Chapter 181 174: The Final Kill

"Chen Tao."

Taking advantage of a dead ball, Yang Yang quickly ran toward Chen Tao on the right flank.

After sixty minutes of play, the Chinese Youth Team's right-sided attacker was already gasping for breath.

But when he saw how relaxed Yang Yang looked, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly. 'His stamina... I'm completely outclassed.'

"If you get a chance, pass to me."

"How should I pass?"

Yang Yang thought for a moment. "Try to play it in behind the defense if you can. If not, just send it anywhere in my direction."

Chen Tao understood what Yang Yang meant. He knew that Yang Yang was the most dangerous player on the pitch right now, so he immediately agreed.

「…」

When the match restarted, Yang Yang immediately expanded his range of movement, frequently appearing on the right wing.

After the France Team substituted Zianni, they bolstered their offense, putting immense pressure on the Chinese Team's midfield and defense. However, the defensive problems on the flanks caused by their three-back formation were also exposed.

Yang Yang repeatedly found space on the right, but either his teammates didn't react in time, or when they did, the quality of the pass was poor and got intercepted. This meant Yang Yang's runs were all for nothing.

Every time he saw his teammates' apologetic expressions, Yang Yang was reminded of his own past struggles. He would immediately give them a thumbs-up to show his approval and encouragement. He believed that a simple gesture like that could help his teammates regain their confidence.

Sure enough, Yang Yang's actions inspired the other players on the field. He kept running, and his teammates kept trying to pass to him. Although they failed time and again, patience was one thing Yang Yang had in abundance.

It was this patience and determination that allowed him to stick with his basic training for so long.

And he always believed that mistakes weren't scary. As long as one attempt succeeded, it would be their chance.

The France Team's attack was like a torrential downpour, creating a tense and panicked atmosphere in front of the Chinese Team's goal. It felt like they were just one step away from scoring. But feeling Yang Yang's proactive energy up front, the Chinese players were all holding their breath, determined.

They believed that as long as they held firm in the back, they would get their chance up front. There was still hope for victory.

Hope gives people courage.

Once, twice, three times…

Yang Yang tirelessly looked for opportunities, but the France Team's midfield advantage was too obvious. This was especially true for Flamini and Mawuba, both of whom were Ligue 1-caliber players whose individual skills made them stand head and shoulders above the rest.

Seeing how difficult it was for his teammates to get a pass through, Yang Yang simply dropped deeper, which created problems for the French defense.

Berthod was the left-back and Flamini was the defensive midfielder. When Yang Yang dropped deep, a gap opened up in the defensive coverage between them.

Chen Tao wanted to pass to Yang Yang but was immediately pressured by an opponent. With no opening, he could only pass back to Liu Yu behind him. Liu Yu immediately launched a long ball toward Yang Yang, just outside the thirty-meter area.

Because it was a rushed pass, the quality of the ball wasn't high, putting Yang Yang in an awkward position. To head it, he would have to stoop down. If he controlled it with his chest, the next touch would be difficult to execute. Flamini was already catching up; if he was even a little slow in controlling the ball, the opponent would be all over him, making it impossible to continue the play.

As for using his feet, that was out of the question.

'How should I control it?'

Using [God's Vision], Yang Yang got a panoramic view of his surroundings and made a decision in an instant.

He anticipated the ball's landing spot and quickly backed up. But instead of contesting the ball, he used his body to block Flamini, shielding the soon-to-be Arsenal midfielder behind him.

At that same moment, the ball flew past Yang Yang's side. While Flamini stood stunned behind him, Yang Yang spun around with maximum speed and chased after it.

This sudden turn of events, this bewildering way of contesting the ball, stunned many people in the stadium. But for the Chinese students in the stands, it sparked hope, and they all began to shout loudly.

Yang Yang adjusted his stride as he sprinted. After catching up to the ball, he didn't slow down, continuing to take large touches forward. He dribbled past the halfway line and into the France Team's half, initiating a fast counter-attack.

The cheers from the fans on the sidelines grew louder and louder.

Berthod rushed over to defend, but Yang Yang was already at full speed. Without breaking stride, he kicked the ball ahead and simply used his raw pace to blow past Berthod, catching up to the ball again inside the France Team's thirty-meter area.

At this point, the only one left in front of him was the France Team's goalkeeper, Gavano.

As Yang Yang got closer and closer, the pressure on Gavano mounted. Finally, he decided to gamble and rushed out of his goal.

The best outcome would be to smother the ball. A medium outcome would be to buy time for Columbus to get back and defend. The worst outcome would be getting dribbled past by Yang Yang, or him scoring directly.

The moment Yang Yang reached the edge of the penalty area, Gavano had also charged to the penalty spot. But just then, Yang Yang suddenly slowed down, dipped his left shoulder, and postured as if he was about to cut the ball to the left.

The sudden change of pace gave Gavano no time to react. He instinctively dove to the side, but then the figure before him blurred. Yang Yang had suddenly cut the ball to the right, skillfully using the Pendulum Move to completely wrong-foot Gavano.

