The head coach roared from the sidelines.
They hadn't been this timid in training, so why were they performing like this today?
"We can win this, don't let those Koreans push us around!"
Cao Baiming looked helpless. He couldn't cover both defense and offense by himself; he needed his teammates to assist on at least one end.
However, their current state made it hard to trust them!
Especially Son Heung-min, who had a killer instinct from the start, making continuous breakthrough runs, sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right.
Cao Baiming felt overwhelmed, unable to defend everywhere.
Was this guy targeting him today? Did he have to win in a direct confrontation?
Son Heung-min had indeed come with a chip on his shoulder. He couldn't beat Arsenal at Tottenham, and now he wanted to win for his national team?
Today, he seemed determined to seize victory!
Helpless, Cao Baiming intercepted a ball and sprinted towards the front, making sudden stops and changes of direction to shake off two pressing players.
He couldn't take it anymore!
There were two teammates up front, but Cao Baiming decided to handle it himself.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him!
"Damn it, I still have that supreme secret treasure! A guaranteed goal!"
Facing a complete defense line, Cao Baiming cut inside repeatedly and activated his supreme secret treasure, granting him a guaranteed goal on his first shot within the next ten minutes!
"Since my teammates are like this, the only way to stabilize morale and boost spirits is through scoring! There's no better time to use it!"
Just as two Korean defenders prepared to block him, Cao Baiming nutmegged the ball between them, darted past to the side, and received his own through pass!
A skill move with the ball! The head coach's eyes lit up!
Then, Cao Baiming gave them no time to react, unleashing a powerful shot that found the back of the net!
The score was updated!
"Congratulations to the host for scoring a goal, reward: 1000 points!"
One-nil! The home crowd erupted in cheers!
The two head coaches on the sidelines clutched their heads in astonishment, their emotions starkly opposite!
One marveled, "How could that go in?" the other exclaimed, "How could they concede that?!"
His teammates swarmed him, their blood boiling, and the entire stadium ignited!
Cao Baiming, with a single goal, had instantly revitalized the entire team!
Seeing his teammates' form return, Cao Baiming knew the goal had had the desired effect!
The match had only been going for nine minutes.
Taking the lead early was crucial for morale, and the teammates' coordination quickly kicked in.
Fans watching the live broadcast were also stunned. A goal within nine minutes! This was no longer the same Chinese team as before!
Soon, Cao Baiming retreated to a defensive midfield position. Although he was in the center, he could still provide timely support to either flank.
In the seventeenth minute, the Korean team launched another strong attack with a killer long pass, and three or four Korean players simultaneously surged forward!
It's him again?!
Cao Baiming sighed, watching the ball land at Son Heung-min's feet.
His eyes held an even fiercer killing intent as he charged directly at Cao Baiming!
"Damn it, his mentality is breaking!"
Cao Baiming couldn't help but laugh. Compared to forcing his way through the center, the flank without Cao Baiming was relatively easier, wasn't it?
He was determined to face off against him today!
Son Heung-min slowed down as he approached Cao Baiming and started doing step-overs.
Cao Baiming shrugged helplessly. Before the opponent could even attempt a breakthrough, he intercepted the ball, even poking it through his legs to a teammate!
After receiving the pass, the ball was quickly moved twice to Wu Qiuwang.
Son Heung-min was so angry he wanted to curse, and Cao Baiming saw his frustration and even felt a little pity.
But he couldn't afford to dwell on it. He looked towards the front; Wu Qiuwang was through on goal!
"Good pass!"
A clear shout from the sidelines, from a fan praising the through pass from Da Zheng!
Cao Baiming stared intently at Wu Qiuwang, hoping he wouldn't miss this one-on-one opportunity!
Two seconds later, as the ball was brought into the box, the goalkeeper rushed out. Wu Qiuwang finally lived up to expectations, nutmegging the keeper with a brilliant move!
Facing an open goal, he slotted the ball in!
"Beautiful! Wu Lei!"
Cao Baiming finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Not bad!"
He honestly hadn't expected him to score this time. It seemed his time in La Liga had truly improved him!
However, at that moment, the linesman raised his flag.
"Goal disallowed!"
As Wu Qiuwang made his run, the through pass was slightly delayed, resulting in an offside!
What a shame! The entire Chinese crowd and the players lamented.
A fantastic start with two goals in twenty minutes turned out to be just a dream!
In the thirty-fifth minute, the Korean team counter-attacked from a corner. A defender fouled to save the ball, giving the Koreans a free-kick opportunity in front of goal. Son Heung-min took the shot and missed.
Subsequently, China counter-attacked, with both forwards missing their shots. Cao Baiming's long-range effort from outside the box was parried away by the goalkeeper.
This is the second time! Cao Baiming counted silently in his mind.
Once he accumulated four such instances, it would be another guaranteed goal!
This is the seventh time! Son Heung-min also counted silently, tallying the number of times he failed in direct confrontations with Cao Baiming.
If he persisted, he would eventually succeed!
Soon, halftime arrived, and the score was fixed at China 1-0 Korea. The score wasn't earth-shattering. While China's lead surprised many, the margin wasn't significant.
During the break, the head coach lectured extensively on the problems from the first half.
Seizing the rare opportunity while Cao Baiming was tired, he spoke more.
Cao Baiming paid no mind, sitting in a seat against the wall, opening a new bottle of mineral water and frantically rehydrating.
"Ding! New mission unlocked: Achieve a goal difference of over five in this friendly match! Mission reward: 50,000 points."
Pfft! This is great!
Cao Baiming nearly spat out his water.
A goal difference of five? They had only scored one goal in the first half!
And why did this system only mention it at halftime? Was it deliberately messing with him... If they had scored three goals in the first half, would this mission have appeared?
Cao Baiming considered it; the chances were slim, but not impossible!
Fifty thousand points wasn't much, so he'd just go with the flow!
He continued drinking water.
Although it was a friendly match, neither side wanted to lose, and they were playing with all their might.
As the second half began, cheers erupted from the sidelines. Although not as grand as a major competition, every word could be heard clearly.
"Come on! Crush them!"
"China is the strongest!"
"Five-nil! Five-nil!"
Cao Baiming was startled. Did these cheers mean they had heard the system...
Or was it a coincidence?