However, Cao Baming did not, as they imagined, control the ball steadily at his feet. Instead, he passed the ball diagonally towards the opposite side.
The two were caught completely off guard, as they couldn't fathom why Cao Baming would pass, and moreover, they recalled there was no one in that direction.
Subconsciously, they turned their heads towards the direction Cao Baming passed. As expected, there was no one there, completely empty and with no receiving player. Could it be that Cao Baming had made a mistake?
But how was that possible? The two quickly recovered and looked back, only to find that Cao Baming had already vanished from his original position.
Where had the football gone? The person was gone, and the ball had disappeared too.
It was only in the next second that they realized the ball had not actually gone in the direction Cao Baming passed; it was merely a deceptive move. And at this moment, Cao Baming was running in the direction they had just looked.
The football, however, had gone past on the other side of his body, and no one had noticed it. Although with a slight extension of their foot, they could have successfully intercepted the ball, Cao Baming's feint and dribble was extremely deceptive, leaving them completely unable to react.
In fact, the two felt that every move and thought they made was completely grasped and predicted by the person in front of them. He seemed to know what they were thinking, and they were indeed acting according to Cao Baming's intentions.
They likely hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation because their vision had been continuously deceived by Cao Baming's feints. The direction they were looking at was not the focal point. However, the other spectators watched this entire scene unfold.
Especially the fans in the stands, who had a God's-eye view. From this high vantage point, Cao Baming's movements formed a perfect cross shape. This kind of dribbling, the fans had never seen Cao Baming use before.
Let alone never seeing Cao Baming use it, even veteran fans, recalling all the matches they had watched, all the highlights, and all sorts of videos, could not remember any player in any match using such a move.
It was a very novel way of dribbling, and it seemed to be much more effective than previous methods.
Cao Baming, with his running trajectory and the ball's trajectory, seemed to draw a large cross on the pitch. Some even interpreted it as a large 'X'.
This 'X' signified that Cao Baming would sprint from this point all the way to the goal and ultimately score!
In the next moment, the fans witnessed this scene!
"Goal! Goal! Arsenal scores again! Cao Baming drives through, beating several players, and calmly slots the ball into the corner!"
"Two-nil! The score has been updated!!!"
The fans were in awe. Even the players on the field, upon witnessing Cao Baming's dribbling, were bewildered and astonished. They felt a deep sense of respect.
Although it looked beautiful and highly effective, such a move was not something everyone could execute. In fact, considering their own abilities, it seemed unrealistic.
Could Cao Baming perform such a complex and profound move in such a short amount of time, and also accurately predict the psychological state of his opponents at every step? Was this something a normal person could do?
The players on the field were envious, each and every one of them.
But some things cannot be learned; they are called talent. The talent Cao Baming possessed seemed to be something that others, even with a lifetime of hard work and diligent training, could not compensate for. They would never reach such heights.
Many fans thought this was merely a fleeting moment or a flash of inspiration on the field, an attempt at dribbling with a certain element of luck. However, Cao Baming soon utterly dispelled this notion with his actions.
Just three minutes later, from the other side of the midfield, standing in the same position, Cao Baming once again received a pass from his teammate. This time, as usual, three burly defenders charged at him side-by-side.
As a result, Cao Baming once again drew a cross on the spot, but this time the football flew out from the other side of his body, completely unexpected by everyone.
Although they had predicted Cao Baming's passing line, thinking he might try a feint and dribble like before, this time Cao Baming proved all their predictions wrong.
His feints, while extremely deceptive, were also perceived by the audience as deliberately performed for aesthetic appeal.
Only the defenders who had personally marked Cao Baming could truly understand that feeling: every subtle move he made held profound meaning.
When you thought he was just making a simple move with no deeper intention, you might have already been tricked.
And if you thought his move signified a deeper meaning, it usually meant you had fallen for his trap, and he might not have meant anything at all, just to deceive you.
This game of wits was played by Cao Baming with more mastery than any professional!
There was no way, absolutely no way. At this moment, as Southampton players, they knew their own limitations. It was impossible to confront Cao Baming head-on.
The first half was nearing its end, reaching the 40-minute mark. Since a standard half of a match is 45 minutes, reaching 40 minutes meant that less than 5 minutes remained until the end of the regular time for the first half.
At this point, the score on the field remained 2-0. Cao Baming was naturally not satisfied with this score. Although his objective in coming to this field today was not to achieve an absurd score, but merely to experience the artistic sense of football brought by his new talent, ending the match with a mere 2-0 was absolutely unacceptable.