Super Wingstorm

’So tired! Way too tired!’

’I can’t take it anymore!’

Yang Yang opened his mouth, gasping for air like a greedy sponge, gulping down the surrounding oxygen.

The match had already passed the eighty-minute mark, and the score was still nil-nil.

The Ajax Second Team had failed to create any real threat on offense; on the contrary, they were being suppressed by their opponents, looking rather disheveled.

After all, they were a team of young players, inferior to their opponents in both stamina and experience.

"Everyone, get your heads in the game! Hold on a little longer, we still have a chance!" The voice of head coach Van Basten came from the sidelines.

Yang Yang turned his head and saw the idol of his youth. Just as he was about to smile, sweat dripped into his eyes. He could only wipe it away with a hand that was already soaked, flicking the water onto the grass.

After the seventy-minute mark, having dropped back to the midfield, Yang Yang had begun to consciously slow his pace. He reduced his quick sprints, instead adopting a steadier jog and resting whenever he got the chance.

He tried his best to play according to the experience John van Schip had taught him, conserving his energy as much as possible.

’As bad as I feel, that thirty-five-year-old geezer on the other side must be having it even worse.’

’There’s definitely still a chance.’

He always believed this.

Fatigue was like an unbeatable beast, gradually devouring everyone’s will, friend and foe alike.

Many of the Ajax Second Team’s players were starting to run out of steam. The midfielder Kroen was one of them; the Danish player had always been known for his technique and passing, not his stamina, but he was still struggling to hold on.

Both head coaches still had one substitution each, but neither seemed inclined to use it. They apparently intended to finish regular time with their current lineups. If it was still a draw, then they would make substitutions to change tactics and inject some fresh blood.

Understanding this, Yang Yang took another deep breath and looked at Patrick Peelen across from him. He grit his teeth and thought, ’I refuse to believe I’ll lose to a thirty-five-year-old man.’

With that thought, Yang Yang started running into open space again.

......

......

Behind Yang Yang, Patrick Peelen saw him go. A pained expression crossed his face, but he grit his teeth and hurried to follow. He was well aware of the threat Yang Yang posed.

He had failed to keep up a few times earlier, and Yang had immediately taken off after receiving the ball, putting him at a disadvantage each time.

Right now, Demboch had the upper hand on the field and were pressing high up the pitch. If Yang Yang was given another chance, there would be a huge amount of open space behind them, and that was no joke.

It was because he understood this that Peelen had been wary of Yang Yang the entire match, terrified of letting him slip by. But as his stamina drained, especially after the seventy-fifth minute, he could clearly feel his energy slipping away.

He was already starting to have trouble keeping up with that kid from China.

But infuriatingly, the head coach on the sideline still showed no intention of making a substitution.

’Nothing to be done. I can only do my best.’

......

......

Amid the stalemate, another two minutes quickly passed.

It was grueling for the players on the field and just as painful for the fans in the stands to watch. The game was dull, without even a round of applause.

Demboch lofted the ball into the Ajax Second Team’s penalty area again, trying to find their tall striker, Barry Powell. But Vermaelen, with a clever fronting defense, cleared the ball first, heading it back to midfield.

After being tormented by Ibrahimovic for so long, the Ajax Second Team’s main left center-back had become more and more experienced at defending against tall strikers. Besides, compared to the Swedish giant, Barry Powell was much weaker.

The ball flew to midfield, where Maduro flicked it on with a header, laying it off further ahead.

Kroen got there a step ahead and brought the ball down with his foot. It seemed to stick to the Danish midfielder’s feet.

Yang Yang had just dropped back to midfield to defend. The moment he saw Kroen control the ball, he quickly ran forward with him, pointing ahead to signal for a pass.

The Danish midfielder understood immediately and played a diagonal pass into the space in front of Yang Yang.

Only then did Demboch’s left-back, Peelen, who was trailing behind, realize the danger and immediately gave chase.

But just as Peelen got close, Yang Yang met the ball and poked it forward, attempting a knock-on-and-run.

Startled, Peelen reacted instinctively, trying to tangle Yang Yang up. But unexpectedly, Yang Yang quickly dodged his attempt and accelerated after the ball.

Staring at the young Ajax player’s back, Peelen realized he had been fooled.

’I can’t believe Yang Yang still has enough energy left to sprint at this stage.’

A beautiful knock-on-and-run immediately got the fans in the stands buzzing. It had been a long time since they had seen any excitement.

Yang Yang quickly caught up to the ball and charged forward with it. The Demboch defensive line rapidly retreated, with the left center-back constantly closing in on Yang Yang’s diagonal path toward the box, trying to force him out to the right wing.

Although Yang Yang was sprinting, he was also using [God’s Vision] to observe the situation on the field. He discovered that Fred Benson and Babel hadn’t been able to keep up, leaving him isolated and helpless on the right wing.

’Oh my god, what’s with those two?’

’No other choice. I’ll have to do it myself.’

