Super Wingstorm

’Hmph, he actually dares to come at me again.’

Vincent Wegier sneered inwardly as he saw Yang Yang charging at him with the ball once again.

As a left-footed player, he had possessed outstanding physical qualities since he was young. For as long as he could remember, he’d been the youth team’s left-back, a position that eventually carried him into the Ajax Youth Academy.

His excellent physicality in one-on-ones and solid defensive skills were the foundation of his place on the Ajax Youth Team.

This was precisely why he’d always looked down on Emmanuelson—a player who’d switched positions, loved to attack, but was a disaster on defense. He felt the same disdain for the skinny Chinese kid before him. After successfully shutting him down head-on just moments ago, his confidence had skyrocketed.

’Alright, time to teach you another lesson.’

A sneer played on Vincent Wegier’s lips as he watched Yang Yang close in.

His years of training at the Ajax Youth Academy were not for nothing; Vincent Wegier did have a solid defensive foundation. As he watched Yang Yang dribble closer step by step, he observed his opponent intently, ready to spot an opportunity to close in and get tight.

Vincent Wegier silently calculated the distance, his feet constantly shifting back and forth, probing Yang Yang and trying to disrupt his dribbling rhythm. But Yang Yang was completely unfazed, sticking to his own tempo as he steadily approached.

’This kid is asking for it!’ Vincent Wegier grit his teeth.

But just then, the Yang Yang before him suddenly dipped his left shoulder and turned his head left, his arms also making a motion. In that instant, Vincent Wegier made his judgment: the kid was going to break to the left, cutting inside toward his own right.

He was left-footed; his right side was his defensive weak spot.

’Sly bastard. You think you can fool me with that?’

Vincent Wegier decisively went for the tackle. He wanted to repeat his earlier successful defense, using his body to overpower Yang Yang and force the sly kid to surrender possession once more.

But the moment he moved, Yang Yang moved too.

He only saw a blur as Yang Yang, who had been feinting inside, suddenly swayed out to the left flank. Vincent Wegier, having just committed to the tackle, was completely wrong-footed. He lunged at empty air and left the entire outside lane wide open.

Though he immediately realized his mistake, stopping short and turning to lunge at Yang Yang again, the latter suddenly accelerated. He took a large stride, knocking the ball forward and leaving Wegier in his dust.

Round two of the one-on-one duel: a complete victory for Yang Yang.

...

...

After shaking off Vincent Wegier with the Pendulum Move, Yang Yang took large strides to catch up to the ball, silently calculating his position.

Not just his position relative to the ball, but also the distance from the right wing to the penalty area.

Ibrahimovic had already charged into the box. He was waiting for a cross from the right, but Team B’s defenders were stuck to him like glue, treating him like a major threat and not daring to be careless for a second.

Using [God’s Vision], Yang Yang judged the distances between everyone and quickly made a decision. At the same time, he was silently counting his steps, taking care with every touch of the ball, striving to maintain the familiar rhythm from his usual training.

Vincent Wegier was chasing him down relentlessly on the inside, forcing Yang Yang to dribble only along the right wing.

Finally, he was approaching the byline.

After catching up to the ball, Yang Yang planted his left foot and swung his right. When the ball reached his intended spot, he struck it swiftly with the instep of his right foot—it was none other than the long, driven cross from [Beckham’s Cross].

Everyone present heard a loud THWACK, and the ball shot out from the right side like a missile. It carved a fast, sharp, low arc before rapidly dropping toward the edge of the six-yard box.

Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic, who had been lying in wait in the penalty area, sprang out like an agile Cheetah. He used his body and arms to interfere with Heitinga and his partner beside him, quickly claiming the ball’s initial landing spot.

The Swedish Striker’s height and long legs gave him a clear advantage. As the ball dropped, it was perfectly positioned for him to strike it powerfully with his right foot. The entire shooting motion was clearly much more comfortable than with Talabesi’s 45-degree cross from earlier.

This thunderous volley finally broke through Team B’s goal.

After scoring, Ibrahimovic jumped on the spot and let out a huge roar, then grinned and pointed from a distance at Yang Yang, who had made the cross.

Yang Yang also broke into a happy grin.

In truth, Yang Yang hadn’t controlled the cross perfectly. But the Swedish Striker’s judgment of the ball’s trajectory was incredibly precise, and his dominance in the box was absolute. He had forcefully made up for the flaws in Yang Yang’s cross with his individual skill.

This made it seem to outsiders as if Yang Yang’s cross had been perfectly placed.

Only Yang Yang knew in his heart that if the cross had been a little better, the Swedish Striker probably could have scored with a simple tap-in from the inside of his foot.

But regardless, it was a truly beautiful goal.

...

...

The cross from the right flank, followed by Ibrahimovic’s volley in front of the goal, earned a round of cheers from the fans on the sidelines.

Although it was just a practice match with players of uneven skill, witnessing such a spectacular goal made the trip worthwhile.

