Super Wingstorm

「February 4th, Amsterdam Arena.」

The Dutch Cup quarter-final knockout match: Ajax versus Feyenoord.

Seventy-five minutes had passed in the second half, and the score was still tied at one-all.

Ibrahimovic, having just returned from injury, scored a goal for the home team in the twentieth minute. But nine minutes later, Kuyt equalized for Feyenoord, with the assist coming from left winger Van Persie.

After that, the two teams once again found themselves locked in an offensive and defensive stalemate.

Several Ajax players had been called up to their National Teams. The absence of their main right-back, Talabesi, caused major problems for the team’s right-flank defense. In particular, the left-wing attacking duo of Feyenoord’s left winger Van Persie and left-back Patrick Mtiliga repeatedly put Ajax’s defense in perilous situations.

Just before the end of the first half, Escude’s injury made matters even worse for Ajax. Fortunately, his substitute, Vermaelen, put on a heroic performance, partnering with Heitinga to hold Ajax’s defensive line firm.

On the offensive end, however, Ajax was still unable to break the deadlock. Upfront, Ibrahimovic was being tightly marked by Feyenoord’s two center-backs, Vandenberg and Fan Wendelun, making it difficult for Ajax to get the ball to the Swedish striker’s feet.

Later, Ronald Koeman substituted Wesley Sonck for the starter Mitja, hoping to add another point of attack up front. But Feyenoord’s manager, Van Marwijk, made two consecutive substitutions of his own, once again neutralizing Ajax’s offense.

"There isn’t much time left in the match. Neither side has been able to produce any effective attacking methods. Ronald Koeman and Van Marwijk each have one substitution remaining, and this will surely be their final chance to change the course of the game."

"But neither of them seems to be in a particular hurry to make a substitution."

"If the match is still tied after ninety minutes of regular time, the rules of this single-elimination round mean the game will go into extra time. If it’s still level after that, it will be decided by a penalty shootout."

"Although a penalty shootout is full of unpredictability, the disadvantage is undoubtedly greater for the younger Ajax side. Moreover, this is their home stadium; Feyenoord, in contrast, will likely be the more mature and composed team."

"We can see that Ajax’s number ninety-nine substitute, Yang Yang, is already warming up on the sidelines. Many fans in the stands are chanting his name. He has come on as a substitute in the last five games, and every time, he has changed the course of the match."

"But this time, will Ronald Koeman still choose to bring him on?"

...

...

"It’s almost the eightieth minute."

Luther Carroll walked over to Ronald Koeman’s side and reminded him quietly.

Ronald Koeman glanced up at the clock. The time had silently ticked over to the seventy-ninth minute.

’Time flies!’

"Van Marwijk is waiting for me to make a substitution," Ronald Koeman said with a frown.

In terms of strength, Ajax as a whole was in no way inferior to Feyenoord; they even held a slight advantage. But the team had just returned from the winter break to face battles on two fronts. Compounded by injuries and the impact of the African Cup, it was difficult to field a complete lineup.

Escude’s injury in the first half had also used up one of the team’s precious substitution slots. This left Ronald Koeman in a very passive position. He wanted to make a change, but what if another player got injured or couldn’t continue after he used his last sub?

Furthermore, Van Marwijk also had one substitution left, and he wasn’t making a move either. He was clearly waiting for Koeman to act first.

"You’re saying he’s still holding a card to counter us?" Luther Carroll couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at the man in front of the away team’s technical area. Although he was only in his early fifties, his hair was already completely white.

"A card to counter Yang Yang, most likely," Koeman guessed.

Luther Carroll’s expression turned grim.

’If it’s really as Ronald Koeman says, then this match just got tricky.’

"It must be Ramon van Haren." Luther Carroll noticed the veteran player sitting upright on Feyenoord’s bench.

The thirty-one-year-old veteran, Van Haren, started his career at Vaalwijk, then moved to Roda JC, and joined Feyenoord in ’01 after an outstanding performance. However, he was never given a major role and was always cast as a substitute.

But as a player deemed worthy enough for Feyenoord to sign, Van Haren’s ability was undeniable. It was just that he wasn’t fast and was more adept at defending, a style not favored by head coach Van Marwijk, which was why he was relegated to the bench.

Based on his performances in his various appearances, he was a full-back with strong man-marking skills.

At thirty-one, his physical condition was still well-maintained, but his match experience was immense. Coupled with the fact that he was already a player with excellent defensive skills, it was entirely possible that Van Marwijk would use Van Haren to mark Yang Yang.

’But right now, if not Yang Yang, who else could they bring on?’

...

...

"Yang Yang is just a rookie who’s wet behind the ears. Only the rumor-mongering media would praise him so highly."

In front of the away team’s technical area, Van Marwijk stood ramrod straight, a smile on his face as he spoke.

Feyenoord’s scouts had studied Yang Yang extensively, analyzing tapes of all his substitute appearances. The final conclusion was that the player’s strengths and weaknesses were glaringly obvious.

