Super Wingstorm

”The second half is back underway.”

”Looking at the lineups as both sides return to the pitch, neither team seems to have made any substitutions.”

”The young Ajax squad performed exceptionally well in the first half. Although the score was tied at one point, Ibrahimovic quickly scored another goal. That goal from the Swedish Striker was crucial.”

”Now let’s see if Arsenal made any tactical adjustments during halftime.”

...

”Ajax kicks off, but they quickly lose possession.”

”Arsenal is still controlling the flow of the game. The Gunners’ overall strength gives them an overwhelming advantage, but based on their first-half performance, Ajax is not completely helpless. Both are storied clubs in Europe.”

”Let’s watch this Arsenal attack.”

”Lars Engberri on the right has no opening, so he passes it across to Vieira in the middle.”

”Vieira distributes it to the left flank, passing to Pires.”

”Henry pulls out to the left to receive the ball. This is the French forward’s most dangerous area.”

”Facing Talabesi, Henry’s pace is incredible and his footwork is very nimble. He passes back to Pires and cuts inside.”

”Pires passes it back—a beautiful one-two...”

”Henry gets it again, faces Heitinga, and passes back into the box...”

”Pires...”

”It’s in!!!!”

”GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!”

”My God, less than two minutes into the second half, Arsenal scores a crucial goal, with Pires finishing off an assist from Henry!”

”Two-two! The two sides are back on level footing once again.”

”This is an enormous morale-boosting goal, a pure showcase of individual brilliance from two top-tier stars, Henry and Pires.”

”Ajax had three players defending on that side—Talabesi, Heitinga, and Sneijder—but all three of them were played for fools by Arsenal’s two superstars, completely unable to fight back.”

”Especially on that final pass from Henry to Pires. Sneijder wanted to pull Pires back inside the box but let go in the end. He clearly understood the consequences of bringing Pires down.”

”The situation has reversed in an instant. Arsenal have equalized right at the start of the second half. It’s two-two.”

”That was definitely a spark of passion ignited between two top-tier stars. What brilliant combination play.”

”From Arsenal’s Henry and Pires!”

...

...

The entire Amsterdam Arena fell into a deathly silence.

Head coach Ronald Koeman forcefully slapped his forehead on the sideline, shaking his head nonstop. He clearly couldn’t accept this sudden turn of events. He never would have imagined that his team would concede an equalizer to Arsenal right at the start of the second half.

But faced with a goal like that, what could he say?

Blame the players for poor defending?

No, Henry and Pires’s series of one-twos was not only fast but also perfectly synchronized. The Ajax defenders simply didn’t have enough time to react, let alone come up with a response.

To put it pessimistically, facing an opponent like that, all you could do was wait for the inevitable.

This goal was an absolutely devastating blow to Ajax’s morale.

Just moments ago in the locker room, he had been constantly encouraging and motivating the players, telling them they had to hold firm at the start of the second half. But he never expected Arsenal to pull something like this right out of the gate. How could the Ajax players not be dejected?

Looking at the stunned players on the pitch, Ronald Koeman suddenly felt a pang of pity for them. ’They aren’t old; most are just in their early twenties. But now they have to suffer such a huge blow. Can they handle it?’

”We need to stabilize now, Ronald,” Luther Carroll reminded him from the side.

Ronald Koeman nodded repeatedly, took a deep breath, and walked quickly to the sideline.

...

...

In the chairman’s box, upon seeing Arsenal score and equalize at the start of the second half, Chairman Van Pragg raised his hands in surprise, shaking his head constantly, his face a mask of frustration and despair.

Ajax was already incredibly fortunate to have scored two goals against Arsenal in the first half. If they had just held on to the two-one lead, they would have had a fighting chance for the away leg at Highbury Stadium. But now, not only was the score level, but they had also given Arsenal two away goals.

In a crucial knockout stage like this, conceding two away goals in the first leg is a massive disadvantage.

”The most important thing now is to stabilize. A two-two score isn’t hopeless yet, but if they can’t hold on, this could turn into a disastrous defeat at any moment,” Van Gaal said, his expression calm.

He gave off the impression that the outcome of the match and everything happening on the pitch had nothing to do with him, unable to stir the slightest emotional ripple. But at a time like this, it made him seem all the more trustworthy.

”We’re too young, and we were a bit careless at the start, which gave Arsenal their chance. And that combination from Henry and Pires was truly world-class. Even if we had been completely focused on defending, we might not have been able to stop it. So, conceding a goal like that is understandable.”

Van Gaal’s eyes were fixed on the pitch. He noticed Koman in front of the home team’s dugout, walking to the sideline to encourage his players, and a flash of appreciation appeared in his eyes. Koman had made the right choice at this moment.

