Chapter 178 171: Transformation

As the stirring national anthem resounded through the stadium, Yang Yang stood solemnly in front of the substitutes' bench. With his right hand over his heart, he joined his teammates, coaches, and the players on the field in singing the national anthem aloud.

At this moment, Yang Yang was overcome with emotion.

This was the first time he had worn the bright red jersey emblazoned with the national flag, and a sense of pride welled up within him.

'He knew clearly that once he put on this jersey, he was no longer fighting just for himself, nor for the Football Association or the National Team. He was representing 1.4 billion Chinese people, stepping onto the international stage to compete.'

'He also made a silent vow: they could lose the match, they could be defeated, but they would never bring shame to the Chinese people.'

In the stands behind him, hundreds of Chinese students studying in France and across Europe had come of their own accord to support them. They held up cheering banners for the Chinese Team, and many were shouting Yang Yang's name.

But tonight, Yang Yang would be watching the first half of the match from the bench.

Because of this, Yang Yang had specifically given a pre-match interview to National Television, explaining that he had requested to be on the bench and giving his reasons.

After the Chinese national anthem finished, it was Colombia's turn for their anthem to be played.

Yang Yang noticed that their players also stood just as solemnly, which confirmed a certain saying.

Football is war without the shooting.

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Since the Toulon Cup was a youth team tournament, matches were traditionally only eighty minutes long, with two forty-minute halves. Yang Yang would watch the first half from the bench, and when he would be subbed on in the second half would depend on how the game unfolded.

The Chinese Team's starting formation was a 4-4-2. This formation is characterized by its balance. While it also utilized the flanks, it was very different from the 4-3-3 formation Yang Yang was used to at Ajax.

A right winger, as the name implies, plays further forward, more like a forward. A right midfielder's position is deeper, requiring them to take on defensive duties, especially when the team transitions from attack to defense, where the right midfielder must track back diligently.

What surprised Yang Yang was that despite their long journey to Toulon, the National Youth Team players were performing with great effort. On the pitch, they were fearless and aggressive, actively using their speed to create openings.

Colombia was not to be outdone. Both teams played very actively, and the pace of transitions between offense and defense was rapid.

This was understandable. After all, they were youth teams, so their overall tactical and technical level was still significantly weaker than that of senior teams.

The Chinese Team played with more cohesion and defended better. Colombia, on the other hand, was aggressive on the attack but focused mainly through the middle, lacking effective offense from the flanks. Their style was rather one-dimensional. The Chinese Team quickly found their footing and successfully thwarted several of the opponent's attempts to play balls in behind their defense.

The National Youth Team's players ran and pressed a lot in the midfield and final third, which made Colombia very uncomfortable, leading to frequent errors. The most dangerous of these occurred in the twenty-second minute when the Chinese Team's number eleven forward, Zhu Ting, intercepted a pass, dribbled past three defenders, and fired a powerful shot from the edge of the box, only for it to be heroically saved by the opposing goalkeeper.

However, nine minutes later, the Chinese Team's own backline made a mistake. They failed to clear a long ball from the opponent, and their number fourteen player seized the opportunity. Unfortunately for him, his first touch was poor, and he squandered a chance at an open goal.

The first half ultimately ended in a zero-zero draw.

During the halftime break, Head Coach Tie Sheng affirmed the team's first-half performance but also encouraged them to keep up the effort. He believed that although Colombia's players were individually more skilled than the Chinese Team's, they lacked cohesion as a unit, which meant the Chinese Team still had a chance.

So, taking advantage of the break, Tie Sheng subbed on a key attacking player, Chen Tao. This player was also skilled on the right flank and came on to play right midfielder. He had good speed and technical ability, and the coaching staff hoped he could create a breach in the defense on the right side.

But after the second half began, Colombia also adjusted their tactics. They started pressing aggressively in midfield, capitalizing on the Chinese Team's passing errors. For a time, the Chinese Team made one passing mistake after another, and Colombia launched frequent counterattacks.

This was especially true in the fiftieth minute. After winning the ball, Colombia sent a long pass forward. Three of their attacking players linked up to break into the penalty area. The Chinese Team's defense left a man unmarked, and Colombia's number eight player took a shot completely unopposed.

Fortunately, Goalkeeper Guan Zhen made an excellent play, punching the ball away with one fist to defuse the crisis.

This time, Tie Sheng could no longer stay seated.

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"Go for it!"

"Thanks!"

After shaking hands with his teammate on the sideline and patting each other on the shoulder, Yang Yang came on to replace the team's forward, Wan City.

This was the arrangement Head Coach Tie Sheng had made for Yang Yang. After coming on, he would act as a free-roaming player in the attack, allowing him to play to his strengths, and the rest of the team would do their best to support him.

Yang Yang quickly ran onto the field. As he passed his teammates, he could sense the questions and doubts in their eyes.

'They didn't know each other, weren't familiar with one another. They had only met once during the pre-match meeting that afternoon and briefly introduced themselves.'

'To them, Yang Yang was a total stranger.'

'And wasn't he just as unfamiliar with them?'

'Back at Ajax, the youth team's and first team's tactical systems were very similar, so he could transition seamlessly. But he only had a rough understanding of the National Youth Team's current style of play; it was still very new to him.'

Colombia obviously knew who Yang Yang was. They were quite wary of this Chinese player who had just scored the winning goal in the Champions League final a few days ago. After Yang Yang came on, they began to consciously tighten their defense on him.

