Super Wingstorm

”The boss said not to rush. We need to keep playing at our current pace. The main goal is to shore up the defense and deny them any opportunities. Pay close attention to Deco, especially.”

After hearing what Yang Yang had to say, De Jong nodded in agreement.

”Also, Stephen, Wesley, the boss’s instructions are: don’t dwell on the ball. When a pass comes from the back, move it to the full-backs or each other right away. Don’t dribble. Just play a long ball in behind for me and Sonck to chase. And don’t get pulled out of your defensive zones.”

Pinaar and Sneijder exchanged a look; they both immediately understood the head coach’s intentions.

After relaying the instructions, Yang Yang sprinted to the front of the pitch to pass the coaching staff’s message to Wesley Sonck and Ibrahimovic. Meanwhile, the midfielders quickly relayed the tactical adjustments to the back line.

All of these adjustments had been repeatedly discussed, and even drilled, before the match, so everyone understood the plan right away.

...

”Yang Yang has come on, carrying Ronald Koeman’s tactical adjustments. It remains to be seen what kind of tactics Ajax will employ now, whether they’ll be able to threaten Porto, or if they’ll adopt a riskier style of play.”

”After all, aside from that flurry of attacks at the beginning of the second half, the game has been quite dull for the most part.”

”We were prepared for this, of course, but you still hope to see both teams play a more exciting match. It would be best if one of them could break the deadlock; that would really liven things up.”

...

...

The moment Yang Yang stepped onto the pitch, he pushed all other thoughts from his mind.

All the previous anxiety, all the heavy pressure—it was all forgotten.

’Perhaps this was one of his few strengths—the ability to focus so completely.’

After coming on, Yang Yang constantly pressed Porto’s defensive line, particularly the left-back Valente and Jorge Costa. However, it was more about closing them down than making any real challenges; there was no substantial contact.

This pressing was also designed to allow him to make a quick diagonal run in behind the instant his team transitioned from defense to attack.

Just two minutes after coming on, Yang Yang got his first chance.

The moment the ball reached Sneijder’s feet, Yang Yang moved into position, ready to dart in behind the defense. But under pressure from an opponent, Sneijder had no opening to make the pass and was forced to play it backward.

But soon, Ajax had another opportunity. This time, Pinaar played a long, diagonal ball in behind for the run on the right flank. Yang Yang immediately sprinted after it, but the pass was just a little too heavy. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t reach it and could only watch as it rolled over the touchline for a Porto throw-in.

Pinaar raised a hand apologetically toward Yang Yang, acknowledging he had overhit the pass.

He had been worried about it being intercepted, so he’d tried to put a bit more pace on it, but he hadn’t controlled the power and sent it straight out of play.

”Since the substitution, Ajax is consciously trying to strengthen their attack down the right flank, especially in the space behind Valente. But Porto clearly has no intention of giving them that chance. Mourinho is on the sidelines, yelling at Valente, apparently instructing his player to stick to Yang Yang and not let him build up a head of steam.”

”It’s a sound strategy, but Yang Yang just came on. He has fresh legs and is very fast, whereas Valente isn’t known for his pace. If Ajax keeps playing balls in behind, it’s going to put Valente under a lot of pressure.”

”And here we go again! Ajax wins the ball back, it goes to Talabesi, who lifts a pass in behind...”

...

The instant Talabesi made the pass, Yang Yang burst forward at top speed, shaking off Valente. He raced after the ball, hugging the right touchline, as Talabesi’s pass landed perfectly in his path.

While using his God’s Vision to scan the pitch, Yang Yang raced to meet the ball. He brought it under control the instant it landed and immediately cut inside from the touchline.

Valente was desperately tracking back, while Jorge Costa had already moved to block his path on the inside of the penalty area. But just as the two were about to close in and trap him, Yang Yang suddenly played a lay-off, threading the ball through the gap between them to an area just outside the right edge of the box.

With his God’s Vision, Yang Yang had clearly anticipated the defensive gap opening up in that zone. Ibrahimovic’s run was taking him right into that area; if he could react in time, it would be a perfect shooting opportunity.

Sure enough, the Swedish Striker was on the same wavelength. He rushed forward, beat Maniche to the ball, and unleashed a powerful shot.

The ball rocketed toward the goal like a cannonball, but unfortunately, it grazed the outside of the post and went wide.

The frustrated Swedish Striker threw his hands to his head, grabbing his hair as if he wanted to tear it out.

’What a great chance!’

’He was suddenly filled with regret. Why hadn’t I practiced my shooting more?’

’If my finishing were just a little better, I would’ve scored for sure.’

’But in this world, there’s no cure for regret.’

”It’s alright, Zlatan! We’ll get another chance,” Yang Yang said breathlessly as he jogged past Ibrahimovic, still panting from his earlier sprint.

”Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll definitely score,” Ibrahimovic vowed, gritting his teeth.

