The players from the Bullfighting country on the field rushed to the sidelines excitedly, embracing each other. Enrique was equally thrilled!
He patted the shoulder of the assistant coach beside him and said, "I told you I'd show this Tang country team their true form, didn't I! I always keep my word!"
"Precisely! You are truly amazing!"
The fans of the Bullfighting country were also ecstatic. The stadium seats seemed to disappear as if they didn't exist. Hardly anyone was sitting; the entire crowd stood excitedly beside their seats, even dancing joyfully.
At this moment, they no longer had individual names; each was a part of the Bullfighting country, their existence dedicated to cheering for the team!
With a crash, a plate shattered on the floor in a bar on the streets of Tang country.
"Are you kidding me? Is this Zhang Linfan a mole? What's his nationality?"
A man stood on a chair, cursing loudly. His outburst didn't draw scorn; instead, it was met with support, and a crowd of fans began to vent their frustrations.
"Damn it! It's going to be the same old story again, isn't it!"
"We only made it to the quarterfinals before; let's not have too high hopes this time!"
"They're just not performing!"
At this moment, the large screen focused on Cao Baiming's face.
He had just felt regret for the conceded goal, but now, more than ten seconds later, his expression had returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
The fans had hoped to see some dejection and anger in his expression, but they saw neither.
The players on the field returned to the center circle for the kickoff. Wu Lei initiated the play.
Cao Baiming's eyes flickered. After scanning the people around him, his face quickly lit up with confidence!
Sharp-eyed viewers had already noticed this detail!
"That look, that gaze! I know it!"
"That's right! I know it too! An Arsenal player would never miss this!"
With a bang, Wu Lei passed the ball to Fang Hao beside him. Fang Hao opted for a backward pass but saw a teammate in the defensive line raising a hand.
It was Cao Baiming! Without a word, he chose to make the pass.
Before the ball even reached his feet, Cao Baiming was already sprinting forward. In a mere second, he accelerated to his top speed and received the ball from his teammate at the halfway line.
Instantly, Cao Baiming surged past two players.
The people around hadn't even reacted – not the Tang country players, nor the Bullfighting country players. For a moment, they all looked at Cao Baiming carrying the ball forward, utterly bewildered.
"What is going on! Cao Baiming is making a solo breakthrough!"
Soon, the opponents realized what was happening, but it was too late!
Cao Baiming, like a flash of scarlet lightning, weaved across the green field. His speed from the kickoff was already astonishing!
Cao Baiming's eyes flickered, and bright shooting lines appeared before him, the numbers rapidly increasing. As he sprinted forward, the distance to the goal shortened, and the difficulty of scoring decreased!
In the blink of an eye, five or six players were left far behind. By this point, even they couldn't fool themselves into thinking they could catch up.
"Cao Baiming! Tang country's superstar!"
"Ling Bo Wei Bu! He's waltzed past multiple players, and no one around can get close!"
"Pulling and dragging is useless!"
The Bullfighting country players left behind by Cao Baiming either gave up chasing or tripped over themselves while attempting to pull him back!
Wherever he went, chaos ensued!
Is this even possible?
Cao Baiming counted in his mind. The duration of his 'Flying Bird' skill was still active. His teammates on the wing were arriving, but he couldn't wait for them. The opponents were already a beat slow, and his own teammates were even slower than the opponents.
At this point, only three or four Bullfighting country players remained in front of Cao Baiming, but they couldn't all converge on him at once.
Cao Baiming opted for a step-over, successfully making the two center-backs ahead of him collide with each other. He then easily bypassed them from the side.
He looked towards the goal. Although he hadn't yet entered the penalty area, the number before him had already soared to ninety-nine!
Facing an opponent rushing at him wildly from the left, Cao Baiming calmly struck the ball with the outside of his foot. The soccer ball curled into the net!
"Beautiful!"
"Cao Baiming's shot! That outside-of-the-foot strike found the top corner!"
"Tang country team scores! One to one, they've equalized!!!"
Cao Baiming calmly turned around to look. His teammates finally caught up, their faces beaming with smiles. Although they had barely participated in this goal, they were still happy!
"Cao Baiming made that entire run himself! That goal was absolutely stunning!"
"But honestly, it's not uncommon in the Premier League. Cao Baiming is the only player who chooses such a fast-break scoring method right after kickoff. He's the only one in the world!"
"An assist from Fang Hao! This assist was too easy; he probably never imagined it!"
"Busquets of the opposing team is probably shouting 'Expert!' He probably wouldn't dare brag about his 'assist of the century' in front of this goal!"
"Messi of the past, Cao Baiming of today! The scepter of the king of football is passed on!"
The replay was shown repeatedly. The close-up shots in the footage showed Cao Baiming constantly observing the players in front of him. Every move was full of deception, and the sudden change of pace before beating a player made them utterly desperate.
Simple and decisive dribbling, overpowering them directly, yet there was absolutely nothing they could do.
"This is pure individual skill!"
Soon, the Tang country players' celebration ended, but the cheers from the fans in the stands had far from stopped.
Busquets stood on the field, looking bewildered, as if past memories were flooding back into his mind. That was from many years ago!
But this scene had never lost its appeal, and it was a beloved old meme among fans. However, from now on, that was no longer the case, because something even more outrageous had appeared!
In that entire solo run, Cao Baiming first used absolute speed to bypass the midfield, then used a shoulder drop and change of direction to shake off two players, followed by a sudden burst of acceleration to break through the defenders, and his final step-over was unforgettable!
This solo run incorporated the signature moves of many top football superstars, some of whom were even in this World Cup. There might be direct confrontations in the upcoming matches!
As the match continued, the first half quickly ended.
"The referee has blown the whistle for the end of the first half. Tang country team is tied one-one with the Bullfighting country. This result is still acceptable. We hope our players can continue to strive in the second half and show our fighting spirit!"
"Go Tang country team!"