Super Wingstorm

”A beautiful chip to get past the defender!”

”It’s coming from the right wing again, and it’s Yang Yang again!”

”Van der Heyden pulled Yang Yang, almost making him fall, but the referee is playing the advantage and hasn’t called a foul.”

”Let’s see what Ajax does with this attack.”

”Yang Yang catches up to the ball, heads it forward, and sprints after it again. He’s incredibly fast.”

”But Bruges is also tracking back quickly. It’s still Clement defending on this side.”

”Let’s see how Yang Yang handles it this time.”

”He reaches the edge of the penalty area without slowing down. Yang Yang kicks the ball toward the byline and chases after it.”

”A cutback pass, to the penalty spot...”

”It’s in!!!!!!”

”GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!”

”The ninety-fourth minute! In the ninety-fourth minute, Ajax has finally turned the score around!”

”My God, this is absolutely unbelievable.”

”A cutback from Yang Yang on the right wing, and Ibrahimovic finally seized the opportunity! A calm right-footed finish finds the net! Three to two!”

”This is a priceless goal!”

”In the final moments, the very last moments of the match, Ajax scores the game-winning goal to complete the comeback!”

...

The moment the whistle blew, confirming the goal, Yang Yang leaped onto Ibrahimovic’s back, arms spread wide, letting out a furious roar to unleash the thrill and excitement pent up inside him.

”I told you! If you didn’t fucking score that, I was going to kill you!”

”Wahahaha! How could I possibly miss a sitter like that?” Ibrahimovic shouted and laughed, running around the field with Yang Yang on his back.

The two were soon tackled to the grass by their teammates rushing up from behind. They piled on top of Yang Yang and Ibrahimovic, everyone laughing euphorically. Even Sunk and the other players on the bench rushed to the sideline, celebrating wildly, while Ronald Koeman pumped his fist and cheered.

...

”Without a doubt, this young substitute from Ajax completely rewrote the course of this match.”

”Tonight, we have all had the privilege of witnessing a rising star: number ninety-nine for Ajax, the seventeen-year-old young player from China, Yang Yang. Let’s get to know him and remember his name.”

”This was his first-ever appearance for Ajax, and his first time on a professional pitch. Just eight months ago, he was training with an obscure amateur team in the Netherlands. But now, with two assists, he has delivered a miracle to all the fans who love Ajax.”

”Three to two! Ajax has come from behind to defeat Bruges away from home!”

”And what’s more, according to the Champions League group stage rules, Ajax is now tied with Celta Vigo on points. The next tiebreaker is the head-to-head record between the two teams. Ajax defeated Celta Vigo one-nil at home and lost two-three away. This makes their head-to-head record level, but when comparing away goals, Ajax has two.”

”The goal that Van der Vaart scored in the fourth round of the group stage has proven crucial. It’s on the strength of their away goals that Ajax has overtaken Celta Vigo in the group standings, climbing into second place and narrowly advancing from the group stage.”

”They have to thank Yang Yang. This seventeen-year-old completely broke the deadlock on the pitch.”

”I believe that after tonight’s match, his performance and his name will be seen and heard all around the world.”

”After selling Van der Meede, Ajax had problems on their right wing. But now, they once again possess a sharp blade on the right flank—and his name is Yang Yang.”

”Let’s look forward to what this Dutch Young Guard, with an average age of just twenty-two, will bring us next. Let’s hope for more passionate and spectacular performances.”

...

...

Van Gaal covered his mouth and nose with his hand, staring at the television screen in disbelief.

The match was over.

Yang Yang stood in a line, shoulder-to-shoulder with his teammates. Van der Vaart was blinking non-stop, a clear sign of his inner euphoria and excitement. He might have even secretly shed a tear somewhere out of sight.

It was understandable.

For some time now, everyone at Ajax had been under immense pressure.

The club was heavily in debt, and the management had no choice but to pressure the team, demanding they advance from the group stage. But under that immense weight, the young squad finally buckled, suffering two consecutive losses and backing themselves into a corner.

But now, through their own efforts, they had achieved redemption.

Yang Yang stood among them. It had only been one match, but it was clear everyone had already accepted their new seventeen-year-old teammate.

With two priceless assists, Yang Yang had single-handedly orchestrated Ajax’s comeback.

”He’s a genius, Louis,” Michael van Praag exclaimed excitedly.

But Van Gaal shook his head forcefully. ”No, Michael, he’s not a genius. He’s just...”

Suddenly, he didn’t even know how he should describe the young man.

’Is Yang Yang a genius?’

Obviously not.

’If he were a genius, he wouldn’t have struggled so miserably at Almere.’

He had reached this point step by step through his own diligent hard work. Van Gaal had seen it with his own eyes.

’But who says a genius has to be someone overflowing with talent and possessing extraordinary gifts, like Van der Vaart?’

