Right after kickoff, a telling sequence played out on the pitch, showcasing Manchester City's well-prepared tactical adjustments for the night.
Vargas launched an attack down the left and attempted to pass to Sánchez, but his ball was blocked out of play by Lichtsteiner, giving Barcelona a throw-in in the attacking third.
This was Barcelona's first offensive move of the match.
Vargas quickly threw the ball to Iniesta, who had come over to receive it. As soon as the Barcelona midfielder got the ball, Robben, who had tracked back into his own half, pressed him immediately. But Iniesta still tried to cut inside with the ball.
At that moment, Rakitic moved in—not to tackle or make a challenge, but simply to stand tall, raise his chest, and use his body to block Iniesta's path. The Barcelona midfielder bumped into him.
The contact wasn't hard enough to bring him down, but it disrupted his rhythm. He lost control of the ball, and Robben immediately intercepted it and played it forward to Yaya Touré.
The Ivorian was already ready. The moment he saw Robben's pass, he stopped the ball and drove forward.
Charge!
Manchester City sounded the trumpet for a lightning counterattack.
The entire front line surged ahead—Gareth Bale on the left, Yaya Touré and Suárez through the middle, Robben and Rakitic on the right. The sheer momentum of the counterattack shocked even Barcelona.
On the sidelines, Guardiola was shouting to his players, especially the defenders.
Exclamations rippled through the stadium.
…
Yaya Touré's dribbling wasn't especially fast, but his physical presence was immense, his control solid. With his powerful frame and technical footwork, he was a force on the pitch.
Busquets was the first to step in and confront Yaya Touré.
It was a poetic moment. Back at Barcelona, Yaya Touré's starting position had been overtaken by the young Busquets. Now, they were face-to-face again—rivals with history.
Yaya Touré pushed the ball into Busquets' zone, pulled it back slightly, then leaned his entire weight into the Spanish midfielder, who found himself unable to move.
The Ivorian was slower, but he still kept the ball under control. With a quick step forward, he shrugged off Busquets, pushed into Barcelona's half, and slipped the ball forward to Suárez.
The Uruguayan forward took possession between Piqué and Puyol. But sensing Puyol's movement, he hesitated.
The Barcelona captain was quick. Suárez didn't think he could force his way through.
He wasn't Gareth Bale.
If it had been Bale, he would have simply knocked the ball past and burst forward with a sudden acceleration.
But Suárez couldn't do that.
So when he reached the 30-yard area, he stopped, controlled the pass from Yaya Touré, turned, and looked to the left for Gareth Bale.
This was the moment for the Welshman's pace to shine.
But as Suárez was thinking that, so were Barcelona's defenders.
Their last attack had come down the left, so Alves, the right back, hadn't pushed too far forward. He had already returned to position and was tracking Bale, while Piqué had sealed off the passing lane behind Suárez.
There was a chance to switch play, but the odds of success weren't high.
Suárez decided instantly to keep the ball and return it to Yaya Touré.
As the Ivorian stopped the ball and prepared to push forward again, he heard a shout from behind.
"Two o'clock! Two o'clock!"
Yaya Touré instinctively turned his head to the right.
There, a large pocket of space had opened up.
Before Vargas could get back, Robben had already surged into that zone.
"Don't hold the ball too long. Pass it when it's time. These chances don't come often, don't waste them!"
"If you want to win, do what I say!"
Gao Shen's pre-match instructions flashed through Yaya Touré's mind. Without hesitation, he played a diagonal pass to the right.
The ball traveled diagonally from the center of the 30-yard area to the right wing.
Barcelona's defense immediately shifted, especially Puyol, who quickly stepped up to close down Robben.
The Dutchman took the ball into the right edge of the penalty area. As Puyol closed him down, Robben stopped suddenly. Without giving the defender a chance to adjust his balance, he nudged the ball inward with the outside of his foot and darted inside.
Puyol had followed Robben into the box and reacted as soon as he saw the stop, but he was caught off guard. He couldn't adjust quickly enough. By the time he had regained his footing, Busquets had arrived to help.
Just as the two Barcelona players prepared to double up, Robben struck with his left foot.
The ball bent beautifully between Puyol and Busquets, curling toward the far post.
Straight into the net.
"GOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!"
"Robben!!!"
