After taking a deep breath, he proactively found the assistant referee on the sideline and requested a substitution.
This was his last resort!
His decision to replace Cao Baiming stemmed from his unbearable anxiety. If Cao Baiming were to be injured and forced off the field, that would also consume their final substitution slot. Moreover, it would later be revealed to the public that he was already severely injured.
This would undoubtedly enrage the fans, especially Cao Baiming's supporters, potentially leading to them verbally attacking him, or even worse!
Upon hearing Tang Guo's substitution request, the assistant referee himself was surprised. After confirming it multiple times, he began to prepare.
Soon, a minor tug-of-war on the field resulted in a free kick awarded almost in the center of the pitch. As Cao Baiming was walking towards the spot, he suddenly saw the assistant referee on the sideline raise his board high.
Number 10? Wasn't that me?
And the number board was red!
Initially, Cao Baiming was speechless, but he quickly realized that the Tang Guo team must have been at their limit. Being substituted at this moment felt somewhat acceptable.
Cao Baiming waved towards the bench, indicating he could continue playing without any issues. However, the substitution request could not be withdrawn, and Li Gang had no intention of retracting it.
This time, he was resolute, disregarding Cao Baiming's opinion.
In the current situation, winning the championship was a sure thing, with almost zero probability of any unforeseen circumstances. He was fully confident in this regard.
Therefore, there was no need to aim for a massive victory. Protecting Cao Baiming's physical condition and his own reputation were paramount.
To the stunned silence of the entire stadium, Cao Baiming had no choice but to reluctantly leave the spot and walk towards the sideline.
The crowd didn't offer much applause, not because Cao Baiming's performance hadn't been spectacular enough or that they were unsatisfied. Instead, everyone was in a state of utter bewilderment.
They couldn't comprehend why Cao Baiming was being substituted at such a crucial moment!
The players of Falan, their coaching staff, and their fans were equally bewildered.
Mbappé took two steps forward, his mouth agape, staring at Cao Baiming's retreating figure...
The moment Cao Baiming stepped off the field, Deschamps burst into laughter, breaking the silence that had lasted several seconds. He regretted his outburst.
"Damn it, Cao Baiming is off the field, and there are still over ten minutes left!"
"Charge! You guys charge! Quickly equalize! Regardless of the reason, just charge!!"
The old man roared at the Falan players on the field, and their morale instantly surged!
The fans could no longer make sense of the situation. The player replacing Cao Baiming was a defender, and presumably, someone from the attack would drop back to midfield, indicating a defensive stance, a "park the bus" strategy.
However, even with a parked bus, Cao Baiming was the one driving it. Without him, it was just a wooden frame!
Didn't Li Gang understand such a simple logic?
Was he truly that confident they could hold on for the last ten-plus minutes without Cao Baiming?
Where on earth did his confidence come from?!
A roar erupted from the fans, their colorful language filling the air, and the song of victory finally ceased!
Seizing upon the moment of silence and confusion from the Tang Guo fans, the Falan fans reignited their spirits!
They began to gain the upper hand in the cheers. Although their numbers were only one-fifth of the Tang Guo fans, they achieved overwhelming dominance in this short period!
On the field, the Falan players were also energized as if they had been injected with adrenaline, immediately entering an excited state!
As the free kick was taken, Zidane intercepted it directly in his path and immediately launched a counter-attack!
Before Cao Baiming even reached the stands, he looked back and saw Henry already storming into the penalty area!
Li Gang's forehead began to sweat again. He felt a pang of panic. Had his decision been too hasty?
Could these players really withstand the attack from a ten-man Falan team? Was he being too confident?
Cao Baiming merely glanced back and then turned away, continuing his walk towards the sideline seating area. He already had the answer in his heart.
As he reached his seat, he heard a commotion behind him. Without turning around, he knew Henry had scored.
With a simple, straightforward pass and move between Zidane and Henry, Falan had effortlessly broken through the Tang Guo defense, exploiting the substitution period.
The score was now five to four. If they scored one more, they would equalize!
Although only ten minutes remained in regulation time, plus stoppage time, it amounted to about twenty minutes. However, if they could equalize within this period, the match would be dragged into extra time!
A grueling thirty minutes of extra time! The suspense would double!
They had expected the Tang Guo team, without Cao Baiming, to at least contend with the ten-man Falan squad. But the more they watched, the more it became apparent that they couldn't even match Falan's level when Falan was a man down!
The Tang Guo leadership was thoroughly anxious but powerless.
The fans cursed vehemently, calling the substitution of Cao Baiming the worst decision in history!
Meanwhile, Cao Baiming could only sit on the sidelines, completely unable to help, a look of helplessness on his face.
He could only hope that these players could somehow leverage their residual talent and not disgrace themselves, even if they all crowded the goal to prevent another conceded goal!
But the Falan team was riding a wave of momentum! Every player seemed to have a fire burning within them!
At this moment, even with one man down, they had completely abandoned any thought of parking the bus and were going all out on the offensive!
No matter how porous their defense became, it didn't matter!
Right now, the only objective was to score! Nothing else!