Super Wingstorm

Many of the reporters present noticed the activity on the Ajax Second Team’s bench. They weren’t concerned with the players; in fact, aside from Babel and a very small handful of others, they didn’t even recognize anyone else on the team.

They only cared about Van Basten and his debut match. That would be tomorrow’s most eye-catching headline.

When Yang Yang finished his warm-up and came back to stand beside Van Basten, all the reporters took notice.

Everyone saw the Netherlands legend preparing to substitute on a young Asian player. He had a friendly arm around Yang Yang’s shoulder, pointing to the field and giving instructions, while Yang Yang adjusted his shorts and nodded repeatedly.

Finally, Van Basten gave Yang Yang an encouraging pat on the shoulder and gently pushed him forward.

This was Van Basten’s second substitution of the match.

The previous substitution clearly had no effect. What about this time?

Could Van Basten, the head coach, be as invincible as he was during his playing days?

...

...

Yang Yang wasn’t overthinking things like the reporters. He cared about only one thing: how to perform in the match.

Demuer’s poor performance in his debut had given Yang Yang a rare opportunity, but only if he could actually help the team.

He needed to prove to the head coach, and to everyone, that he was worthy of a starting spot.

As he completed the substitution procedures with the sideline official and stood waiting for a stop in play, he suddenly heard a shout from behind.

He turned and, among the group of people standing at the edge of the stands, easily found his uncle, Shen Ming, and his family of three.

The previous night, he had made a special call to his uncle to tell him that he’d made the matchday squad and would be getting thirty minutes of playing time. His uncle’s family was overjoyed for him, but they never said they were coming to watch.

’Is this a surprise?’

"Go, Yang Yang! You can do it!" his cousin, Shen Yuzhu, shouted.

Yang Yang waved to them to show he’d heard, then turned his gaze back to the pitch and composed himself.

Finally, during a break in play, Yang Yang heard the referee’s summons.

Yang Yang was subbed on for Tom Demuure.

The Belgian right winger looked a bit dejected, but he obviously knew he was only scheduled to play for an hour. He didn’t linger, quickly walking toward the sideline and stopping in front of Yang Yang.

"Be careful. That bastard plays dirty and makes a lot of cheap shots," Demuer said in a low voice, shaking Yang Yang’s right hand.

They might be rivals for the same position, but they were still teammates. A warning was warranted.

"Thanks." Yang Yang nodded at him.

He’d already noticed as much while watching from the sidelines.

The moment he stepped onto the pitch, feeling the soft turf beneath his feet, Yang Yang felt a surge of excitement. He couldn’t resist a short sprint to get his body warmed up. He passed Vermaelen, and the two slapped a hard high-five. Soon after, he reached Kroen.

"The boss told me to tell you: push forward more, and leave the space behind you to Maduro."

Kroen glanced toward the sideline and saw Van Basten gesturing at him, signaling him to coordinate with Yang Yang to launch attacks down the right flank. The Danish midfielder was instantly convinced. Looking back at Yang Yang, he asked, "So, I should still try to play my passes further forward?"

"Of course," Yang Yang nodded.

As he took his position on the right wing, he found himself facing Pierre Tash. Yet, Yang Yang felt no sense of unfamiliarity.

In the Super Training simulation last night, he had faced Pierre Tash and the Ezmeralda defensive line for over an hour. Pierre Tash, in particular, had been the main focus of his simulated drills.

Meeting his opponent’s malicious gaze, Yang Yang offered a soft, confident smile.

’He was no Demuer.’

...

...

Play resumed.

The home team took a quick free kick from their own half, launching a long ball upfield.

Lindegren, tasked with aerial dominance, quickly won the ball.

After a few passes, the ball found its way to Maduro, who quickly moved it forward to Kroen.

Before the ball even reached him, the Danish midfielder saw Yang Yang cutting in from the right. He instinctively played the ball toward Yang Yang, but the pass was misplaced.

After all, it was their first time playing together in an official match, so a bit of awkwardness was to be expected.

Yang Yang had been sprinting toward the center, with Pierre Tash marking him closely. He didn’t expect Kroen’s pass to be misplaced, making it awkward to receive. Thinking fast, he accelerated to chase it down.

Pierre Tash didn’t know much about the new substitute, but he remained wary, not daring to let his guard down. He stuck to him like glue. When he saw Yang Yang speed up, he instantly accelerated to keep up.

But just as he expected Yang Yang to receive the pass, Yang Yang suddenly stopped short and flicked the ball with his left foot.

The ball slid past behind him. Having stopped on a dime, Yang Yang immediately spun around and gave chase.

Pierre Tash was stunned. He never expected Yang Yang to pull a move like that. He tried to stop and change direction, lunging to get close.

But unexpectedly, as soon as Yang Yang caught up to the ball, he stopped abruptly again. He cut the ball back with his right foot and pushed it forward with his left. All Pierre Tash saw was a blur. Before he could react, Yang Yang had already burst past him on the inside.

