Super Wingstorm

Enschede, Netherlands. Herols Castle Stadium, home of Twente.

In the visitor’s locker room, Yang Yang sat in his spot, firmly tightening the laces of his red cleats.

A black swoosh adorned the side of the cleats, a logo anyone would recognize at a glance: Nike.

The pair Yang Yang was wearing was the Mercurial Vapor II, custom-made by Nike to his exact measurements.

They had been rushed to Amsterdam just yesterday. For the next three years, Yang Yang would be taking to the pitch in Nike cleats.

As for the difference between Nike’s Mercurial series and the Adidas F50, Yang Yang honestly couldn’t feel one. The comfort was similar, as was the flexibility. There was really no significant difference.

Of course, if he had to point to something, it would be the psychological effect of the money involved.

Yang Yang was no stranger to Twente, his opponent for the evening.

Last season, it was against Twente that he scored the first professional league goal of his career.

That goal set the Eredivisie record for the youngest goalscorer and catapulted Yang Yang to fame.

Returning to Herols Castle Stadium over six months later, Yang Yang felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

Times had changed. Twente now had a new manager; last season’s assistant coach, Rini Koelen, had been promoted. The left-back Yang Yang had faced back then, Helbeck, wouldn’t be playing tonight. In his place was a younger, twenty-one-year-old player named Ramon Zemo, who had been Helbeck’s substitute last season.

As it was the first match of the new season, everyone at Ajax was taking it very seriously.

Koman fielded his strongest lineup for this match. The goalkeeper was Stekelenburg, with a back line of Maxwell, Vermaelen, Heitinga, and Maicon. Galasek was the holding midfielder, with Pinaar and Sneijder in the center. The attacking trident consisted of Wesley Sonck, Charisteas, and Yang Yang.

It was no wonder Koman was taking it so seriously. In the team’s first official match of the new season, the Dutch Super Cup, they had lost 4-2. Although the opponent had scored three goals in the final three minutes to turn the game around, it was still an ugly loss.

The preseason friendlies, the Amsterdam Tournament, and the Dutch Super Cup had all exposed a series of problems for Ajax this new season: their attack lacked bite, and their defense wasn’t solid enough.

The departures of Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart had a huge impact on the team’s attack. With Yang Yang also away at the Asian Cup, the offense was severely hampered.

The defense was in a similar state. The departures of Robbent, Escude, and Talabesi forced a defensive reshuffle, and Maicon’s defensive capabilities were also a concern.

As for Vermaelen, he had performed well last season, but if he wanted to come into his own this season, he would need to deliver an even stronger performance.

Facing a tricky Twente away from home for the first match of the new season was certainly cause for concern.

......

......

”The players of both teams are now walking onto the pitch, led by referee Luther Bossen.”

”The home fans immediately greet them with thunderous applause, clearly hoping for Twente to get a winning start to the new season.”

”And we can see a fair number of fans from Amsterdam here as well, flying banners with Yang Yang’s name.”

”Tonight, Yang Yang, who has just returned to the squad, will be in the starting lineup for Ajax, which comes as a surprise to many of us.”

”Last season, Yang Yang was mostly used as a substitute. While he did get some starts, he tended to make his impact in the latter stages of matches.”

”Yang Yang was instrumental in Ajax’s last-minute victory over Porto to secure the treble. This year, Ronald Koeman clearly intends to make him a regular starter. After all, he’s about to turn eighteen.”

”Yang Yang was outstanding in both the Toulon Cup and the Asian Cup this summer. He was even named the Best Player of the Asian Cup, which is a remarkable achievement for someone who is only seventeen.”

”But many people are also worried: did Yang Yang peak too early at the Asian Cup? Will it affect his performance in the new season?”

”We’ll have our answer in tonight’s match.”

......

......

At the sound of referee Luther Bossen’s whistle, the match officially kicked off.

Charisteas quickly passed the ball to Wesley Sonck. The Belgian forward sent it back to the midfield, and it was then passed back to the defense.

Ajax didn’t rush the attack at the start, instead patiently passing the ball around in the back.

Twente, however, intended to use their early momentum to press Ajax.

After a few passes, Maicon received the ball on the right flank and sent a direct pass forward to Yang Yang on the same wing.

Yang Yang received the ball with his back to goal and defender Ramon Zemo right behind him. Not daring to dwell on the ball, he quickly knocked it back to Sneijder and immediately spun around, sprinting into the space behind the defense.

Sneijder, reading his intention perfectly, lofted a waist-high ball over Twente’s defensive line and into the space behind them.

”Ajax creates a threat right from the opening whistle!”

”Yang Yang runs onto the ball on the right wing! Twente’s defenders are scrambling back... He crosses it to the far post!”

”Wesley Sonck meets it and takes the shot!”

After a collective gasp, all the Twente fans breathed a sigh of relief.