Yang Yang grit his teeth and, making a snap decision, drove the ball straight for the opponent’s penalty area.

Demboch’s left center-back closed in fast, wanting to stop Yang Yang before he entered the box. Behind him, the veteran Peelen was chasing back. As long as they could slow Yang Yang down, the isolated youngster would have a hard time creating any threat.

But the opponent understood this, and so did Yang Yang. In fact, he understood the principle of pressing the advantage even better.

The moment they made contact, Yang Yang abruptly stopped, feinting a cut inside toward the center. This tricked the defender into shifting his weight to block, but unexpectedly, Yang Yang executed another sharp cut, changing direction to dash toward the byline.

But Demboch’s left center-back was clearly very experienced. After being fooled by the first feint, he reacted immediately, turned, and caught up, pinning Yang Yang to the inside of the penalty area and giving him no chance to enter.

In that instant, Yang Yang also clearly felt how much of his stamina was gone. His speed had dropped significantly, and it would be difficult to shake off the defender. Meanwhile, his teammates in the center hadn’t been able to catch up at all.

With no other option, before the ball went out of bounds, Yang Yang chose to force a cross, earning a corner kick off the opposing left center-back.

Only then did Babel and Fred Benson reach the edge of the penalty area.

Head coach Van Basten shouted at the two of them. He had every reason to believe that if they had provided support in the center just now, Yang Yang definitely wouldn’t have resorted to such a play.

But on a football pitch, there are no "what ifs."

Kroen’s stamina was too depleted, and even his technical movements were getting sloppy. So, this corner kick was once again left to Yang Yang, and the right side was one he was very familiar with anyway.

After placing the ball in the right-side corner arc, Yang Yang took a few steps back, bent over, and massaged his calves with both hands.

Inside the penalty area, the taller players from the Ajax Second Team had all rushed in. Lindegren, Maduro, Babel... these players, all over 1.85 meters tall, were jostling with the Demboch players.

The Demboch players were clearly wary of the Ajax Second Team’s tall threats. One defender wrapped his arms directly around Lindegren, who immediately protested to the referee, leading to a brief argument between the two sides in the box.

The referee finally managed to separate the hot-headed players from both teams. After issuing a warning, he slowly backed away.

Yang Yang also took a deep breath, straightened up, and looked directly at his teammates in the penalty area.

He didn’t see Vermaelen, but he saw an arm shoot up from within the crowd. He smiled to himself and made a hand signal.

With a blow of the referee’s whistle, Yang Yang took off toward the ball with familiar steps.

The penalty area descended into chaos. The Ajax Second Team’s tall players all rushed toward the near post, drawing the Demboch defenders with them. But no one noticed a shorter figure slip away from the crowd and suddenly accelerate toward the far post.

The crowd only heard a THWACK as Yang Yang quickly struck the corner kick with his right foot.

The ball, spinning fiercely, carved a beautiful arc through the air. It bypassed the near post, where players were clamoring and jumping for the header, and dipped sharply toward the far post.

Vermaelen, who had shaken off the veteran Peelen, rushed forward, judged the ball’s trajectory, leaped high, and met it with a powerful header.

It’s hard to say whether it was Yang Yang’s precise kick or Vermaelen’s excellent judgment of the ball’s drop, but after hitting Vermaelen’s head, the ball changed direction and shot straight into the goal.

By the time the opposing Goalkeeper reacted and dived to block it, the ball was already in the back of the net.

The moment the Belgian landed, he jumped right back up with a roar and sprinted toward Yang Yang on the sideline. He grabbed his seemingly frail teammate in a tight hug and planted a firm kiss on his forehead.

He was ecstatic.

’How many games has it been?’

Yang Yang had already provided him with three assists from corner kicks, which made the Belgian center-back ecstatic.

"You must be exhausted! There was no power on that kick at all. If I hadn’t been sharp, I almost wouldn’t have reached it," Vermaelen shouted, hugging Yang Yang tightly.

"And you’re not calling yourself dumb? The ball dropped right in that zone. If you hadn’t gotten to it, you would’ve been wasting my perfect assist."

"Perfect assist? You’ve really got some nerve."

The two roommates bantered on the sideline, but their voices were drowned out by the cheering of the fans, and they were soon mobbed by their approaching teammates.

The game was now in its eighty-fourth minute. Scoring a goal at this moment was an immeasurable blow to Demboch.

On the sidelines, the Ajax Second Team’s coaching staff erupted in cheers after seeing Yang Yang assist Vermaelen’s header. Van Basten was so excited he kept hugging his assistants, shouting loudly toward Yang Yang and Vermaelen on the field.

In front of the home team’s bench, their coach, Cruyff, looked somewhat dejected, but he reacted quickly, decisively making a substitution.

The veteran Peelen was finally subbed off, replaced by a forward.

This switch showed the Demboch manager’s intent: he was going all out for one last gamble.

Including stoppage time, there were still nearly ten minutes left. They still had a chance to equalize.