Super Wingstorm

Yang Yang hadn’t expected to win the ball back so easily. He had no time to dwell on it, though. As soon as he had possession, he charged toward the front of the field, launching an immediate counter-attack.

The moment he stole the ball, everyone on the Warrendan team was shocked.

Paul Quist was the first to react, lunging straight for Yang Yang.

Yang Yang was already at speed, and Paul Quist’s lunge was a bit too aggressive. Without a second thought, the moment they were close, Yang Yang executed a Pendulum Move, feinting as if to break through on the outside but actually cutting in to force his way through the inside.

The moment they made contact, Yang Yang blew right past the overzealous Paul Quist.

But getting past Paul Quist had bought Warrendan’s defenders precious time. Their two center-backs and central midfielders quickly tracked back. Their strategy was clear: use their numerical advantage to shut down the kid from China.

They were fast, but the Almere players were quick to react as well. Henk Demyer immediately moved up to provide support.

Yang Yang had been using his [God’s Vision] to keep an eye on the developing situation around him. He had a perfect grasp of Warrendan’s defense and his teammate’s supporting run. After entering the thirty-meter zone, he passed the ball to the center without hesitation.

The ball landed perfectly between Warrendan’s two defensive lines, right in the path of the advancing Henk Demyer.

It was a brilliant pass, making John Reep, Dick Van Puer, and Van Gaal applaud inwardly from the sidelines.

The pass drew the attention of the Warrendan defenders. After releasing the ball, Yang Yang suddenly darted out to the right flank. The defenders’ focus was pulled toward the ball, returning to the centrally positioned Henk Demyer who was about to receive it.

But just as Henk Demyer caught up to the ball, the Almere captain suddenly hit a low, driving pass, sending it diagonally toward the right side of the penalty area. Meanwhile, Yang Yang, having shaken the defenders’ attention, suddenly accelerated, changed direction, and cut diagonally into the box.

The sudden change of play caught the Warrendan defenders completely off guard. By the time center-back Afies could readjust his defensive position to block Yang Yang, Yang had already received the ball and taken a step into the penalty area.

This was trouble.

Yang Yang was charging head-on. Afies kept backpedaling, not daring to commit a foul inside the box, which put him in a very passive position. After bursting into the penalty area, Yang Yang executed another Pendulum Move. Whether it fooled Afies or not, he used his superior speed to force his way toward the byline, carving out a sliver of space past the defender.

After creating separation on the right, Yang Yang even remembered to glance up at the Goalkeeper, who had come halfway off his line. He immediately went for a chip with his right foot.

The Goalkeeper instinctively reached out with his left hand to block the shot but grasped at empty air. When he turned back, the ball was already nestled in the back of the net.

Upon seeing the ball go in, Yang Yang leaped into the air.

’The reason I didn’t hesitate to shoot just now wasn’t that I was confident in my finishing, but that the gap the goalkeeper left by coming halfway out was just too big. It didn’t require any brilliant shooting technique.’

’Sure enough, it really went in!’

Overjoyed, he spun around, about to take off in celebration, when a figure blurred in front of him. A massive force slammed into him, and he was involuntarily tackled to the ground.

It was that rascal, Henk Demyer, who had charged over.

Yang Yang was helpless. He was also a bit tired, so he just threw his hands out and let himself lie limp on the grass, allowing his teammates to pile on top of him one by one as he burst out laughing.

The match was almost over. The significance of scoring a goal at this moment was self-evident.

...

...

After seeing Yang Yang’s goal, the fans around the stadium couldn’t help but murmur in admiration.

Almere had played with incredible tenacity in this match, but the most impressive player was their number nine.

Not only did he run tirelessly for the entire game, but he was also responsible for both crucial second-half goals. The second, the decisive go-ahead goal, was created from his own defensive tackle.

It was fair to say that he had single-handedly changed the course of the game.

Faced with such a performance from such a young man, how could they not show their appreciation?

John Reep and Dick Van Puer were also inexplicably excited.

In their view, the most ideal outcome for this match would have been for Almere to score one goal and save face. They never expected Yang Yang to score twice in the second half to turn the game around. The surprise was simply immense.

If the first goal was somewhat within their expectations, then the second goal was an absolute windfall.

If Yang Yang hadn’t been so diligent in his running, tracking back into his own thirty-meter zone to help defend, how would this opportunity have even been possible?

"This kid is unbelievable!" Dick Van Puer couldn’t help but laugh. "He’s always so unpredictable, always bringing surprises. I can hardly believe this is the same Yang Yang."

John Reep nodded repeatedly. He felt the exact same way.

’It felt like just yesterday that I was privately and politely trying to convince Yang Yang to quit, just over two months ago. But now, he’s become the team’s leader, putting on such a surprising performance. It’s simply incredible.’

Sometimes, John Reep couldn’t help but wonder, ’What on earth happened to him over these past two short months?’

