Despite Cao Baming having proven himself with his performance last season, the keyboard warriors still refused to let up. He was still a far cry from the "King of Football," merely a clown for clout!
On this day, home fans, brimming with unprecedented excitement, arrived early and began their revelry near the stadium. The fans, who had been holding back for a long time, finally had an outlet!
The summer transfer window lasted a full two to three months. Listening to the increasingly sensational transfer rumors from various clubs had already made the fans restless, yet there were no games to watch.
Two full months! Who could possibly endure that?
Now, with the arrival of Messi, a large number of Barcelona and even Paris Saint-Germain fans had abandoned their own teams and transformed into Arsenal supporters.
Who would have thought that Messi's idol was none other than Cao Baming!
On this day, Cao Baming felt a slight surge of excitement. After all, it was the first match of the new season, and the system had already issued new season missions.
Besides the regular tasks, there were also 10 hidden mission rewards awaiting him. Perhaps he might stumble upon one or two in this match. This intangible certainty was maddening, exhilarating!
Soon, the stadium was filled with spectators, and the players from both teams finished their final warm-up drills. The match was about to begin.
The head coaches of both teams gave their final pre-match pep talks. As it was the first game, neither coach would take it lightly.
Especially for West Ham United, facing a formidable opponent like Arsenal in their first match meant they had to approach it with utmost seriousness.
Who could say for sure? Perhaps it would turn out to be a good thing.
In the stands, Wu Xue had already booked tickets for this match in advance. He had paid a hefty sum at an auction to secure them, specifically to watch Cao Baming.
At this moment, Cao Baming was not even aware of his presence.
The noisy cheers from outside expressed the fans' irrepressible excitement and elation, showing no signs of subsiding.
As the fans entered the stadium before the match, the noise not only diminished but became even more deafening, as if it would topple the entire stadium.
In previous matches, only finals like the Champions League could muster such awe-inspiring scenes.
For this match, Arsenal's starting lineup featured Henry leading the attack and Cao Baming anchoring the defense. Although the tactics and lineup were the same as at the end of last season, Arteta had been quietly making some subtle changes.
For example, Cao Baming's role was no longer that of a pure defender.
With the referee's whistle, this match of the century officially kicked off after Henry's initial pass.
Instantly, a gust of wind seemed to sweep across the field, and the ball, following a Z-shaped pass, reached Arsenal's backline.
After a fluid two-pass exchange between White and Cao Baming, a direct through ball pierced through the midfield, catching the opponent off guard with a swift counter-attack.
This sudden pass, naturally, came from Cao Baming!
Following this pass, Cao Baming's eyes still gleamed, watching the ball fly towards the forward. The golden number before him still left a residual image!
It had been a long time since he had seen a golden number, and it was a perfect 100!
Arteta and the opposing head coach at the sideline simultaneously threw their hands up in surprise.
The player receiving the ball was not Henry, but another top scorer in the Arsenal team, Martinelli. Before Henry's transfer to Arsenal, he was the team's leading scorer, and this opportunity was hard-earned.
This was a chance to prove himself.
Cao Baming's pass was perfectly weighted and placed, leaving just enough space ahead for Martinelli to run onto, allowing him to prepare for a chest trap while moving forward. In those two to three seconds, he could already map out the entire shooting route.
At this moment, the West Ham United players were utterly bewildered.
Huge beads of sweat instantly appeared on their faces. It was too late to chase back now. Martinelli, alone, had already broken into the left side of the penalty area!
Several defenders, in contrast, looked utterly disheveled, completely outmaneuvered!
And this was not even Henry; it was just Martinelli!
Old Ba Ming watched his teammate successfully receive the ball, a slight curve forming on his lips. He already knew the outcome in his heart.
Since the system had provided the number 100, this golden, shimmering digit, it was an undeniable goal!
As expected, Martinelli, with this reception, broke away for a one-on-one against the goalkeeper. Without any panic, he simply flicked the ball into the goal with his left foot.
"Beautiful!"
The roar of the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. They could no longer sit still, rising to their feet and jumping along with the goal.
They had anticipated a crazy match, but they hadn't expected it to be this crazy.
"Am I seeing things right? Was that only 10 seconds into the match?"
"This might break the Premier League's fastest goal record, my goodness!"
"You're a casual fan if you haven't seen previous matches. Last season, there was already a 4-second goal record, set by Chao Da Men himself. Only he could possibly break that record!"
The commentary booth also erupted in excited shouts, and the audience, the fans, and even the coaches and executives in the stands could not hide their emotions.
The West Ham United players on the field could only sigh towards the heavens, lamenting their fate!
"This is unbelievable, utterly unsportsmanlike!"
They had hoped to enjoy a serious, intently watched match, but the thought was extinguished after just 10 seconds?
On the field, the Arsenal players embraced each other in solidarity, surrounding Martinelli. Everyone was smiling joyfully.
And Martinelli, of course, did not forget his brother who provided the assist. His heart was filled with gratitude; this goal was at least 90% attributed to Cao Baming's sudden long pass.
If one were to tell outsiders that this was not a tactic pre-arranged by the coach before the match, how many would truly believe it?
"Alright, alright, brothers, that's enough. Hurry back to your positions and don't waste any more time!"
"Yes, yes, every second could be another goal!"
Hearing his teammates' confident tone, Cao Baming felt at ease.
Soon, the players who had just kicked off were forced to return to the center spot once again. At this moment, the score on the scoreboard was no longer the initial 0:0, but had changed to 1:0.