The match entered the 37th minute. During a set-piece attack, Ronaldo himself dropped back to receive the ball.
"The Alien can't stand it any longer and wants to break the deadlock himself!"
The ensuing scene was predictable. As Ronaldo moved back to receive the ball, at least five Tangguo players swarmed him. Usually, he was the spearhead at the very front of the team, but at this moment, Vinícius and even Rodrygo were positioned ahead of him. People almost forgot that Ronaldo's greatest strength was in situations with ample space to run with the ball – that was when his astonishing burst of speed was showcased!
Fortunately, Cao Baiming was standing nearby. He was playing as a defensive midfielder in this match, even assisting as a center-back. If Neymar couldn't get past him, what could Ronaldo do?
Cao Baiming's eyes still gleamed with confidence, no matter who he faced. This time, Ronaldo's attempt to dribble even failed. The pass from his teammate was intercepted. The passer was Antony. After several turns and feints, such deceptive maneuvers could no longer fool the Tangguo players. They might be tricked once or twice, perhaps a third time with a momentary lapse in concentration, but never a fourth time!
However, if one attempt failed, there was always another. When the Tangguo team passed the ball back to their own half, the space opened up. Ronaldo had room to sprint, but his teammates who were supposed to pass to him were nowhere to be found. Cao Baiming moved up to midfield to organize his teammates' possession, but it wasn't a comfortable situation. The team wasn't focused on possession; their defensive line was compressed tightly, leaving few good passing options.
As expected, a teammate quickly lost the ball on the flank. This time, the loss directly went to Carlos. His dribbling speed was lightning fast. After dispossessing the opponent, he sprinted forward. Cao Baiming was not near him, but rather was struggling to keep up; his speed was several levels below Carlos'. Although his stature wasn't imposing, his explosive acceleration was world-class!
Then, the most dreaded scenario unfolded! Carlos indeed initiated a connection with Ronaldo! Although Cao Baiming sprinted back to cover in time, he still couldn't prevent the ball from reaching Ronaldo's feet, as no one can run faster than a football! And this time! The Alien finally had the chance to show the entire world what true explosiveness looked like!
After receiving the ball, he carried it forward without a touch, letting it roll about three meters ahead of him. There were no defenders in front of him! The Tangguo goalkeeper stood alone in his goal! The ball had already gone past the defenders, and the player wouldn't be far behind. The Alien's ground start propelled him to the ball in just three steps, leaving the Tangguo defenders a full meter behind. Stretching his arms, kicking with his feet – all of it was futile against him. To stop him, one had to tackle him head-on!
Facing the advancing goalkeeper, the Alien chose not to attempt his usual dribble. Instead, he chipped the ball into the net!
"The Alien's terrifying explosive power, the Samba legion takes the lead!"
"This is a pure display of individual ability!"
"There was absolutely nothing that could be done!"
The fans were surprised by how exciting this match had become! And it was still the first half! With this goal, the Samba legion grew even more excited, their celebratory ritual even more elaborate than before. The fans were also enthralled, but the faces of the Tangguo fans were already showing signs of worry. They truly seemed outmatched. What were they to do? Could it be that their World Cup journey would end in the semifinals?
Soon, the players returned to their positions. The referee blew his whistle. Immediately, the Tangguo team began a rapid series of passes, their ball movement reaching the level of a Premier League powerhouse. The players on the flank were executing one-touch passes, not even needing to control the ball. Normally, even two or three such passes would be too much for their minds to keep up with, leading them to mistakenly pass to the yellow-shirted Samba legion players.
Wu Dahai dribbled the ball, scanning his surroundings and pushing it forward, ready to pass. He was actually looking for Cao Baiming's position. At this moment, Cao Baiming was not pushing forward but remained in his defensive midfield role, with only Casemiro beside him. Wu Dahai couldn't afford to wait any longer. If the coach's tactics dictated passing to Cao Baiming when unsure, then no matter where he was, it should be fine!
Cao Baiming had intended to stabilize the defense first, not to be overly careless, but he never expected the ball to come to him so quickly. Before the ball even reached Cao Baiming's feet, the Samba players panicked. Several men in yellow rushed forward. Although the pass looked like a back-pass, it was being received by Cao Baiming, and they absolutely could not give him a chance! The Samba legion players charged towards Cao Baiming with a sense of recklessness.
Unexpectedly, Cao Baiming jumped high and, without using his head, controlled the ball with his chest, bringing it to his feet. The three players surrounding him were stunned. They were from the Samba team, yet they were so impressed by Cao Baiming's unbelievable ball control that they froze for a moment! Even more incredibly, despite their best efforts to jump, their heads couldn't reach the height of Cao Baiming's chest, and his terrifying hang time was like a cheat code for flight! Cao Baiming simply jumped casually, and his opponents were utterly helpless against him. Yet, his face was filled with a hint of resignation. He hadn't intended to attack, but since they forced his hand, he would grudgingly make a move.
Ignoring the cheers from the fans on the sidelines, Cao Baiming quickly scanned the field. With his god-like perspective, he didn't even need to physically turn his head; every detail was laid bare. He saw scattered lines ahead, but the numbers on them were incredibly low. His teammates on the flanks weren't even bothering to make forward runs. The passing lines indicated the probability of the pass directly leading to a goal, including both direct assists and other contributing passes. However, this probability depended not only on the teammate's receiving position and ability but also significantly on the opponent's defensive capability. The Samba legion's defense was clearly formidable. People might have been blinded by their dazzling offensive lineup, overlooking that their defense was also world-class.