Overnight, the odds of winning the championship for Germany dropped by twenty times, while Tang only increased by less than three times.
Thinking about it carefully, this might not be a bad thing. As long as the outside world continues to underestimate them, the subsequent matches will be easier than expected!
The German fans were already very disappointed. Although there were still opportunities in the remaining group matches, it seemed that Spain, who they would face next, was no easier to deal with than Tang!
Talk of being eliminated from the group stage began to spread!
If Germany were to be eliminated, it would truly break the hearts of the fans!
Most importantly, even Flick had not yet identified any fatal flaws in the team, nor did he know how to make adjustments!
Fortunately, the task at hand was clear: boosting team morale was more important than anything else.
Soon, Cao Baming also learned about the first round matches and results of other groups, and he was particularly concerned about the situations of France and Argentina.
What was gratifying was that the teams of his two good teammates had both performed very smoothly in their first group matches!
France had thrashed their opponents with a score of 6:1, with Henry scoring three goals to complete a hat-trick. Messi's Argentina also defeated Saudi Arabia 2:0. Although Messi did not score, he contributed to two assists.
Seeing these results, Cao Baming felt a moment of relief, as if the scene he had seen earlier was not the future, but perhaps just a dream!
What was in front of him was the true reality, and Tang's path ahead would still be arduous; they could not afford to be careless!
Meanwhile, Spain in the same group also achieved a landslide victory, thoroughly defeating Costa Rica and leaving them with no chance to retaliate, showcasing the advantage of their young generation of players.
As Li Gang put it, it was a bunch of kids playing football, but these kids were not weak at all!
They were not just playing around.
In the blink of an eye, the first round of the group stage was over, and the second round was about to begin!
With only a few days for preparation, the players only underwent some regular tactical training.
For the Tang team, their next opponent, Costa Rica, was not a difficult opponent; they were the weakest team in the entire group.
Therefore, the higher-ups had the idea of having Cao Baming come on as a substitute to play fewer minutes.
This posed a dilemma for Li Gang. The lesson learned from the previous match was to give Cao Baming opportunities on the field, but now his resolve wavered.
Helplessly, he had to ask Cao Baming for his opinion.
To his surprise, when faced with his question, Cao Baming simply smiled calmly and nodded in agreement.
"Coming on as a substitute is fine, as long as they don't take me off in midfield!"
Li Gang nodded with satisfaction and returned to re-examine his tactical ideas.
Cao Baming thought to himself that coming on as a substitute would at least allow him to understand the current situation. Regardless, he would have a clearer picture, and with so many potions he had, he could turn the tide. As long as the situation wasn't too extreme, it would be fine.
He was only afraid of being substituted at an unknown time, which would be unbearable!
On the last day, everyone arrived at the training ground as usual, but the training volume was reduced to conserve energy for the upcoming match.
Li Gang promised Cao Baming that he would at least give him half a game's playing time.
Cao Baming nodded, believing that this amount of time would be more than sufficient.
Against an opponent like Costa Rica, twenty minutes might be enough, and more time would be safer.
The starting lineup for the next match was finalized and announced.
The fans' first reaction upon seeing it was exactly as expected.
"Where is Cao Baming?"
"Why isn't Cao Baming starting?"
An explanation was necessary for this.
With battle imminent, Costa Rica, who had been thoroughly thrashed in the previous match, wanted to take revenge indirectly through this game.
Losing 0:7 directly in the last match was too thorough and too embarrassing; they had to salvage their pride in this one!
Their team unanimously agreed that the Tang team was the only pushover in this World Cup group stage, and they had to get points against them!
Furthermore, they were all extremely happy that Tang had managed to defeat the German machine in the previous match!
This way, their chances of advancing from the group could increase a little!
More importantly, although they lost to Spain, they could defeat the team that defeated Germany! This victory was definitely worth boasting about.
To this end, they had also spent time studying some unconventional tactics, hoping to achieve a miraculous effect when the opportunity arose.
Both sides were working hard, but victory could only belong to one.
That evening, Wu Xue specifically came to visit Cao Baming. As Cao Baming's current girlfriend, she naturally had VIP status and could enter and exit any occasion freely.
When her request to sleep with Cao Baming that night was rejected by the club, Cao Baming personally intervened, and his words made the other party extremely flustered, leading to a hasty retreat.
The next day, the match venue was changed to another stadium.
Messi had just sent a congratulatory message saying that his team had achieved victory again and had secured their advancement.
Cao Baming was naturally happy for his old friend. He knew that winning the World Cup had always been Messi's dream, and he strongly supported him in his pursuit of that dream.
However, if they were to meet later, he would still attack without mercy!
After all, his own dream was more important!
As he thought about it, Cao Baming was already looking forward to reuniting with his old teammates on the field! As opponents, they had only played against each other on the training ground; they had never had the chance to compete in a major tournament!
Meanwhile, the most dominant team so far was the Samba Legion, with two wins and a total of nine goal difference, without conceding any goals!
They were in an unstoppable rampage! The group stage was clearly not where they belonged; they had completely dominated from a higher dimension.
Kaka had already scored four goals, and Ronaldo had scored three in just sixty minutes of playing time.
The current Ronaldo, standing on the field again, was no longer the out-of-shape image in the fans' minds; he was even comparable to his peak performance!
The fans cried out for more excitement, but the Samba coach clearly had no intention of going all out in the group stage. He had too many golden cards at his disposal, with star-studded players on the bench!
The facts proved him right; they could easily win group stage matches with large shutouts, making it incredibly easy!
In addition, there was a potential dark horse, the previously underestimated Portuguese team. Cristiano Ronaldo's starting performance was remarkable; at thirty-six years old, his physical fitness seemed to be no less than that of a young player.
The two midfield maestros, the "Double B" combination, also played freely on the field, fully implementing the libero tactic.
Currently, the most interesting group was the one Tang's team was in.
But the more interesting it was, the more excited Cao Baming became!