Instead of controlling Yang Yang’s pass, Sonck hit it on the volley, which caused him to get under the ball and send it flying over the bar.

Having wasted a great opportunity, the Belgian was visibly frustrated with himself, but he still gave Yang Yang a thumbs-up.

The pass wasn’t to blame; he just hadn’t dealt with it properly.

......

......

After that early scare from Ajax, Twente no longer dared to press so recklessly and began to consciously tighten up their defense.

From both the pre-match scouting reports and the practice session in the Super Training ground last night, Yang Yang had figured out Ramon Zemo’s tendencies.

He had decent defensive skills and a clear advantage against high balls, which was likely related to his experience playing center-back. However, he was on the slower side and lacked agility, making him vulnerable to being shaken off the moment Yang Yang turned.

That last run in behind was the perfect example.

’Too bad Sonck couldn’t capitalize on the chance,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, this game would be much easier to manage.’

Now, with Twente playing more cautiously, Ajax’s attack was running into trouble.

Yang Yang began to experience what Ronald Koeman had told him: opponents were starting to tighten their defense on him, marking him much more closely.

’This is a stage I have to go through,’ he knew. ’I have to break through their tight marking and layered defense to prove my ability. Only then will I have earned the right to be a starter for Ajax, and to wear this number eleven jersey.’

With this in mind, Yang Yang became even more proactive on the pitch.

Even though he had just played in the Asian Cup final a week ago, even though he had flown thousands of kilometers back to Amsterdam, and even though he knew that no one would blame him for a poor performance, he still gave it his absolute all.

’I’ve never played for anyone else. I play for myself.’

’To constantly surpass myself, to break through my own limits—that’s what I want most.’

His resolve firm, Yang Yang remained completely focused on the pitch, actively making runs into open space and patiently waiting for an opportunity.

But Twente were no pushovers. Under Kolon’s guidance this season, their defense had improved significantly, earning high praise during the preseason. And now, against Ajax, they had managed to hold on for a full thirty minutes.

It wasn’t until the thirty-first minute that Yang Yang finally found a sliver of space in the Twente defense.

From a long ball played from the back, Charisteas, inside the box, won the initial header, flicking it on to Yang Yang at the edge of the area.

Facing the incoming ball, Yang Yang deftly cut inside with his left foot, bypassing a covering Twente player. He carried the ball into the penalty area and, just before Zemo could close him down, unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that flew straight into the net.

The goalkeeper dove, but he couldn’t stop the ball from finding the back of the net.

”GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!”

”In the thirty-first minute of the first half, Ajax finally breaks the deadlock against Twente!”

”It’s a goal from the seventeen-year-old starlet, Yang Yang! One-nil!”

”That’s Ajax’s first league goal of the new season, and what a way to start!”

After scoring, Yang Yang spun around and sprinted off the pitch, running all the way to the stands where the Ajax fans were. He threw his arms wide, demanding their applause and cheers.

The Ajax fans in the stands did not hold back, erupting in a massive roar of cheers and applause that even drowned out the home supporters.

Behind him, Yang Yang’s Ajax teammates swarmed him, mobbing him in celebration.

”No one can doubt it now: Yang Yang is becoming an increasingly crucial player for this Ajax team.”

”For the first thirty minutes, Ajax completely dominated possession but just couldn’t find the back of the net.”

”Their most threatening shot came from a pass by Yang Yang, which Wesley Sonck failed to keep down. Yang Yang tried to create other opportunities after that, but none of them managed to break the deadlock.”

”Perhaps seeing that his teammates weren’t having much luck, Yang Yang decided to take matters into his own hands, scoring Ajax’s first goal of the new season. It’s also Yang Yang’s first league goal of the season.”

”I think we can safely say that any worries about Yang Yang’s form can now be put to rest.”

”We can say with certainty, judging from these first thirty-plus minutes, that Yang Yang has carried over his excellent form from the Asian Cup. His return is bound to energize the Ajax attack.”

......

......

Despite taking a one-goal lead, Yang Yang was clearly not satisfied.

He knew that a one-nil lead was not secure, and that Ajax was more than capable of scoring again.

And just as he’d expected, once the goal broke the deadlock, Twente found it difficult to focus solely on defense.

Nine minutes later, Yang Yang created another opportunity on the right wing. Receiving a through ball from Sneijder, he shook off Zemo, charged to the right side of the penalty area, and sent a low cross to the far post.

This time, Wesley Sonck didn’t miss. He tapped it in from close range, sending the ball into Twente’s goal.

Two-nil!

After that, Ajax pressed their advantage, their attacks flowing more and more smoothly.

One minute into stoppage time, Yang Yang forced his way down the right touchline, drawing Zemo’s attention before suddenly cutting the ball back to the overlapping Maicon. The Brazilian right-back delivered a 45-degree cross into the box, and Charisteas headed it home from close range.

Three-nil!