The entire stadium erupted in applause.
"Great shot! Beautiful!"
"Cao Baming!!"
"Cao Baming!!"
"Cao Baming!!!"
The camera focused on the hero of this goal.
Cao Baming's heart was filled with excitement. Scoring a header was a first in this World Cup, and rare even in league matches.
It felt so good!
With such a goal, the score was back to a level playing field. After the restart, Cao Baming decisively used the Attack Horn!
His teammates' attacking desire and ability would be enhanced for the next five minutes!
At the same time, he wanted to take advantage of the momentum from the goal to score another one!
Li Gang's substitution was a god-sent assist. With everything set, Cao Baming moved from defensive midfield to attacking midfield, running all over the pitch to create opportunities.
Soon, the Tang Nation team, thanks to Cao Baming's diligent running, once again had an excellent chance. Teammates' shots went wide repeatedly, but after persistent effort, Wu Lei's low shot at the goal actually resulted in an own goal from the opposing team!
This time, even Wang Gang's embarrassment was resolved!
He truly had to thank Wu Lei now. He was an assist, giving an assist to the opponent, but Wu Lei scored it himself!
"Brilliant! The Tang Nation team has indeed sounded the horn of counterattack, the opponent can't stop them!"
"At this point, the Costa Rican team probably just wants the match to end quickly."
Fans sang and beat drums excitedly at the sidelines!
In an instant, everyone on the team seemed to be activated. After scoring this goal, they only then realized how fierce their continuous attacks had been!
They could hardly believe it was them who had played like that!
The fans and the head coach on the sidelines were equally surprised.
In those few minutes, this Tang Nation team played like a top Premier League team. Was it an illusion?
At this moment, Cao Baming's mental count of the time was nearing its end. He had only three uses of such skills, so he decided to save them.
They would soon realize they were still quite weak.
As expected, soon the players on the field returned to their previous state, as if those few minutes were just a flash of inspiration!
But at least they had scored!
And the match footage was permanently recorded by the cameras at the stadium, so it was worth it no matter what.
In the following time, Cao Baming showed no mercy to his opponents, scoring two more goals. At the same time, he was like a barrier in the defensive midfield position.
Throughout the entire match, the Tang Nation team's defense had hardly any opportunities to perform, let alone the goalkeeper.
The final score was a decisive 4:1, with the Tang Nation team, thanks to Cao Baming's hat-trick, crushing their opponents once again!
At the same time, their goal difference also put them at the top of the group.
A slight regret was that, despite the superior goal difference, they were still not ahead of two other terrifying powerhouses from the other groups. One was a super luxury battleship, the French team, with a lineup of football kings like Mbappe, Henry, and Zidane. The other was the ten-star Samba army led by Ronaldo and Neymar!
If they were to meet these two teams in the knockout stage after the group matches, they would definitely not be easy opponents!
The match ended, and Costa Rica's dream was shattered!
The fans were utterly disappointed! To lose to Tang Nation by such a large margin was utterly shameful!
At this moment, many teams still couldn't face the strength of this Tang Nation team, and many still looked down on them.
What was hyped up externally was that Tang Nation had won their two group matches through exceptional luck. The first match against Germany had inherent problems, and the second opponent, Costa Rica, was not considered a strong team to begin with.
However, their next opponent, Spain, if they could win that one, then these critics would have nothing to say!
After the match, the system, as expected, broadcast the reward settlement for this match, another few hundred thousand points credited in one go.
It had to be said, this feeling could only be described with one word: satisfying!
The rewards for the World Cup had been elevated compared to the Champions League, and just this one tier increase in reward value had multiplied nearly tenfold!
With several days before the next match, they had plenty of time to rest. Why not indulge a little?
That evening, Cao Baming once again managed to secure the qualification for Wu Xue to stay with him after negotiating with the team's top brass. The team's hotel was considered the most luxurious in the vicinity.
With the highest salary, he had to do things befitting his status.
Cao Baming rested comfortably.
Meanwhile, the outside world's excitement remained at a fever pitch, reaching a near-frenzy. Fans were intensely discussing World Cup news and the latest updates.
And the teams that most captured everyone's attention in this World Cup were undoubtedly these three: France, Brazil, and this absolute dark horse, the Tang Nation team.
Although Figo, who had been successfully "summoned" and made his World Cup debut, was also outstanding, his goal-scoring record was rather mediocre, with a total of 5 goals in two matches.
While this number of goals might seem substantial, and they had won both matches, remaining undefeated so far, compared to the three teams mentioned earlier, they indeed fell short.
The intensity of this World Cup far exceeded the fans' prior expectations, and not by a small margin, but by a very, very large one!
Although these teams appeared formidable, and many matches were thrilling, many other teams quietly displayed their solid strength in their respective group stages, possessing a genuine shot at the championship.
For example, the Vatreni, led by the 37-year-old veteran Modrić, displayed vitality and experience on the pitch, showing no signs of aging.
From these two matches, it was evident that they not only had no physical issues, but were even in surplus, and their experience far surpassed that of other teams, maintaining clean sheets in both matches.
Then there was the English team, ranked second in market value, whose tactics remained as sharp as ever!
Furthermore, Germany was considered a strong contender, but they were directly defeated by Tang Nation, completely collapsing mentally!
In their second match, they were even shut out 1-0 by Spain! It was too tragic, too dismal to watch! 138reading.com
Looking back now, those who sarcastically called this group the true "Group of Death" when the group stage draw was announced were indeed the most far-sighted!
Only, at that time, most people hadn't seen this, and they blindly followed the criticism.
Those who bet on matches in this group had lost every penny, but the fans of Tang Nation had already made a fortune. The secret was simple: just bet on Tang Nation blindly!