The second round of the group stage passed in the blink of an eye, and various platforms outside began to hold polls for the best players and best goals from the entire teams in the second round.
However, regardless of the results of any platform or professional organization's selection, they would certainly not be as convincing as the official one.
On this day, the official selection results for the top five goals from the combined two rounds of group stage matches were released. To everyone's surprise, the Tangguo team occupied three of the five spots!
In the compiled highlight reel, all the jerseys were red. If one looked closely, all three goals were scored by Cao Baming alone! In the five best goals of the group stage, Cao Baming alone accounted for three!
But looking at the selections from other professional organizations, it was largely the same. If one looked carefully, it was not difficult to find that other goals paled in comparison to Cao Baming's.
However, one person couldn't occupy the entire best goal list, and they were in a dilemma!
Never had such a situation been seen before!
The backheel volley into the far corner was undoubtedly selected as the best goal and had already preemptively secured the Puskás Award for this year.
The other two were Cao Baming's mid-air rebound in the penalty area and the super long-range shot from seventy meters away!
Whichever of these was chosen for the top five goals list, it was completely irrefutable. No one could watch these unbelievable, god-tier plays on screen and then question why he alone was selected for so many best goals!
The remaining two spots became extremely competitive. Even Thierry Henry's scorpion kick at the goalmouth and Enzo Fernández's direct corner-kick goal failed to make the list, illustrating just how fierce the competition was!
One of the goals was from Neymar, which successfully ranked fourth in the top five. Neymar showcased the charm of Samba football to the fullest, as if he sprinkled the afterglow all over the pitch.
Starting from the left wing, he first shouldered off the defensive midfielder, overpowered him physically, then used a sudden burst of acceleration to shake off another defender. Facing a triple-team, a delicate Marseille turn combined with the Zidan roulette seamlessly, and finally, he unluckily left the goalkeeper behind and tapped into an empty net!
Such an extreme solo run was still ranked fourth.
The third spot was taken by Bruno Fernandes of Portugal. After receiving a long pass from his teammate, he turned and struck a half-volley, combining elegance with power, and remarkably, it had a strong curve!
Even a god of a goalkeeper would have absolutely no chance of saving such a shot!
The assist came from the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, and this goal successfully secured the third position.
Cao Baming also had the leisure to watch the officially released highlight reel. After watching it, he smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth.
Such spectacular scenes sent the fans' blood boiling!
In addition to the official goals released, a goal scored by Son Heung-min after falling to the ground also became a popular choice on various platforms and organizations.
It is worth mentioning that as an Asian team, Son Heung-min's K-country football team is also not to be underestimated. At least they did not bring shame to the Asian region. 138 Reading Network
One win and one draw in two group stage matches gave them four points, temporarily ranking second. But it should be noted that they are behind the Portuguese team.
Their qualification prospects are not yet entirely stable, but the third round of group stage matches is about to begin!
During this period, the Tangguo team continued to maintain a moderate-intensity training. The entire team was united as never before. Achieving two consecutive victories had a significant boost to the players' morale.
They all made fierce pronouncements to each other, vowing to make the Bullfighting Country lose even more miserably than the German team in the next match!
Wu Lei, as one of the players playing in La Liga, could recognize many old acquaintances in the opposing team.
But at this moment, even the closest friends were enemies. Their previous relationships had become the sharpest weapons to defeat the opponent. When analyzing specific tactics, Wu Lei could often offer valuable suggestions.
There were some people he understood exceptionally well. He was the only one who knew many of their unknown details, which he then shared with the team, thus increasing the assurance of success.
At this moment, while the Tangguo team was diligently training and preparing, the third round of group stage matches had quietly commenced.
This afternoon, the first group's match would directly confirm a stable qualification spot, and the battles outside were fierce.
However, at this very moment, a bombshell news broke from the Portuguese team, shocking the entire football world.
Rumors circulated that Cristiano Ronaldo had been accidentally injured during training! He might even miss the next group stage match!
As soon as this news broke, Portuguese fans felt as if their hearts had been struck by a heavy blow, like lightning from a clear sky.
And it wasn't just the Portuguese fans who were concerned about this news; it was fans worldwide. The news spread instantly across the globe, reaching everyone's ears.
Even Cao Baming heard about it. The Tangguo team reacted similarly to the fans upon hearing the news, as news from another group had almost no impact on them.
Moreover, the injury did not seem particularly serious; at most, he would miss the group stage matches. But considering Portugal's current momentum and the strength of the other teams in their group, they should undoubtedly qualify.
Cao Baming actually hoped to meet them in the knockout stages and wished Cristiano Ronaldo a speedy recovery.
Following this, another shocking upset occurred in the matches outside: the French team lost!
This news came from a news report with a glaring headline in five characters: The French team lost!
Upon seeing this news, Cao Baming's eyes widened in disbelief, his heart filled with surprise.
"France can lose? How can this lineup lose?"
Upon closer inspection, he realized they had won against Tunisia by a score of one to zero!
They had clearly won! So why was it reported as a loss?
The tabloid reporter explained the reason in the subsequent lines:
"The French team's performance in this match was clearly below expectations, only leading by one goal to defeat their opponent. This is a great failure!"
Cao Baming was speechless...
Upon careful examination, he noticed that not only was Henry not in the starting lineup, but Mbappé was also absent.
It seemed like a normal rotation. They would win comfortably even in a casual group stage match, so it was better to conserve energy for the knockout stages!
After all, the round of sixteen was not their goal. Their only objective was to win the World Cup and bring the Golden Goddess trophy home!