"Regardless, this is a victory, although the league championship trophy is no longer in doubt, but..."
"Tearing Manchester City apart like this feels so good!!"
At this moment, the Arsenal dressing room erupted in celebration. Cao Baiming sat quietly to the side, just watching.
He was the hero, yet these guys were celebrating so wildly.
The match wasn't over yet. The situation at halftime was somewhat expected. Manchester City must have been in agony after being down by three goals.
In the second half, Manchester City would undergo a tactical change. Guardiola would make significant adjustments to the lineup and strategy, a bold attempt.
Either a 'broken pot' mentality or a desperate final gamble, it would be unpredictable.
However, with the time bubble, he had seen it all. Now, even counter-measures were devised, just waiting for the whistle. Cao Baiming was already impatient.
Many of the newly learned fancy football skills had yet to be used, and the second half was a perfect opportunity to showcase them.
Manchester City, was there a better team to serve as a backdrop? Their sky-blue kits, that pure color, their neat and orderly formations... they were born to be a backdrop!
He was only two goals away from equaling Messi's single-season goal record, and Messi himself was on the verge of achieving his 700th career goal, needing just one more!
The most perfect scenario for the second half would be Messi reaching the milestone of 700 career goals, and Cao Baiming, in the same match, equaling Messi's record of 69 league goals in a single season!
Could there be a more perfect ending?
The fans' anticipation reached its peak, beyond description, as words seemed utterly inadequate in the face of such excitement.
Besides these two records, this was also Arsenal's 30th consecutive league match unbeaten. At this moment, Arsenal was breaking records primarily set by themselves!
Every step forward was a defeat of their past selves, as if no opponent could be found in the world, and the only challenge was to compete with their own shadows.
But Cao Baiming didn't care about these. The season's goal count was his true pursuit; team honors, at this point, seemed less important.
Furthermore, the record for the most goals in a calendar year was also about to be broken. Many far-sighted individuals had predicted that with Cao Baiming's style of play, breaking Messi's calendar year goal record was only a matter of time.
The person who made this prediction wasn't just anyone, but the very coach of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola.
As is widely known, Guardiola's most beloved player is Messi. This statement coming from him carried significant weight. If he wasn't extremely confident, how could he admit that Messi's record could be easily broken by one person?
Soon, these predictions were about to come true.
Unknowingly, time had passed, and the players returned to the pitch for the second half.
With a clear plan in mind, Cao Baiming scored shortly after coming back on. The assist came from a diagonal long pass from Vieira in midfield. Cao Baiming struck the ball on the volley without controlling it, scoring a magnificent goal.
The beauty of this goal was self-evident. It was a pity it came from Cao Baiming; anyone else might have been lauded for it for a year. But from Cao Baiming's feet, it felt rather ordinary.
Because he had created countless more beautiful and difficult masterpieces, an uncountable number.
In the sixty-fourth minute, Cao Baiming assisted Messi in scoring his 700th career goal. The fans erupted in cheers.
Even the Manchester City fans showed immense respect for Messi's 700th goal. They didn't boo; instead, they cheered, even chanting Messi's name.
Even as opponents, this was a historic moment. No one would stand against the King of Football.
Guardiola looked on the verge of madness after conceding, but after a few seconds, he regained his composure. Once calm, he also felt gratified by Messi's goal.
After all, Messi's current achievements wouldn't have been possible without him; the whole world knew this.
With about thirty minutes left on the clock, it was ample time for Cao Baiming.
The fans' greatest anticipation now rested solely on Cao Baiming's goal tally. His current league goal count for the season had reached sixty-eight.
If he could indeed equal Messi's record, the significance would be immense.
Because as a defensive player, strictly speaking, a defender, he should be compared to other defenders in terms of goals. But even then, the highest a defender scored was fourteen goals, making any comparison pointless.
What Cao Baiming desired was to compete with the best strikers in goal scoring, with the best midfielders in dribbling and passing ability, and with the best defenders in defensive capabilities.
He had achieved this in all these aspects, and now only this record of Messi's remained unbroken!
With these thoughts, Cao Baiming's goal was crystal clear: he could achieve it in this match!
Thinking this, he happened to see a football flying past him.
However, it was the opponent's ball, being steadily controlled by a player from the opposing team. The player was Grealish, his handsome profile flashing by.
But it didn't matter who came; Cao Baiming had already spotted an opportunity, which had conveniently appeared before him.
Taking advantage of Grealish's momentary distraction, Cao Baiming charged forward, lightly touching the ball with his left foot, then nudging it with his right foot towards Ødegaard, who was not far away.
Seeing the look in Cao Baiming's eyes, Ødegaard immediately understood and quickly passed the ball back to Cao Baiming. He dared not handle it himself. This was indeed Cao Baiming's intention, and in the next second, he shot from outside the penalty area. The ball flew towards the goal like a bullet, directly at the center!
This time, the goalkeeper finally had a chance to react, but he still didn't dare to catch it!
Because the speed of this shot was too immense; catching it felt like risking his life.
As expected, the football found the back of the net!
Immediately, a flood of applause and cheers erupted, no less intense than when Messi scored his 700th goal.
This was Cao Baiming's sixty-ninth goal in the Premier League this season!
He had officially equaled Messi's record!!!
At this moment, Cao Baiming suddenly heard a familiar voice.