'But they were a youth team, after all. In my eyes, their defense has huge gaps, and it's easy to run into open space.'

His first touch after coming on was a pass from a teammate in midfield. At that moment, Yang Yang was dropping back, drawing a defender with him, and was just about to turn and make a quick run forward. But his teammate passed the ball directly to his feet, which caused his intended sequence of moves to fall apart.

He controlled the ball, but the defender behind him was right on his back. With no other choice, he had to pass it back.

The second pass was a little better, a diagonal ball from Chen Tao on the right. However, it wasn't played far enough ahead of him, forcing Yang Yang to slow down to control it before accelerating again. The effectiveness was greatly diminished, but Yang Yang still managed to shield the ball at the edge of the area and lay it off to Chen Tao on the right for a cross, though it failed to create any danger.

The next few link-ups were just as disjointed, resulting in several mistakes. Not only did they give Colombia chances to counterattack, but even Yang Yang himself was getting tired. He didn't think it was an issue of his teammates' ability, but rather their lack of movement to support the ball.

It wasn't that the players weren't running; on the contrary, everyone was running very hard. They just weren't running in relation to the teammate with the ball to create effective passing options.

Without enough passing options, the ball-carrier has fewer choices, and mistakes naturally become more frequent.

Another point was that when his teammates passed, they rarely considered the receiver's next move. They simply wanted to get the ball to a teammate, without thinking about anything else.

'I used to be like this, so I can understand how my teammates feel right now.'

'It's not a lack of effort, nor a lack of desire to make a good pass. They simply don't know how to do it.'

'Thinking of this, an idea came to me. Since Colombia is paying so much attention to me, I might as well focus on drawing the defenders' attention to create space and opportunities for my teammates.'

'It's also a perfect chance to use the Colombian players to practice my first touch.'

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After changing his mindset, Yang Yang continued to run actively, moving into open spaces to receive the ball every time. He would draw the defenders' attention before passing the ball to a teammate in a less-defended area.

This change from Yang Yang immediately caused a noticeable shift in the Chinese Team's situation on the field.

As they say, a man's reputation precedes him.

Yang Yang's achievements at Ajax had been reported in great detail by the domestic media. The National Youth Team players deeply admired this teammate, who was two years younger than them, which made them inclined to pass the ball to him.

Therefore, once Yang Yang changed his role, he immediately invigorated the team's attack in the midfield and final third.

When the match reached the sixtieth minute, Yang Yang suddenly ran into an open space on the right flank to receive the ball.

Chen Tao immediately passed the ball over. Yang Yang's first touch sent the ball behind him, and he turned to chase after it.

This sudden move caught the Colombian defenders completely by surprise. Three nearby defenders simultaneously charged toward him, naturally leaving Chen Tao unmarked on the right flank.

Just then, Yang Yang suddenly played a through ball, sending it precisely into the space diagonally in front of Chen Tao.

Chen Tao had been hesitating, wondering whether he should run to support Yang Yang. He never expected the pass to come out. Shocked, he had no time to think and simply sprinted after the ball at top speed.

As Chen Tao chased the ball, he felt the space ahead opening up. By the time he caught up to it, he could see clearly that there were no defenders around him, while a teammate was already lying in wait inside the penalty area.

What happened next was a matter of course. From the right side of the penalty area, Chen Tao crossed the ball low into the box. The forward, Zhu Ting, quickly followed up near the penalty spot and slotted it home, sending the ball into Colombia's goal. One-nil!

The stadium erupted in thunderous applause.

The hundreds of fans who had come specially to cheer for the Chinese Team were ecstatic, jumping and waving their arms in celebration.

The goalscorer, Zhu Ting, rushed toward Chen Tao and wrapped him in a tight hug, while the rest of the Chinese Team's players piled on top of them.

This goal was incredibly important for the Chinese Team.

Yang Yang also ran over to congratulate his teammates on the goal. This left both Zhu Ting and Chen Tao feeling a little star-struck, especially Chen Tao, whose gaze toward Yang Yang now held a hint of wonder.

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After the Chinese Team opened the scoring, Colombia started to get anxious, committing more players to their attack. But the Chinese Team was already adept at defending and counter-attacking, and with Colombia's one-dimensional offense, defending against them wasn't difficult.

With their defense stable, their counter-attacks also began to prove effective.

In the sixty-eighth minute, the captain and right-back, Liu Yu, pushed forward to join the attack. Once again, Yang Yang raised his hand to call for the ball. After controlling it, he took two steps horizontally and then suddenly hit a diagonal pass with his left foot to the left flank. Hao Junmin ran onto the ball completely unmarked. Not about to waste the chance, he immediately swung his leg and shot.

The ball once again found the back of Colombia's net. Two-nil.

If Yang Yang's role in the first goal wasn't entirely obvious, then his part in Hao Junmin's goal was on full display. His vision, in particular, was what allowed the team to suddenly switch the play from the right flank to the left, catching the opponent completely off guard.

Just five minutes later, it was Yang Yang again. He received the ball on the right side, just outside the penalty area, shook off a defender, and distributed it to the right side of the box. There, Chen Tao linked up with the overlapping captain and right-back, Liu Yu. Liu cut the ball back from the byline, and the substitute, Mao Jianqing, tapped it into an empty net.

Three-nil!