He naturally attributed all of this to Yang Yang figuring things out, having a breakthrough, and working harder than ever before.

Henk Demyer had mentioned that Yang Yang even went to the skate park on his own time to train. Henk Demyer himself admitted that he couldn’t compare to that level of diligence, and he was full of admiration.

’Perhaps this was the fruit of Yang Yang’s hard work and progress.’

If John Reep and Dick Van Puer were only guessing, then Van Gaal was one hundred percent certain: this was the reward Yang Yang had earned from enduring that incredibly dull and tedious, hellish training.

The famous coach from the Netherlands now had to admit that he had, after all, underestimated the speed of Yang Yang’s progress.

’His fundamentals are still relatively weak, but his rate of improvement is just too fast.’

’It’s only been two short months since I last saw him, yet he’s improved to this degree. He’s not far behind those players who have received years of professional training at Ajax. If he’s given a little more time, who knows what other, even more surprising, feats he could achieve.’

Looking at Yang Yang, Van Gaal felt like he was back coaching the Ajax Youth Team and seeing the likes of Cruyff—all of them rare Puyu.

...

...

In the end, the match was over.

Despite launching a frenzied assault against Almere in the final few minutes, the home team, Warrendan, was unable to score. Their stamina was severely depleted, and their fighting spirit was broken.

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, everyone from Almere erupted in wild celebration.

All the players swarmed around Yang Yang to celebrate, then went over to John Reep on the sidelines.

If John Reep hadn’t adjusted the team’s defensive formation for the second half during halftime, Almere’s comeback would have been impossible. It was at this moment that everyone truly felt the importance of their head coach.

Having won the game, John Reep was also grinning from ear to ear, endlessly praising his players. He mentioned almost every player who had participated, a clear sign of his own immense excitement.

This was the fifth round of the knockout tournament, and they were facing Warrendan, a team newly promoted to the Eredivisie. Although it was just a youth team match, Warrendan had several players who were about to play in the Eredivisie, and their overall strength was not to be underestimated.

Defeating such an opponent was enough to make everyone from Almere proud.

But John Reep didn’t single Yang Yang out for special praise. He simply patted Yang’s shoulder gently and said with a smile, "Keep working hard. You’ll definitely make all of us proud of you."

This simple sentence made Yang Yang happier than any amount of praise could have.

He knew that his efforts over the past two months had paid off and had earned him the head coach’s approval.

While talking with John Reep, Yang Yang spotted Van Gaal on the outskirts of the crowd not far away.

The famous coach from the Netherlands was slightly disguised, wearing a golf cap—the very same one he often wore while watching Yang Yang’s special training, so it left a deep impression on him. With Trus Opmel standing beside him, Yang Yang recognized him at a glance.

"Hey," Yang Yang called out, waving from a distance.

Van Gaal smiled, nodded, and waved back.

Yang Yang immediately ran over with a cheerful laugh. "Long time no see... Mr. Van Gaal."

’Suddenly, he didn’t know how he should address him.’

’This was a world-famous coach, and I’m just a fledgling kid. What’s the proper way to address him?’

In the end, he chose a more formal address: Mr. Van Gaal.

Seeing Yang Yang’s awkwardness, Trus Opmel, who was standing to the side, chuckled and said, "You should just call him Louis. He likes it when his friends call him that."

"Oh, okay, Louis," Yang Yang said with a nod.

He felt honored to be considered a friend of Van Gaal.

"Have you still been training at the park recently?" Van Gaal asked with concern.

"Yep, I go every day."

"It looks like you’ve been training your left foot, too," Van Gaal said with a smile.

"How did you know?" Yang Yang was a little surprised.

The last time they met, Van Gaal had pointed out that he should train his left foot. After discussing it with Old Ice, he had added some left-foot-specific drills to his usual training. He never thought Van Gaal would know about that.

"Your first goal earlier was scored with your left foot," Van Gaal chuckled. It was unclear whether it was because Yang Yang had taken his advice or because he was seeing the results of Yang’s training, but either way, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

"My left foot is still not as nimble as my right. In that hasty moment, I didn’t have time to think and almost switched back to my right foot," Yang Yang said, a little ashamed. He was right-footed, after all; his left was only for support.

Of course, juggling with his left foot was also part of his basic training.

"That’s normal. Take your time. Being balanced with both feet will make you more of a threat," Van Gaal said with a smile.

Yang Yang understood. Being proficient with both feet not only made a player more threatening but also more well-rounded on the field compared to being one-footed.

"Alright, I won’t keep you from celebrating with your teammates," Van Gaal said with a smiling nod.

He saw John Reep in the distance, but the two weren’t close, so he just gave a wave as a simple greeting.

"We should be seeing each other again very soon."

Leaving Yang Yang with these puzzling words, Van Gaal departed casually with Opmel.

Yang Yang didn’t have time to dwell on it before his teammates called him over.