The team consecutively won several Champions League group stage matches during this period, continuing their league winning streak and successfully achieving a 10-game winning streak, pushing forward in pursuit of 15 consecutive wins!
Now, the outside world has generally acknowledged that Arsenal is one of the strongest teams currently.
At the beginning, there might not have been enough data to support it, but with the current results, there's no way to refute it anymore.
Anyone who dares to argue now is simply waiting to be embarrassed and bring trouble upon themselves.
The Champions League matches are relatively more difficult, but not overwhelmingly so.
After the single round-robin ended, Arsenal had three wins out of three, scoring a total of 15 goals, which was 5 more than Paris Saint-Germain in second place!
And the Champions League system's seasonal objective of ten goals was almost directly achieved!
Cao Baming alone had already scored 8 goals and provided 5 assists!
The system's task had a deadline for the entire Champions League competition, and scoring ten goals would unlock the reward. Now, not only had the group stage not even finished, but only the first round-robin had just been completed! 138 Reading Net
This was a considerable show of dominance.
Soon, the fourth match arrived, and Cao Baming naturally started as the undisputed first choice!
There was basically no pressure against Juventus. Today's Juve had completely lost their fighting spirit. After losing 0-2 to Arsenal in the first leg, they lost 1-3 to Paris Saint-Germain.
The fans thought they could get two points from the weaker team, Bruges, but what was the result? They lost again, completely and utterly!
In this match, Messi and Henry were not playing, preparing for international friendly matches, putting the pressure on Cao Baming.
If he didn't secure the win in this game, the fans would surely say after the match that the team was only carried by Messi and Henry, and it wouldn't work without them.
While these words might be true, Cao Baming would absolutely not let such a situation happen!
He provided one assist and one goal in the first half, leaving even Saka so satisfied that he patted his stomach.
At the beginning of the second half, Juventus made a substitution, but it was merely to stall for time. Soon, another goal was scored!
Cao Baming's powerful shot was dodged by the goalkeeper and went straight into the center of the goal!
The system's voice sounded like this!
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Reward: one Level Max Golden Talent Skill Card!"
Cao Baming's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he keenly observed the field.
A talent card that directly reached max level! It felt great!
With the score already like this, there was no need to worry about anything. It had long been agreed with the coach that the Champions League matches would also provide opportunities for the newcomers to gain experience.
At the 62nd minute, Cao Baming was substituted off early.
His departure from the field was undoubtedly the greatest insult to Juventus!
No substitution could have been more devastating than this. No verbal or physical attack could compare.
It was one thing that Messi and Henry weren't playing in this match, but Cao Baming also left halfway through. And the score was only three-nil! How much did you underestimate us!
Arteta maintained a calm expression, secretly feeling pleased.
He brought on three new young players in one go. The last words he said before they went on were, "Just play however you want, attack whenever you have a chance!"
He intentionally increased his volume when he said this, so that the entire Juventus coaching staff and substitutes on the adjacent bench could hear clearly.
It was a soul-crushing blow!
Juventus had never experienced such humiliation. At this moment, the entire team was pushed to the brink!
Cao Baming sat down in his seat. As soon as his buttocks touched the surface of the chair, he immediately called upon the system.
"Activate rewards!"
A moment later, a golden light flashed, blurring the surroundings, and the system's voice came through.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining the top-tier talent [Phantom in the Box]. Gain a speed attribute bonus and stealthy positioning awareness within the penalty area. When passing behind a player, speed increases by 20%, and you are less likely to attract attention."
"Ding! The top-tier talent skill card [Phantom in the Box] has been upgraded to max level! Gain a speed bonus and stealthy positioning awareness within the penalty area. When passing behind a player, speed increases by 80%, and you are almost impossible to notice."
"Top-tier talent unlocks a brand new effect: the bonus effect now covers the entire pitch! The talent card name has been changed to [Ghost of the Pitch]!"
Wow...!
Cao Baming took a deep breath.
In the 77th minute of the match, an explosion finally occurred!
A world-class goal saved a point!
The entire stadium erupted!
Don't let the single point fool you; this was Juventus's second goal in the entire Champions League!
With this, there might still be a chance to secure a spot in the Europa League!
Losing to Paris Saint-Germain was acceptable, and losing to Arsenal was also acceptable, but losing to Bruges again would be too embarrassing!
They were Juventus, at least a strong team in Serie A, didn't they have any pride?
In the end, the final score of the match was one to three.
At this time, good news also came from Messi's international friendly match. His home country, Argentina, swept aside their opponent with a commanding three-nil victory.
Although the opponent was a South American team that hadn't even qualified for the World Cup knockout stage, the unity displayed by the team during the match was truly comforting to the fans.
Despite his age, Messi absolutely would not allow anyone to say he was old. Age and being old were two completely different concepts.
Although there had been a slight decline in form, it was only in terms of strength and stamina. Other aspects, such as passing ability, playmaking, and even shooting accuracy, had improved compared to before.
Today's Messi, when playing for the national team, was still the undisputed core of the entire team, and his leadership qualities were fully showcased.
For the players of the Argentine national team, as long as Messi was on the field, they felt at ease and believed that winning the match was a matter of course.
Back in the day, when Maradona was the core of the national team, the situation was exactly the same. These two individuals were so alike in every aspect!
During the post-match media interviews, Messi was once again asked about when he planned to retire.
Messi's answer was as straightforward as always.
As for the vast majority of fans and numerous clubs around the world, as long as he was willing to play, they would be willing to spend a large sum of money to sign him, even if he was forty years old.
This was even more so for the national team, of course. Even a forty-something Messi would still wear the captain's armband, because even if he couldn't play effectively anymore, his mental attributes on the field would still make a significant difference!