"Was Cao Baming offside? He was clearly offside, is the referee blind? Why didn't he blow the whistle? Is the referee really blind?!"
"Why no whistle yet??"
At this moment, everyone was bewildered. They hadn't seen Cao Baming's position the instant he received the ball. It had only been a second, and now, what they saw was that Cao Baming had already pulled away by more than five meters, even approaching ten meters, from the two defenders.
Seeing that he was about to enter the penalty area, everyone knew that Cao Baming's probability of scoring a goal after entering the penalty area was 100%. There was not a shred of exaggeration in that statement!
"This isn't offside?"
How could a normal person pull away from someone behind by ten meters in an instant? If they started running from the same starting line, it would be too unrealistic. This wasn't a dream, it was reality. Some fans even slapped themselves to confirm.
Bayern Munich's defenders weren't not running; they were running and desperately chasing. But unless they experienced it themselves, no one could understand that feeling of chasing with all their might yet being unable to catch up. It was as if the person racing ahead wasn't a human but a cheetah, with no comparison.
The deep sense of powerlessness in their hearts was the true reason their steps gradually slowed. In fact, they had been desperately chasing at the beginning, but after just one second, they completely gave up because they knew they couldn't catch up. The feeling was clearly discernible.
The fans were already unhappy, extremely unhappy. Those fans who were still enduring at the scene possessed strong mental fortitude, but even so, they were almost at an unbearable state.
The next second, Cao Baming stepped into the penalty area with one foot and then faked a shot. A single change in rhythm directly fooled the goalkeeper. Suddenly, the goalkeeper lunged and dove straight for the ball at Cao Baming's feet.
Everyone watched the goalkeeper's performance, knowing he was the last line of defense for Bayern Munich. Whether the ball would be saved depended on him!
However, whether Cao Baming's 100% scoring record within the penalty area could be broken still seemed a bit uncertain.
As expected, although the goalkeeper chose to come out in time, he was still outmaneuvered by Cao Baming. With a gentle spin, a simple "oil fried dumpling" move successfully fooled the goalkeeper, and he directly dribbled past.
Then, with a gentle tap, he slotted the ball into the empty net. Everything appeared effortless, like floating clouds.
This sequence of actions was too smooth, too simple, giving the impression that anyone could do it, that it was very easy. It even felt like the opponent wasn't a professional player from a top team, not even at a professional level. Fans even felt that even they themselves could have performed better, but this was all an illusion.
The reason for this feeling was that in front of Cao Baming, no one could understand the profound meaning behind his actions. They appeared simple, even attributed to the opponent's oversight and poor technique, but they were actually a display of Cao Baming's exquisite ball skills.
As the ball entered the net, everyone except the goalkeeper remained frozen in place, motionless. Even Cao Baming's teammates were the same, and the spectators in the stands hadn't even had time to cheer.
Everyone was waiting for the referee's whistle. Was the ball offside? Would it be disallowed?
Many Bayern Munich fans couldn't watch any longer and started to stand up, shouting towards the field.
If this goal were allowed to stand, they truly couldn't watch anymore and would leave immediately.
The number of Bayern Munich fans remaining at the stadium would become even smaller. It was estimated that by the second half, the spectators would only be Arsenal fans, and this match would likely be a nightmarish experience for a top team like Bayern Munich.
"If this ball isn't ruled offside, I'll eat a football raw!"
"This is definitely offside, without a doubt. We're just waiting for the referee's final decision. If he doesn't call it offside, then he's blind, there's no other explanation!"
"You'll just eat a football. If this ball isn't offside, I'll eat myself!"
Everyone was waiting. For a moment, even the referee was flustered. He clearly saw that Cao Baming was behind the defender the moment he received the ball, and it did not constitute offside. However, he had also seen the subsequent events, and coupled with the reactions of the fans and players on the field, he began to doubt himself.
After consulting the linesman on the sideline and the VAR, he realized that everyone was indeed suspicious and uncertain about the judgment they had just made.
For this reason, the referee specifically stopped the game to await verification from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
Generally, when a highly controversial ball is encountered, the VAR would be brought into play for analysis, and time would be specifically allocated to await the decision.
The previous play had no controversy whatsoever, but seeing everyone's reaction, the referee became uneasy.
Everyone waited anxiously. Cao Baming was the only one on the entire field who was completely sure and firm about the situation.
After waiting for a full thirty seconds, the VAR team finally announced the final decision.
Not offside!
Upon hearing the result through his headset, the referee decisively notified both teams' players and the audience in the stands. At this moment, everyone was astonished.
"Fake, fake, it must be fake! This match is too rigged!"
"He was almost ten meters offside, and it's still not offside? Are you kidding me?"
However, at this moment, some people's gazes shifted back to the field, to an even more captivating spot.
The turf in the area where Cao Baming was about to shoot before entering the penalty box was quietly emitting white smoke!