Super Wingstorm

When news of the National Youth Team’s resounding 3-0 victory over Iran in their opening match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reached home, the entire nation erupted in celebration.

After the National Team’s hard-fought elimination of Iran in the Asian Cup semifinals, they had once again defeated the Persian Iron Cavalry. This time, it was a resounding three-goal victory, which thrilled the fans back home even more.

Having played for only sixty-five minutes, scoring two goals and providing one assist, Yang Yang was named man of the match, and his fame skyrocketed once again.

Numerous authoritative media outlets, including National Television, heaped praise on him. They believed he had demonstrated exceptional form in the first match of the AFC U-19 Championship, setting a great example for his National Youth Team teammates and players back home.

Many domestic media outlets reprinted the post-match comments of Iran’s head coach. He believed that Yang Yang’s skill was clearly a cut above the other players in the AFC U-19 Championship. The Iran Team had tried its best to shut down Yang Yang, but ultimately failed.

"He’s already a phenom among players his age."

In response to this high praise from their rival, experts back home agreed that Yang Yang playing in the AFC U-19 Championship was like a form of overkill.

"He plays in the Eredivisie and the Champions League in Europe, and when he represents China, it’s usually for the senior National Team. The AFC U-19 Championship doesn’t offer him much in terms of development; it’s more about his duty to play for his country."

"It was clear from the match that Iran’s defense struggled to completely contain Yang Yang. His individual skill stood head and shoulders above the rest, and with him leading the charge, the Chinese Team played some brilliant attacking football in the first half."

However, many also pointed out that Yang Yang was clearly conserving his energy in the second half. After he was substituted off, the Iran Team mounted several counter-attacks, and the National Youth Team struggled to cope, which only further proved Yang Yang’s importance to the squad.

Although it was just the first match of the AFC U-19 Championship, the 3-0 victory over Iran, combined with Yang Yang’s star power, once again ignited the passion and attention of fans back home. With his outstanding opening performance, Yang Yang sparked another frenzy across the country.

Everyone eagerly waited to see if he could lead the National Youth Team even deeper into the AFC U-19 Championship.

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「Still at Shelas Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.」

In the second round of the Group B matches, the Chinese Team faced Indonesia.

The Chinese Team fielded the same starting lineup as their first match. Yang Yang once again played as the lone striker, with Hao Junmin, Chen Tao, and Zhou Haibin all starting as well.

Just three minutes into the match, Yang Yang received the ball inside the box, turned, held off a defender, and laid the ball back. Hao Junmin drilled a low shot from the edge of the area to open the scoring for the Chinese Team.

Then, starting in the eighth minute, the Chinese Team unleashed a breathtaking series of attacks over a ten-minute spell.

First, Yang Yang sent a brilliant pass through the middle. Chen Tao broke into the box and shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Yang Yang followed up to score on the rebound, extending the lead to 2-0.

Shortly after, Yang Yang drifted out to the right wing and delivered a cross. Zhou Haibin made a run from deep to head the ball in from close range, making it 3-0.

After scoring three quick goals, the Chinese Team eased off the attack. However, just before the end of the first half, they threatened again. Zhou Haibin returned the favor with a precise through ball to Yang Yang, who beat the offside trap, rounded the Indonesian goalkeeper with a Pendulum Move, and tapped the ball into the empty net.

Two goals and two assists. Yang Yang had once again dominated the match.

After the restart for the second half, Yang Yang soon found another opportunity. He collected the ball on the left flank, drove quickly to the edge of the box, and suddenly cut inside. After dribbling past a defender, he unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that once again found the back of Indonesia’s net.

A hat-trick!

This was Yang Yang’s first-ever hat-trick!

The entire stadium was roaring Yang Yang’s name, and the commentators on the National Television live broadcast were cheering themselves hoarse.

Five goals in two matches. Yang Yang’s form was simply unstoppable.

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With two consecutive wins in the group stage, Yang Yang was rested for the third match against Qatar.

This was clearly a strategic move by the National Youth Team, hoping to keep Yang Yang fresh for the knockout stage.

The National Youth Team secured a nervy but safe 1-0 victory over Qatar, with Dong Fangzhuo scoring the lone goal after coming on as a substitute in the second half.

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In the quarter-finals, the Chinese Team faced Malaysia.

Right from the kick-off, Yang Yang, back in the starting lineup, unleashed a long-range shot from outside the box that narrowly missed the goal.

Yang Yang continued to look lively, frequently creating chances.

Just four minutes after that long shot, the Chinese Team won possession in midfield. Yang Yang collected the ball and sent a brilliant pass through to Chen Tao, who beat the offside trap and scored on the one-on-one.

Immediately after the restart, Malaysia lost possession again. Zhou Haibin played a through ball to Yang Yang, who calmly finished with his left foot to further extend the lead.

Then, in the nineteenth minute, it was Yang Yang again. He pulled wide, drawing the defenders’ attention before passing to Hao Junmin. Hao Junmin crossed it to the center of the box, and Zhou Haibin ran onto it and finished first-time. 3-0.

In the end, thanks to those three goals in the first twenty minutes, the Chinese Team cruised to a 3-0 victory over Malaysia.

After this victory, fans back home were once again ecstatic.

