The referee then walked over, approaching him slowly and deliberately. The referee thought this guy was probably faking it.
However, upon closer inspection, it looked too real. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he even clenched his fists and banged them on the grass in pain.
With a gesture from the referee, someone was allowed onto the field to check his injury.
At this moment, his heart rate accelerated significantly. The reason for his nervousness was that four substitutions had already been used, with only one remaining. Was this last substitution slot going to be used now?
Once on the field, he was examined. His teammates quickly gathered around, while Cao Baiming watched from a distance.
He already had a pretty good idea. This guy had definitely broken a few ribs. If his calculations were correct, it should be three.
Since the start of the second half, he had been fouled more than three times, but only three of those fouls had caused significant injury. At a rate of one broken rib per foul, breaking three ribs was perfectly reasonable!
Time ticked by, every second spent on the field was recorded by the referee and would be added to the end of regulation time.
For the fans of the France team, their feelings were probably more panicked than the injured player himself.
Finally, the team doctor called for personnel from the sidelines to bring a stretcher onto the field. Through the gaps between people, the fans finally saw his condition. He looked like he could no longer continue.
Tears streamed down his face, not because he couldn't play in the World Cup final, but purely from unbearable pain!
The doctor's diagnosis was exactly as Cao Baiming had planned: he had broken several ribs. Although they couldn't determine the exact number on the field at the moment, such a severe condition would not allow him to continue playing.
Ribs are among the most fragile and crucial protective bones in the human body.
Not only would their fracture cause unbearable agony, but if a simple crack turned into a comminuted fracture, a single sharp shard accidentally touching the heart would have unimaginable consequences.
Deschamps was busy praying to the heavens, but the news had already arrived.
There was no other way; a substitution was necessary!
Furthermore, there was a rule in football that if a player suffered a concussion or suspected concussion, an additional substitution would be allowed. However, there was no rule allowing for an extra substitution for rib injuries.
With no other options, Deschamps had no choice but to prepare for a substitution. Fortunately, he had instructed several players to warm up on the sidelines beforehand, so the change could be made immediately.
He didn't forget to check his watch after making the substitution decision.
It was exactly 60 minutes. 60 minutes was considered a major substitution point. However, he had already used all four substitution slots before this, and now he was filled with regret.
Moreover, there were still 30 minutes left until the end of regulation time at 90 minutes, not even counting the second half. With potentially significant stoppage time, like the more than ten minutes added in the previous semi-final, it would be an unimaginable nightmare!
Because if another player got injured during such a long period, or if players were fatigued and unable to continue for various reasons, he would have no substitution slots left to deal with such emergencies.
At this moment, the entire France team, including their fans, could only pray to the heavens!
As the substitution was completed, the game continued. For the France team, a piece of good news was that Zidane was still maintaining a high level of performance, delivering refreshing passes and transitions in midfield.
Meanwhile, Cao Baiming had positioned himself near the attacking midfield, on the opposite flank from Mbappé.
Up to this point, the possession had been roughly 60-40. Although the France team was not dominant, they still held a clear advantage in possession.
Cao Baiming was already looking for his next scoring opportunity.
Counting the previous few attacking attempts by the Tangguo team, they had all failed. Regardless of what his teammates did, according to the law of conservation of luck, the next one should surely be a goal, right?
However, once Cao Baiming moved forward, the defense behind him became very vulnerable.
Li Gang saw this and became extremely anxious, quickly calling out to Cao Baiming on the field to return to the back to participate in the defense.
However, Cao Baiming, who never listened, naturally ignored his words.
Cao Baiming's understanding of the entire field was absolutely superior to his. And the situation on the field right now did not require him to rush back to the back.
Because...
Just then, a long pass came flying towards Cao Baiming's head.
As expected, this was what he was waiting for!
Weaving back and forth between the right flank and midfield, skillfully evading several close-marking defenders, Cao Baiming finally secured a receiving position that he had fought hard for.
The quality of this pass from the back was truly top-notch. Cao Baiming's eyes flashed, and he glanced towards the goal.
Instantly, four or five France players in dark blue jerseys converged on Cao Baiming.
However, with a few subtle technical moves, he calmly shook off two players beside him. The most ferocious defender, number six, was already lying on a hospital bed outside the field. These players in front of him, though they might resort to dirty tactics, seemed more timid.
With just two simple technical moves, he successfully dribbled the ball through the gaps between two or three players, and he followed suit.
Looking ahead, only two center-backs remained at the edge of the penalty area, holding their ground. Cao Baiming began to accelerate forward. At this moment, passing to a teammate was unlikely, as his teammates would need at least three more seconds to catch up.