The sight of the opposing players on the field, looking so pitiful, was genuinely heartbreaking. But the world is simply like this, survival of the fittest.
Cao Baming couldn't afford to pity them. He was on a scoring spree and couldn't let it stop here!
Having already secured a hat-trick with three goals, this was his first hat-trick for Nottingham Forest.
A single hat-trick was definitely not enough; it was far from enough to satisfy Cao Baming.
In the time that followed, he intended to keep scoring, and scoring even more wildly!
The other players of Nottingham Forest, for the past few minutes, had already entered a spectator mode. They were increasingly unable to understand their own role in this match.
All they knew was that the score was rising uncontrollably, with Cao Baming consistently creating chances single-handedly and converting them into goals.
It was as if all the team tactics they had practiced were for naught, with the goals ultimately being scored through Cao Baming's individual brilliance.
Coach Cooper, who had been silently observing the situation from the sidelines, was also contemplating these issues at this moment.
He hadn't spoken a word for a long time, merely watching and observing silently from the side.
The players' performance today was not entirely unexpected, as this particular tactic had only been trained for three days. It would be unrealistic to expect a tactic practiced for just three days to be fully effective on the field.
As a football coach, he could clearly see that the current frantic pace of the match was entirely due to Cao Baming. Perhaps the players had cooperated well at the beginning, but it had fallen short of his expectations.
Subsequently, Cao Baming once again scored with a powerful shot, marking his 6th goal of the match.
However, the madness did not cease. Within a continuous ten minutes, Cao Baming repeatedly created chances and scored them himself, unknowingly accumulating his 7th goal of the game!
At this point, everyone was stunned. Watching them on the field, it was like recalling scenes from their school days, as if a professional player had entered a primary school game to dominate, acting with impunity and disregard for reason.
Cao Baming was clearly in a frenzy, with no regard for ethics or morality. All he saw was the goal!
With only five minutes remaining until the end of the first half, the score had already reached ten to zero!
From nine to zero to ten to zero, though only a difference of one goal, it directly transformed the score from single digits to double digits, a complete rise in magnitude.
In an instant, the score difference felt immense, and it wasn't even halftime yet.
The players of Nottingham Forest now realized that they had ultimately underestimated Cao Baming's ability. They had initially thought that reaching a 10-0 score by halftime was unrealistic, but now it seemed they had reached this score before halftime.
At this moment, Cao Baming felt no fatigue. The intensity of this half was incomparable to the major matches he had played in the Premier League last season.
Moreover, despite scoring 7 goals in just 40 minutes, each goal seemed effortless. The opposing defense was like paper in front of him, completely ineffective.
He wondered if the substantial rewards from the end-of-last-season settlement had caused such a significant surge in his strength, or if the opponents were truly that weak.
When the match reached the 42nd minute, Nottingham Forest launched another attack. This time, the attack was not initiated by Cao Baming himself but by Rodi from the back. Cao Baming merely played a connecting pass in midfield, and upon seeing a clear line, he passed the ball out without looking.
This time, the line was a 99% accurate pass. Cao Baming was curious about who would receive the ball.
Lifting his head again, he saw three teammates sprinting towards the offside line in his field of vision. They ran together as if victory was assured.
Ultimately, Johnson, the team's sole striker, received the ball at his feet. He then executed a simple dribble, intending to get past the last defender before shooting!
However, he seemed to have forgotten that a team trailing by ten goals would not adhere to any sporting etiquette.
The two defending players, acting in unison, immediately committed a blatant foul. Regardless of whether it was a friendly or a competitive match, their emotions had completely run wild!
This friendly match had become unsportsmanlike. Under the combined foul of the two defenders, Johnson, as expected, fell onto the turf and rolled five or six times before stopping.
The referee on the field immediately approached and blew his whistle. A penalty!
It was a penalty! At this stage of the game, his teammates had earned a penalty!? Cao Baming found it hard to believe.
In that case, he would end the first half with a clean and powerful strike!
The first half of this match was drawing to a close. In such friendly matches, stoppage time was usually not extended significantly. Therefore, after this penalty, there likely wouldn't be enough time to organize another attack. The opponents would surely have to defend a clean sheet and head into halftime.
Although it was a friendly match, it was still a competition, and competitions were always brutal!
This time, unlike the previous friendly match which had some commercial objectives, no one was holding back the goals. Being able to play as he pleased was an extremely satisfying feeling.
Soon, Cao Baming walked towards the penalty spot. Although there had been no prior discussion about who would take the first penalty, and no specific rules were set, no one besides Cao Baming dared to approach the penalty area.
With a super top-tier striker like Cao Baming on the team, who would dare to snatch the penalty from him?