Super Wingstorm

Good God, what just happened?

On the sidelines, John Reep was completely stunned.

Dick Van Puer next to him and the surrounding fans were even more dumbfounded, staring at the field in disbelief.

The kid in the number nine jersey had calmly pushed the ball into the goal during a one-on-one with the keeper. He stood frozen for a moment, but then quickly dashed towards the sideline, roaring loudly all the way.

Having been a professional player himself, John Reep could fully imagine the sheer exhilaration and excitement filling Yang Yang at this moment.

Even though it was just an amateur league, for Yang Yang, this was like a dream, something truly unbelievable.

Two months ago, this kid was at the bottom of the team’s roster, written off by everyone. He had almost left Almere. But now, two months later, he had become a deadly weapon on the wing for the Almere Youth Team. Just moments ago, he had single-handedly dribbled past three defenders and slotted the ball into the net.

Three to two. Almere took the lead once again.

Yang Yang also ran off the field, speeding past the fans behind the iron fence, his arms spread wide as he soared around the edge of the field.

From up close, John Reep could clearly see the smile on his face, which seemed to sparkle under the night lights.

’This is a gem whose brilliance cannot be hidden!’

Suddenly, John Reep even felt that Almere would probably be unable to keep him.

Look at his performance in this match—he bypassed Marvin Dorin, a first-team player from the fourth division, as if it were child’s play, completely effortless. And he was only sixteen. With his current rate of improvement, Almere would soon no longer be enough for him.

And as long as he continued to maintain this form in amateur matches, he would soon be on the radar of Eredivisie teams.

A teenager who wouldn’t even turn seventeen until October, capable of such a performance, with such explosive progress—his potential was limitless.

The Almere players also rushed off the field, tackling Yang Yang to the ground at the sideline and piling on top of him.

They all knew Yang Yang had improved a lot, that he was amazing, and that he had even placed first in the semester assessment. But they had never imagined that Yang Yang would one day become their savior, bringing them such a huge surprise.

Even Henk Demyer was now completely and utterly convinced by Yang Yang.

At the very least, he knew he could never pull off something like Yang Yang’s brave move just now—that brilliant dribble past three players.

Many of the home team’s fans on the sidelines also gave Yang Yang a warm round of applause.

Although they were AS80 supporters, they couldn’t help but applaud in the face of such an outstanding goal.

The AS80 players, on the other hand, were filled with disappointment, especially the three defenders Yang Yang had toyed with—including Kueller and Marvin Dorin—who felt utterly humiliated.

They were all older than Yang Yang, and some were even first-team starters, yet they had been completely outplayed by a sixteen-year-old kid. How could they face anyone?

Wesley Snowye was so angry he was trembling all over. He gritted his teeth and stared at Yang Yang, who was buried under his teammates on the sideline, but there was nothing he could do. He could never replicate a dribble past three players like that.

An opposing player’s brilliant performance doesn’t just boost their own team’s morale; it’s also a crushing blow to the morale and fighting spirit of one’s own side. This was especially true since Yang Yang’s goal was the critical go-ahead score, which left everyone on AS80 feeling utterly dejected.

If even that defense couldn’t stop this deadly weapon, were they going to have to put two men on him?

How were they supposed to play the rest of the game then?

After all, Almere still had Henk Demyer in the center.

......

......

As one side’s morale surged, the other’s waned.

After Yang Yang scored his team’s third goal, AS80 was dealt a heavy blow while Almere’s morale soared. They focused on defense and managed to hold on to their three-to-two lead until the very end.

The moment the final whistle blew, all the Almere players rushed towards Yang Yang. Many fans on the sidelines also moved the iron fences aside and charged onto the field, celebrating wildly.

Even though this was their archrival’s home turf, and even though they were surrounded by the rival’s fans, this was the victor’s prerogative.

Yang Yang took off his soaking wet jersey, constantly raising his hand to high-five the teammates and fans who came over to congratulate him.

In the midst of the celebrating crowd, an eight or nine-year-old boy came up to Yang Yang.

"Can I get a picture and an autograph with you?"

Yang Yang was taken aback for a moment. This was the first time anyone had ever asked him for a photo and an autograph.

The little boy’s father stood nearby, holding a camera. After Yang Yang crouched down and struck an affectionate pose with the boy, he immediately captured the moment with a CLICK.

"My dad says I should keep this photo safe. It’ll be worth a lot of money in the future," the little boy said with an innocent smile.

A huge sense of satisfaction washed over Yang Yang. How could he refuse? He took the pen and hastily scrawled his name in the autograph book. ’I really need to find some time to practice my signature,’ he thought to himself.

"Thank you!" The little boy took the autograph book and pen and quickly ran back to his father’s side.

