The next day, the Samba Corps' match proceeded as scheduled.
Many footballing veterans chose to watch this game. Although it was only a Round of Sixteen match, they still wanted to witness the performance of the fully-starred Samba Corps.
The stands were also filled with numerous Tang nation fans.
Even though their own team wasn't playing, it couldn't dampen the fans' enthusiasm. After all, with a large population, there were naturally many fans!
People wanted to see what made this Samba Corps so strong, why the outside world praised them so highly. Why was it that when the Tang nation team faced them, they were spoken of as having almost no chance of winning.
Cao Baiming was also closely following this match. Despite having training sessions, he was constantly keeping an eye on the news coming from the field.
Amidst the fans' cheers, the players of the Samba Corps, clad in their classic yellow jerseys, emerged one by one from the tunnel, striding onto the pitch with confident steps.
Concurrently, the Moroccan Red Army also launched an offensive. They were the challengers today. As a team from Africa, they too were a dark horse in this World Cup, but their brilliance had been completely overshadowed by the Tang nation team. In previous tournaments, they would have been hyped to the heavens by the media.
However, today they faced the reassembled, fully-starred Samba Corps, and they had virtually no chance of winning.
The odds for this match had shattered the entire World Cup history, reaching a win-loss margin of 191:1. Even so, no one dared to bet on a Moroccan upset, as such an outcome would require more than just luck.
Today, the Samba Corps fielded all their starting players, and all their key players were in the starting lineup. This dream team seemed formidable from attack to defense, from the front lines to midfield and then to the back, leaving no apparent weaknesses.
In almost every aspect, they were absolute, performing at near-perfect levels. It was hard to fathom how such a team could possibly lose!
Up to this point, the Samba Corps had steamrolled their way through, playing every match, including the group stage, to full time. Their current goal difference was only two less than that of the Tang nation team!
After this match, their total number of games played would equal that of the Korean team. This meant that if they scored two goals in the upcoming match, their total goals scored would even surpass that of the Tang nation team!
This was one of the reasons that terrified Cao Baiming.
After all, even the Tang candy team, under his leadership, had set a goal-scoring record in the group stage of this World Cup. Yet, even with that, they couldn't surpass this fully-starred Samba Corps.
The once-dreamy quartet seemed to be missing Ronaldo on the field, but now Vinícius Júnior and Neymar partnered on the left flank. Their synergy together was certainly not inferior to a single breakthrough from Ronaldo!
The midfield and defense featured Casemiro as the defensive midfielder, and with Carlos, a super-stable powerhouse from the back, his defense was also unparalleled in its strength.
At the goalkeeping position, Alisson stood guard. Scoring against him was no easy feat. If the Moroccan team wanted to achieve this today, they would need to bring 600% of their ability and 1000% of their luck. Only with both combined would there be a slim chance of scoring a goal.
But the Samba Corps might have already scored more than one goal by then.
Ronaldo the alien, Neymar the samba dancer, Carlos the cannon of men, and Kaká the prince of football stood side by side. After the ceremonies concluded, the referee quickly blew the whistle for the start of the match.
The fans watched the game with immense excitement.
Within just five minutes, thanks to Kaká's brilliant play and Ronaldo the alien's decisive finishing touch, the Samba Corps successfully scored their first goal.
The Moroccan team, known throughout this World Cup for its tight and flawless defense, found their entire defensive line rendered useless under the Samba Corps' sharp attack!
The gap was immediately evident. Compared to other teams, the Samba Corps' offense had not just improved by one level, but by several magnitudes.
Then, in the 13th minute, Casemiro curled the ball with the outside of his foot into the far corner, scoring another goal!
By the 35th minute, Marquinhos on the field played a long ball to Neymar on the left flank. The samba dancer began his dance on the pitch, dribbling past three players, the ball still firmly at his feet. He then backheeled it to Carlos behind him.
This player, known as the cannon of men before Cao Baiming's appearance, unleashed a super-powerful long-range shot from nearly 35 meters away towards the goal.
The sound of the ball connecting with his boot was deafening, clearly audible even in the stands.
The ball flew towards the goal like a cannonball, but at the last moment, it dipped and struck the crossbar instead of entering the net.
The goalposts shook violently, as if almost about to collapse, and then Ronaldo the alien accurately predicted the ball's rebound and tapped it in, scoring successfully. The goalkeeper, at this point, was already too late to react.
Even the Moroccan wonder goalkeeper was helpless against Ronaldo the alien.
By this point, the score was 3:0. The Moroccan players all wore expressions of disappointment, sadness, and even despair. Their coach on the sidelines sighed repeatedly, his face filled with helplessness.
At this moment, he could only think that with the score already so lopsided, they should consider slowing down the offensive tempo and shoring up the defense.
He no longer dared to hope for victory in this match. He just hoped they wouldn't be too embarrassed. After all, reaching the quarter-finals was already an unexpected outcome, one that would satisfy the team's higher-ups.
However, the relentless pressure from the unreasonable Samba Corps persisted. In the final minute of the first half, Neymar delivered a cross from the left flank, assisting Ronaldo the alien once again!
Cannon shot! Push shot! Header! Ronaldo the alien completed his hat-trick using three different methods!