In that instant, the Chinese students by the pitch all jumped to their feet in astonishment.

They all knew Yang Yang's Pendulum Move was lethal. They had seen it in videos and read about it in the media, but this was the first time they had witnessed it in person.

The whole sequence happened so fast, with lightning speed, that they couldn't make out the details. They only knew that as soon as Yang Yang closed in on Gavano, the keeper went down for a diving save, while Yang Yang left his opponent on the ground and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net.

One-nil! The Chinese Team scores!

「…」

"The Chinese Team scores!!!!"

"In the seventy-eighth minute, the Chinese Team scores!!!!!!"

"Yang Yang! Yang Yang!!"

"We finally see a goal from Yang Yang!!!"

"The goal we've all been waiting for has finally arrived!!!"

"The Pendulum Move! Yang Yang used his signature Pendulum Move to get past the France Team's goalkeeper and easily slot it into the empty net!"

"One-nil! We are now temporarily in the lead against the host nation, the France Team."

"The Chinese Team's players are ecstatic! They're all rushing toward Yang Yang! This was a showcase of individual brilliance, an absolutely magnificent goal."

"Yang Yang ran with the ball for nearly seventy meters, beat three French players, rounded the goalkeeper, and finally scored into an empty net. This has shown us all just how capable Yang Yang is!"

"This is the Yang Yang we've all been waiting for!"

...

As the text-based live commentary rolled in, the entire internet exploded.

Countless fans following the live feed erupted in cheers.

Even without a television broadcast, and even though they couldn't picture the scene, they could still feel the weight of this goal and Yang Yang's outstanding performance through the text alone.

The sheer number of exclamation points made it easy for all the fans to feel the commentator's excitement at that moment.

...

"One-nil. This is an absolutely golden goal."

"We can see that the head coach on the sidelines, Tie Sheng, is also incredibly excited, hugging his coaching staff."

"Yang Yang is also thrilled. This is his first goal for a National Team, and it was a spectacular one. A long-distance solo run, beating three players—it's definitely an unforgettable goal."

"The France Team's morale has taken a hit. Yang Yang's goal was a huge blow to them."

"Conceding a goal like that in the final moments of the match would be a massive blow to any team."

"The Chinese players are incredibly excited. They've all run to the sidelines and are embracing Yang Yang tightly."

"If Yang Yang's performance in the first match left some people feeling a bit uncertain, then in this match, he has proven his strength to everyone with this magnificent goal. He is a player for the Champions League winners, Ajax, and the hero who scored the winning goal in the Champions League. And now, tonight, in this match, he is the hero of the Chinese Youth Team."

「…」

"That was amazing!"

"That goal was insane!"

"I'm in complete awe of you."

"Scoring a goal like that... I'm speechless!"

One by one, his teammates rushed to Yang Yang's side, congratulating him with a torrent of words.

Yang Yang was also in high spirits. Scoring his first goal for the National Youth Team couldn't compare in weight to scoring in the Champions League final, but its significance was just as extraordinary.

But he knew even more clearly that this was just the beginning.

From now on, he would wear this jersey and score more goals for the Chinese Team.

Because he was Chinese!

Urged on by the Japanese referee, Yang Yang hugged each of his teammates before returning to the pitch. He made a special detour to the sideline to high-five Wei Zhen and head coach Tie Sheng, and didn't forget to wave his thanks to the students in the stands.

After the game resumed, the referee indicated four minutes of stoppage time.

The France Team began to intensify their attack, launching desperate offensives. In response, China tightened its defense, with almost everyone retreating into their own thirty-meter area, doing everything they could to protect the hard-won lead.

They hadn't managed to break through the Chinese Team's goal in the previous eighty minutes. Now that the Chinese Team had the lead, their morale was sky-high, and everyone was defending with all their might. The France Team had even less of a chance.

The four minutes of stoppage time elapsed, but the referee dragged it out to nearly five minutes before blowing the whistle. This hinted at some favoritism toward the home team, leaving head coach Tie Sheng somewhat displeased on the sideline.

But regardless, when the Japanese referee's whistle finally blew, the players and coaching staff on the sidelines all rushed onto the field.

One-nil. Thanks to Yang Yang's long-distance solo run, the Chinese Team narrowly defeated the host nation, the France Team. Following their three-nil victory over Colombia, they had secured another precious win.

Because the France Team had drawn zero-zero with Turkey in the first round of the group stage, after two rounds, the Chinese Team had already qualified from the group ahead of schedule with two consecutive wins.

Two hours before the Chinese Team's match, Colombia had defeated Turkey two-to-one.

Therefore, after two rounds, the Chinese Team qualified early with two straight wins. Colombia was in second place with one victory, while the France Team and Turkey both had one draw and one loss.

In the final round, Colombia would play France, and China would face Turkey. Regardless of the results of those matches, the Chinese Team was guaranteed to advance from the group and enter the semi-finals of the Toulon Cup.