Super Wingstorm

September 13th, Alkmaar’s reserve team pitch.

Eleven minutes into the match, an Ajax attack was thwarted, and Alkmaar gained possession in their own half.

Yang Yang, once again starting as the right-winger, began to actively press the opponent’s defensive line. The moment he saw their left-back receive the ball, he immediately lunged toward him.

The Alkmaar left-back was a bit overconfident. Instead of passing the ball away immediately, he tried to dribble past Yang Yang. But to his surprise, Yang Yang’s positioning was excellent, and the dribble failed. Now he was in a tight spot.

Caught off guard, the defender quickly turned to shield the ball and chose to pass the hot potato laterally to a nearby teammate. But in his haste, the pass lacked power and didn’t reach its target, giving Yang Yang another chance.

This was the kind of pass commentators often refer to as a "hospital pass."

Yang Yang was surprised by this unexpected gift, but he reacted instantly, sprinting after the ball.

The center-back for the Alkmaar Second Team was tall and strong, known for his physical play, but speed and acceleration were not his strong suits. Realizing his teammate had just played him a hospital pass, he too lunged for the ball, intending to clear it with a powerful kick.

However, Yang Yang was a step faster. He poked the ball past the defender and then flew by him at top speed, chasing it down.

The fans around the pitch gasped in astonishment.

By the time Yang Yang caught up to the ball, he had already broken into the penalty area for a one-on-one. The Alkmaar Second Team’s goalkeeper decisively rushed out, spreading his arms as wide as possible to block him. If Yang Yang hesitated for even a moment, the center-back would catch up from behind, and the threat would be neutralized.

But unexpectedly, after catching up to the ball, Yang Yang quickly executed a Pendulum Move, faked out the goalkeeper, and easily tapped the ball into the empty net. One-nil!

Yang Yang was grinning from ear to ear. He never would have thought his first goal would come so quickly, and as a gift from the opposition, no less.

After seeing the ball roll into the net, he quickly turned and sprinted away, his arms spread wide like a soaring eagle, ending in a knee slide by the corner flag as his teammates piled on top of him.

That rascal Vermaelen even jumped right onto Yang Yang’s back, as if riding a horse.

Only Babel, standing some distance away, looked a bit awkward. He had also made a run forward, but in the end, Yang Yang chose to shoot himself.

Watching a teammate he disliked score a goal really left a sour taste in his mouth.

In contrast, Van Basten on the sidelines looked quite pleased, applauding vigorously for Yang Yang.

You could say the goal-scoring opportunity was a gift from the Alkmaar defender, but it was also a chance Yang Yang had earned through his own hard pressing. And that final move to get past the goalkeeper was truly beautiful, very reminiscent of Ronaldo.

Wasn’t the Brazilian superstar’s most famous Pendulum Move the one where he faked out a goalkeeper?

"Thomas, you’re crushing me!"

Yang Yang struggled free from Vermaelen’s grasp, got up from the grass, and said with a chuckle.

Vermaelen slung an arm forcefully around Yang Yang’s shoulders. "You little brat, you scored too! You absolutely have to treat us this time."

Yang Yang didn’t answer, just kept chuckling.

’Treat them?’

’Of course, that’s not a problem at all.’

He had to admit, the feeling of scoring a goal was amazing.

No wonder everyone who played football wanted to score, even this Belgian center-back next to him who had the heart of a striker.

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With Yang Yang’s goal breaking the deadlock, the match between the two youth second teams became even more exciting.

Alkmaar tried to counter-attack, but Ajax responded with one sharp counter after another down the right flank.

Yang Yang repeatedly created threats on the right wing, preying on the left-back’s anxiety after his earlier mistake. He tore through the opponent’s defense again and again, frequently sending the ball into the penalty area.

However, the Alkmaar center-back who had just been sabotaged by his teammate’s hospital pass performed with remarkable composure. Whether the ball came in high or low, he always managed to clear it before Ajax’s Fred Benson or Babel could get to it, firmly controlling the first ball in the box.

Moreover, several times when Yang Yang was on the verge of breaking through on the right, it was this center-back’s covering defense behind the left-back that defused the crisis, forcing Yang Yang to pass back to a teammate and regroup.

Throughout the first half, Ajax created numerous scoring opportunities, but apart from Yang Yang’s goal, they couldn’t get the better of that center-back even once. This left an even deeper impression on Yang Yang.

When the first half finally ended, Yang Yang found himself walking alongside the Dutch center-back, who was a full head taller than him. He took the initiative to shake the man’s hand and learned his name.

"So you’re Ron Vlaar." Yang Yang had heard the name before.

