Super Wingstorm

”What do you have in mind?” Talabesi asked, looking curiously at the young player before him.

Although he had only been on the first team for a few months, Yang Yang’s repeated outstanding performances after coming on as a substitute—especially in the key matches against Bruges and Eindhoven—made it hard for anyone on the team to still see him as just a rookie.

Ibrahimovic and Maxwell were his best friends, while Van der Vaart and Sneijder both thought highly of him. Sneijder and De Jong, in particular, had a very good relationship with Yang Yang.

Like any team’s locker room, Ajax had its own cliques and factions, but Yang Yang had somehow managed to get along with everyone.

Talabesi was a veteran on the first team, but he couldn’t help but listen to Yang Yang’s opinion. Especially now, with the team unable to break the deadlock, he was hoping someone could offer a fresh idea.

”That Frenchman has been sticking to me. In a moment, I’ll figure out a way to hold him off and give you a signal. Throw the ball in the direction I point. I’ll try to cut inside and draw them away, then pass it back to the touchline. You’ll be responsible for the cross,” Yang Yang said, panting heavily.

Talabesi frowned. ”Will that work? They won’t fall for it that easily, will they?”

”Let’s give it a try. Sneijder and I will draw the defenders’ attention, and we’ll have Ibrahimovic attack the near post. We’ll definitely get a chance.”

Talabesi didn’t really have any better ideas. Arsenal’s defense was rock-solid. Even the young left-back, Kerri, was playing exceptionally well in this match, not at all like a greenhorn just starting out.

On the other hand, Lauren, on the right, was being relentlessly targeted by Ajax’s attacks from the left flank and was struggling to cope, looking completely overwhelmed.

”Alright, I’ll follow your lead.” Talabesi hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

He really couldn’t think of any better plan.

Given Arsenal’s current advantage and their ferocious attack, if Ajax didn’t come up with something, they would sooner or later concede another goal. At that point, it would truly be over for them.

Although he had been clamoring for a transfer last summer, Talabesi now desperately wanted Ajax to perform better. It would allow him to showcase his skills on a bigger, grander stage and attract the attention of more top clubs.

He was already twenty-six. If he didn’t seize this opportunity, he might never get another one.

After nodding, Yang Yang turned and walked back onto the pitch. He caught Sneijder’s eye, signaling that the plan was set. Then, he made a few gestures toward Ibrahimovic. Once he confirmed the Swedish Striker understood, he looked back toward Talabesi on the sideline.

The Tunisian right-back stood on the sideline, hoisting the ball over his head, poised for the throw-in. Yang Yang, Sneijder, and De Jong all came over to make themselves available. Arsenal had also packed that side of the pitch with defenders, marking their men tightly, determined not to give the Ajax players any easy chance to receive the ball.

As Yang Yang walked slowly across the pitch, he used his [God’s Vision] to observe every move of the players around him, paying special attention to the smallest details. He knew that these things often determined success or failure.

Vieira was organizing the defense for the throw-in, the Arsenal captain directing his teammates. Meanwhile, Kerri stuck to Yang Yang like glue, making sure that even if he couldn’t get to the ball before Yang Yang, he absolutely could not let him turn and face the penalty area or get to the byline for a cross.

Suddenly, Yang Yang, who had been shuffling along slowly, accelerated and dashed back toward his own goal, pointing in front of him as he ran.

Without the slightest hesitation, Talabesi threw the ball into the space Yang Yang had pointed to.

Reacting to the sudden change, Kerri instinctively gave chase, while a startled Vieira also lunged forward at once.

Yang Yang had no time to think about any of this. It felt as if time had slowed to a crawl. He could clearly feel the ball flying toward him, and he puffed out his chest to control it, cushioning it forward. The power and angle felt incredibly familiar.

Then, he raised his right foot to meet the ball as it fell from the sky.

In that instant, the months of persistent juggling practice finally paid off. Yang Yang was intimately familiar with this feeling. He could even clearly judge the ball’s speed of descent and its spin, and the muscles in his leg reacted almost instinctively. All he needed to do was control his right leg and bring the ball down.

The feel for the ball, honed through countless hours of juggling, finally came into play at this crucial moment.

Kerri was left-footed and Vieira was right-footed. The space between their converging tackles was incredibly narrow. Yang Yang’s control had to be absolutely perfect, or he would lose the ball.

But to everyone’s astonishment, the ball seemed to stick to the top of Yang Yang’s foot as if glued there. He brought it down perfectly, and it never left his control for an instant.

At that moment, Vieira bore down on him like an oppressive mountain, exuding an aura that threatened to crush him like an ant. The slender Yang Yang felt an instinctive, fearful awe, but he still reacted quickly. Before Vieira could arrive, he shielded the ball with his body, using one arm to fend off the charging Kerri while knocking the ball behind them with his left foot.

He was taken out of the play, taking a heavy kick on his right leg from Vieira, who was desperately trying to clear the ball. The impact sent him off-balance, and he fell hard to the grass. But the ball... the ball slipped past both him and Kerri, rolling toward the byline.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Talabesi was still out of bounds, but as soon as he saw where the ball was going, he instantly broke into a sprint to chase it down.

