Whoosh!!
At Camp Nou, the rain continued to pour relentlessly.
Dense raindrops fell in sheets.
Fans in the upper stands were either wrapped in raincoats, holding umbrellas, or simply being soaked through by the downpour.
The match, originally scheduled for 7 PM, had already been delayed by half an hour, and there was still no sign of starting.
Barcelona's side expressed that they hoped to wait for the rain to ease before beginning the match.
But the damn rain showed no sign of letting up.
After waiting for 30 minutes, they couldn't stall any longer. The referee ruled the match must begin immediately—no more delays.
Besides, it was just heavy rain, no thunder or lightning—what's there to be afraid of?
Guardiola wore a bitter expression.
Afraid of what?Afraid of the waterlogged pitch, that's what!
In the previous leg, they struggled precisely because the soaked field neutralized their playstyle.
Now back at home, and it's raining again?
Damn it! Who can take this?!
Even though Camp Nou had a top-notch drainage system, this rain was too much to handle—puddles were inevitable.
The referees made their stance clear:You already had 30 minutes—that was your home-field advantage. We're starting now.
Both teams emerged from the locker rooms and lined up in the tunnel.
Suker and the others wore strange expressions.
Kaká was even quietly praying, grateful for this blessed storm.
"Did Barcelona piss off Lady Luck or something?" Seedorf laughed. "Even their home game is like this."
The Barcelona players couldn't hear what he said clearly, but judging by the look on their faces, it wasn't anything flattering, and they turned around to glare at Seedorf.
Suker gave Seedorf a pat—telling him to chill. No need to attract trouble from Barcelona's players.
"The first rain of the year in Barcelona... and it had to be now, huh!"
Even the Spanish commentators sounded bitter.
Why does this cursed weather always mess with us?
With a waterlogged field again, Barcelona's performance would definitely suffer.
The only good news?Gattuso was suspended for two matches after a red card, so he couldn't play in this one.
Starting Lineups:
Barcelona (4-4-2):
GK: Valdés
Defenders: Abidal, Márquez, Milito, Zambrotta
Midfielders: Deco, Yaya Touré, Xavi, Iniesta
Forwards: Messi, Eto'o
AC Milan (4-4-2):
GK: Dida
Defenders: Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Simic
Midfielders: Ambrosini, Pirlo, Jankulovski, Seedorf
Forwards: Kaká, Suker
Seeing Milan's lineup, Guardiola frowned.
There had already been rumors that Puyol was injured, and AC Milan clearly made their adjustments accordingly.
Pato, who had shone in the first leg, wasn't starting—clearly being saved for the second half as a tactical "drill" to pierce through late.
Barcelona had the same idea.
Henry also didn't start—kept in reserve.
Both managers were thinking alike.
What surprised Guardiola, though, was that Milan seemed to be preparing to attack on the road?
Still, he couldn't be sure. Knowing Ancelotti's cunning, there might be a hidden trap waiting.
"Damn this rain!"
Guardiola looked out from the dugout, watching the downpour through the awning, feeling deeply frustrated.
At the same time, the players began to walk out.
The fans, who'd been freezing and drenched for ages, finally exploded in loud cheers.
Any more waiting and they might've frozen to death!
Hiss—!Rain soaked their bodies. Even with layers underneath, the cold still sucked the warmth out of them.
But both teams were made of veterans, and they immediately started warming up—keeping their body temperatures up.
If the cold rain made their muscles stiff, that was the fastest path to injury—not just mistakes.
From the moment they walked onto the pitch, everyone was moving to stay loose.
Even during handshakes, they kept bouncing on their toes.
All ceremonies complete, the players headed to their respective halves.
Suker stood in the center circle, one foot on the ball, waiting for kickoff.
His hair was soaked, sticking limply to his scalp.
With the rain pounding down, he squinted, trying to keep water out of his eyes.
Around him were boos, raindrops, cheers, and applause—a chaotic symphony.
As the referee stepped away from the center circle, Suker turned and shouted:"Let's go!"
Then—the whistle blew, and Suker kicked off the match.
"And we're underway! The match begins!This is the second leg of the 2007/2008 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal—AC Milan vs. Barcelona!"
"In the first leg, Milan beat Barcelona 2–0 at home,which means Barça needs at least three goals tonight to advance!"
"But this torrential rain, which began last night, has put Barcelona in a tough spot.Can they perform at home? Can they defeat AC Milan?"
On the pitch, Suker passed the ball back, then immediately positioned himself near the opponent's defensive line.
Perhaps due to Puyol's absence, the other defenders were extra wary of Suker.
As soon as he reached the backline, Márquez moved in to disrupt him.
Barcelona's formation began to press higher.
They were starting the pressing game.
Though the pitch was waterlogged, which hurt Barcelona's play, it also hurt AC Milan.
Guardiola may still be a rookie, but his potential as a top-tier coach was clear. After the last match, there was no way he came unprepared.
Yaya Touré played deeper, working with the defense to keep Suker under wraps.
By sealing Milan's long-ball channels and pushing their own lines forward, Barcelona forced Milan to play on the ground under pressure.
If Milan made even a minor mistake in passing or controlling, Barcelona could counterattack instantly.
But Milan's players were all wily veterans.
Even if their first touch failed, they'd immediately shield the ball or draw fouls to keep possession.
AC Milan had once stood at the top of Europe.
They may now lack peak fitness or athleticism, but their game sense and experience were razor sharp.
They knew how to create favorable conditions for themselves.
More importantly—this match required ironclad defense.
Seedorf slowly picked himself off the ground, twisted his soaked jersey, and bent down to adjust his socks.
Iniesta stared him down like a hawk.
When he saw Seedorf tying his shoelaces again, he immediately protested to the referee.
The ref responded by warning Seedorf to hurry up and resume play.
From that alone, Seedorf could tell—the referee was somewhat biased toward Barcelona.
So he stopped stalling.
Restarted play immediately, passing to Ambrosini.
Ambrosini controlled the ball, but was quickly swarmed by Barcelona players and forced to pass backward in panic.
It was a poor pass.
But Pirlo's positioning was excellent—he took one big step to intercept it before Barça could press.
Without waiting, Pirlo launched a long pass forward.
But due to the rushed delivery, the ball had poor direction and weak power.
Suker was surrounded by three players.
Two clung to him, preventing him from jumping, while Yaya Touré seized the chance to head the ball to Xavi.
Xavi received the ball with his back to goal, and Kaká tried to steal it.
But Xavi spun in circles, twisting and twirling, and completed a beautiful turn.
He wasn't known for flashy footwork, but his timing and rhythm were perfect.
Especially in transitions, he often used his turns to create breakthroughs.
"Xavi! Through ball!"
The ball sliced through Milan's defense like a dagger.
Messi darted in, made a sideways tap, and left Nesta in the dust.
Now it was just Dida and Maldini in front of him.
Messi took tiny, delicate steps, ready to shoot at any moment—but instead, he passed sideways.
Eto'o arrived, slotted it into the empty net, and scored!
17 minutes into the match, Barcelona scored first.
A brilliant chance created by Xavi, a clever decoy by Messi, and a clinical finish by Eto'o!