Ronald Koeman gave a helpless, wry smile. ’He either doesn’t score, or he scores a flashy one.’

A goal like that really fit Ibrahimovic’s style. The kid was just too obsessed with looking cool.

"That cross from the right was decent," Van Basten said with a faint smile.

As a legendary former striker, he could naturally tell what part each player had in the goal.

He knew a little about Yang Yang and was aware that ball control and crossing had always been his weaknesses. But judging from that cross, it seemed Yang Yang had been practicing hard, and he had made quite some progress. This satisfied him.

As for Ibrahimovic...

Van Basten sighed internally. He decided it was best not to get involved in that mess.

Not long ago, during the first team’s training camp, Van Basten was leading the reserves’ practice and happened to give Ibrahimovic a few pointers. He suggested that he should focus more of his energy on attacking, hoping it would lead to more goals and put more pressure on the opponent’s defensive line.

A few days later, in a friendly match, Ibrahimovic refused to defend proactively or press immediately after losing the ball. After the game, Ronald Koeman and Van Gaal called him over for a lecture. But the rebellious Swede actually talked back to Van Gaal to his face, claiming Van Basten had taught him that strikers don’t participate in defense.

If that had been all, it might have been fine. But he even retorted by asking Van Gaal if he should listen to Van Basten, a legendary striker of historic proportions, or to Van Gaal, whose own professional career was unremarkable?

The result was predictable. Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman were furious, but the Swedish Striker just waved his hand and walked away.

With that previous incident as a lesson, Van Basten now saw things clearly.

This troublemaker Ibrahimovic was a problem for Van Gaal and Ronald Koeman to handle. He would just focus on managing his own reserve team.

...

...

"I knew it. That last attempt was just a probe."

John Reep didn’t break into a smile until after Ibrahimovic scored.

Yang Yang had performed exceptionally well in that attack from the wing. Not only did he beat his defender one-on-one, but he also delivered a reliable cross. In contrast, Vincent Wegier...

"Haha, *this* is Yang Yang playing at his full potential! That earlier attempt was just a warm-up."

Dick Van Puer showed Hank De Kuning no mercy. Even though the latter’s expression had turned incredibly sour, he still wanted to rub salt in the wound. Who told him to be so arrogant earlier?

So, the Almere assistant coach leaned in and asked with a sly grin, "Hank, don’t be fooled by his skinny frame. He’s fast. Some people can’t even bump into him if they try, ha..."

The flesh on Hank De Kuning’s face twisted into a snarl. He glared at Dick Van Puer, then at John Reep, who wasn’t even trying to hide his own smile. He was so angry he could have coughed up blood, but he refused to admit defeat no matter what.

"Hmph, it was just a fluke, understand? Just a fluke."

But just as the words left his mouth, another cry of alarm rose from the side of the pitch.

Sneijder had once again sent a precise pass into space for Yang Yang. The Chinese kid and Vincent Wegier both chased after the ball, but Yang Yang got to it a step ahead.

As soon as he received the ball, Yang Yang executed another Pendulum Move, once again shaking off Vincent Wegier. He broke through on the outside and charged forward with the ball. This time, he cut into the penalty area and suddenly sent a square pass to the center.

This time it was Sneijder, who had made a sudden late run from the back. Unmarked, he slotted the ball into the net from the right of the penalty spot, extending the lead to 2-0.

Hank De Kuning swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down, but he couldn’t change the facts. His old face was a mask of utter embarrassment. He never would have imagined that Vincent Wegier would get beaten by Yang Yang twice in a row.

’How is that possible?’

’Is this kid really just a junior from the Almere Youth Team?’

He refused to believe it, no matter what.

At the very least, the ability Yang Yang had shown was more than enough to play in the third division. How could a player like that not make the first team at Almere?

’Something’s not right. There’s definitely something not right here.’

John Reep and Dick Van Puer, however, were not surprised at all. Yang Yang’s fundamentals were what he lacked, but as long as he had the ball and space to run, unleashing the Pendulum Move, no one could stop him easily.

The reason Vincent Wegier had been beaten twice was because he was overconfident and gave Yang Yang space to receive the ball. As a result, he was played for a fool by Yang Yang both times, and both plays led to goals.

After all, this was just a team thrown together at the last minute. The defensive organization and the offensive patterns were far from cohesive. They relied more on the players’ individual abilities and cooperative awareness.

And in this respect, Yang Yang seemed to be quite in sync with Ibrahimovic and Sneijder. At the very least, he could keep up with their pace and grasp their intentions.

On this point alone, he was already much better than the other players on the field.

Dick Van Puer chuckled and applauded. When he turned and saw Hank De Kuning’s dark expression, he felt a surge of satisfaction. But he deliberately put on a pained look, shook his head, and sighed, "We gave you a chance to run him over, but you just couldn’t hit him. Who can you blame?"

Those words hit Hank De Kuning like a ton of bricks. He choked on his own saliva and broke into a violent fit of coughing.