They saw Messi not choose to shoot, but gently lift the ball with the outside of his foot, sending it into the air! They saw Cao Baming had already advanced into the penalty area, he leaped into the air, spun around, and with a backheel in mid-air, flicked the ball towards the far post! It was a world-shattering bicycle kick!
The ball traced a beautiful and fatal arc through the air, and before the AC Milan goalkeeper could helplessly extend his arm, it found the back of the net!
The entire stadium erupted! Cao Baming had created an unparalleled masterpiece! Messi cheered and rejoiced! The two embraced tightly, celebrating this magical and shocking goal!
On the sidelines, sitting in the head coach's seat, Arteta also stood up and applauded. He knew he had witnessed history. He knew he had nurtured two super talents. He knew he was leading an invincible team.
And at this very moment, a thousand miles away, in China, watching the live broadcast of the match on television, cheering for Cao Baming, jubilant, tearful, overjoyed, deeply moved, immensely proud, ecstatic, celebrating wildly, full of joy, and utterly delighted.
After this goal, the atmosphere on the field instantly changed entirely.
Was it truly that easy? The AC Milan players were almost in despair. They had initially thought it would take some effort to score this goal, but why did their cooperation seem so effortless, as if their own backline was made of paper?
However, upon closer reflection, they quickly realized that in the recent defense, they hadn't played any role at all. And at this moment, all the other players felt the same way. Each one thought the goal wasn't their responsibility, and ultimately, it was the brilliant coordination between the two that sent the ball into the net.
At the edge of the field, an older gentleman was silently watching the game. As a former top star, he now felt a different kind of emotion watching this match.
If they were to count by generation, he was old enough to be Messi's father, and Cao Baming seemed like a mere youngster to him. However, from Cao Baming, one could already see the makings of a future true superstar, something unseen in their era.
Cao Baming's intensity had already reached a height that was beyond reach, even unimaginable.
"That goal just now, their coordination, it was simply divine!"
At this moment, a mysterious man in the VIP box said to his friend beside him. As his friend, the man beside him was also nearing seventy years old, his hair already streaked with white, but his passion for football remained undiminished.
The man beside him nodded thoughtfully. As renowned players from past generations, both of them had understood the profound meaning behind that exquisite coordination.
"Cao Baming and Messi together are like they have cheats enabled."
"Yes, in just those three one-twos, how many times did their eyes meet? Although I didn't count, it couldn't have been more than three times. Because almost every time, they conveyed their intentions to each other with just a glance."
"Beyond that, these glances even contained feints and signals with their bodies. Arms, shoulders, even knees and footwork, all pointed almost identically in a false direction, deceiving everyone's attention to another spot. This is why it appeared so effortless, making the defenders seem like they weren't trying to defend at all."
"In fact, they were all fooled. Some might not even realize it yet. Poor children!"
...
After this goal, the first half of the match was truly approaching its end. With only three minutes remaining, even the AC Milan players, who had been maintaining a frantic state, were now exhausted. Their physical fitness might have been able to sustain this frantic pace for another ten minutes, but this recent goal had utterly drained them.
Stamina is influenced by mentality. When the psychological defenses are completely broken, one feels as if they have no energy left. And what was the point of all that effort just now? At this moment, everyone was caught in this reflection, an unsolvable problem that could only be remedied by renewed effort in the second half.
Everyone, while not expecting their team to score again through their efforts, remained extremely wary of Cao Baming, because that guy could score again even with just a minute left, let alone three.
At this point, the AC Milan head coach on the sidelines had lost his unexplainable confidence and composure. His expression turned serious as he awaited halftime, preparing to tell his players what they needed to focus on.
But how easy could that be? In reality, what did he know at this moment? Perhaps he knew nothing, just adrift. Everything that had happened had been too sudden, and the blow to him was no less significant.
If one were to ask if he had noticed any problems, there certainly were. After all, as the head coach of a team, his ability to observe matches was undoubtedly commendable, especially as the coach of a top world-class team.
But how many of the problems he noticed did he truly have the ability to change? He awaited halftime, but when halftime arrived, he himself wasn't sure what he should say to his players.
As he was thinking, the final three minutes quietly passed. Cao Baming remained very quiet during these three minutes, not attempting many attacks, showing a degree of mercy.
As his teammate Henry, he could see that Cao Baming seemed to be deliberately suppressing his strength. There were many opportunities where he could have shot from afar, but he chose to pass instead.
System tasks and the like were no longer a concern. He didn't even need to worry about them, as they were almost considered completed already.