The situation would likely be more under his control in the second half.
However, even he felt too embarrassed to directly tell the players, "Try not to score as much as possible." It was something he himself found ridiculous.
Despite this, Cao Baming still chose to directly accept the third system reward mission, at least to see what the reward for completing the mission would be!
He had to admit that these missions did not disappoint in terms of generous rewards. The rewards were indeed very substantial: twenty guaranteed goals, a twenty percent discount on system skill requirements, and a fifty percent increase in temporal perception…
These had already far exceeded his previous expectations, and by no small margin.
Watching the football move to the other side of the field, Cao Baming took a brief moment to relax.
"System, accept the third mission now!"
After a short pause of about two seconds, the system's familiar voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! Generating mission for you…"
"Ding! Limited-time mission updated! Host achieving ten crossbar hits in a single match will unlock the mission reward: Football God Talent Skill Card."
Cao Baming's eyes lit up. This reward was quite simple! Just one talent card??
Did he lack talent cards now? This was too stingy. Compared to the previous two missions, the reward for completing this one was practically blood-curdling.
Moreover, the mission objective was truly interesting. It was essentially a way to torment people, asking him to hit the goalposts, and ten times at that!
System, listen to yourself. Is this a request a human would make?
The system, of course, was not human.
This one talent skill card, it had better be worth it! At the very least, it should be a core card like the "God's Eye" perspective. The current talent, if used well, might even be more useful than the "Time Bubble."
Cao Baming's gaze flickered. Unknowingly, several more minutes had passed. Messi, unable to resist, scored a goal himself, with the assist coming from a direct connection from Thomas in the backfield.
Messi felt he should also score. If he didn't score himself, it would seem a bit too fake. He was Messi, after all.
The score was already seven to zero. Arteta was silently counting. If it really reached ten, they would be utterly humiliated.
Cao Baming knew what he was thinking. The cute Arteta wore his thoughts on his sleeve, as always.
Fortunately, he didn't have to worry anymore. If the system could make such an shameless demand, then he could only comply!
He would hit the crossbar a few times first. Scoring goals could wait.
Soon, before Cao Baming could even attempt his first "iron," Henry also cut inside from the wing and scored from outside the box. It seemed as if they were competing.
The score naturally became eight to zero!
The higher-ups were gradually getting numb to Arsenal scoring. What was unsettling was the goose egg on their side. If only they could score one goal!
But, didn't they also wish for that? It just wasn't possible to score.
The thoughts of every player on the field were simple: they wanted to score. They were tired of this feeling of being completely outmatched. Even if they could score just one goal!
Even one goal would be infinitely better than now, because this wasn't just any goal. This was a goal against the gates of the number one team in the Premier League, and arguably the number one team in the world today. It was against Arsenal's goal.
It would surely be different, and the sense of accomplishment would be immense.
The good thing was that these players understood contentment. They recognized the gap and accepted it with equanimity.
With only ten minutes left in the first half, Cao Baming received the ball at the edge of the penalty area and intended to attempt his first "iron"!
Hitting the goal frame was not an easy feat. It was already incredibly difficult in a practice setting without interference, let alone during a dynamic match with constant unexpected situations.
Not only were there defensive players interfering, but the goalkeeper might also make a save. This shot required not only power but also precision and curve to ensure it hit the frame perfectly. The goalkeeper wouldn't just watch a ball seemingly heading for the crossbar and not try to save it.
With their long arms and legs, reaching a ball near the goal frame was easy. So, it wasn't that simple.
Cao Baming's gaze flickered. He ignored the golden lines before him and aimed for the left side of the crossbar, his precision targeting even a tiny point.
All eyes on the field instantly focused there. People anticipated what was about to happen. Cao Baming's shots from near the penalty area were usually a sure thing.
With a bang! The ball flew out with a dull thud. No one had time to block it. All they could do was watch from their positions and pray for the goalkeeper to perform a miracle!
But the goalkeeper was just a normal person. His teammates treating him like a divine guardian was not feasible!
What had he done to deserve this?
The goalkeeper panicked, fumbling. He had only made two saves so far, with everything else going in. The score on the scoreboard was a testament to his failure.
Victory brought spoils, and failure naturally brought something too.
Sweat dripped onto the grass at the goal line. The goalkeeper leaped high, attempting to intercept with his hands. However, unexpectedly, the ball struck the crossbar directly!
With a crisp sound, the ball rebounded from the steel crossbar back into the penalty area. Everyone was surprised. Cao Baming hadn't scored?
But Cao Baming's face showed a look of satisfaction.
Arteta on the sideline breathed a sigh of relief, as did many others.
For a moment, the opposing players were stunned, but they quickly regained their composure.
This was an opportunity given by heaven, a good thing! Thank you for not killing us! The defenders quickly recovered the ball before Henry and passed it back to their goalkeeper, thus averting a crisis.
Henry looked puzzled. That position was usually a prime shooting spot, and he didn't recall Cao Baming ever missing from there.
Could it be that he had actually held back just now?
It was evident that the opponents also breathed a sigh of relief at this thrilling and dangerous situation.