Super Wingstorm

Shelas Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

First round of Group B in the AFC U-19 Championship, China versus Iran.

As the players from both teams, led by the head referee, walked out of the players’ tunnel, the stadium erupted in a deafening roar.

Countless Malaysian Chinese fans who had come to watch, as well as supporters who had made the special trip from China to support the National Youth Team, were all shouting Yang Yang’s name, cheering for the team.

This tremendous wave of sound was rare for a youth team match, and it even surprised the Iran Team, who had just taken the field.

At this moment, they must have been wondering if they were in China or Malaysia.

Yang Yang was two years younger than the others, but he wasn’t much shorter. Furthermore, the strength and conditioning he received at Ajax meant his physical fitness was no worse than any other player on the field.

The Iranian players’ gazes were filled with wariness as they looked at him.

Even though Yang Yang was only seventeen, he had already made a great name for himself. Especially after defeating Nakamura Shunsuke to win the Asian Cup’s Best Player award, everyone knew that China had produced a young genius.

"Tonight, at Shelas Stadium, Yang Yang will definitely be the focus of the Iranian defense."

As the national anthem played in the stadium, the live broadcast camera zoomed in for a big close-up on Yang Yang.

"But we can see from Yang Yang’s expression right now that he is full of tenacity and determination. We believe he is mentally prepared for the difficulties ahead, and we look forward to him surprising us once again."

After both teams returned to their respective halves, Yang Yang went to the center circle and jumped in place a few times, loosening up his muscles.

For the sake of caution, Coach Tie Sheng still opted for a defensive counter-attack strategy for this match, using a 4-5-1 formation. The two midfielders on the wings were Hao Junmin and Chen Tao, with Zhou Haibin organizing play in the center, and Zhao Xuri and Wang Shouting playing as the two defensive midfielders.

As for the forward line, Yang Yang was the lone striker.

During the training camp in Guangdong Qingyuan, the team had originally planned to use a 4-4-1-1 formation with Zhu Ting at the very front. However, since Iran was the strongest opponent in the group, they decided to go with a lone striker for a more cautious tactical approach.

Of course, to better leverage Yang Yang’s threat, Hao Junmin, Zhou Haibin, and Chen Tao were all ready to push forward at any moment. This was especially true for the wings; once they pressed up, they would function more like wingers.

"Don’t be nervous. Just play like we always do," Yang Yang said, standing to the left of the ball. He smiled, reassuring his slightly tense teammate, Chen Tao.

Chen Tao nodded, inwardly admiring Yang Yang’s mental fortitude. ’He’s a player who’s been through many major tournaments, after all.’

"Let’s test them out right from the start," Yang Yang suggested with a smile.

"How do we test them?" Chen Tao asked, a little surprised.

Yang Yang grinned confidently. "By testing how solid their defense really is, of course."

As he spoke, Yang Yang glanced back at Zhou Haibin behind him, and then further back at Feng Xiaoting. He gave them a knowing nod and then a slight smile, letting his teammates feel his immense confidence and eager hunger for the game.

With a blow of the referee’s whistle, the match officially began.

The Chinese Team kicked off first.

Chen Tao passed the ball to Yang Yang, who turned and passed it back to Zhou Haibin in the midfield. Zhou Haibin then relayed it back to Feng Xiaoting.

Feng Xiaoting received the ball on the defensive line and saw Yang Yang already sprinting forward. The Iranian players were only applying token pressure in the frontcourt, trying to disrupt the Chinese Team’s ball progression.

But Feng Xiaoting was Yang Yang’s roommate and had fought alongside him in the Toulon Cup. He was probably the player on the team who knew and understood Yang Yang best. How could he not know what Yang Yang was up to?

Spotting an opportunity, Feng Xiaoting launched the ball forward with a long kick.

As Yang Yang sprinted forward, he didn’t forget to glance back to check the situation behind him, while also using his God’s Vision to keep an eye on the movements across the field.

The moment Feng Xiaoting passed the ball, he had already calculated its landing spot. He sprinted over, getting to the most advantageous position a step ahead of anyone else.

The ball arrived. He lifted his right foot to receive it, and the ball seemed to stick to his boot.

He’d forgotten how many times he had controlled a ball like that; it had become an instinctual habit.

As soon as he controlled the ball, he felt an Iranian defender closing in on him from behind.

’Too slow!’

Yang Yang faked a turn to his left, deceiving the approaching defender, then suddenly spun to his right. He pushed the ball forward and accelerated, shrugging off the defender to chase after it.

With just that first touch, Yang Yang had shaken off the Iranian defender.

After quickly catching up to the ball, Yang Yang continued to dribble forward. The Iranian defenders became extremely nervous, especially the two center-backs in his path. After a moment’s hesitation, they converged on him, one challenging and one covering.

Yang Yang had been conserving his energy, waiting for them. The moment the first defender closed in, he suddenly burst forward with speed, completely disrupting his opponent’s rhythm. The defender tried to stick out a foot to block, but Yang Yang simply tapped the ball past him. When the covering defender moved to fill the gap, Yang Yang executed a drag-back, changed direction, and left him behind as well.

It had to be said, a youth team was a youth team. The level of defending really wasn’t very high.

After Yang Yang dribbled past the opposing center-back, he was already at the edge of the penalty area, his next step taking him inside.

