It was unexpected that Tottenham were well-prepared. They had seen that in the first half, as time went on, they were increasingly losing their advantage in the match, while the opponent was becoming more energetic and playing better.
How could this situation be allowed to continue?
The fans thought they wouldn't make any significant adjustments, as even if they tried to think of something, they couldn't come up with anything truly effective.
However, in the second half, there were no substitutions, but the team's playing style was completely different from the first half. Just a few minutes into the second half, the fans realized this.
Manchester United and Cao Baiming also realized this. The situation had not improved compared to the end of the first half, and had in fact worsened.
In the 7th minute, Son Heung-min made a beautiful interception directly from midfield and immediately launched an attack.
Defenders were busy responding to other players running forward, but this allowed Son Heung-min to sprint nearly fifty meters alone. Upon reaching the penalty area, he chose to take a long shot himself.
The entire stadium erupted with Tottenham fans. After all, this was their home ground, and this was exactly the kind of scene the fans wanted to see!
Amidst the fans' excitement, Son Heung-min's shot was perfect in power and angle. Despite Carlos's active interference, he executed a complete shooting preparation and action.
The football flew towards the goal with a slight curve. While the curve wasn't particularly tricky, its power and speed were terrifyingly high!
Ultimately, Courtois couldn't showcase his skill again in front of this shot because it was too difficult to save!
With this goal, Manchester United's lead was completely erased. This time, Tottenham equalized with Son Heung-min's long shot!
Wiping away his troubled expression, more lines appeared on his furrowed brow. He began to ponder how to salvage the current situation.
Things were going increasingly wrong. If this continued, it would only get worse.
Not long after, Manchester United made a substitution, bringing on Messi and Verratti.
Simultaneously, Bruno Fernandes, De Bruyne, and Figo also headed towards the warm-up area, ready to be substituted on.
The time was now the 61st minute of the match. The fans watched Messi and Verratti walk onto the pitch, their hearts pounding with excitement.
What was coming had finally arrived!
At the same time, Kaka and Casemiro were substituted off, and the team's tactical approach changed dramatically.
Such a significant change within a single match was rare in the entire football world, but it was no challenge for these geniuses. They possessed enough skill to handle any change.
Observing the situation on the field, Cao Baiming became even more expectant.
Just as he had predicted, the match dynamics suddenly shifted, and this substitution showed a significant effect within minutes!
With Messi on the field, the entire stadium instantly transformed. All players began to increase their ball possession, and the intensity of their challenges also increased considerably.
At this moment, Messi was likely the oldest player on the field, excluding those old stars who had returned to their peak. However, upon stepping onto the field, Messi's abilities were completely unaffected. It was already the 60th minute, and even if he played the entire match plus ten minutes of added time, there would be less than 40 minutes remaining. Even a Messi ten years older could handle this amount of time.
Besides, the stamina of the other players was still sufficient.
It was at this stage that Messi could truly unleash his full potential.
Meanwhile, Verratti, a midfielder Messi admired, had already established a great connection with him. Their frequent positional switches and passing combinations made the midfield play like a flowing river.
Not to mention the active support and cooperation from players like Luis Figo, McTominay, and Neymar.
Gradually, Tottenham realized a fact: they were simply no match for Manchester United's midfield strength!
The gap in ability between the two sides had become a chasm. Self-comfort could no longer compensate. Now, both the team's players and the spectators in the stands could clearly see this.
Many great figures have said that a strong midfield is essential for a team, and once a team's midfield is sufficiently strong, both the attack and defense will be correspondingly enhanced.
Now, Messi was running between midfield and attack, his stamina was more than sufficient, and the result was that Manchester United gradually took control of the game.
The possession statistics essentially became an eight-two split during this period!
Under such circumstances, it was foreseeable that a goal would be scored not long after.
In the 75th minute, McTominay made a long pass to Neymar, who immediately delivered a rabona cross without stopping the ball, back to Messi, who was in position. A shot from Messi completely changed the score!
Two to one! It was said earlier that Manchester United would not lose, not even a draw was acceptable!
The Tottenham players appeared helpless, but they began to rally their spirits.
In the 80th minute, Bruno Fernandes was substituted on. Just 30 seconds after coming on, he delivered a precise diagonal pass that flew over the top and into the area in front of the goal. Ronaldo leaped high and headed the ball into the net. This time, the distance to the goal was too close, and no one could stop the big man.
Three to one! The excitement continued, and the fans were ecstatic.
Although the team's tactics were completely different from the first half, they utilized this new set of tactics with such fluidity that it was hard to believe they had only been playing together for less than a month.
It turned out that geniuses truly didn't need time to gel. Their thoughts were naturally aligned! Such chemistry was beyond the reach of other players!