He was fast, strong in one-on-one breakthroughs, and delivered high-quality crosses—these were his strengths. But his weaknesses were equally apparent: he needed space and was wary of tight, physical marking. Once an opponent got close to him, his errors on the ball started to increase.

The most typical example was the match against Nijmegen three days ago. As soon as he came on, he orchestrated a sharp counter-attack, cutting in from the right and making a square pass to Van der Vaart, who then assisted Wesley Sonck for a goal.

At first glance, it was indeed very impressive. But upon closer inspection, it wasn’t hard to see the main issue was that Nijmegen hadn’t paid enough attention to Yang Yang. This was especially true for their left-back, Revalkabesi, who was exhausted. He tried to defend Yang Yang the same way he had defended Scola, and that gave the Chinese kid space.

After he orchestrated that goal, Nijmegen started paying more attention to Yang Yang on the right flank, and his performance was greatly stifled thereafter.

’Given Yang Yang’s current state, making him a starter too early would definitely not be a good thing. It’s better to let him come on as a sub, continue to get match experience, and keep polishing and improving his skills. He should only step into a starting role when the time is right.’

"This doesn’t seem like Ronald Koeman’s style of developing young players. It’s more like Van Gaal." As Van Marwijk mentioned Van Gaal’s name, a flash of admiration crossed his eyes. Personal relationship aside, Van Gaal’s ability was beyond question.

Just then, he saw that over at the home team’s technical area, assistant coach Luther Carroll had finally walked up to the bench. He softly called out a player’s name, and immediately after, Yang Yang stood up from his seat, took off his long-sleeved tracksuit, and revealed his number ninety-nine jersey.

"So he finally couldn’t resist sending him in." Van Marwijk felt the satisfaction of a successful gamble. He turned back and waved to the veteran Van Haren, who was sitting on the bench. The latter immediately understood and walked over.

"See that kid in the number ninety-nine jersey?"

"I see him."

"Mark him out of the game."

"Got it," Van Haren replied calmly, then jogged off to warm up, ready to go on.

Van Marwijk, meanwhile, raised his head and stared straight at the pitch, a faint, confident smile playing on his lips.

He had been managing Feyenoord for three years. He had one league runner-up title and one Dutch Cup runner-up title, but his most significant achievement was the UEFA Cup championship. This was an honor he earned in 2002, and it proved his coaching ability to everyone.

With Feyenoord’s current strength, trying to overcome Ajax and Eindhoven in the league was undoubtedly an extremely difficult task. Therefore, the Dutch Cup was Van Marwijk’s best chance for a breakthrough.

Many teams from the Four Major Leagues were already extending olive branches to him. He needed another significant trophy to prove himself once more, to make his next step out of the Dutch football world a more solid one.

Eindhoven had suffered a surprise loss to Breda. As long as Feyenoord could defeat Ajax tonight and advance to the semi-finals, Van Marwijk was confident enough to beat the other Eredivisie teams.

And to defeat Ajax, the first step was to shut down that number ninety-nine standing on the sideline, about to come on as a substitute.

...

...

TWEET!

The referee blew his whistle and pointed forward, calling a foul on Feyenoord and awarding Ajax a free kick near the midfield. This greatly dissatisfied the Ajax players, who chased after the referee demanding an explanation.

Yang Yang sat on the ground, pulled down his sock, and saw the kick mark on his calf. He rubbed the muscle firmly, readjusted his shin guard and sock, and got back up.

Just a moment before, he had dropped back to receive a pass from Sneijder. Before he could even turn, Van Haren came up from behind, blocking his turn. While they were tangled up, Yang Yang passed the ball away, but Van Haren didn’t pull back his foot and kicked him directly on the calf.

The Ajax players’ argument was that the referee should have at least issued a yellow card, or even just a warning. But the referee clearly believed his decision was perfectly reasonable and showed no favoritism.

Every referee has their own officiating standards, and Yang Yang could only accept it. But as for Van Haren...

"The Ajax players really need to calm down right now."

"There isn’t much time left in the game, yet they seem a bit impatient. This is not a good sign."

"Instead of chasing the referee for an explanation, they’d be better off focusing on the match and trying to create a threatening attack as soon as possible."

Head coach Ronald Koeman was also on the sidelines, constantly shouting at his players, signaling for them not to get agitated and to get back to the game.

The Ajax players finally, reluctantly, returned to their positions on the field, and the match resumed.

Feyenoord’s newly substituted left-back, Van Haren, was still shadowing Yang Yang, not giving him an inch. No matter where Yang Yang ran, as soon as he received the ball, Van Haren was instantly right behind him.

’You can receive the ball, but don’t even think about turning.’

This made it extremely awkward for Yang Yang to play. Every time he got the ball, he was forced to pass it backward.

It wasn’t just him; all the Ajax players on the field were playing awkwardly, and the fans in the stands found it awkward to watch.

But time was running out.