Neymar and Kaka being substituted was coach Tite’s way of preserving the Samba Army's strength for the next match.
Meanwhile, Danilo was also subbed off on the defensive line, replaced by Gundogan, who plays for Manchester City.
True strength needs no superfluous explanation; it speaks for itself through performance. As Neymar, Kaka, and Danilo left the field, the fans on the sidelines gave them a warm ovation.
Each of them was an absolute hero in this match, performing exceptionally and leaving no room for criticism.
With the substitutions, the Samba Army continued their dominance on the field, with possession exceeding 80%.
Goalkeeper Alisson had no more opportunities to touch the ball. In fact, from the very first minute of the match until now, he had only made one save.
For most of the game, he could only watch from his distant goal as his teammates toyed with the opposition, silently cheering them on. There were even times he felt the urge to abandon his goal and join the players in the front for some fun.
Many Moroccan fans in the stands had already left, with very few remaining in the stadium.
The Samba Army's fans sang their battle songs and danced the samba, livening up the entire stadium.
Did you think it was over? Far from it!
Carlos responded to a Samba Army free kick with a thunderous shot from forty-five meters!
When the man stood ten meters behind the ball, the crowd already knew the answer!
The Moroccan wall and goalkeeper wouldn't dare to block it, not even if they begged the heavens for five hundred more lives. As long as this shot was on target, it was a goal!
Carlos stood calmly, gazing at the goal. Indeed, some were already too terrified to manage their expressions. His presence was imposing, his thighs thicker than most people's waists, and completely packed with muscle!
The nickname "Human Cannonball" wasn't given lightly. In the group stage, Carlos had scored a similar goal. Although that one didn't go in, it had scared the goalkeeper so much that he soiled his pants on the spot.
This time, Lady Luck was on his side!
With a muffled thud, the ball found the back of the net!
Fortunately, no one touched the charging ball, otherwise, a dozen ambulances parked outside the stadium might have been needed, though there wouldn't be too much to worry about.
After the goal, fans by the sidelines erupted in cheers and screams, dancing the samba.
But amidst the cacophony, one voice gradually became clearer.
"Cao Baiming! Cao Baiming! Cao Baiming..."
It was clearly Carlos's goal, yet the fans on the sidelines were shouting Cao Baiming's name!
The commentators were at a loss for words, bursting into laughter.
"The fans from Tang Country are also very enthusiastic!"
"The Human Cannonball Carlos is about to meet the Human Cruise Missile Cao Baiming. Perhaps many are eagerly anticipating this tank battle!"
"Indeed, a shot like that, apart from Carlos, only Cao Baiming can pull it off. The only two cannonballs in the world!"
"This is the unification of power and precision!"
"With this goal, the Samba Army has extended their lead to six-nil! This is a World Cup Round of 16 knockout match!"
"Will they leave their opponents any dignity?"
While the commentators and fans from Tang Country celebrated and cheered for the Samba team, their worry also grew, as they were the next opponent.
However, as ordinary fans, they couldn't devise any strategies to face this Samba Army. Such challenges would be left to the coaching staff.
Although reaching the semi-finals of this World Cup was more than enough for most fans of the Tang Country team, exceeding expectations significantly, since they had come this far, they would strive for the championship!
Yet, even if they were defeated by this Samba Army, there wouldn't be too much cause for sadness, as the opponent was truly formidable, as they had witnessed.
The remaining time turned into a personal performance for the Samba team. The players played more flamboyantly, with defenders pushing forward to assist. The Samba players' dribbling and feints were dazzling, as if they were dancing on the field.
Even so, they scored another goal in the final moments. This time, Gundogan, who came on as a substitute, provided a long-range assist from his own half to Ronaldo for the goal.
There was a reason the head coach hadn't substituted him!
This time, Ronaldo tried another new scoring method, different from his previous three goals!
With incredible explosive speed, he first went past two center-backs after calmly controlling a long pass from his own half, creating a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
Then, facing the goalkeeper, he used his famous step-over to dribble past the keeper and finally slotted the ball into the empty net with ease.
The fans cried out that their youth had returned, that Ronaldo was back to dribbling past goalkeepers!
His extraordinary ability to dribble past goalkeepers might be because, for him, one-on-one situations were like everyday occurrences. Before Ronaldo, no player could break through multiple defenders with explosive speed and score. This is also why Ronaldo was called the alien!
"Seven-nil! The Samba Army achieved a stunning victory over Morocco with a crushing scoreline, eliminating them from the competition!"
"As expected, no matter what kind of dark horse, they can't get past the Samba Army! Our Tang Country team needs to be careful next!"
The match ended, and Cao Baiming heard this news.
He, who was still undergoing cross-positional training, was startled.
Although he had been listening carefully to the broadcast, he was still reflexively surprised by the final score of seven-nil.
After all, such a huge score was unheard of in football, especially in a World Cup knockout match of this caliber!
It was exceptionally rare.
At this moment, the coaching staff of the Tang Country team also received the news, but the players busy with training were unaware.
When they heard the news, they would surely be demoralized!
After the match, the official rating for the Samba Army was released. Ronaldo, who scored four goals, completing a poker, was not the highest-rated. The top spot went to Carlos, who played in defense and midfield.
He edged out the alien Ronaldo by a mere 0.1 point. However, his contributions were not limited to offensive organization; his defensive performance was also top-notch.
It was precisely because of his presence that goalkeeper Alisson only had to make one save in the entire match. This result was well-deserved!