On the contrary, the opposing team was very satisfied with this result, and their performance seemed even happier and more excited than Arsenal's!
Regardless, they were completely unaware that the other side had been holding back in the second half. After the match, they even happily swapped jerseys with these three beloved players, further boosting their mood.
After the game, the official video recording of the match was released online.
Anyone with discerning eyes could tell that the opposing team had clearly been taking it easy in the second half. Otherwise, with Arsenal's synergy and the terrifying strength of those three superstars, they should have scored at least in the double digits.
At this moment, Manchester City's head coach, Guardiola, happened to be scrolling through videos and clicked on the playback.
On the screen, Cao Baming, Henry, and Messi were passing and controlling the ball in the midfield, their movements flowing like water and full of artistic flair!
Henry and Cao Baming were both players he had coveted last season, but he hadn't managed to secure either. Watching them now made him feel incredibly bitter!
And most importantly, there was Messi!
This was Messi's first match after joining Arsenal, and also the first publicly released video of him playing for the team. Seeing the familiar figure, Guardiola's eyes welled up with tears!
You scoundrel! You went straight to Arsenal without even considering Manchester City! We said we'd grow old together!
At this moment, Guardiola felt more heartache than anything, a sourness that tasted like lemon. His favorite players had all flocked to Arsenal.
At this very moment, Guardiola was filled with both hatred and anger, shedding tears!
He desperately wanted to shout, "Take me with you!!!"
However, if he truly wanted to transfer to coach Arsenal, it might not be entirely unrealistic. After all, he was still recognized as the world's best coach, and what club wouldn't want him?
Cao Baming was also very satisfied. Although they only scored two goals in the entire match, he had fully utilized his new talent.
He had deliberately tried it out in both the opponent's penalty area and their own. However, the opponent was indeed too weak. For example, without even needing to shoot in the penalty box, the numbers would directly soar to the high nineties, but they were completely unwilling to shoot.
Back at the club, the players listened to the head coach's review and preparations for the upcoming league matches.
The first round of the league would begin the following week. Arsenal was scheduled to play on the second day, facing West Ham United.
This was the very first match of the new season, and whether they could achieve an opening victory depended on this game!
While the newly joined players, including Messi, could adapt during warm-up matches, such an important league fixture, especially the first one, meant they would absolutely not be in the match squad.
Cao Baming looked at the match schedule and suddenly noticed that the day before their team's match, there was a monumental clash.
Liverpool versus Manchester United! This match was bound to attract a lot of attention!
Not only was it such a heavyweight encounter, but it was also scheduled for the opening day of the new Premier League season. Could this be a coincidence, or a coincidence?
After two days of training, the tactics for the new season had been largely determined. Cao Baming would continue to play as a defender, but his role was quite special. The head coach had given him permission to move freely off his designated position on the field.
This level of freedom truly surprised Cao Baming. Arteta last season was not like this at all!
And since he had been given such freedom, Cao Baming naturally wouldn't disappoint. In the last two days of training before the match, he demonstrated a convincing level of skill. His connection with Henry and Vieira was also gradually maturing.
This maturity was not just visual; more importantly, in every training session or match, their coordination became increasingly tacit. They could basically predict how the other would pass the ball even before it reached their feet.
The actual results were, of course, improving with each passing session.
Even Arteta was eagerly anticipating their performance in the new Premier League season.
At the end of the previous season, Henry had only appeared twice, but the league matches had already shown all the fans the true power of the Cao-Henry connection. However, what they had witnessed was merely an immature connection!
This time, when formulating the match squad, Arteta had racked his brains, contemplating how to finalize the list. Although many new signings were on the team, they certainly wouldn't be starting this match. However, Messi's position was something that required careful consideration.
After much deliberation, Arteta finally decided to include Messi's name on the squad list, but he would still be listed as a substitute.
Just like Cao Baming last season, perhaps in a critical situation, he could still be used as a life-saving straw.
If that time came, he would surely thank his wise decision back then!
As soon as the squad list was released, Arsenal fans erupted in excitement.
"Cao Baming and Henry are both starting! That's fantastic!"
"Finally, we're going to see some good action! I've been dying for it!"
"Nice!"
Just then, the result of the Liverpool versus Manchester United match came out. Liverpool won 1-0 against Manchester United!
This score was also significant, and the outcome directly surprised many people!
Liverpool was only leading by one goal? That didn't seem right!
During the match, they had even come close to equalizing.
In the second half, Cristiano Ronaldo came on as a substitute and changed the score with a long-range shot from near the penalty area, but it was directly ruled offside.
From the replay, it only showed that he was offside by the length of a palm. It was truly a shame!
Manchester United fans remained unfazed, believing that the team was gradually finding its form.
This season, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, Henry, and Cao Baming all arriving in England, it was a gathering of major stars. The outcome of the matches was no longer the most important thing; the visual experience was paramount!
After seeing the match result, Cao Baming let out a cold laugh.
The outcome was exactly as he had predicted, and he even received triple the rewards.
It was just a shame that he had bet too little, only fifty million. Although he won this bet, he only made a hundred million, which was too uninteresting.
As the matchday arrived, the team welcomed West Ham United at home.
The media extensively predicted the match beforehand, mostly lamenting the unfortunate fate of West Ham United, who had to face a tough opponent in their very first match of the new season!
Outside observers rationally predicted scores in the range of three-nil or four-nil.
At the same time, voices of doubt were naturally also quite loud.