Gradually, the players adapted to the current playstyle, or rather, came to terms with reality.
Initially, they found it difficult to not have possession, but now they were comfortable. They didn't pursue possession anymore, instead setting up a defensive formation in the penalty area, and it wasn't their fault!
For over ten minutes, the Matador nation's attempts were unsuccessful.
However, in the seventy-fifth minute, a free kick in the frontcourt directly led to a goalkeeping error, and the ball was put into the net!
With this, the Matador nation easily equalized, and only needed one more goal to take the lead.
"It's the final moments, and problems have finally arisen! What a pity, what a pity!"
"This free kick was taken by Busquets, and its quality was unbelievably high, the curve was so large, and the landing spot was so precise! Truly a master!"
"Team Tang still has hope! We can't give up until the very last second!"
"If the current situation holds and Team Tang draws with the Matador nation, Team Tang will secure first place in the group due to having one more goal difference!"
"So, if the Matador nation wants first place in this group, they need to keep trying and see if they can score another."
"Our defense is very solid, and opportunities like this should be rare!"
At this moment, all the fans of Team Tang hoped that no further problems would arise. Everyone defended diligently, and even Cao Baming fully committed to defense.
However, Cao Baming's thoughts at this moment differed from everyone else's.
Because the ultimate treasure of this match had not yet been used, and it seemed that the five thousand points were negligible. This was a sure goal, and he had to use it when the opportunity arose!
He had already planned to score the winning goal in stoppage time!
As time passed, the players of Team Tang began to experience fatigue. After all, in this aspect, apart from Cao Baming, the other athletes truly couldn't compare to their opponents.
This was their weak point, but thankfully, Li Gang had made timely substitutions.
This substitution was interesting. Two attacking midfielders were replaced by defensive midfielders, and the only striker was also substituted for a defender.
This effectively meant they had completely abandoned offense.
However, while the outside world saw it this way, Li Gang had other ideas. Although the strikers were all sitting on the bench, Cao Baming was still on the field.
Even though he didn't know if there was any possibility of scoring in the current situation, as long as he was there, there was always hope, and a miracle might happen at any moment!
With this substitution, Team Tang's defense was strengthened once again!
Although there were only ten players on the field, each one was fully committed to defense, with their attention at one hundred percent.
Especially Cao Baming. The terrifying presence of a Cao Baming who wasn't distracted by offense could be seen from the statistics of the past few minutes!
In ten minutes, Cao Baming had twelve successful defensive actions, eight interceptions, and zero times being dribbled past!
He didn't even receive a yellow card, only committing one minor tactical foul, which wasn't even intentional.
The opponent's young player was too weak; a slight bump sent him flying. What could he do?
The final ten minutes quickly passed, and the Matador nation's repeated attacks began to wear them down.
Due to several unexpected events in the second half, including injuries and controversial foul calls, some match time was consumed. Consequently, the stoppage time for this match was quite long.
A full eight minutes of stoppage time in the second half!
Li Gang's heart tightened, and the fans of Team Tang also hoped for the match to end soon.
The players on the field were visibly struggling with their stamina, especially those who had played the entire match, who were overly exhausted.
When physical fitness is overloaded, technical skill significantly declines, and the brain, lacking oxygen, doesn't function properly. Defensive awareness disappears, and players are left kicking the ball aimlessly.
Even with Cao Baming maintaining his form, it wasn't enough. The field was too large, and he couldn't cover everything.
At this moment, as the ball went out of bounds on the sideline, the Matador nation's head coach, Enrique, chose to make a substitution.
To everyone's surprise, Pedri was substituted off and replaced by Saravia! This was a striker!
The opponent's signal was incredibly clear and direct: in the final few minutes, they would go all out!
No matter what, they had to score! They would risk everything to get it!
Many fans thought Enrique was being overly emotional and rash, and that the decision wasn't rational.
However, the subsequent developments immediately proved them wrong.
After the substitution, the Matador nation's offensive firepower became significantly more ferocious than before, a very noticeable difference.
Despite Gavi's absence, the five attacking players were desperately organizing their offense. Their fluid passing saw them trying out all the small-scale tactical drills designed by the coach.
Saravia immediately made a header attempt after coming on, which was saved, and the subsequent corner kick again posed a threat.
But despite the increased number of attempts, they still couldn't create any good opportunities, with many chances ultimately thwarted by Team Tang's tight defense.
The penalty area seemed to be filled with players, all intensely focused on defense, making it indeed not easy!
Enrique's thought was that Team Tang might have offensive ideas due to his weakened defense, thus giving his team better shooting opportunities.
His thinking showed how conceited he was; he wasn't afraid of this Team Tang doing anything in their own half.
Cao Baming did indeed have offensive ideas, but he didn't fall into Enrique's trap.
The white, round football darted back and forth across the field, kicked by numerous boots, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, and sometimes near the penalty area.
Cao Baming observed the Matador nation's defense; at least a dozen clear loopholes were visible. Using a sure goal to end their such abysmal defense would be too generous!
But he wasn't rushing!
It wasn't until the final minute of the match that Cao Baming initiated an attack, winning the ball on the wing and delivering a pass!
"Cao Baming's clearance! It looks more like a through pass! But there's no teammate in front!"
And in an instant, Cao Baming on the field began to accelerate again. His eyes showed no surprise or shock, but rather a deliberate action!
"Pass to himself in three seconds!"
"No! Two seconds!"
In just two seconds, he had left the nearby players ten meters behind. They started at the same time but ended up like this!
It was truly humiliating!
The fans on the sidelines began to shout excitedly!
The true climax of the match had arrived!
"Last fifteen seconds, last fifteen seconds, this is Team Tang's last chance!"
In an instant, all the players of Team Tang, including the goalkeeper, ran out. Although they couldn't catch up to the ball, they were desperately sprinting forward!
It was the ninety-eighth minute, and everyone was fighting hard!