At this juncture, no player substitution occurred, nor were there any obvious fouls or penalties. It was merely a brilliant interception by Vieira, who snatched the ball from a teammate of Cao Baming.
Henry, sprinting on the pitch like a beast, could sense an opportunity from a long distance. At this moment, he noticed a huge gap on Arsenal's side and immediately chose to surge forward without hesitation.
Vieira, after a couple of quick passes with his teammates, swiftly sent the ball away. The combination of a pass and a run, perfectly timed.
Henry realized that the path he had just chosen had only one flaw: a defender named Cao Baming.
This might not be the best option, but it was the only one available at the moment. From an experience standpoint, it would be inexcusable not to seize such an opportunity.
Henry's eyes gleamed. He controlled the ball with his chest, then brought it down with his thigh. Taking a step forward, he used the instep of his other foot to cushion the ball, bringing it under his control. He was now within shooting range.
This is good. A head-on confrontation with this guy has always been a wish, even if he lost more often than he won. Challenges always kept him pumped.
Confidence flickered in Henry's eyes. Cao Baming stood directly in front of him. This scene immediately reminded him of the simulation on the plane earlier. It was the first time he would face Henry in a normal, official match. Now, his gaze was exactly the same as it was back then.
The very next second, Henry executed a feint identical to the one in the previous simulation. This dummy move sent White, standing beside him, completely off balance.
However, Cao Baming, naturally, could not be fooled by him.
This time, Cao Baming did not make the same choice as before. After all, that attempt had failed. Since it had failed, he had to start anew and preferably refresh everything.
Offense, speed, and shooting attributes were all converted, with thirty points transferred to a special attribute: Physique!
This time, Cao Baming completely ignored the defending attribute. Even the interception attribute only borrowed ten points from shooting, just for the sake of it.
Because, at this very moment, Cao Baming had perfectly predicted Henry's intended breakthrough direction. When Henry made his move, as long as his physique could block that path, Henry would definitely not get past him.
As for defending and tackling, there was no need to overthink. With his physique attribute pushed to the extreme, these things were not an issue. He wouldn't need to actively tackle; the ball would naturally stay at his feet, and Henry would likely face an uncomfortable situation.
Henry's eyes still flickered with confidence, and hope still lingered in his heart that he could successfully dribble past Cao Baming.
The first feint was seen through by this guy, but that was fine, as there were still the second and third feints to come.
Henry executed two consecutive changes of direction and even a reinforced step-over. Yet, Cao Baming stood motionless, showing no intention of falling for it.
Seeing this, Henry directly chose to break through on his left, kicking the ball forward. The next second, his body began to sprint forward!
Inevitably, during this sprint, Henry would have to engage in some physical contact with Cao Baming. Even a mere brush against him would require immense physical strength.
Most people would have abandoned the idea upon seeing Cao Baming in front of them. But Henry was different. He had absolute confidence in his physique, because he knew his name was Henry!
Most importantly, the ball had been kicked, and his next step was about to be taken. There was no room for regret.
Seeing Henry finally make his move, Cao Baming quickly shifted his body to the left, instantly blocking the path between Henry and the ball he had just kicked.
However, this block was not a direct frontal one; it only occupied half a body length.
As long as Cao Baming could hold his position and refrain from any unnecessary foot or hand movements, it would not constitute a foul. This was the rule of the football field, and it had always been the rule, never changing.
The next second, Henry's body made contact with Cao Baming!
At this instant, Henry's eyes widened to an exaggerated degree!
"What is happening?" At this moment, Henry's mind went blank. All thoughts became hollow, leaving only a string of immense question marks!
Before he could react, the next moment, Henry fell directly to the ground, drawing the concerned gazes of his teammates.
Not everyone was concerned about Henry's physical condition. Many cast looks of curiosity and mockery.
In that collision, witnessed by everyone, it looked less dramatic than it was. Henry seemed to be feigning a fall, but even if he wasn't, being knocked down so easily in such a collision was quite comical.
"Are you okay?" Cao Baming asked proactively.
Henry's expression appeared extremely pained. At this point, those around him also approached, and the referee blew his whistle, halting the match.
It took a full 10 seconds for Henry to truly recover. His mind was no longer blank and began to show faint signs of thought.
No way, no way. What did I just hit? Why did this happen? Everything feels so wrong!
Henry's thoughts were still in disarray. Seeing that he was unharmed and sitting up, Vieira beside him couldn't help but chuckle.
Soon, others couldn't hold back either.
When Henry first arrived, people didn't quite respect him. But as they spent more time together, they realized he was a joker at heart and couldn't be treated with such reverence.
Holding his chest, Henry could still feel a tearing pain, but there shouldn't be any major issues. As a professional player, he could assess his own physical condition.
Henry slowly stood up and looked at Cao Baming in front of him.