Blocked by Yang Yang for a split second, Kerri was half a beat slow to react. This allowed the Tunisian right-back to get to the ball first. After catching up to it, he immediately sent a curving cross arcing in front of the goal.

Campbell was backpedaling, trying to anticipate where the ball would drop. But Ibrahimovic made a surging late run, beating Kolo Toure to the spot. He got in behind Campbell, leaped high into the air, and craned his neck to meet the ball with his head.

The ball changed direction, smashing straight into the top-right corner of the goal.

In that instant, the Amsterdam Arena erupted once more with thunderous cheers.

The Arsenal players all raised their hands in protest. Campbell even chased after the referee, frantically gesturing that Ibrahimovic had pushed down on him with his hand while jumping, which prevented him from being able to leap.

But the Swedish Striker was already ecstatically running off the pitch, sprinting and cheering all the way. He ran past the home team’s bench, past the away team’s bench, and finally did a knee-slide right in front of the television cameras on the sideline, repeatedly thumping his chest and roaring at the top of his lungs.

”I, Ibrahimovic!”

Yang Yang lay on the ground, a sharp pain shooting through his right leg. Even though he had instinctively tried to dodge and was wearing shin guards, Vieira’s kick still made him feel as if his leg was about to break. But when he heard the cheers erupting from the fans, he still smiled.

’We finally scored!’

The referee’s sharp whistle blew once again!

Clearly, it was the whistle signaling that the goal was valid.

The referee clearly ignored the Arsenal players’ protests. He didn’t consider Ibrahimovic’s jump a foul, believing Campbell had simply failed to get into a good position. He even warned the protesting Arsenal captain, Vieira, about his earlier intentional kick on Yang Yang, noting that he hadn’t held back at all despite knowing he couldn’t get the ball.

He had simply let play continue because of the advantage rule.

The Arsenal players were furious with the referee’s decision, and they all walked back to their own half indignantly.

The referee, meanwhile, immediately signaled for the Ajax medical staff to come onto the pitch.

Only then did everyone suddenly realize that Yang Yang was still lying on the ground, with Talabesi and Sneijder standing beside him looking concerned.

The celebrating Ajax players all started to return, and Ibrahimovic, forgetting his celebration, rushed to Yang Yang’s side.

The fans in the stands and the coaching staff on the sideline all watched on with their hearts in their throats.

You only had to look at Vieira’s massive build to know how powerful he was. If that kick had landed squarely, it could have easily broken a leg.

”Looking at the slow-motion replay, Vieira made no attempt to pull back at all. He kicked Yang Yang right over. This was an absolutely brutal and violent foul. It can’t help but remind us of the accusations the British media have previously leveled at Arsenal. They say that this team, renowned for playing the most beautiful and artistic football in the Premier League, is simultaneously the team with the most fouls and the most cards. This has led many to be unconvinced by their undefeated record.”

”Of course, in professional leagues, winning is all that matters. Perhaps many years from now, everyone will only remember Arsenal’s undefeated streak, and no one will remember their brutal fouls.”

”Our only hope now is that Yang Yang’s injury isn’t too serious. He’s only seventeen, incredibly talented, and carries the hopes and expectations of so many. He has played exceptionally well in this match, and he was the one who orchestrated Ibrahimovic’s last goal. It would be a terrible shame if he had to be subbed off because of this injury.”

All the fans in the stadium watched in dead silence as the medics attended to Yang Yang’s right leg. But the situation didn’t seem good, and soon, they signaled for a stretcher to be brought onto the pitch.

”It looks like he’s seriously injured. I don’t know if he’ll be able to continue the match.”

Many fans in the stands began to pray for Yang Yang. They couldn’t imagine how the team would manage without him on the right flank for the rest of this match.

Head coach Ronald Koeman was pacing on the sideline like an ant on a hot pan, repeatedly shouting to ask about the situation on the field. When the stretcher carried Yang Yang off, he immediately rushed over to get an update.

The score was now two to one, with Ajax temporarily in the lead. But if given the choice, he would rather not have scored that goal than have Yang Yang go off injured. The blow to Ajax would be too great.

But soon, the answer he received was: he was fine.

”He didn’t pull back, but I managed to dodge a little,” Yang Yang said with a wry smile from the stretcher.

Although he hadn’t dodged it completely and had taken a heavy blow, it was just painful, not serious. It wouldn’t prevent him from continuing the match.

”You kid... you scared me to death!” Ronald Koeman said, laughing with lingering fear.

Yang Yang chuckled, but he felt a little touched.

He knew the head coach’s concern for him was genuine and came from the heart.

After receiving some brief treatment from the medics, Yang Yang stood up again. He jumped on the spot a few times, did a short sprint, and confirmed he was fine. As he returned to the sideline, ready to re-enter the game at any moment, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause.

Fifty thousand Ajax fans were chanting his name in unison.

His effort, his contribution—they had seen it all.