner of the goal.
In the 19th minute of the first half, Barcelona scored first!
"Messi!! A wonderful goal!! Barcelona scores first, Neymar's breakthrough pulled Real Madrid's defense into extreme disarray, even Srna became a backdrop for this Brazilian genius!"
"With that flamboyant technical style, he seemed to be dancing the Brazilian samba as he delivered the ball to Messi's feet!"
Boom!!!!!!—
Whoosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!—
The cheers from the entire stadium erupted!
They cheered for Messi's goal.
They also shouted for Neymar's brilliant dribble.
Messi and Neymar also embraced on the field, both looking extremely excited.
Of course, the most excited was Head Coach Enrique.
He clenched his fists tightly, waving his arms excitedly, appearing incredibly thrilled.
The greater the pressure, the higher his heart rate was now.
Scoring first against Real Madrid reduced their pressure by more than half.
This was an excellent start!
"That's right! Just like that."
Enrique shouted loudly from the sideline, which also fueled the excitement of the entire stadium.
On the other side, at Real Madrid's bench, Ancelotti frowned slightly.
Zidane, next to him, also showed a troubled expression.
"Neymar! He's a bit unstoppable!"
They had still focused more on restricting Messi, but Neymar's burst made them somewhat passive.
They had thought that Srna could stop Neymar, but now, thinking about it, it was a bit naive.
"The full-back position is inherently a very crucial and problematic position."
"Those world-renowned full-backs, in their later professional years, also encounter various problems, the most typical of which is Maicon encountering Suker in his prime, then being torn apart by Bale, and losing all form thereafter."
"Srna has maintained his competitive form for a long time, but now, it must be said, he has started to decline."
Srna's problem lay in his inconsistent form.
The decline in his physical condition left him with much less room for error when facing unexpected situations.
Although his speed was still good, his acceleration was somewhat slower compared to before.
In professional football, there are plenty of young talents with quick acceleration.
Maicon was completely beaten by Bale's speed!
Now, Srna's weakness has been exposed by Neymar in this way, and it will be further exploited by other teams in the future.
Of course, the most urgent task now is to shore up the left flank's defense.
But how to do it?
Ancelotti didn't have a good idea for a moment!
Meanwhile, on the field, the match resumed.
After conceding, Real Madrid's attack became more aggressive.
Especially on the left wing, Suker also gradually began to exert pressure.
However, Barcelona played more steadily than before, especially Alexandre Song, who made continuous crucial contributions by actively running and covering both sides.
During the transition, Bale lost the ball again.
It was still under the combined pressure of Song and Alba that the ball was poked away.
This time, Bale was angry and sprinted back to chase; the ball once again came to Messi's feet, and Messi received it with his back to goal in the center.
In front was the retreating Bale, behind were Casemiro and Kaka.
Facing a three-sided blockade, Messi once again looked up at Neymar.
"Left!"
Casemiro immediately took a step, but Messi exploited this movement.
He turned sideways, dragged the ball, and took a step forward.
He managed to force his way through the gap between Casemiro and Kaka.
Facing Real Madrid's rushing defense, Messi did not linger on the ball, lightly poking it with his toe.
The ball threaded through Varane and Pepe, a through ball that set up Perroti for a one-on-one opportunity.
And Perroti did not disappoint his teammate's expectations; facing Diego López's aggressive charge, he lightly chipped the ball.
The ball arced towards Real Madrid's goal.
In the 24th minute, just five minutes after the previous goal, Barcelona scored again.
Barcelona led Real Madrid 2-0.
"Goal! Another goal!!"
"Barcelona!! Messi!! Pedro!!"
"Oh my god, this is absolutely the most dreamlike start!"
"These two attacks utilized the tactical fluidity to the fullest, and Messi's role was also showcased."
He feigned a pass to Neymar, and Real Madrid, wary of the Brazilian genius, took advantage of the opportunity. Messi astonishingly turned and delivered a brilliant through ball, which Pedro ultimately chipped into the goal!
Two attacks, two different styles. Real Madrid's defense is struggling to hold on!
Ancelotti needs to find a solution. He must stabilize the rhythm or make a substitution.
Barcelona's offensive pressure is making it difficult for Real Madrid's defense to maintain its composure.
As the commentator said, Ancelotti was also having a massive headache at this moment.
The first goal was fine.
After the second goal, it truly disrupted his tactical plan.
Of course, he wasn't so arrogant as to think he could shut down Barcelona with just one tactic.
However, Neymar's explosive performance caught him by surprise.
Most crucially, Messi appeared in a swing position.
This was similar to Suker's role, and because Barcelona's tactical system was more suited to this style, it appeared even more incisive.
Real Madrid focused their defensive attention on Messi, and that's when Neymar exploded.
Real Madrid was forced to shift some of their attention, and Messi took advantage of this opportunity to break through and deliver a through ball.
But it wasn't over yet!
When the game reached the 35th minute, Messi again dropped back to midfield to receive the ball. He similarly pulled the ball back and turned, shaking off Kaka, then surprisingly curled a shot with his right foot.
"Oh!!! A Rainbow Pass! Suker's specialty!"
Even Suker's eyes widened when he saw that pass.
The ball arced in a huge curve between Marcelo and Pepe, rolling towards Neymar.
Just as Neymar was about to receive the ball, Pepe slid in directly.
Accompanied by a scream, Neymar tumbled into the penalty area.
Beep!!
The Referee blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot.
Real Madrid immediately erupted.
"It's not a penalty! He fell outside the box!"
Pepe explained, but the Referee showed no intention of reversing his decision.
