Super Wingstorm

The sudden goal conceded at the start of the second half left the Ajax players completely stunned.

The first forty-five minutes had gone too smoothly. So smoothly that it made them mistakenly believe they could actually freeze out Real Madrid’s offense and contain the performance of these superstars.

But the goal conceded just after the second half began ruthlessly shattered that illusion, plunging Ajax into the abyss.

After equalizing the score, Real Madrid played with incredible ease, while Ajax could only defend passively.

The superstars’ performance allowed Real Madrid to completely dominate the pitch. They took full control of the game, orchestrating one attack after another, and soon found the back of the net again.

In the sixtieth minute, Guti played a through ball into open space. Zidane cut into the box and laid it back in a reverse triangle pass. Figo took a powerful shot, but the ball was saved by Robbent. Zidane, who was right there, reacted instantly, tapping it into the goal with his right foot from inside the six-yard box, sending the ball into Ajax’s net once again.

Two to one, Real Madrid had taken the lead!

Five minutes later, Guti won the ball in his own half and sent a fifty-meter pass straight up the field, precisely finding Ronaldo up front. Although the Brazilian superstar was long past his peak, his burst of speed as he carried the ball into the box still left the Ajax defenders helpless. Three to one!

Real Madrid extended their lead.

After the series of goals, Real Madrid played with increasing fluency, while Ajax became more and more disorganized. The players on the field looked as if they’d been knocked dizzy, completely unable to fight back.

In the seventy-third minute, it was Real Madrid’s right-back Sergado again, pushing up on the attack. He passed back to Zidane. The French superstar cleverly chipped the ball to Raul at the edge of the box, who then played it back to Zidane, completing a small-scale one-two. Finally, Zidane passed to an unmarked Ronaldo.

The Brazilian superstar calmly slotted it home from ten meters out. Four to one!

It was a total collapse!

Ajax had completely collapsed!

In less than thirty minutes of the second half, they had been scored on four consecutive times by Real Madrid.

This group of superstars, with their breathtaking performance, made the Ajax players feel the immense gap in skill. With their magnificent attacks and spectacular goals, they showed the Ajax players that a one-goal lead meant absolutely nothing to them.

If they wanted to, if they decided to get serious, they could score several goals in half an hour.

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Yang Yang sat on the bench, covering his mouth, watching the field in disbelief.

He had watched with his own eyes as his teammates, who had been bursting with confidence just moments ago, were beaten back to the ground by this group of superstars in less than half an hour.

’So this is how terrifying Real Madrid is when they’re on a roll,’ he thought. ’So terrifying that the Ajax players can’t even stop them, forced to watch helplessly as they perform one combination after another, one goal after another.’

These are superstars!

Their combinations were wondrous, full of imagination. Their goals were brilliant. It didn’t matter if there was an angle or not; they could always find a way to score.

If he were just a regular fan, Yang Yang believed he would be cheering loudly and applauding them. But as an Ajax player, as Real Madrid’s opponent in this match, all he felt was a chilling horror, even fear.

Four goals. They had put four goals into Ajax’s net as if it took no effort at all.

And this had all happened in less than half an hour.

After scoring the four goals, the superstars seemed to act as if they’d already won the match. They started to slow down their attack, returning to the leisurely, strolling pace of the first half, passing the ball around casually.

Watching the scene unfold on the field, Yang Yang suddenly recalled something that used to happen at the Almere Youth Academy. His teammates would form a circle, passing the ball around and playing monkey in the middle, watching the helpless ”monkey” in the center run around trying to press them, breaking out in laughter from time to time.

The two scenes were so similar. The only difference was that the Real Madrid superstars wouldn’t laugh at their opponents.

But the scoreline, the entire process, was itself the ultimate mockery.

Yang Yang clenched his jaw and balled his fists, his eyes fixed on the pitch. He refused to accept this.

Just like when he was at Almere.

He knew full well that Ajax’s collapse was primarily their own fault. Their mentality had shattered after being scored on in the second half, which led to conceding four goals in thirty minutes. But still, he refused to accept it.

Looking at the entire match, Real Madrid had made many mistakes. The team as a whole was even playing rather loosely, relying entirely on the individual brilliance of their stars. And yet, even so, they had managed to score four goals and were now leading four to one.

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Ronald Koeman stood in the technical area, staring blankly at the pitch.

He could clearly feel that his players, who had been brimming with confidence, were now completely broken.

Four goals in less than half an hour, in a Champions League quarter-final knockout match no less. Who else but Real Madrid could do such a thing?

’I was wrong!’

’I should have recognized the danger sooner. After Real Madrid equalized, I should have made a decisive substitution to break their momentum and strengthen the team’s defense.’

But he hadn’t.

Not only that, but he had missed the best opportunity to make a change, which directly led to Real Madrid’s subsequent barrage of goals.

But this was clearly not the time to admire the Galaxy Battleship or assign blame. The most important thing now was to stop the bleeding—not just for tonight’s game, but for the second leg in two weeks.

