When paying a price, generally speaking, there are many ways to take free kicks. If you choose to shoot directly, you can find the gap between the defensive wall and skillfully hit the ball into the goal, or you can curve the ball in a sufficiently large arc to bypass the entire wall.
Of course, you can also learn from the former Cristiano Ronaldo and unleash a powerful, swerving shot that goes over the top of the wall, or even emulate Messi and execute a surprise low drive that sneaks under the jumping wall and into the net, the ultimate insult.
Each of these methods is highly spectacular, which is why fans become nervous and expectant the moment a set piece is awarded. How can one resist watching?
When the player taking the free kick is a master of shooting, the anticipation is pushed to the extreme. For a star player like Cao Baiming, his shooting skills are beyond question. Fans already know he's going for a direct shot!
Moreover, over a considerable period, Cao Baiming has taken over twenty free kicks in various competitions, and he has missed the target only twice!
Once was when his foot injury had not yet fully healed, and the other was due to the weather conditions on that particular day.
This time, Cao Baiming's step back made everyone even more excited, but it terrified the Bayern Munich players who had just formed the wall.
Their bodies trembled, unable to believe that Cao Baiming, from that distance, was making such a move!
In broad daylight, was murder no longer being punished? Was he allowed to do as he pleased?
They wanted to escape, but they couldn't. It was still during the game, and Cao Baiming had clearly chosen a unique shooting method!
There was no elegance of a curling shot, no beauty of a cannonball strike, nor the surprise of a low drive. He was brewing a direct thunderous shot, relying on power to achieve miracles!
The simplest form of violent aesthetics; just maximize the force, and the angle becomes irrelevant. Would you dare to block it? Even if you dared, could you react in time?
Cao Baiming's thunderous shots differed from Carlos's. Both were known for their signature powerful shots, but Cao Baiming's was even more forceful and direct.
When Carlos took a shot, he might consider the position of the wall and the goalkeeper. But Cao Baiming was different; he didn't even need to look up at the situation ahead, merely aiming at the center of the goal.
The defensive wall was treated as if it were air, completely disregarded!
This was his terrifying aspect. The number of players injured by Cao Baiming's shots had long since surpassed single digits, and they had also used dirty tactics and fouls against Cao Baiming and his teammates in the first half.
At this moment, these players were the most fearful, dreading that this monster, Cao Baiming, would seize the opportunity of the free kick to exact his revenge on the spot, which would be disastrous.
At this very moment, Cao Baiming was fully prepared, waiting for the referee's whistle. He didn't need to look at the goal's direction because it was already etched in his mind.
The distance was about thirty-three meters, and the goal was directly in front!
His shooting attribute had been maxed out at a hundred, meaning the power was also at its peak. He himself didn't know how much force this shot would unleash.
Before, he had never attempted a thunderous free kick with a shooting attribute of two hundred, and he was even able to step back and build momentum!
A glint flashed in Cao Baiming's eyes.
Since he had this opportunity, why not try it and see what his limits were!
The opposing goalkeeper was Neuer, no easy opponent. He possessed extensive match experience and was adept at saving direct free kicks near the top of the box.
His reaction speed was undoubtedly fast, but it couldn't be faster than his shot, Cao Baiming thought.
The next second, he heard the referee's whistle, and at the same time, the fans on the sidelines heard it. Everyone's heart jolted!
It was about to begin! Cao Baiming retreated another two or three steps, a full two meters, then suddenly accelerated into a short run. The next moment, with a deafening roar!
The football shot forward with unprecedented speed. At this moment, the players in the wall's eyes widened as if what was in front of them wasn't a football, but a giant cannonball the size of a truck hurtling towards them!
In that instant, everyone experienced a near-death experience, feeling as though their souls had left their bodies, and all the memories from their childhood to the present, all their loved ones and friends, flashed before their eyes.
Was this the end of life?
The next second, they suddenly snapped back to reality. The football had flown directly through the gap between them, and they realized they were still alive, instantly appreciating the beauty of the world!
Grateful for their luck, the faces of the Bayern Munich players finally relaxed. Cancelo, Coman, Goretzka, and others, who were tall and positioned in key spots of the wall, thought they wouldn't be able to dodge it, but nothing happened. It was a relief!
But then, the cacophony of sounds reached their ears – the cheers of the fans!
In addition to that, there was a familiar voice, seemingly from their own coach.
Turning their gaze towards the sideline technical area, as expected, the coach was yelling something at the top of his lungs. His words were incoherent, and it didn't sound like he was giving tactical instructions.
Oh, it turned out to be all curses.
The ball had gone in, and not a single one of them had jumped up. In that moment of instinctive reaction, Coman and even Upamecano lowered their heads, almost falling to the ground.
That deafening sound was too terrifying; for an instant, their minds went blank.
"Cao Baiming!! A spectacular, world-class thunderous shot that no one else on earth can replicate!! He has scored his sixth goal of the match!!"
"Cao Baiming has broken Messi's record for the most goals scored by a single player in a Champions League knockout stage match! Six goals, how can anyone surpass that? It's beyond reach!!"
The commentator roared with passion, and the fans were already in a frenzy, like a boiling hot pot.
As Cao Baiming was about to celebrate, he suddenly noticed a detail: the opposing goalkeeper seemed to have collapsed on the ground, not looking like he was blaming himself, but more like... Many fans had already noticed this, and soon, Neuer's teammates also rushed over.