Vlaar wasn’t surprised at all to hear Yang Yang’s name. "I’d heard about you a long time ago, too. Aaron Moye’s ’Football Online’ did three features on you. I just didn’t expect you to be even harder to defend against than the rumors said."

The two shared a smile, shook hands firmly again, and then headed back to their respective team’s rest areas.

They had both participated in the summer amateur tournament. Vlaar was also the "center-back prospect" Aaron Moye had talked about on ’Football Online’. Rumor had it that Ajax was also keeping a close eye on this defender, as a spot had opened up in their central defense after Qi Wu’s departure.

However, as far as Yang Yang knew, Ajax’s interest wasn’t particularly strong at the moment. Firstly, the newly signed Edesku was performing with increasing stability. Secondly, the youth team had promising youngsters like Vermaelen and Lindegren. On top of that, Alkmaar probably wouldn’t let Vlaar go easily.

But regardless, on the football pitch, any skilled opponent was worthy of respect.

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In the end, the Ajax Second Team came away with a two-nil victory. In the second half, Yang Yang orchestrated an attack from the right. After breaking through the defensive line along the right flank, he delivered a cross that caused chaos in the Alkmaar penalty area, allowing Babel to seize the opportunity and score.

Yang Yang still only played for seventy minutes in this match before being substituted for Demuer.

But this time, Demuer was very active after coming on, also creating repeated chances on the right wing. Unfortunately, neither Babel nor Fred Benson could convert them, and the final score remained two-nil.

On the evening after Yang Yang returned to Amsterdam from Alkmaar, Ajax hosted Vaalwijk at home.

This was a direct clash between the first and second-place teams in the new Eredivisie season.

Maxwell and Ibrahimovic were very active from the start. In the twenty-first minute, the Brazilian left-back opened the scoring for Ajax with a goal from inside the penalty area, showcasing his attacking prowess.

Six minutes later, Van der Vaart assisted Ibrahimovic for another goal, extending the lead to two-nil.

This goal completely shattered the rumors about Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart being incompatible. The handshake between the two players after the goal also debunked the speculation about their discord.

But only Ajax insiders knew that their relationship had not improved; after all, their roles on the pitch still clashed significantly.

Shortly after the second half began, Galasek scored another for Ajax. In the sixty-second minute, Scola, who had just come on as a substitute, assisted a goal for Wesley Sonck. Two minutes later, Vaalwijk pulled one back with a goal from center-back Boraleuz off a corner kick. The final score was locked in at four to one.

A magnificent victory not only propelled Ajax to the top of the league table but also released the immense pressure the team had been under. The four goals also went a long way in dispelling external doubts about Ajax’s offense.

But three days later, in the first match of the Champions League group stage, Ajax lost one-nil away to AC Milan.

Yang Yang and Vermaelen watched the live broadcast of the match at home, feeling sorry for their friends far away in Milan.

In this match, Koman once again deployed a two-striker formation, pairing Ibrahimovic with Wesley Sonck. Pinaar played as the attacking midfielder, while Van der Vaart roamed the left side of the midfield. This was a lesson he had learned from the four-one victory over Vaalwijk.

As expected, Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, and Pinaar all largely continued their excellent form from the previous match, looking very active from the start, especially Ibrahimovic.

Before this match, his agent, Raiola, had made it clear to him that several major Serie A clubs were watching. The Swedish Striker put in an especially hard-working performance, repeatedly creating threats and forcing AC Milan’s goalkeeper, Dida, to make frequent saves.

But the overall strength of the defending champions was not to be underestimated. Forwards like Big Inzaghi and Shevchenko were a given, but the young Brazilian, Kaka, also put on an outstanding performance, quickly putting Ajax on the back foot.

At a critical moment in the second half, Ronald Koeman made a substitution error. After Sunk was taken off, Ibrahimovic was isolated up front. The two wings couldn’t provide support for the Swedish Striker, and Ajax’s attack completely fizzled out.

AC Milan, on the other hand, sealed the deal with a classic poacher’s strike from Big Inzaghi at a crucial moment.

In the end, Ajax returned home with a bitter one-nil defeat.

This battle not only cost Ajax three valuable group stage points but also subjected head coach Ronald Koeman to heavy criticism, and the team’s morale took a painful blow.

The weekend after returning to the Netherlands, Ajax suffered a crushing two-to-four defeat away at Breda, surrendering the top spot in the league to their arch-rivals, Eindhoven. Koman’s tactics in two consecutive matches came under fire from fans and the media.

A gloomy cloud hung over all of De Toekomst.

But the day after the first team’s devastating loss, the Ajax Second Team defeated the visiting Utrecht Second Team three to one at home. Yang Yang contributed two assists, one of which was another corner-kick routine with Vermaelen that resulted in a goal.

This victory allowed the second team to temporarily escape the shadow cast by the first team.