Everyone later unanimously agreed that the loss in that match could only be blamed on the coach's three-center-back system. As long as the tactics were changed under Mbappé's command this time, there would be no problem!
At least, that's what Mbappé himself thought!
A peaceful and quiet night passed.
The next morning, Paris Saint-Germain's stadium welcomed guests.
Arsenal arrived in Paris a day early for the match. In the morning, the team bus departed from the accommodation area towards the stadium.
Various maintenance personnel, staff, and tabloid reporters had already occupied the spots around the stadium.
The fans wouldn't be far behind.
Cao Baming knew that regardless of the score, if they won this match, the final one would be meaningless. The suspense had already dropped to zero.
First place in the group was firmly secured.
More importantly, the Champions League rewards should also be obtainable in advance!
...
Amidst the fans' anticipation, the match officially kicked off!
"Ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooh ooooh!!!"
"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!!"
The entire Parc des Princes stadium was filled with fans, mostly home fans of Paris Saint-Germain, with a portion of Arsenal supporters!
There were virtually no neutral fans in the stadium, a confident assessment, as the ticket prices for this match had been inflated to astronomical sums!
Arsenal's Messi, Henry, and Cao Baming, the three superstars, led the charge, all successfully securing starting positions.
Paris Saint-Germain had both Mbappé and Neymar, with Mahrez, signed after Messi's departure, still awaiting his starting opportunity!
However, the biggest highlight of this match was the pre-match drama between the two teams, which felt like a melodramatic soap opera. Fans had boldly speculated on the mindsets of both sides after the previous match.
Especially Mbappé, after being proven wrong last time, had been unusually quiet at press conferences.
This kind of subdued demeanor was not his usual style; he was definitely planning a revenge this match!
Colorful fireworks began to light up the sidelines, but a few minutes before kickoff, no one continued to set them off.
After a brief opening ceremony, the match began!
Cao Baming leisurely retreated.
There were no tasks this time; the only goal was to enjoy playing!
There's a kind of football called "happy football"! No problem, he'd play that today!
In the fourth minute, Mbappé received a long pass over the top from Verratti, made an early run, and then passed back to Neymar. Cao Baming, despite being on the other side, successfully intercepted with a sliding tackle.
In the eighth minute, a near foul in the backfield gave Paris Saint-Germain their first free kick of the match, a well-positioned one in the attacking third!
The ball was placed at the edge of the penalty box, and the wall was set up.
Mbappé and Neymar stood on either side of the ball, one to the left, one to the right, both with hands on their hips, their stances remarkably similar.
At this moment, the camera shifted to another player's face, an Arsenal player.
The fans, too, when seeing the spot of this free kick, couldn't help but think of him: Messi!
Neymar looked up and saw that Messi, now wearing an Arsenal jersey, was standing near the wall.
If only this free kick were for Messi to take; it wouldn't matter who between him and Mbappé took it, but with Messi, it would be almost guaranteed!
Even after joining Arsenal, with both Cao Baming and Henry possessing world-class shooting abilities, Messi still firmly held the position of the primary free-kick taker. How strong was he that people would dare to question him?
He wondered if Mbappé, standing beside him, felt a pang of regret and missed opportunity.
After a brief pause, the ball was ultimately given to Neymar to take.
The hearts of the Paris Saint-Germain fans finally settled.
They had almost thought Mbappé himself would take the free kick; if that had truly happened, it would have been quite interesting.
Unfortunately, the ball lacked a little height, grazing over White's head and ultimately going about a centimeter over the crossbar.
The camera then focused on Messi again. His face was calm and composed, continuing his leisurely stroll on the pitch, as if wandering through the mortal world.
The commentators also sighed repeatedly.
"What a shame! Still just a little bit off!"
"Whether it's the precision of the shot or the grasp of the angle, it's still a little bit off!"
"Sometimes, a little bit makes all the difference between heaven and earth. For masters, a tiny slip can lead to a thousand miles of difference!"
Just a few minutes later, Arsenal launched a counter-attack, and Messi scored with a shot from the edge of the penalty box!
The entire stadium rose to their feet! They had even forgotten they were Paris Saint-Germain fans and were all marveling at Messi!
This shot, a curve that bypassed the center-back in front of him, swept past his eyes, curved out from the left, and finally entered the goal from the right, leaving everyone stunned.
"A brilliant goal! From Messi!"
"A textbook demonstration of how to take a shot from this position!"
"Although it wasn't a free kick, the position was virtually the same. Look at the 'King of Football'; despite the incredible curve, he could still precisely control the ball's landing point near the ten-yard line!"
"Amazing! Truly amazing!"
Cao Baming applauded from behind.
As a defensive player, he wasn't planning to get involved himself yet.
Soon, both sides entered the first period of fatigue since the match began.
The tempo naturally slowed down.
Mbappé stomped his foot in frustration at the lagging score, but he didn't even have possession of the ball. This was football! For ten consecutive minutes, he hadn't received a single pass; what was going on!
He had come with a fiery determination to face Cao Baming head-on again, but this time, he didn't even have the opportunity.
Cao Baming wasn't marking him closely; instead, he was intercepting his passes in midfield, ruthlessly dismantling all his plans!
Time on the pitch flew by, and it was already thirty minutes.
Soon, during a rare lapse, Hakimi personally made his way to the byline to cross, finally giving Mbappé his first shooting opportunity, which he mercilessly converted!
The goalkeeper dived to block, but he never expected the ball to slip right under his arm!
"Paris Saint-Germain pulls one back! Mbappé has finally scored!"
"Mbappé, the ruthless goal-scoring machine in the league, the supercar on the field, the king who devours opponents, an absolute new era superstar!"
Instantly, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
The excitement of the Paris Saint-Germain home fans ranked among the highest in the world!
"It seems Mbappé is very satisfied with his performance."
"Hakimi's assist is also rare for a defender who goes down to the byline! He should be on the list for the defender most involved in direct attacks in the world!!"
"Cao Baming?"
...
The score on the field did not change, and the first half eventually ended.