His reaction was even bigger than when he hit the goalposts twice before.
A hint of helplessness flickered across Cao Baming's face. The reason for this helplessness was simple: he hadn't intended to score at all, yet the ball had actually gone in.
Sigh, I'm so sorry!
As the football entered the net, the entire goal frame even began to shake. This wasn't even hitting the uprights, but the net itself. The ball was incredibly elastic, but the fact that the entire goal could shake showed the immense power of the shot.
The goalkeeper was so startled by the shaking that he nearly soiled himself.
He knew it wasn't an earthquake. If this shot had hit him, he would likely be on a stretcher being carried off the field now, with his life uncertain.
It was eight-nil! This last goal was purely accidental, Cao Baming himself hadn't expected it. After succeeding twice, he had actually failed. This was a super, super, incredibly colossal mistake.
As this goal was scored, the match time was already nearing its end. In the remaining less than two minutes, both sides gave up their efforts, using the last bit of time to recover their stamina and entering a state of rest in advance.
With the final whistle from the main referee, the first half of the match was finally over!
For the opposing team, these 45 minutes must have felt incredibly long, as if a lifetime had passed.
Cao Baming sighed in resignation. Although he didn't feel any physical fatigue, the result had not met his expectations. In the last 15 minutes of the first half, he had only managed to hit the goalposts twice.
If this efficiency continued, let alone hitting the goalposts as much as possible in the second half, he was unsure if he could even reach the minimum requirement for the mission.
It seemed that the mission rewards were already within reach. If he were to try and fail to complete the mission at this point, those rewards would simply vanish into thin air.
That would be a super, super, incredibly colossal loss!
Even now, Cao Baming was curious about the power of that talent skill card, which alone constituted such a generous reward.
If the mission failed, he might never know.
As he watched the players gradually walk off the field, Arteta's eyes gleamed. This moment had finally arrived.
He had waited for this moment for far too long, his emotions tied to every movement of the players on the field.
With the halftime break, he intended to return to the locker room and give these players a stern lecture on how to play the second half.
He would teach them what it meant to truly lack emotional intelligence and that it was unrealistic to survive in the football world without it.
As a person, one had to be tactful; otherwise, it was impossible to get by, no matter where one was.
Upon closer thought, others might be able to achieve this, but Cao Baming was an exception. He didn't listen on the field; would he truly listen if spoken to directly during halftime?
Arteta sighed helplessly. At this moment, all he could do was pray to heaven. He really didn't want to lose his job.
Back in the locker room, Arteta delivered the lines he had prepared verbatim. However, he was unsure of the effect.
The players nodding seemed to indicate they had listened, but there was still one person he wasn't entirely sure about.
Cao Baming sat on a seat in the locker room, listening intently. However, he already knew what Arteta intended to say.
He expected Arteta to approach him for a talk soon.
Thinking this, Cao Baming looked up and indeed saw Arteta slowly walking towards him.
His expression was filled with helplessness. Perhaps he was trying hard to restrain himself, but it couldn't escape Cao Baming's eyes.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'll try to take it easy in the second half and save them some face, right? No problem!"
Before Arteta could speak, Cao Baming said directly, very cheerfully.
Seeing Arteta's skeptical expression, he knew that saying this probably wouldn't help. However, his concern was likely unnecessary, as he still had a mission to complete!
If it weren't for this system mission and instead was a mission to score ten goals, then no matter what anyone said, no one could stop him. Not the opponents, and certainly not the coach.
If he dared to substitute him forcibly, the consequences would be severe.
As the second half approached, Arteta, still worried, added a few more words.
"Remember, in the second half, try to play more relaxed, don't be too serious, especially in defense. You don't need to be on edge all the time. I want you to save your energy for the more important Champions League matches later!"
"Remember, play relaxed!" 138 Reading Network
The players listened and nodded repeatedly. Wasn't the coach's hint clear enough? If this wasn't obvious enough, he couldn't imagine how much clearer it could be. He would probably have to say directly, "You need to let the opponents score a few goals!"
As a coach, such words were impossible to utter directly, so he could only hint at them indirectly.
Time flew by. The halftime break was merely a formality, and the players soon returned to the field.
In this friendly match, as the home team, they were almost numb.
They said "friendship first, competition second," and not to care about the result. However, in the beginning, it was indeed difficult to achieve.
But with Cao Baming's help, they had finally managed it. Now, they no longer cared about the outcome of the match, nor whether they scored or not!
This was not surprising. Facing an eight-nil deficit at halftime, who would still be in the mood to think about scoring? At this point, no matter how good one's mindset, they would be numb and indifferent.
Cao Baming was surprised that the opposing team had managed to hold on for so long. They seemed more resilient than expected.
The players, following the coach's instructions, took the field for the kickoff. This time, it was the visiting team's turn to kick off, and it was Arsenal's first kickoff of the match!
Because they hadn't conceded any goals so far, not even one.