Pepe continued to argue, and his tone became increasingly aggressive, causing the Referee's expression to sour.
Finally, Suker pulled Pepe away.
This guy had already received a yellow card. If the Referee gave him another, the situation would be greatly disadvantageous to them.
They could only accept this penalty!
Moreover, that position was indeed a bit ambiguous.
"Barcelona's penalty! Messi will take it!"
The entire Camp Nou stadium became electric.
After scoring two consecutive goals, Neymar then won a penalty, which was incredibly wonderful news for them.
As long as they scored this goal, they would have a great chance to win the game.
In a tense moment, Messi stood at the twelve-yard mark, facing Real Madrid's Goalkeeper, and calmly pushed the ball into the net.
Whoosh, the ball hit the net!
In the first half, Real Madrid conceded three goals!
The entire Camp Nou was ecstatic this time. This game could be said to be their most successful half in several seasons.
A three-goal lead at halftime meant their margin for error was completely maximized!
How could you possibly catch up? Are you really going to score three goals in the second half?
They couldn't declare victory yet, as there was still a slight fear, but the fans had already begun to sing loudly, full of joy.
Ancelotti also didn't make any substitutions, as there were less than two minutes remaining in the half.
For the remaining time, both sides implicitly accepted the score.
Barcelona would not give Real Madrid a chance to score.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, was waiting for halftime adjustments.
After the intense first half ended, they returned to their respective locker rooms.
Real Madrid's locker room was somewhat noisy.
The players all had their own opinions, as conceding three goals in the first half was a big problem.
Most importantly, they didn't expect that the right wing, which they had always assumed to be the most stable, would be the first to encounter problems.
After Neymar's breakthrough, Messi exploited this, constantly launching attacks along the central axis, making it difficult for Real Madrid's defense to cope.
They had to mark both Neymar and Messi.
Their defense could only become chaotic!
Srna lowered his head and remained silent. It could be said that this match was quite a blow to him.
Although only the first conceded goal was his fault, the subsequent two goals were problems encountered under the influence of the first goal.
After all, no one expected that Srna, who was always so steady, would make such a significant error.
But they didn't dare to say much, as Srna's seniority and status at Real Madrid were still very high, and his relationship with other players was also good.
Moreover, since Suker didn't speak, they couldn't say anything either.
"Can we defend in the second half?"
Ancelotti leaned over and directly asked Srna.
Srna pursed his lips and frowned, "I need help!"
This was the first time he had asked for support.
To this, Casemiro immediately said, "I can specifically mark Neymar."
Suker: "If you go over there, Messi will be unstoppable."
Kaka awkwardly scratched his cheek, implicitly acknowledging that he couldn't stop Messi alone.
But that was the reality!
Compared to his attacking prowess, Kaka was not as outstanding defensively.
"I'll do it!"
Bale suddenly spoke up, "I'll do it. I'll expand my range of activity and track back more."
Bale's speed would definitely be able to keep up with Neymar, and even if he had to rush back, he could get into position.
"In the second half, we'll focus our attack on the left wing. Once the situation improves slightly, I'll start attacking!"
Bale's voluntary sacrifice made others look at him with new respect.
"Don't look at me like that," Bale shrugged. "I want to win too, and I can genuinely help!"
Srna gave him a thumbs up.
Even Ramos, Pepe, and others nodded in approval.
They acknowledged Bale's sacrifice!
After all, this had nothing to do with Bale. If he didn't track back, no one would say anything, but his initiative offer made things much easier.
"Alright then, Bale will track back, and Casemiro will provide some containment. Make sure to hold your position and help Srna reduce the impact!"
"Along the central axis, both central defenders can also push up appropriately."
At this point, Ancelotti looked at Pepe and said, "Pepe will drop back, Varane will push up!"
Pepe already had a yellow card, and he couldn't afford to let Pepe get another one.
"Remember! Don't rush. Chase the score back point by point. The most important thing is to first help Suker open up the attacking channel on the left wing!"
After Ancelotti finished speaking, he walked over and gently patted Suker's shoulder, "It's up to you!"
Suker took a deep breath: "Leave it to me!"
In truth, Suker was also very unhappy.
Especially when Messi used his signature pass, the 'Rainbow Pass,' to create the third goal.
In the second half, as long as the defense held steady, Suker could launch an attack.
On the other side, in Barcelona's locker room, the players were all excited.
Leading by three goals at halftime, they saw the hope of victory.
It could be said that compared to previous seasons, they felt victory more clearly and were closer to it.
Although Messi played very well, Neymar's first goal and his overall influence throughout the game were even more important.
Simply put, Neymar drew too much attention, allowing Messi to be freed up.
Real Madrid's inability to completely contain Messi led to this change in the situation.
Furthermore, in counterattacks, Real Madrid would also become much slower.
However, the second half was still crucial!
"In the second half, we'll still focus on control, keeping possession of the ball to run down the clock. If Real Madrid employs high pressing, we'll also get more attacking opportunities."
Enrique's expression at this moment was more relaxed, as with a three-goal lead, their advantage was too great.
Messi and the other players also nodded seriously.
It could be said that since Enrique took office, they had never been so convinced.
But in this match, the three goals in the first half completely released the psychological pressure of these star players.
Enrique understood that this was his best chance, a crucial opportunity to subdue these proud stars.
As long as he led the team to victory, everyone would be convinced by him.
Authority in the locker room is earned on the field!
As long as he led these players to win, they would trust him!
Even Messi's gaze towards him had changed. This was a positive sign, so this match had to be won!