"Goal!!! It's a goal!!! Damn it!!"
The commentator's voice was hoarse, but he couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time. Everything happened too suddenly!
The commentator didn't realize it had happened, and even all the players on the field, including Cao Baming's teammates, were stunned. However, compared to the spectators, they might have already gotten used to the situation on the field.
"This is just after the kickoff, no no, it hasn't even kicked off yet, and the ball is already in the net!"
"I didn't even see the line, why did the ball suddenly appear in the goal???"
At this moment, Cao Baming turned his head to look at the fans by the sidelines. Their expressions were exactly as he had predicted, full of shock and disbelief.
The shot flew out almost simultaneously with the whistle. The ball was so fast that it was almost impossible for the naked eye to discern.
It was not surprising that these ordinary people couldn't see the trajectory of the football.
Ibrahimović had tried his best to secure this precious opening advantage for the team, and he had succeeded. But who would have thought that this advantage, held for less than a minute, would be directly equalized by the opponent?
Moreover, the one who scored this goal was the person he least wanted to score, and the person he hated the most – Cao Baming.
The Arsenal players hugged each other tightly to celebrate the goal. This was not just an ordinary equalizer; it was a crucial goal that showed their strength and boosted everyone's morale.
The AC Milan players were dejected at this moment. They had thought that the match would go as planned, giving the opponent a strong start and even crushing them, thus avoiding further trouble.
But now, it seemed this idea was too idealistic. They couldn't even carry on with this broken team.
Then, the two teams returned to the center circle to prepare for the next kickoff. However, the position of the kickoff had changed, and it was now AC Milan's turn to kick off.
Standing in front of the ball was the team's elder brother, Zlatan Ibrahimović.
At the age of 40, he couldn't keep up with these young players in a mad scramble. It was enough for him to let the madmen around him actively push forward, which had indeed put some pressure on Arsenal before. However, there was nothing they could do against this guy who seemed to be cheating.
Cao Baming noticed that the dejection on the faces of the opposing players seemed to have lessened. How long had it been? It seemed their morale was not so easily crushed.
Just one goal was definitely not enough. Looking at the coach on the sidelines, he still had many cards up his sleeve.
But this was not unexpected. The original plan was to equalize with this goal to regain some confidence for his teammates. The real execution of the plan would start now.
As Ibrahimović kicked the ball, AC Milan began to pass and control the ball in their own half. It was clear that they were not only pressing fiercely but also deliberately controlling possession to make it difficult for the opponent.
For Arsenal, a team that primarily relied on passing and controlling the ball, the feeling of not having possession was the most difficult, and it had the most impact on the team's performance. Clearly, the opponent's coach understood this.
They had trained this tactic specifically for this Champions League final. It seemed they had prepared for this final long ago. Otherwise, achieving such results in just a week would be unbelievable to Cao Baming.
Throughout the field, Vieira, Ødegaard, and Henry made tentative attempts to press, with Saka, the core player in the midfield, being the most active in the press.
Cao Baming had quietly retreated to the back, ready to defend at any moment. At this point, the offense could be left to his teammates. The most difficult thing in the world for him was to completely trust others. However, these were his teammates, and they did have some ability. Based on this understanding, Cao Baming was at ease leaving the front-line offense entirely to them.
As for defense, he wouldn't worry about his teammates, because as long as he was on the field, nothing would go wrong.
What about Ibrahimović? What about Leão? Even if Ibrahimović managed to return to his peak form, could he really get past him? The answer was clearly no.
However, for so long, seeing Ibrahimović's fierce expression glance at him from time to time, Cao Baming felt an uncomfortable sensation, as if he wanted to punch him at any moment.
But he would endure it as much as possible. This was the Champions League final, not some random minor match. Otherwise, why would Cao Baming tolerate it until now? He would have attacked long ago.
In the 7th minute of the match, Saka's persistent pressure finally put pressure on the opponent, causing Bennacer to make a fatal passing error. Although the error didn't seem serious, it was enough to be fatal.
The reason was, naturally, that on the path of his pass to Theo, someone had already lurked there. And this person was none other than Henry, one of the greatest forwards in the world today.
Henry's decision to drop back to this position to intercept the ball was something no one had expected. At least Cao Baming or Messi should have anticipated it. Even these star players making such a move was hard to believe.
After intercepting the ball, he gently pushed it to the right with his left foot. With a stride, Giroud in front of him was immediately sent sprawling. Then, with two light and graceful steps, he moved past him from his left side and sprinted forward. At this moment, Giroud, who was stunned in place, didn't even have time to turn around.
The next second, before anyone could even see Henry's figure, the ball had already left his feet and flown towards the penalty area in the distance.
Everyone subconsciously looked towards Cao Baming on the field, searching for his position.