The Iranian Goalkeeper reacted quickly, immediately rushing out from his goal.

But the moment he moved, Yang Yang shot.

The ball, like a cannonball fired from its barrel, blasted into the Iranian goal.

One-nil!

Yang Yang knew it was in the moment he struck the ball. He immediately turned and ran toward the sideline, stopping below the stands filled with Chinese fans. Laughing, he spread his arms wide to them.

The entire stadium of fans roared Yang Yang’s name, while his teammates swarmed him from behind, mobbing him in celebration.

...

"GOOOOAL!!!!"

"Just one minute into the match, the Chinese Team has already broken through and scored against the Iran Team."

"This is simply unbelievable!"

"Yang Yang has just put on a spectacular show, dribbling past three players. He’s fully demonstrated that his skill is a cut above the rest."

"Let’s watch the replay of this magnificent goal."

"The Iranian midfielder was like a wooden post; Yang Yang spun past him with ease. The ball seemed glued to Yang Yang’s feet, controlled at his will. The Iranian defenders were simply powerless to take the ball from him."

"The entire process, from the breakthrough to the goal, fully showcased Yang Yang’s outstanding individual ability."

"At this moment, we can almost feel it—he is the king of this pitch!"

...

As Yang Yang high-fived his teammates in celebration, Coach Tie Sheng on the sidelines was overcome with emotion.

Ever since the Toulon Cup, he had felt how incredibly fortunate he was to have a player like Yang Yang.

He was just too strong, too outstanding.

More importantly, he was willing to fight hard on the pitch, had a tenacious fighting spirit, and a powerful desire to win. He was, quite simply, a born winner.

It was because of his outstanding performance at the Toulon Cup that Tie Sheng believed that as long as he could utilize Yang Yang properly and activate his powerful attacking abilities, the Chinese Team would have no problem achieving their goal: reaching the semi-finals of the AFC U-19 Championship and qualifying for next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands.

In fact, if Yang Yang could be as impactful as he was at the Asian Cup, winning the championship was even a possibility.

And at this very moment, he was more convinced than ever.

"He’s even better than he was at the Toulon Cup," the assistant coach next to him remarked in awe.

Tie Sheng nodded repeatedly. "He’s been tempered by the finals of the Champions League and the Asian Cup, after all. And his chemistry with his teammates is getting better and better. I’m even starting to wonder if we should just stick with this current tactical setup."

According to Yang Yang himself, he preferred having a center forward up front to absorb defensive pressure, allowing him to leverage his advantage in making off-the-ball runs into space.

But right now, there was no such player on the National Youth Team.

Not on the National Youth Team, and not on the senior National Team either.

That’s why Arie Haan had been searching for a tall center forward ever since the Asian Cup.

"No matter what, we’ve got a real shot at this game tonight!" Tie Sheng laughed heartily.

After the first goal, the enthusiasm of the fans supporting the Chinese Team was ignited.

The National Youth Team players also started to play more aggressively.

With two defensive midfielders anchoring the team, the defense was secure. Feng Xiaoting had good ball control and distribution skills, Zhou Haibin commanded the midfield, Hao Junmin and Chen Tao were on the wings, and Yang Yang was up front. This gave the Chinese Team solid passing and control capabilities from back to front.

In contrast, the Iran Team was completely stunned after conceding so early in the game. They were forced to fall back and try to stabilize their formation.

As a result, the Chinese Team gradually took control of the match, their possession-based passing game looking sharp and effective.

Meanwhile, Yang Yang was getting the star player treatment up front, with his teammates all around him working hard to create chances and feed him the ball.

After Iran struggled to hold on for fifteen minutes, Yang Yang got another chance in the sixteenth minute.

Chen Tao beat a man on the right flank, cut into the box, and sent a low pass to Yang Yang.

Yang Yang’s first touch took him past the Iranian center-back, and he turned and shot immediately.

The ball flew into the net from point-blank range. Two-nil!

...

"Brilliant!"

"A brace!"

"Yang Yang is showing outstanding form in his very first match of the AFC U-19 Championship."

"We can see he’s incredibly active on the pitch, his link-up play with his teammates is very slick, and the Iranian defenders are powerless to stop him. All they can do is watch him score."

"Two-nil! The Chinese Team has a two-goal lead after just sixteen minutes."

"Come on, lads, keep it up! Keep scoring!"

...

Of course, Yang Yang and the others, far away in Kuala Lumpur, couldn’t hear the frantic shouts of the National Television commentator. But they continued to create chances on the field, keeping the Iran Team firmly suppressed.

This was especially true in the thirty-eighth minute of the first half, when the Chinese Team intercepted a pass in the center of the midfield and launched a swift counter-attack.

Yang Yang drifted to the left to receive the ball, used a Pendulum Move to shake off an Iranian defender, and then sent a cross-field pass with his right foot over to the right wing. Chen Tao ran onto it and fired a shot straight into the net, once again breaching the Iranian goal.

Three-nil!

Everyone’s passion was ignited!

Before the match, no one could have imagined that Iran—touted as one of the favorites to win the tournament and the strongest opponent in the group—would be thrashed so badly by the Chinese Team in their opening game.

As long as they could maintain this level of performance, as long as they had Yang Yang, what was impossible in this AFC U-19 Championship?