’Isn’t Yang Yang’s determination, his resilience, his never-give-up spirit, a type of genius in itself?’

”You’re right, Michael. He’s a genius,” Van Gaal said with a smile.

”Ha, if you’re the one saying it, then it must be true,” Van Pragg laughed heartily.

Van Pragg knew better than anyone how sharp Van Gaal’s eye for talent was. If he called Yang Yang a genius, then it had to be true.

If not, how else could one explain how he had completely dictated the outcome of the entire match in less than ten minutes during his first-team debut, his professional league debut?

”He is indeed a genius, but we need to protect him properly. He’s still young and needs time to grow and improve. He also had the advantage of coming on as a substitute in the final stage of the match,” Van Gaal said.

Van Pragg nodded. Toward the end of the match, Van der Heyden was clearly exhausted. There were even a few times he dealt with the ball clumsily under pressure from Yang Yang.

Van Gaal quickly calmed down from his excitement. When he turned back to Van Pragg, his face was set in a serious expression. ”Michael, we’ve advanced from the Champions League group stage. Now, no matter what I want to do next, you can’t stop me.”

A flash of worry appeared in Van Pragg’s eyes, but he ultimately gave a silent nod.

He knew Van Gaal’s determination and that he was prepared for the worst. Since that was the case, he had no reason to stand in his way.

Given how far Ajax had come, it was indeed time for some strong medicine.

...

...

When the final whistle blew over the television, everyone in Shen’s Chinese Restaurant erupted in cheers.

The owner, Shen Ming, was so excited he was completely stunned.

He knew that after this match, his nephew would become the darling of Almere, perhaps even all of Amsterdam.

Yang Yang had single-handedly saved Ajax!

It felt so much like a dream to Shen Ming. He could still clearly remember how, just a few months ago, Yang Yang was struggling just to stay on the Almere Youth Team. But now, he had stepped onto the stage of the UEFA Champions League and saved Ajax.

This was something he wouldn’t even have dared to dream of.

Beside Shen Ming, Shen Yuzhu and Wei Zheng were hugging in celebration. Her mother saw this and understood what it meant.

Shen Ming and his wife were quite pleased with Wei Zheng.

While happy for Yang Yang, Wei Zheng also took a moment to step out into the courtyard, pull out his phone, and find a number.

He had to share this good news with his older brother, Wei Zhen.

...

...

”Well done, kid!”

After Yang Yang finally managed to break free from his entangled teammates, Bruges’ center-back, Philippe Clement, came over, extending his hand to congratulate him.

”Thank you,” Yang Yang replied.

”Keep it up, keep working hard,” Clement encouraged.

”I will,” Yang Yang said with a smile.

After Clement left, Bruges’ left-back, Van der Heyden, also walked over.

The Belgian international had taken off his shirt, revealing a body of lean, hard muscle that made Yang Yang quite envious.

”You got off easy this time.” Van der Heyden was clearly not convinced. ”If you had come on earlier, I definitely would have been able to stop you. I just didn’t expect Ronald Koeman to hide a sharp blade like you so well.”

Yang Yang gave a wry smile. ’Could he really say that Ronald Koeman had basically given up, and that’s why he subbed me in?’

”Anyway, congratulations. But next time we meet, I won’t go easy on you.”

”Same here.”

Van der Heyden and Yang Yang looked at each other and smiled. They shared a polite hug before going their separate ways.

Yang Yang was soon mobbed again by Maxwell, Ibrahimovic, and others. Especially Ibrahimovic; when he scored, he was so excited he almost picked Yang Yang up and kissed him. Yang Yang was nearly scared to death.

However, this also showed the Swedish Striker’s state of mind at that moment.

Scoring the winning goal to help Ajax advance to the knockout stage would be a huge boost for his transfer next summer.

Performing well in the Champions League is always a key factor when big clubs evaluate players.

”Actually, on the first goal, I was originally planning to make a run into that spot, but then I saw Van der Vaart go up, so I stayed back. How did you not see me?” Maxwell complained, frustrated.

A pass like that was practically a guaranteed goal, but Van der Vaart had snatched it.

”I saw you. I was just afraid you wouldn’t score,” Yang Yang chuckled.

Maxwell immediately protested, insisting on arguing the point with Yang Yang with the bluster of someone making a fuss over nothing. In the end, it was all just to get Yang Yang to treat him to a meal, since he had just finished extorting one out of Ibrahimovic.

In truth, for that play, Van der Vaart’s positioning was far smarter than Maxwell’s or Soetters’s. The position the captain took was not only easy for Yang Yang to pass to, but it was also a spot from which almost any pass would have resulted in a certain goal.

Sometimes, Yang Yang couldn’t help but feel that having such a group of formidable teammates around him was a pretty great thing.