A poor scoring rate had been the Swedish Striker’s Achilles’ heel ever since joining Ajax, a weakness that was still a point of contention for many fans. In contrast, Wesley Sonck had a higher conversion rate, but the Belgian striker had his own share of problems. For instance, under Porto’s tight marking, his performance had been greatly diminished.

...

...

Even though that last attack didn’t result in a goal, it had been a real threat, and the Ajax fans still gave their team an encouraging round of applause.

Porto’s manager, Mourinho, was raging on the touchline, bellowing at Valente. It seemed he was reminding his left-back not to forget his pre-match instructions, though Yang Yang had no idea what those specific instructions were.

The only thing he knew for sure was that after Mourinho’s outburst, Valente began sticking to him like glue.

Yang Yang wasn’t the least bit surprised by the tight man-marking. Ever since he had started to stand out, more and more teams had begun using this defensive strategy against him.

He started covering more ground, forcing Valente to follow him everywhere. He dropped deep to help with defense and to receive passes from the back, he made forward sprints to chase through balls, and he actively pressed Porto whenever they had possession...

Yang Yang ran tirelessly all over the pitch, much to the frustration of Valente, who was tasked with man-marking him.

Neither Victor Skora nor Wesley Sonck, the players he’d been marking earlier, had covered nearly this much ground. Especially with the match about to hit the eighty-minute mark, how could he possibly keep up with a kid who had just come on as a substitute?

Watching Yang Yang’s energetic performance on the right flank, Valente grew irritated. He couldn’t help but recall something his manager had said before the game: that he hoped Yang Yang wouldn’t be able to finish the match.

Soon, as the match entered the eightieth minute, Yang Yang dropped back toward midfield to receive a pass. Valente suddenly charged in from behind and to the side. Despite having no chance of winning the ball, he lunged in for a tackle anyway. After sticking his right leg out, he followed through, deliberately driving his left knee into the back of Yang Yang’s right leg.

The entire sequence happened in the blink of an eye. The referee’s attention was on the passed ball, and Valente’s action looked almost incidental. After making contact, he quickly pulled away and even stumbled for a couple of steps, as if it had been an accident.

Yang Yang felt a sharp, searing pain shoot through his right leg. The force of the impact knocked him completely off balance, and he crashed heavily to the ground. The pain in his right leg was unbearable; all he could do was stretch it out in front of him.

The Ajax players on the pitch noticed immediately and began yelling for the referee.

By the time the referee, Nelsen, came over, Valente was already reaching down with an innocent expression, offering to help Yang Yang up. ”Come on, stop faking,” he muttered indignantly. ”It was just a little accidental contact. Do you really have to be so dramatic about it?”

If Yang Yang hadn’t been the one to feel the blow, he would have been completely fooled by Valente’s innocent expression. But he knew with absolute certainty that the pain was real. The muscle in his right leg had taken a solid impact, and the pain was excruciating.

The Ajax players quickly rushed over. Even though none of them had seen exactly what happened in that split second, they still rallied around Yang Yang, pressuring the referee. The team captain, Escude, was particularly adamant, pointing at Valente and demanding a yellow card.

”Looking at the slow-motion replay, that’s a really nasty challenge. Definitely worthy of a card.”

”Valente was definitely being malicious there. Yang was knocked completely off balance and is clearly in a lot of pain. Now the stretcher and the team doctors are coming onto the pitch... that’s absolutely a bookable offense.”

”But Valente is already on a yellow card. The referee probably didn’t see the full extent of the foul, and unlike us, he can’t watch a slow-motion replay, so he’s likely being cautious about issuing another card.”

”We see the players from both teams being separated. The referee has called a foul and given Valente a stern warning, but no card. You’d have to say that’s a decision that goes against Ajax. That was a clear booking.”

”And you have to consider, if Yang Yang has to come off injured now, it would be a massive blow for Ajax. He’s only been on the pitch for a few minutes, but he’s been excellent and very lively. If he’s forced off, Ajax not only loses their flying winger on the right, but they’ll have also wasted a substitution.”

”The medics and stretcher are carrying Yang Yang to the sidelines. We don’t know the extent of his injury yet. Head coach Ronald Koeman is obviously very tense, and I’m sure every Ajax fan feels the same sense of dread.”

...

The moment Yang Yang was carried off the pitch, a hush fell over the entire AufSchalke.

Every Ajax fan was worried about Yang Yang’s injury.

In the stands, Yang Yongqiang and his wife, along with Shen Ming’s family, were nearly frantic with worry. Wei Zheng and Wei Zhen were also a mess of nerves. Even the young girl sitting next to Shen Lifang, a complete stranger to Yang Yang, could feel the unease and concern radiating from the Ajax supporters and from Yang Yang’s friends and family nearby.

’You have to be okay,’ the young girl thought, her eyes filled with concern as she looked toward Yang Yang on the sideline.