The teammates by his side, seeing their former captain personally take action, naturally trusted him implicitly. Their eyes met, and they immediately returned to their original defensive positions.
Cao Baming, positioned in the midfield core area, marked two players himself, preventing them from receiving the ball.
"Heaven bestows great responsibilities upon those who are to achieve great things," Wu Dahai confidently approached Gavi, preparing to intercept the ball. At the same time, he paid attention to his defensive actions. Even if he couldn't intercept it, he would block Gavi's passing lanes, forcing him to move forward.
However, with a sudden "fried ball" turn by the eighteen-year-old prodigy, Wu Dahai was completely outmaneuvered!
His eyes widened in shock, and the hearts of his teammates skipped a beat!
Gavi had a clear path ahead, a vast expanse of open field! Wu Dahai, however, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud!
Gavi had already sprinted from behind him to in front of him! Lying on the ground, Wu Dahai's emotions were complicated as he could only watch Gavi's receding back pass over his head. The player even extended his leg and chipped the ball over his fallen body!
Seeing this, Cao Baming felt an inexplicable discomfort, as if something had gotten into his eyes.
"I'm truly impressed!"
"Flying Bird skill! Activate!"
Wu Dahai's defense failed, leaving Gavi wide open. At a glance, Gavi had at least three passing options. While each was being marked, any successful pass would be absolutely fatal!
Most importantly, there was no one in front of him. He could drive forward and shoot himself; his shooting ability was also world-class.
Cao Baming's eyes flickered, and he accelerated in an instant. Boosted by the Flying Bird skill, he transformed into a lightning bolt once more!
His teammates were stunned. At this point, they could only rely on him to salvage the situation!
As he ran, even the surrounding scenery blurred. Cao Baming felt as if he were flying, reaching a terrifying speed of 40 kilometers per hour!
Just then, a sharp whistle blew, and Cao Baming's heart skipped a beat!
His sprinting steps were forced to halt again. For players on the field, a whistle was like an absolute command from God!
"I'm truly impressed! Just got started!"
He had used the Flying Bird skill! He could still feel a fire burning within him, but it was forcibly stopped. It was too unbearable.
The fans also expressed their dissatisfaction, letting out disheartening boos!
"We thought we were about to witness another divine defensive play from Cao Baming!"
Helplessly, Cao Baming turned to look at the referee. As he did, his peripheral vision caught sight of the disheveled Gavi and the even more disheveled Wu Dahai.
Both were on the ground, but not at the same time!
In a moment of carelessness, Wu Dahai, after falling, immediately grabbed Gavi's ankles with both hands, dragging him forward by about a meter!
Their pathetic state was truly heartbreaking!
"It wasn't worth it, brother! There were still players ahead!"
Just then, the referee walked over. He first looked at Gavi, who was lying on the ground. Having been brought down so forcefully, his head had hit the ground first, and he let out a painful cry, looking quite seriously injured!
Everyone around rushed over.
Wu Dahai also knew, this was over, he was definitely going to get a card.
But in that moment, he got carried away and acted purely on instinct to grab Gavi's feet!
"Can I be blamed for this?"
Cao Baming looked helpless and didn't want to say anything more. It seemed he couldn't salvage the situation.
The team doctor came onto the field and quickly determined that Gavi could not continue. The referee then reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a stack of cards.
Wu Dahai stood up, looking at the referee with an innocent and pleading expression. Others also came forward to speak on his behalf.
The main referee, with a stern face, took out the reddest card from his hand, redder than his own jersey!
A red card!!
Sent off directly!!!
The entire stadium was shocked, and the emotions of the fans erupted instantly!
"This is the first red card shown by a referee on the field in this World Cup so far, and it's a straight red!"
"What was Wu Dahai doing? This is completely unacceptable!"
"He needs to be severely reprimanded when he gets back. Making such a decision just now, he truly wasn't thinking!"
Upon seeing the card, Wu Dahai instantly went numb and squatted on the ground, holding his head.
The expressions of his teammates also froze.
There was still half an hour left!
There was still half an hour! How were they supposed to play!
The Tang Guo players on the field, after a moment of despair, descended into a state of agitated madness.
"Everyone, stop arguing, calm down!"
This red card had completely disheartened all the Tang Guo players and fans. Wu Dahai himself hadn't expected that they would completely skip the yellow card and give him a red!
Reluctantly, but with a heart full of anger and regret, he lowered his head and walked off the field.
Fans by the sidelines repeatedly booed him.
"Traitor!"
"Just leave already!"
His heart was filled with unbearable pain.
These sounds would likely echo in his ears until he lay in bed that night, impossible to shake off, even pre-ordering material for nightmares.
However, looking at it rationally, the red card was indeed deserved.
The action was too dangerous, and grabbing ankles directly was a dirty move with no excuse.
After leaving the field, Wu Dahai slumped onto the substitute's bench, unable to bear to watch the game any longer.
The match continued, but at this moment, the Tang Guo team was a man down.
"In this situation, Li Gang is likely hoping to maintain this lead until the end of the game, not necessarily scoring, but at least not conceding."
"As long as we don't concede and hold onto our lead until the end, we win. But how easy is that!"
...
"Fortunately, with Gavi gone, the Roja team has also lost some of their attacking power."
"No goals needed, just don't concede!"
The Tang Guo team began to set up a defensive "bus," and Li Gang continuously shouted from the sidelines.