"That was a great performance." The boy’s father even made a point of coming over to shake Yang Yang’s hand.

Watching the father and son leave, Yang Yang let out a deep breath.

’This feels pretty good.’

......

......

"Come on, cheers!"

In the courtyard outside Shen’s Chinese Restaurant, all the Almere players who had participated in the match had pushed tables together to form a large circle. Each person held a glass, but they were filled with plain water as they cheered and celebrated their victory.

Three to two. They had taken down their cross-town rivals, AS80.

What made them even happier was that after the match, Head Coach John Reep and Dick Van Puer both gave high praise for the players’ performance, especially the tenacious defense they had displayed.

John Reep stated that the coaching staff would continue to closely monitor the team’s performance, and all outstanding players would get the chance to enter the first team in the new season. This undoubtedly made all the players overjoyed and excited.

Although the head coach hadn’t praised him by name, Yang Yang knew he didn’t need it.

All three of the match’s goals had come from his feet, especially the final one where he dribbled past three players. Even he found it hard to believe when he thought back on it after the game, and he couldn’t imagine being able to repeat it. But it had happened.

’Since I played well, my performance was acknowledged with or without a specific mention. There’s no point in being petty about it with my teammates.’

After the game, his teammates all felt that Yang Yang should treat them to a meal since he had played so well. So, after everyone showered, they gathered at the Chinese restaurant owned by Yang Yang’s uncle, Shen Ming. They had his uncle whip up a few light and tasty side dishes and a large portion of noodles, then crowded around a table and scarfed it all down.

They weren’t professional players yet and were still in their growing phase, so there weren’t too many dietary restrictions. But if they entered the first team, there would probably be some controls in place.

Of course, alcohol and soft drinks were off-limits, which was why they were toasting with plain water instead of wine.

"We owe this one to Yang Yang. That final dribble past three players was brilliant! What were you thinking at that moment?" Henk Demyer asked with great admiration.

That was something he wouldn’t even dare to dream of doing.

Yang Yang carefully recalled the moment, then shook his head. "I wasn’t thinking much, I just felt there was an opportunity, so I took them on one by one. I didn’t expect to take it all the way to the box, but their stamina was probably running low, which gave me the opening."

Hearing his explanation, the others felt it was reasonable.

Even in an amateur match, dribbling past three players was no easy feat.

Especially since Yang Yang was facing AS80’s main defensive lineup this time.

After hearing this, the group congratulated him again, all agreeing that Yang Yang’s dribble past three was spectacular.

"It’s just a shame this was only an internal Almere battle. I looked around, there were basically no outsiders, and definitely no scouts. Otherwise, Yang Yang would definitely be famous by now. If he’d been spotted by a big club, that would’ve been..."

Hearing this, the teammates also felt it was a pity.

In their eyes, any professional team from the Eredivisie or Eerste Divisie was basically a big club.

Yang Yang was more philosophical about it. He replied calmly, "It’s nothing to be regretful about. As long as we keep working hard, we’ll definitely have more chances."

"That’s right," Henk Demyer agreed wholeheartedly. "We took down AS80 and successfully advanced from the first round. As long as we keep playing every match to the best of our ability, I guarantee we’ll get noticed sooner or later."

AS80 wasn’t originally that strong, but this time they had five first-team players, especially three starting-caliber players like Wesley Snowye, which greatly boosted their overall strength.

Since Almere was able to defeat a team like that, they believed that as long as they played seriously, the ordinary amateur teams they’d face next wouldn’t be a threat, especially with a deadly weapon like Yang Yang on the wing.

Unconsciously, everyone had started to see Yang Yang as the team’s backbone, their main star.

Even Henk Demyer had to admit that Yang Yang was now the core fighting force of this Almere team.

Yang Yang, however, wasn’t thinking about it that much. He was participating in this kind of competition more to hone his skills and train himself. He was also starting to discover that playing more matches stimulated his own improvement.

As for defeating certain opponents, achieving a certain ranking, or attracting anyone’s attention, he truly hadn’t considered any of it.

He knew very well that as long as he was strong enough, opportunities would come sooner or later.

He also understood himself very well. A performance like dribbling past three players was a stroke of luck, a rare opportunity that couldn’t be forced. Even if given another chance, he might not be able to replicate it. His weak fundamentals, however, were his biggest bottleneck and soft spot.

Improving his fundamentals as quickly as possible and mastering the Star Skill [Ronaldo’s Rush] were his top priorities right now. As for everything else, he wouldn’t let it distract him.

But he had to admit, being adored by the fans and relied on by his teammates gave Yang Yang an immense sense of satisfaction. Especially when he recalled his awkward situation just two months ago, it made his own path forward even clearer.

And that was: improve, improve, and improve again!