The halftime whistle blew.
The Chelsea players looked up at the sky, which was gray.
Although it was a bright sunny day, they were already disheartened.
Cao Baming, with a face as pleasant as spring breeze, was naturally happy to achieve this small goal, and of course, his teammates’ contributions were indispensable!
As long as they had the ball, they passed it to him, whether he was in a shooting position up front, orchestrating in midfield, or defending in the back, regardless of how many players were double-teaming him.
As long as they could successfully pass the ball to him, they simply did it, without needing to overthink.
This was exactly what Cao Baming needed; more opportunities to possess the ball would naturally lead to more scoring chances. In this match, even Messi was willing to play a supporting role for him.
This was the most comfortable game he had ever played. Chelsea was truly pitiful to have encountered this situation, but there was no one to blame.
Back in the locker room, there was a harmonious atmosphere, and a video call was initiated with Henry.
Chelsea’s head coach, Potter, was contemplating how to change the tide.
However, he had already started thinking about it before the end of regular time, even when Cao Baming scored his third goal of the first half, and still had no clear solution.
At this point, saving the team might not be enough with just tactics. They needed someone, someone like Cao Baming, who was strong in defense and sharp in offense.
Unfortunately, such a player was nowhere to be found. There was only one Cao Baming in the world, which was a great regret for all teams except Arsenal!
But, he had Kante, whose defense was absolutely formidable, at least meeting that requirement. Offensively, there was still room for development, opportunities to expand.
Kante was not playing because he was also injured. Although not a serious injury, it was a new one, sustained when he accidentally tripped over a teammate’s foot during a training session three days ago.
The swollen bump was still clearly visible. Could he really play?
Even if he played, could he perform at his usual level? An incomplete recovery from injury could not be ignored in terms of performance. More importantly, there was the risk of re-injury or exacerbating the injury due to fatigue!
The coaching staff had already begun discussions; it was not an easy decision to make.
Kante also understood his importance. Sitting on the bench, he had thought there might be a slight possibility of him coming on in the final moments to test his recovery.
But he hadn't expected the halftime score to be this bad. Who would clean up this mess? Perhaps only he had the ability.
While the coaching staff was still contemplating, he had already found his answer.
“Of course, I should play. This is no longer about winning or losing the game. We’ve become historical background. Scoring even one more goal will be ridiculed by the entire world!”
Potter lowered his head.
Indeed, this score was humiliating enough. If Cao Baming broke that record in the second half, scores of eight-one, nine-one, or even double digits were terrifying to contemplate.
This was not just being defeated; it was being completely rendered useless. Would they ever have the face to play in the Premier League again?
Didn't Chelsea have pride? Chelsea was a strong team in the Premier League and needed a certain amount of confidence to support them!
“I can do it. I can at least guarantee that we won’t concede goals like that in the second half. Let me play, and the number of goals conceded won’t exceed one!”
Seeing his confident expression, Potter finally wavered.
“Alright, the team doctor needs to re-examine your ankle first to confirm you can play.”
“Okay.”
Cao Baming had naturally considered Kante’s potential involvement. He might indeed play, and he was a very good defensive midfielder.
However, at best, he was only slightly better than others. The final outcome could not be changed.
Could he alone stir up any significant waves? The answer was no.
During this time, Henry expressed his envy and jealousy. They were all open with each other, saying whatever was on their minds.
As for the sensational rumors circulating outside about a potential internal Ballon d’Or race within Arsenal, they were baseless.
Messi had already won enough Ballon d’Or awards; his house was almost overflowing with them, so he naturally wouldn't covet more. Henry no longer cared about individual honors; he no longer needed them to prove himself to the outside world.
And Cao Baming, who never cared about awards in the first place, only pursued playing well and enjoying the game!
As a result, the competition simply didn't exist, and it had even become a topic of casual conversation, with no one harboring any hidden agendas.
At this moment, Henry was staying in a hotel in Madrid, and everyone was asking him about Zidane’s condition and recovery.
The media had stopped tracking the details of his progress.
And Henry, of course, knew the answer to this question because he visited almost every day.
Thanks to Spain’s best medical equipment and the latest technology, his recovery was going much better than expected and was not as dire as widely predicted.
However, a fact that had to be accepted was that he would not be able to play for at least this season, or even the entire year.
This was undoubtedly his own regret, as well as the regret of all his fans.
As for his future, it was still unknown.
As the halftime break neared its end, they placed their hands together, shouted their rallying cry, and then walked onto the field together.
Henry ended the video call, took a sandwich he had just made from the oven, and prepared to lie on the sofa to watch the live broadcast of the second half.
As soon as the video feed was turned off, the faces of his teammates quickly appeared on another screen.
The players entered the field, preparing for the kickoff.
The fans let out a gasp of surprise as they saw Kante on the sidelines, preparing to come on as a substitute!
Potter had made only this one substitution, placing all his hopes on Kante alone.
Could he, like Cao Baming, save the team at a crucial moment?
Potter’s expectations were naturally not high. The idea of a comeback and overturning the score was probably no longer entertained; it would even be laughable to say it. His task now was to stabilize the score, at least not let it increase further!
Whether through scoring or preventing the opponent from scoring, the final score difference should be less than five, not more!
Cao Baming's peripheral vision swept across the sideline, and he quickly noticed this situation.
Heh, as expected, they still resorted to their last resort.
Did they really think Kante could save the team, save this match?