Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 613 Five Minutes of Bloodshed
Granada's players rushed over to explain to the referee, but Fernandez's expression at that moment was somewhat unpredictable.

The referee waved his hand, signaling the player to leave immediately. After a moment's hesitation, he walked up to Fernandez, took out a red card from his shirt pocket, and showed it to Fernandez.

Red card and sent off.

There was a commotion in the stands when the red card was actually issued, and everyone was in a state of panic.

Nainggolan and his Granada teammates protested vehemently to the referee, while the Barcelona players applauded and cheered, perhaps this red card could change the course of the game.

Fernandez did not protest to the referee again. Perhaps after calming down, he knew that his foul would likely result in a red card. So, he was quite calm now, only feeling guilty.

With a blank expression, Fernandez removed his gloves and walked towards the players' tunnel; no one could read anything from his expression.

Dan Yongzhuo walked over quickly, tugged at Fernandez's arm, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back. After seeing Fernandez's expression, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

At this point, saying anything seems superfluous.

Fernandez doesn't need any comfort.

He did make what he believed to be the right choice in that instant, but he no longer cared about the consequences.

As Shan Yongzhuo watched Fernandez walk toward the players' tunnel, he couldn't help but drift into a daze. That figure looked rather desolate and forlorn.

Taking a deep breath, Shan Yongzhuo tried to focus on the game. He knew that the best way to comfort his teammates was to win the game and eventually win the league championship. Otherwise, Fernandez would probably live with self-blame for a long time.

On the sidelines, substitute goalkeeper Rod has already taken off his coat and is preparing to enter the field.

If a goalkeeper is sent off, as long as there are still substitutions available, the rightful substitute goalkeeper will definitely come on. Unless there are no more substitutions available, in which case the player currently on the field will have to temporarily fill in.

Pellegrini quickly made a substitution, with Oquez coming off and Rode coming on.

Oques walked off the court with a heavy heart. Although he wanted to stay on the court, he knew that being substituted was the best option.

After the substitution, Granada had no choice but to switch to a 4-3-1-1 formation, with Ziyech moving to the right wing to fill the void left by Oquez.

This is the best option that can be made.

Even during the substitution, Barcelona's players continued to surround the referee, demanding a penalty.

Shan Yongzhuo frowned.

Asking for another penalty would be going too far!
The red card was absolutely justified. Fernandez's foul was undoubtedly a red card. After he was beaten, Neymar was practically facing an open goal.

However, the penalty call is invalid. The foul definitely occurred outside the penalty area. Neymar hadn't crossed the penalty area; he simply fell into it.

Ultimately, the referee made a fair decision, expelling the Barcelona players and preparing to restart the game.

Barcelona's players could only retreat reluctantly in the end. In any case, Granada now has one less player to play, which is a very good result.

Shan Yongzhuo did not join his teammates in forming a human wall. Although his height is among the top in Granada, it was better to stay in the open space in front and be ready to launch a counterattack at any time than to become a human wall target.

Rod kept directing the wall of players, shouting loudly, as if this was the only way he could remain calm. Although he was a veteran player, he had spent most of his career with Granada in the Segunda División. After moving to La Liga, Rod had gradually lost his starting position.

He has a good mindset. As a veteran Granada player, he only wanted to stay in Granada until retirement in the last few years of his career.

Messi stands in front of the goal. Many of Barcelona's free kicks are now taken by him. Although he can't be called a free kick master, his free kicks are of a very high standard and are definitely not a weakness.

Shan Yongzhuo was also a little nervous, and even dared not look.

If the opponent scores from a free kick, the score becomes 2-1. Although Granada is still leading by one goal, they will be playing with 10 men against 11 for the entire second half, which is extremely disadvantageous for the team.

Amidst the cheers of Barcelona fans and the boos of Granada fans, Messi unleashed a curling shot that bypassed the wall and hurtled towards the goal.

Rod moved quickly, and just as he was about to make a save, he realized that the ball's trajectory didn't seem to threaten the goal. He had barely gotten this feeling when he saw the ball fly directly out of bounds.

It didn't go in.

Messi's free kick was quite a distance from the post; it was really below par.

The Barcelona fans in the stands were filled with regret, while Shan Yongzhuo secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The score has been held for now, with Granada still leading Barcelona 2-0. At this point, 40 minutes of the first half have passed.

Let's get through the first half first.

It is foreseeable that Barcelona will launch a major attack in the next 5 minutes, and Granada, playing with one less player, will face a very passive situation, and may even find it difficult to launch a counterattack.

However, if Granada can hold on for the last 5 minutes of the first half, and make adjustments and tactical changes at halftime, they still have a chance to win the game.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot allow Barcelona to score in these crucial five minutes.

As a result, Shan Yongzhuo also retreated to participate in the defense. Even if he could only cause Barcelona a little trouble, at this time, it was better to be a moving wooden stake than to stay in the front and do nothing.

As expected, after the game restarted.

Barcelona's attack came like a storm, with everyone attacking desperately. The pace was so fast that Granada was immediately put on the defensive.

Like a small fishing boat in a massive tsunami, Granada could fall at any moment in the face of raging waves.

In the 42nd minute, Iniesta broke through and crossed the ball. Alex Song outjumped Van Dijk and headed the ball, but unfortunately, it was too straight and was caught by veteran goalkeeper Rode, who was called up in the nick of time.

In the 44th minute, Barcelona launched another attack. Messi dribbled past Shawcross and Van Dijk, and took a shot from the edge of the penalty area. The angle was so tricky that Rode could only watch helplessly. Unfortunately, his shot ultimately went wide of the goal.

Barcelona failed to break through Granada's defense until the referee blew the whistle to end the first half.

2:0.

Despite playing with one less player, Granada fought hard in the final moments of the first half to hold onto their goal and maintain their lead.

(End of this chapter)