The Ajax players were, in the end, too young. They lost their composure after the score was leveled. Any other experienced team would have tightened up their defense and increased their pressing. Even if they couldn’t gain the upper hand, they could have at least made it difficult for Real Madrid to string together continuous attacks.

But now, the opponent had torn through them, scoring four goals in a row. Victory in this match was already in the bag for them.

Turning his head, Koman scanned the players on the bench. He carefully observed each person’s reaction. Many looked shocked, even fearful. That wasn’t what he wanted to see.

Until his eyes fell on Yang Yang. Just then, Yang Yang also looked up, his eyes meeting the head coach’s directly.

Their gazes locked. In Yang Yang’s eyes, Ronald Koeman saw defiance and a hunger to fight.

’He’s desperate to play!’

”Yang Yang!” Ronald Koeman shouted immediately, pointing towards the bench.

Hearing his name, Yang Yang shot up from his seat, stripped off his warm-up jacket, and strode over to the head coach. He was desperate to get on the field.

”Do you need to warm up?”

”No,” Yang Yang shook his head.

”Any thoughts?” Ronald Koeman asked again.

”Both of their full-backs are pushing up too high. On the counter, we can attack the space behind them. Otherwise, I’m confident I can take them on one-on-one.”

Yang Yang had been observing from the sidelines for a long time. Real Madrid’s star forwards basically didn’t track back to defend. Although it was hard for Ajax to intercept or tackle the ball when it was at their feet, if the team pressed harder and tightened their defensive formation, they wouldn’t be completely powerless.

Real Madrid’s two holding midfielders weren’t defensive players. Guti came from an attacking midfielder and forward background, and he wasn’t very active defensively. Beckham started as a right midfielder; his running and coverage were excellent and he was very committed to defending, but the combination of these two stars was a bit like a makeshift crew.

As long as they won the ball and launched a quick counter-attack, they could often run directly at Real Madrid’s defensive line. That was Ajax’s chance.

Ronald Koeman nodded at Yang Yang in appreciation. ’What a smart player.’

Many people had always believed that Yang Yang’s ability to change the game whenever he came on as a substitute was due to how Ronald Koeman used him. While that was certainly true, the Ajax manager knew in his heart that it was only part of the reason. The other part came from Yang Yang himself.

Every match he spent on the bench, while other substitutes were chatting or doing their own thing, Yang Yang was always focused on observing the game. He would do his homework before the match, analyze the opponents during it, and deduce how the situation might unfold.

Luther Carroll once described it this way: Yang Yang treated a match like an exam. His pre-match preparation was his review session, and his analysis and deduction from the bench were him reading the exam questions. Once on the field, he always delivered a stunning answer sheet.

He wasn’t just a top student in the classroom; he was a top student on the football pitch as well.

Ronald Koeman no longer had any doubts about this.

”When you get on, you’ll play on the right. Have Ibrahimovic target Mejia specifically. And tell all your teammates to press tighter. Real Madrid’s stamina is a big problem. If we press them hard, they’re bound to make mistakes.”

Last summer during their tour of Asia, Real Madrid was busy making money and didn’t prepare well for the pre-season. On top of that, Queiroz always prioritized the superstars, so Real Madrid had no stable rotation system. At this point in the season, every superstar was exhausted, and their stamina was a significant issue.

Yang Yang had already seen this mentioned in the pre-match preparation reports.

”Go on, I believe in you. Try to score a goal and keep our hopes alive,” Ronald Koeman encouraged.

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In the seventy-eighth minute, Yang Yang came on as a substitute, replacing right winger Victor Skora.

This was the first substitution from either side.

Queiroz seemed to realize Ajax’s intention and quickly brought on defensive midfielder Boerhaave for Golden Wolf Guti. It was a substitution meant to strengthen the defense.

After Yang Yang came on, he took advantage of the stop in play for Real Madrid’s substitution to immediately call his nearby teammates over. He relayed the coach’s tactical adjustments, putting special emphasis on one point: pressing.

”The boss said we did great in the first half, but we’ve been too loose in the second. We have to put more pressure on them. As soon as we win the ball, we counter immediately. There are opportunities on both flanks.”

As he spoke, Yang Yang looked at Ibrahimovic, who looked extremely awkward, as if he couldn’t face Yang Yang.

He clearly still remembered telling Yang Yang with full confidence during halftime that he wouldn’t be needed as a substitute for this match, that the team would win easily.

But now, the score was one to four, and Yang Yang had come on as a substitute, carrying a sliver of hope with him.

”Your job is to stay up top. You have to believe me, I will get the ball to you,” Yang Yang said, staring at his teammate with full confidence.

He knew this wasn’t the time for blame. What Ibrahimovic and all his teammates needed was encouragement.

The Swedish Striker understood Yang Yang. After hearing this, he nodded heavily and said through clenched teeth, ”As long as you get it to me, I’ll put it in the back of the net.”