Not long ago, the senior National Team had only scraped a 1-0 win, so for the National Youth Team to now achieve a resounding three-goal victory made the fans place even greater hopes on them.

Having achieved their goal of reaching the semi-finals, the National Youth Team’s coaching staff boldly declared their ambition to win the championship.

With a star like Yang Yang in their ranks, the National Youth Team had become one of the top favorites to win the AFC U-19 Championship.

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In the semi-finals, China faced Syria.

Just three minutes into the match, Yang Yang once again received a pass from Hao Junmin on the left flank, cut inside past a defender, and fired a right-footed shot into Syria’s goal, opening the scoring for the Chinese Team.

1-0!

This was the second time Yang Yang had scored from this area. ’As a right-footed player,’ he began to realize, ’shooting directly from this zone is incredibly dangerous, especially when combined with [Ronaldo’s Rush]. I’m really starting to get a feel for it.’

’Not only that, I need to improve my left-footed shooting ability.’

’If the left side is perfect for my right foot, then the right side must be perfect for my left.’

Leading by one goal at halftime, Syria made a mistake after the break. A powerful clearance ricocheted off Zhou Haibin and fell right in front of Yang Yang. Naturally, he didn’t miss the opportunity. He feinted past their center-back and scored with a left-footed shot, extending the lead to 2-0.

With eight goals, Yang Yang firmly established himself as the top scorer of the AFC U-19 Championship, earning unanimous praise from fans at home and abroad.

Meanwhile, the South Korea Team drew 2-2 with Japan in their semi-final match, ultimately winning 5-2 in the penalty shootout to set up a final showdown with the Chinese Team.

The China-South Korea clash once again captivated the attention of fans back home.

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While Yang Yang was sweeping all before him at the AFC U-19 Championship and earning high praise from fans at home and abroad, far away in Europe, Ajax was facing a grueling run of fixtures.

After an unbeaten start to the season with two wins and a draw in the first three rounds, Ronald Koeman’s team faced newly promoted The Hague in the fourth round.

Despite playing away from home, Ajax had a very smooth first half, taking a 3-0 lead with goals from Wesley Sonck, Pinaar, and Sneijder.

But after the restart, the Hague Team mounted a furious comeback, scoring three consecutive goals. In the end, Ajax drew 3-3 away at The Hague.

A draw wasn’t unacceptable in itself, but to be held to one in such a fashion was nothing short of a humiliation for Ajax.

After the match, Ronald Koeman stated that the team was primarily affected by the international break, with players exhausted from traveling.

However, Eindhoven and Feyenoord, who were similarly affected by international duties, both won their matches.

This draw saw Ajax begin to fall behind their two main rivals.

It was worth noting that Van Gaal’s Alkmaar finally roared to life, thrashing their opponents 5-0 at home.

But when it rains, it pours.

After the painful draw in the Eredivisie, Ajax returned to the Amsterdam Arena for their first Champions League group stage match. Facing the mighty Juventus, Ajax were powerless and fell to a last-gasp winner from Nedved.

Ibrahimovic and Talabesi both started against their former club, but neither put in a noteworthy performance.

After losing their Champions League opener at home, Ronald Koeman once again faced a barrage of external criticism.

Three days later, in the fifth round of the Eredivisie, Ajax traveled to face Feyenoord.

After a hard-fought first half, the score was 0-0.

But just three minutes after the restart, Kalu broke the deadlock.

At a crucial moment, De Jong stepped up to equalize for the team.

But a goal from Kuyt in the eightieth minute put the home side back in the lead.

Having fallen behind twice, Ajax still showed great resilience. A goal from Gregory in the eighty-sixth minute leveled the score once more, giving everyone a glimmer of hope.

But in the final moments of the match, a goal from Kalu put his side ahead once again.

In the end, Ajax lost 2-3 to Feyenoord, with Gullit’s team securing another three points.

Eindhoven won 3-0 away at Nijmegen, leading the league table with thirteen points. Feyenoord also had thirteen points, hot on their heels. Ajax, however, had only managed to secure eight points, trailing their rivals by a full five points.

Even more disappointingly, a week later, Ajax hosted Heerenveen. After leading by one goal at halftime, they conceded three unanswered goals in the second half, culminating in a disastrous 1-3 home defeat.

Eindhoven and Feyenoord both romped to 4-0 victories, and the points gap between them and Ajax rapidly widened to eight points.

This left the Ajax fans deeply dissatisfied with the team’s start to the season. They felt that even if the club had sold five key players over the summer, their performance shouldn’t be this poor.

Yet, just three days later, in the second match of the Champions League group stage, Ajax traveled to face Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga giants’ Dutch center-forward, Ma Kai, scored a hat-trick and assisted a goal for Ze Roberto. With three goals and one assist, he led his team to a 4-0 home victory over Ajax, plunging the defending Champions League champions into the depths of despair.

After the second round of group stage matches, Ajax was at the bottom of their group, trailing even Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Returning to the Netherlands after the crushing defeat, Ajax then played out a 0-0 draw away at Van Gaal’s Alkmaar.

After the match, while shaking hands with Van Gaal, Ronald Koeman frankly admitted his deep regret.

"I never should have let him go back to play for his country."