On the pitch, Cao Baming's shot was met with indifference by everyone, who assumed it was a clearance.
But then...
The ball flew directly towards the goal! Its speed showed no sign of decreasing!
"WTF???"
The goalkeeper was utterly bewildered. Having already stepped several meters out of his goal, he scrambled back, struggling to maintain his balance as he tracked the arcing ball overhead.
He ended up falling flat on his backside in front of the goal!
The football plummeted with extreme speed as it neared the goal, diving straight into the top corner!
"???"
"???"
The commentary booth fell silent. For several seconds, the two commentators said nothing...
"It's in?"
Seeing the ball seemingly enter the net in the distance, Cao Baming was the first to cheer!
The entire stadium erupted, and even the Burnley fans let out cries of astonishment!
To witness something like this in their lifetime was incredibly fortunate!
His teammates looked at Cao Baming in disbelief, then rushed towards him one by one!
A system notification sounded in Cao Baming's mind.
"Congratulations to the host for completing a goal, rewarding 1000 points!"
"Holy cow..."
Even he himself could hardly believe it.
"Congratulations to Cao Baming for scoring, extending Arsenal's lead once again! I have nothing more to say about this goal!"
"A seventy-meter long-range lob shot, maintaining missile-like speed and trajectory, finding the top corner – is this even humanly possible?"
All the Arsenal players, including those on the bench and in the coaching staff, went wild celebrating this goal!
At this moment, the Burnley goalkeeper slumped in despair in front of his goal, reluctant to get up.
In fact, his legs had gone numb.
He had no psychological preparation for that shot. Not only did he fail to save it, but he also made a complete fool of himself. He now wished to be substituted off as soon as possible!
This would give him more time to heal the trauma, lest it haunt his dreams tonight!
Seeing the dejected expressions of the opposing players, Cao Baming felt even more exhilarated.
System: "Absorbing negative emotions..."
After the celebrations, the clock had already ticked to the 63rd minute.
The score was 2:0.
This scoreline already satisfied the fans, but Cao Baming was not content.
There were still thirty minutes left until the end of the match – how could he settle for this!
As the game continued, Burnley's morale was clearly affected.
In the 70th minute, Ødegaard initiated another attack, which Nelson shot wide.
In the 75th minute, Arsenal had a free kick in the midfield. His teammates once again chose Cao Baming to take it.
This time, the goalkeeper was clearly prepared. The white line in front of him indicated a 29% chance of scoring, so it was best not to take the risk.
He lofted the ball towards the penalty area, but the high ball was won by an opponent.
The match then entered a stalemate.
Although Arsenal maintained high possession, they failed to create further scoring opportunities.
Just as everyone was feeling disappointed, Martinelli stepped up!
Vieira's incisive through ball bypassed two defenders, and Martinelli struck the ball directly into the far corner without stopping it.
The score was extended once more! 3:0!
Even Henry, watching from the stands, began to applaud.
Seeing his old club, Arsenal, shining brightly again filled him with unconcealable excitement!
However, repeated failed attempts to attract new talent gradually made him abandon that thought. It seemed that this generation of newcomers, especially that young man from China, might truly become the future of Arsenal.
If that were the case, he would be content.
The score was 3:0.
Just as everyone thought it was over, Martinelli once again broke into the penalty area alone!
He weaved through a double-team like "Lingbo Weibu" (a martial arts movement, literally "Walking on Water"), not even losing the ball!
Faced with this situation, Pearce had no choice but to foul him!
The experienced Martinelli stepped back, jumped high, and with a cry of pain, fell inside the penalty area!
The referee immediately blew his whistle!
A penalty! A penalty!
Cao Baming glanced towards the penalty area, a sense of admiration welling up within him!
"Great dive! A true senior!"
Then, his teammates looked towards Cao Baming.
"How about you take it?"
Facing their enthusiasm, Cao Baming naturally stepped forward.
"Sure, no problem!"
Martinelli willingly ceded the penalty opportunity to Cao Baming, who had repeatedly proven his superior penalty-taking ability on the training ground.
This gesture of selflessness earned Martinelli applause and respect.
Meanwhile, Cao Baming quietly walked towards the penalty spot.
This was his first penalty for Arsenal, and he felt a touch of nervousness.
Though he appeared relaxed on the outside, his heart was beating faster.
At this moment, the referee's whistle blew.
A line suddenly appeared in front of Cao Baming, reading '100'.
Seeing this number, his nervousness immediately vanished!
Moreover, this line indicated a "spoon" shot!
Cao Baming made no fancy moves, simply chipping the ball up!
The goalkeeper jumped high, completely misjudging the direction. He chose to intercept the upper left corner of the goal, the same spot as the seventy-meter lob shot!
Goal!
The ball went in!
"A spoon penalty!"
The entire stadium rose to their feet!
"Cao Baming's first penalty for Arsenal, and he goes for a spoon!"
"It's like a dream!"
"It's 4:0! Is Arsenal on the verge of a resurgence?"
"They're on fire!"
The system's voice quickly sounded in Cao Baming's mind.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for completing a goal! Rewarding 1000 points!"
"Congratulations to the host for achieving the accomplishment of scoring their first Premier League penalty! Received one Talent Skill Card!"
"Congratulations to the host for achieving the accomplishment of scoring a brace in a single half! Received 10 attribute points."
As Cao Baming was surrounded by the excited cheers of his teammates, he continued to listen to the system's continuous broadcast of reward notifications, feeling absolutely ecstatic!
He hadn't expected that one goal would simultaneously trigger two achievement milestones!
On the sidelines, Arteta could hardly conceal his excitement.
"What a haul!"
He repeated to himself.
The current scoreline had far exceeded his expectations. Four goals scored, and none conceded – this was incredible!
Even his dream last night had only predicted a 3:1 victory!
At the same time, Cao Baming's penalty could be considered a decisive blow.
This was because the match time had reached its final stages, at the 85th minute.
The final five minutes of regular time and the three minutes of added time passed without any further incidents.
In the end, Arsenal defeated the home team, Burnley, 4:0!
The scoreline settled on this pride-inducing number! A clean sheet!
The system's voice sounded.
"Congratulations to the host for completing a three-game winning streak in the league! Rewarding 3000 points!"
Life was truly beautiful!
Amidst the cheers of his teammates and the fans, Cao Baming felt the kindness of this world!
The Burnley team could only leave the field with dejected expressions.
The goalkeeper bore the brunt of the misfortune; he was likely to suffer several nights of nightmares upon returning home.