"The referee blew the whistle!"
As a professional athlete, Cao Baiming had an acute sensitivity to the sound of the whistle and was forced to stop his dribbling run.
His face was a mask of frustration and anger.
The referee turned around, his face etched with guilt as he apologized to Cao Baiming.
He had never expected Cao Baiming to be able to break through such a tackle. If he had known the attacking side had the advantage, he wouldn't have blown the whistle.
Arterta, pacing the sidelines, had his eyes wide open, cursing the referee with all his might, wishing he could curse him back to his ancestors.
The referee's inexperience was also a factor. He had only started officiating in the Premier League level matches the previous month, having previously been a referee in regional competitions.
The atmosphere on the pitch turned awkward. The Liverpool players breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking the referee for his divine intervention. They couldn't stop Cao Baiming, but it seemed someone else could!
The referee didn't hesitate, pulling out a yellow card for Fabinho and beginning to mark the spot on the ground.
"A free kick from this position, I'm truly sorry!"
Cao Baiming looked at the referee, a smile gracing his lips, and gently patted the referee's shoulder.
"It's nothing, it's okay."
After this remark, Cao Baiming's teammates flocked to him, whispering in his ear.
"Are you going to take this free kick? You can go up front and try to score, your shooting is great. Let me take this one!"
Cao Baiming smiled dismissively, "No worries, I'll shoot directly."
Hearing this, his teammates were momentarily stunned, then they silently nodded and moved away.
The opposing players were unaware of this conversation. They assumed Cao Baiming and his teammates were discussing some special tactic.
The goalkeeper and defenders directed their positioning, trying to cover as many angles as possible.
While they knew Cao Baiming possessed the ability for such a shot, the difficulty was far greater than a pass, so almost no one thought Cao Baiming would actually attempt a direct shot!
Cao Baiming steadied himself and took a deep breath.
The commentators and the crowd were equally excited, finally able to witness another spectacular moment!
As everyone knew, Cao Baiming's free kicks were always a pleasure to watch!
"Do you think he'll try to shoot directly?" Zhang Lu suddenly mused.
"The distance to the goal is about fifty meters. This is considerably shorter than Cao Baiming's personal record of seventy meters!"
The man on the pitch was heroic and spirited, his gaze devoid of emotion, carrying only a cold, deadly aura.
No one could guess what he was about to do.
A moment later, Cao Baiming saw a white line appear before him. On it, the number 100 was clearly written!
This was a guaranteed goal, no need to overthink it!
Taking a step forward, he swung his left foot forward with force. The ball soared high into the air, tracing a crescent moon shot!
It was not only sharp but also curved in a bizarre fashion!
The goalkeeper had just realized the shot was aimed directly at the goal and was about to dive when he heard the sound of the football hitting the back of the net behind him!
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for scoring a goal, awarded 1000 points!"
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing a brace, awarded 1000 points!"
The spectators erupted in a tsunami of cheers and applause, as if they could overturn the entire stadium!
The commentary box immediately launched into praise, expressing their astonishment. 138 Reading Network
"A killer blow! It completely ended the suspense!"
"Absolutely stunning!"
"This is definitely worth staying up late for!"
"What a goal! Beckham himself would be ashamed!"
"This shot seems unresolvable, and in fact, it truly is!"
"For an average person to practice this shot, my advice is to give up early, because not everyone can succeed."
After Cao Baiming scored, the broadcast camera quickly cut to his face.
He merely smiled slightly, as if he had foreseen everything, his confidence inspiring an inexplicable sense of awe!
Then, while the players celebrated, the director showed the replay of the free-kick goal to the audience.
The camera moved at high speed, following the trajectory of the ball, blurring the surroundings. Upon closer analysis, every frame of this goal was a classic.
Shortly after, just as play resumed, the referee blew the final whistle.
"Let us congratulate Arsenal on their resounding 3-0 victory at home against their formidable opponent, Liverpool! They continue to write their unbeaten legend!"
Arteta was as excited as a child, shaking Klopp's hand with a smug grin, as if to say, "You couldn't do it, hahahaha."
Cao Baiming had scored two goals himself! A brace!
Now, he no longer feared those who said Arsenal was weak, could only rely on defenders for goals, and had no future…
He disdained to retort, choosing to silence these mindless trolls with a single sentence.
If you think you can do better, then try it. Anyway, Liverpool couldn't, so let's see if you can!
This was just Arsenal's second league position, having easily defeated Liverpool, who were previously second in the league, with Cao Baiming playing. When Henry entered the squad, who in the Premier League could stop them?
As the result of this match came out, both Arteta and Cao Baiming accepted post-match interviews.
The interview videos instantly surpassed ten million views, and public opinion exploded!
This time, the fans finally admitted that Arsenal's spring might truly have arrived!
For the first time, supportive voices outnumbered opposing ones. Even the opposing voices mostly came from fans of other established league teams.
For example, Real Madrid and Barcelona from La Liga, Bayern from the Bundesliga, and PSG from Ligue 1...
Especially PSG, led by Mbappé, with Messi and Neymar taking turns playing, Messi had successfully transitioned from the world's number one scorer to a playmaker in the twilight of his career.
However, it was precisely because of this that people truly realized that Messi had perhaps been the best player to execute the "King of Football" style for a long time.
Cao Baiming's explosive popularity was naturally most displeasing to Mbappé, who was constantly questioned by the media about Cao Baiming, his answers always being the same.
"He plays as a defender in the Premier League, neglects his defensive duties to focus on shooting, and relies on shooting for fame, but he can't play as a pure striker. He's just a halfway player who's not good at either."
"Facing my team would likely make him cry."
...
Cao Baiming returned home and collapsed onto the sofa.
The soft French sofa, with its deep, plush indentations, looked incredibly comfortable. Sitting on it, one sank in completely, a feeling of sheer bliss.
He opened his phone, contemplating inviting Wu Xue over for dinner, when suddenly a message appeared on the screen.