Soon, the team members were also preparing to return to the field.
Although some in the Tangguo team still had reservations, at this moment, everyone could only turn a blind eye.
Because if their own worries caused Tangguo's rare opportunity to win the World Cup and the Hercules Cup to slip away, they would undoubtedly be historical sinners!
No one wanted future history books to record that the Tangguo team once played valiantly and reached the World Cup final, but was completely defeated due to excessive caution from someone, which prevented Cao Baiming from playing.
The two teams successively began to emerge from their respective locker rooms, first from the rooms to the corridor, then through the player tunnel, and then onto the field.
The commentators also picked up their microphones again, starting the second-half commentary.
"The players of both teams are starting to return to the field!"
"The players of the French team, wearing deep blue jerseys, and the Tangguo team, wearing traditional all-red jerseys, have recovered their energy after a twenty-minute halftime break and are now ready to go!"
"We see that the jerseys of both countries are designed according to the colors of their national flags. This is a common feature in the design of national team jerseys in the World Cup, and it is the best way to display national pride."
"The expressions on the faces of the players from both sides seem eager to compete, suggesting that the second half will be another exciting battle!"
The audience was already in a frenzy. Fans watching the match remotely through the night were even jumping around in their rooms, their restless emotions difficult to vent without some external action.
The first half had already been so intense, could the second half be even more exciting?
The fans of the Tangguo team had their expectations at an all-time high, and waiting another minute would be unbearable. While the players used the halftime break to recover their physical strength and adjust their mentality, for the fans, especially those of the Tangguo team, every minute and second was an unparalleled torment.
The current deficit felt like a huge stone weighing down all Tangguo fans' hearts, making it difficult for them to beat freely.
Fortunately, Cao Baiming was still on the field at this moment. As long as he was there, any hope the fans had was not excessive; that man would bring many miracles, only achievable in virtual worlds, into reality!
The fans were naturally not as clear about Cao Baiming's injury as the other members of the Tangguo team. They thought that Cao Baiming's injury had basically healed and that he showed no signs of problems on the field.
Only after personally seeing the results of Cao Baiming's re-examination would these concerns be truly valid.
Although the French team didn't fully understand the actual situation, they had an emergency plan regardless.
The worried expression on Deschamps's face indicated that he still had concerns about Cao Baiming. As long as that guy was on the field, within his sight, he couldn't afford to be careless.
He was like a stone in the hearts of the French team, but unlike the disadvantage in score, this stone seemed larger and more difficult to handle.
If the score could be caught up and equalized, the stone could be smashed to pieces, leaving no trace.
However, if the stone in one's heart came from a person, it would be troublesome, as it was a person who wouldn't appear out of thin air and thus wouldn't disappear without a trace.
The situation that followed could not be perfectly predicted by anyone, so they would have to take it one step at a time.
...
"Alright, both teams have now returned to the field and are in their positions!"
"With the referee's whistle, the match officially begins! You are currently watching the second half of the 3022 World Cup Final, between the French team and the Tangguo team!"
"The current score is France leading Tangguo three to two. The second half has begun!!"
After a few passes in their own half, Danilo suddenly played a long diagonal ball towards the other side of the field.
The ball went directly over Zidane's head and found the super-runner Mbappé on the flank.
Fortunately, Mbappé's first touch after stopping the ball was too forceful, and he kicked it out of bounds.
Li Gang breathed a sigh of relief, but he could also see that the French team was gradually shifting their attacking focus from Zidane to Mbappé.
Too much obstruction and linking in the middle gave the opponent the opportunity to set up their formation and defend in positional play. It was more effective to have simple front-to-back connections.
Cao Baiming saw this and immediately understood the deeper meaning.
In the subsequent period, the French team began to control possession, and the fans finally saw normal possession, unlike the first half where neither side wanted the ball, as if it were too hot to handle.
However, here, the opposing coaching staff had also employed a clever tactic. While they controlled the ball, they only passed and controlled it between the flank and the center, with no large-scale transfers. More importantly, during possession, they kept retreating, clearly trying to lure the opponent in, to draw them deep into their trap!
Cao Baiming saw all this and even felt like laughing.
"Such an obvious stratagem, it's like they have 'bait' written on their faces. They are clearly trying to entice us, how could anyone fall for it?"
Just as Cao Baiming was thinking this, his teammates on the other side had already charged forward!
How could they tolerate the opponent exposing such a huge defensive flaw and playing passing games in a small area near their own penalty box?
Three Tangguo players in red jerseys pressed forward along the flank where the opponent was controlling the ball, seemingly oblivious to the obvious opening being presented.
Cao Baiming felt as if he had been slapped in the face and could only shout loudly.
Seeing that the opponent had indeed fallen for it, the French team seemed unfazed. They passed the ball to the flank that was never involved in their passing game, and then Zidane actively retreated to receive it.
These Tangguo teammates had rushed in vain, and instantly a large gap appeared behind them. Standing in that space was Mbappé!
Cao Baiming felt a wave of speechlessness, with countless expletives running through his mind. It was too late to defend Zidane now, and it was even too risky. He had no choice but to personally go and defend Mbappé!
He had already guessed that once the ball reached Zidane's feet, he would not hesitate to pass it to Mbappé.