Yang Yang was becoming increasingly adept at these quick cuts and changes of direction in tight spaces. The move dazzled the fans on the sidelines; it looked as if the new substitute had nearly sent the home team’s left-back to the ground with his very first touch.

Having broken through, and before another defender could close him down, Yang Yang quickly whipped in a curling cross. The ball flew over the defenders and into the box. Both Babel and Benson made runs for it, but neither could get on the end of it. An opposing center-back cleared it with a header, drawing a collective gasp from the entire stadium.

This was undoubtedly Ajax Second Team’s most threatening attack since the start of the second half.

’That cross wasn’t placed very well,’ Yang Yang thought with a wry smile. ’But if Ibrahimovic or Vermaelen had been on the receiving end, they definitely would have created a scoring chance, maybe even a goal.’

’But Babel and Benson clearly weren’t strong in the air or at finding space. Their instincts weren’t sharp enough, and they couldn’t anticipate where the ball would drop.’

’At that thought, Yang Yang had a better idea of what to do next.’

When he looked back, he was met with Pierre Tash’s resentful glare.

Others might not have realized it, but he was the one on the receiving end. How could he not know he’d just been made a fool of by the new substitute?

In their first confrontation, Yang Yang was the clear victor.

...

...

Humbled by their first exchange, Pierre Tash learned his lesson and was soon glued to Yang Yang again.

For his next few touches, Yang Yang couldn’t find a good opening, mostly just receiving the ball and passing it back.

He would run into space to receive the ball, and his return passes were crisp and decisive, with virtually no errors.

This was becoming a hallmark of his game: increasingly intelligent and consistent play.

But even after several simple transitional passes, Pierre Tash didn’t relax his vigilance. He stuck to Yang Yang like glue; clearly, their first encounter had left a mark.

Yang Yang didn’t mind. He continued to cover a lot of ground, actively joining the high press when the ball was in the home team’s half. But once the ball crossed midfield, he generally didn’t track back to defend—these were Van Basten’s instructions.

Instead, he roamed the attacking third, patiently searching for an opening.

Just as the match clock ticked over to the seventieth minute, Ajax Second Team won possession in midfield. Kroen quickly played the ball to Yang Yang’s feet on the right wing.

Pierre Tash finally slipped up. He failed to track him immediately, giving Yang Yang enough space to trap the ball and turn.

The moment he turned, Yang Yang charged forward on the dribble. Pierre Tash maintained his stance, angled forty-five degrees to Yang Yang.

Clearly, the home team’s left-back intended to use the same tactic on Yang Yang that had worked against Demuer.

But Yang Yang didn’t do what he expected. As he dribbled forward, the cunning kid from China suddenly cut inside, taking Pierre Tash completely by surprise.

’He’s clearly right-footed, so why is he cutting inside?’

But Yang Yang gave him no time to think, forcing him to rely on pure instinct—which was to block the lane.

The moment Pierre Tash committed, Yang Yang reacted. With a body feint, he executed a Pendulum Move, instantly shifting from his inward cut to an outside run, leaving Pierre Tash in the dust.

The home team’s left-back was aghast. In his panic, he instinctively reached out to grab Yang Yang, but Yang Yang was ready. He dodged the arm and swatted Pierre Tash’s hand away. In the same motion, he poured all his strength into his legs and exploded forward at top speed.

Another collective gasp erupted from the sidelines.

Having left Pierre Tash for dead, Yang Yang caught up to the ball and dribbled at a forty-five-degree angle toward the home team’s penalty box.

The opposing left center-back reacted quickly, rushing over to provide cover.

But Yang Yang had already built up a head of steam. They met just outside the right corner of the penalty area. Yang Yang executed another Pendulum Move, wrong-footing the defender and sprinting for the byline. Reaching the ball, he decisively sent a low cross to the edge of the six-yard box.

Striker Fred Benson, who had been lurking in the middle, timed his run perfectly and tapped it in from close range, sending Yang Yang’s cross into the back of Ezmeralda’s net.

The moment the referee’s whistle confirmed the goal, Fred Benson leaped into the air with excitement. As soon as he landed, he charged toward Yang Yang, who was just ahead, shouting, "You actually saw me! How did you see me?!"

The Ghanaian striker was clearly so ecstatic about the goal that he’d gotten completely carried away.

Of course, Yang Yang wasn’t about to tell him that at the moment of the pass, he had already surveyed the entire penalty area using [God’s Vision]. He’d had two options: a pass to Babel at the far post, or one to Benson at the near post. He chose Benson.

Having scored his first goal of the new season, Fred Benson threw his arms around Yang Yang, cheering wildly.

Soon, the rest of the Ajax Second Team players rushed over, swarming the pair.

Two-nil. Ajax Second Team had all but secured the victory.

But it was Yang Yang’s assist that had sent the entire stadium into a frenzy.