The Dutchman spun around and charged toward the stands, roaring with joy and passion.
Camp Nou erupted in shocked gasps.
But it was too late.
The ball was already in.
"Arjen Robben!"
"Just over two minutes into the match, Manchester City have scored against Barcelona through Robben's trademark curling strike from the right."
"My God, that goal came so fast and so suddenly!"
"Look at the stands. Many fans still haven't even found their seats. And already, the net has bulged!"
"What a dream start for Manchester City!"
"There's nothing more to say. Manchester City have once again proven why they're one of the strongest teams in the world."
"Even at Camp Nou, it took them just over two minutes to break through Barcelona's defense."
"1-0!"
"Barcelona are behind straight out of the gate!"
…
Pochettino and his two assistants were seated in the presidential box at Camp Nou.
Gao Shen had personally arranged for them to get seats with an ideal view. They had arrived early and witnessed the entire goal unfold clearly.
It was stunning.
To the average fan, the first thought would be: WTF are Barcelona doing? How could they concede like that?
But anyone who understood professional football—and Barcelona—would know this wasn't about Barcelona doing poorly. It was Manchester City executing at an elite level. That counterattack was perfectly timed, swift, and deadly.
"Serie A managers know how to exploit the rules," D'Agostino remarked admiringly.
"That moment between Rakitic and Iniesta, if this were La Liga, the ref probably would've called it."
Pochettino nodded. His own team relied heavily on physicality, so D'Agostino's comment rang true.
La Liga refereeing tended to protect technical players.
But this was the Champions League.
Even though its standards were stricter than the Premier League, it would never lean entirely toward La Liga's style. That would be bias.
Many people overlooked the fact that UEFA's Referees Committee had long been headed by Italians. Even after the Calciopoli scandal, the committee was still chaired by the bald referee Collina.
Italian referees had their own philosophy and interpretation of the rules.
Gao Shen had learned plenty during his three years in Serie A.
Aside from the Rakitic-Iniesta moment, there was also Yaya Touré's use of his body against Busquets—more physical contact, another subtle advantage. Clearly, these were all tactical decisions handed down from the top.
These small but calculated details disrupted the balance of the match and created the opening that led to Manchester City's goal.
"Honestly, every time I watch one of Gao Shen's games, I can't help but admire him. Sometimes it makes me feel like the teams I coach are rubbish," Pochettino said with a wry smile.
D'Agostino and Jesús Pérez exchanged smiles.
They knew full well that Pochettino deeply admired Gao Shen, perhaps even revered him, just as he did Bielsa.
The gap in coaching ability was clear.
Of course, Espanyol as a platform couldn't compare to Manchester City.
But Gao Shen had also started at Napoli.
"I counted—Manchester City used five players in that counterattack. It was such a powerful move. Suárez and Yaya Touré's first thought was to go left."
Pochettino was analyzing the goal. Even though he had just seen it, his tactical mind was already dissecting every detail.
That's what a head coach does.
"Given the interception came on the right, it made sense to attack down the left, especially with Robben having dropped so far back. But Barcelona also anticipated this and clogged the left. Suárez wanted to find Bale but couldn't."
"Robben's late run from deep…"
Pochettino gestured as if slicing through air, signaling how dangerous Robben's delayed movement had been. Vargas simply couldn't track him.
"This kind of communication between Manchester City players is something worth learning. Someone shouted, and Yaya Touré turned immediately. Otherwise, I think he would've gone for it himself."
Had Yaya Touré driven into the box, he could've taken a shot. But it likely wouldn't have been that dangerous.
Even if he created a chance, it probably wouldn't result in a goal.
Valdés may have been criticized, but he was still a capable goalkeeper.
Instead, Yaya's switch to Robben opened up space, stretched Barcelona's defense, and created a clean look.
Even if Robben hadn't gone for goal himself, as long as he released the ball before the double team, City would have still had a high probability of scoring.
The attacking ability of this group of players meant that, given the opportunity, they could and would score.
In truth, this goal was almost inevitable.
Barcelona's defensive structure had been caught off guard. Iniesta's turnover triggered the counter, and no one reacted in time to contain it.
Perhaps the players weren't fully focused yet. Or maybe they were just a little complacent.
Either way, Gao Shen had spotted that tiny flaw—and exploited it.
(To be continued.)