Henry also did the same, running towards the wing as a decoy and drawing away two defenders beside him. Meanwhile, Messi dribbled forward alone. After successfully feinting past two players with two changes of direction, he sent a through pass to the left at the opportune moment.
Cao Baming followed up with a direct shot, and the ball went straight in!
It was that effortless and stylish!
Only at this moment did people realize that these three combined were perhaps not lacking at all. Each of them possessed the ability to beat two or three players. If calculated this way, as long as there were fewer than 10 defenders, they couldn't be stopped.
In the thirty-seventh minute, Arsenal led 1-0!
The front three rejoiced, and they could finally be called the front three!
On the sidelines, Arteta was still a bit nervous. Although the initial effects were already showing, and they were leading by one goal, this tactic far exceeded his understanding of football.
This kind of play had never been attempted before, either in training or in past matches. Was it really a good idea to test a new tactic in the Champions League Round of 16 against Real Madrid?
Moreover, this was a tactic that had no precedent and no successors.
After conceding the first goal, the entire Real Madrid team appeared dejected. Zidane, watching the live broadcast of the match on a 3-meter-long LCD screen in his hospital room, was furious and wanted to curse.
How did they inexplicably lose all their advantage?
Fortunately, Real Madrid still had their midfield magician, Modric, who could always find opportunities amidst Arsenal's dense defense.
As time went by, Ancelotti began to realize that the team's tactics were being completely countered!
He couldn't help but be curious about how the opposing coach had made such a brilliant substitution.
In the forty-fifth minute, after Carlos's speculative long-range cannon shot went wide, the regular time of the first half ended.
However, the match was not over yet. Just as everyone was starting to relax, at 46 minutes and 50 seconds, in the last ten seconds of first-half stoppage time, the three players passed the ball from midfield into the penalty area. Henry unleashed a powerful shot towards the top corner, scoring another goal in stoppage time!
Extending the lead!
"Arsenal 2, Real Madrid 0!"
At this moment, the entire Real Madrid team began to doubt life itself.
Cao Baming and Henry had each scored a goal, a perfect start to the first half!
As the first half ended, they walked off the pitch shoulder to shoulder, their faces beaming with joy.
Cao Baming was very satisfied. Perhaps he could directly switch careers to become a striker. But in reality, it didn't matter, as he could play any position now.
Arteta also wore a smile.
The score had increased again, and with a two-goal lead, he should relax a bit.
He shouldn't have overthought things. He should have just completely trusted his players, and the result wouldn't have been bad!
Laughter filled the Arsenal dressing room, and the atmosphere was wonderful. Everyone was taking this halftime break to rehydrate and rest to recover their energy.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid's coach, Ancelotti, was in a state of great distress.
At this moment, he had a bold idea.
While Arsenal's defense appeared to have more players, it actually lacked hardness without Cao Baming.
It would be difficult to break through their system with the style of playing with a target man. And what was the most powerful weapon to break through such a dense defense?
Undoubtedly, it was a Messi, or a Cao Baming!
In short, they needed someone with excellent dribbling ability, someone who could attract three or four defenders to mark him. But clearly, he had neither Messi nor Cao Baming.
However, upon closer consideration, there was still Hazard!
Ancelotti's gaze fell on Hazard, who was sitting in the middle of the dressing room, chatting and laughing with his teammates.
His weight might have increased, and he might not be in his peak condition, but his playing style might be the only way to break the deadlock now.
After all, peak Hazard was known as Hazard the King, and consecutively dribbling past five or six players was a regular occurrence. In his best years, his average number of dribbles was almost on par with Messi.
Fortunately, he had been included in the squad for this match, which served as a contingency.
Even the current Hazard was significantly stronger in terms of breakthrough ability than any other player on the team.
As the second half began, Hazard was substituted on.
Real Madrid made no attempt to conceal their intentions, making two substitutions at once for a tactical overhaul.
Even Benzema was substituted off, as in the current tactical setup, Hazard would become the core of the entire team, rendering Benzema's presence unnecessary.
This was a risky move, an extremely bold one, perhaps even bolder than Cao Baming's sudden idea in the first half!
Upon seeing Hazard the King return to the field, the fans roared with excitement.
This player had been benched by the club for a long time, rarely getting a chance to play. Yet, he was being brought out in a crucial Champions League knockout match against Arsenal!
This surprised everyone.
Hazard and Camavinga came on simultaneously, clearly indicating their intentions.
Arteta frowned slightly. The opposing team's change of formation was clearly targeted. Could the defense, now without Cao Baming, withstand their strong attacking play?
With the score at 0-2, Real Madrid was clearly desperate to score.
After all, this was a knockout match, not a contest for goal difference. Losing by two goals was a loss, and losing by three goals was also a loss. If they lost, they would be completely eliminated from the competition. This also meant that they would miss out on subsequent matches.
They naturally couldn't accept that!
Cao Baming looked at the person slowly walking onto the field. Hazard's face revealed his usual tough demeanor. He looked less like he was intending to play football and more like he was intending to fight.
Unfortunately, during the previous birthday party, that guy had been so drunk that he didn't even recognize himself. He hadn't had the chance to properly assess his current skills.
In the World Cup, due to unforeseen circumstances, he only played a total of forty minutes. At this moment, even Cao Baming didn't know him.
He was very mysterious, and no one knew his true strength.