”This is also a challenge for our young players. Difficulties on the football pitch are like touchstones. Whether they are gold or just stone will quickly become apparent after being tested by adversity.”

Van Pragg nodded. He wasn’t the kind of chairman who knew nothing about football. Even if they really lost this match, it would be normal. After all, they were facing the mighty Arsenal. An Ajax win would be the upset.

But as he looked out at the pitch, his eyes still held a glimmer of expectation.

Just as Van Gaal said, adversity is the touchstone. Whether they were gold or stone would depend on how the players performed next.

Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, Wesley Sonck, Sneijder...

Who could step up and save Ajax?

...

...

’What a tough opponent!’

Yang Yang thought with grudging admiration as he watched the young, panting French player jogging back.

’He’s fast, explosive, and has excellent stamina.’ It made Yang Yang feel as though all his own advantages were worthless in front of him.

It was really hard to believe this was an eighteen-year-old.

’And if Kerri is already this good, just how terrifying must a world-class left-back like Ashley Cole be?’

Compared to them, the left-backs in the Eredivisie seemed far too lenient.

Especially as the game wore on into the second half, Kerri was even more determined not to give Yang Yang an inch of space or any opportunities.

Talabesi was already run ragged dealing with Pires and Henry, making it impossible for him to push up and support Yang Yang. Sneijder had dropped deeper, Ibrahimovic was isolated up front, and Van der Vaart had started to hit his usual stamina wall after the start of the second half, his running gradually failing to keep up with the pace of the game.

Yang Yang wasn’t surprised at all by his captain’s performance, because it was like this in most games.

Apparently, a previous major injury that required the removal of his meniscus had robbed him of his speed. This meant he could no longer play his favorite position as a striker and had to adapt to a central role. But playing in midfield requires a lot of running, which was precisely his weakness.

In this match, he was up against midfielders like Vieira and Edu. Vieira especially—the pressure from the big, powerful midfield superstar was just immense. Yang Yang believed that anyone in Van der Vaart’s position would struggle to perform normally.

’What do I do?’

Yang Yang looked around helplessly. He felt as if he was trapped in a completely isolated and helpless situation.

After equalizing, Arsenal’s morale was soaring. They launched wave after wave of attacks against Ajax. Their strategy was clear: push for another goal, or at the very least, return to London with a draw.

But for Ajax, a draw was unacceptable.

Failing to win at home would make their chances of advancing in the away leg slim to none. You could even say impossible.

But with the whole team being suppressed so badly, how could they score?

What did they have to attack with?

...

...

Ronald Koeman quickly made an adjustment.

In the sixtieth minute, Ajax brought on Galasek for Van der Vaart.

This substitution was clearly intended to strengthen the team’s midfield defense. After all, having Sneijder drop back was just a temporary measure. At Ajax, he was better suited to playing as a central midfielder or in a more advanced attacking midfield role where he could utilize his passing and playmaking abilities.

Before leaving the pitch, Van der Vaart handed the captain’s armband to Galasek. The thirty-year-old veteran came on with tactical instructions from Ronald Koeman: he told Sneijder to push further forward, while he himself would drop back to form a double pivot with De Jong.

The timely substitution and tactical adjustment helped Ajax stabilize the situation on the field. Arsenal’s attack was also somewhat contained, especially with Galasek and De Jong’s double pivot clearly strengthening the protection in front of the defensive line.

But soon, Arsenal also intensified their attack. The tall striker Kanu came on for the young Spaniard Reyes, who had had an average game. This was obviously a move to further strengthen Arsenal’s ability to break down the defense.

From this substitution, it was easy to see that Ajax was at an absolute disadvantage, both in terms of overall strength and bench depth. Wenger was clearly not satisfied with a draw; he wanted to take a victory away from home.

While Arsenal was making their substitution, Yang Yang glanced up at the scoreboard. The time was exactly sixty-four minutes.

Head coach Ronald Koeman had told him before the match that he planned to have him play for seventy to seventy-five minutes. The time for his substitution was drawing nearer and nearer, yet he was still struggling to get any chances on the right wing.

When Galasek came on this time, he didn’t bring any instructions for Yang Yang from Ronald Koeman. This seemed to confirm what the head coach had said in the locker room at halftime: he couldn’t ask any more of his players.

Especially Yang Yang.

But that didn’t mean Yang Yang didn’t have expectations for himself.

Facing Kerri for the entire match, Yang Yang had gained basically no advantage, and he was very unwilling to accept that.

This was the most difficult match he had played since his debut. His opponent was an eighteen-year-old, just one year older than him. He refused to believe he couldn’t get the better of him, even if Kerri was a rising star hand-picked by Wenger.

He wanted to give it his all and try. Even if it didn’t work, he wanted to create opportunities for the teammate who would substitute on for him next.

Just as he was thinking this, Ajax finally launched another counterattack.