Chapter 185 178: Too Weak

The moment the Swedish forward Dahlberg flicked his head to send the ball into the open goal, Yang Yang, who had fallen back to his own half, could only shake his head, his face a mask of helplessness.

It was a corner kick, resulting from a swift counter-attack by the Swedish midfield. A sharp through ball had torn open the Chinese Team's defensive line, giving their number fifteen a one-on-one opportunity, but Goalkeeper Guan Zhen had bravely charged out to palm the ball past the end line.

The player who had delivered that brilliant through ball was none other than Yang Yang's teammate from the Ajax Second Team, Rasmus Lindgren.

He played center-back for Ajax, but for the Swedish Youth Team, he was a midfielder.

And the reason the Sweden Team had been able to make that through ball so easily stemmed from the National Youth Team's aggressive push upfield.

Even when the other team took the corner kick, the National Youth Team's players were noticeably lax. Goalkeeper Guan Zhen, who had just heroically saved the goal, made a fatal error. He charged out from his goal once more, but he was a step slower than the opposing forward, who headed the ball directly into the empty net.

As he watched the Sweden Team's players excitedly run off the pitch, celebrating their second goal of the Toulon Cup all the way, Yang Yang took a series of deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

'It's only the twenty-first minute of the first half. There's still plenty of time.'

But from the very first minute of the match, he had clearly sensed that his teammates had lost their composure.

Three straight wins in the group stage—taking down Colombia, dominating Turkey, and narrowly defeating France—had made his teammates a bit complacent. That, combined with the pre-game conflict, had directly ignited the team's emotions.

From the moment the match started, everyone wanted to devour Sweden in one go, just like they had against Turkey.

The National Youth Team's plan sounded good on paper, but Sweden was no pushover. Having managed to stand out from a group that included powerhouses like Brazil and Portugal, how could the Sweden Team's defense be anything but formidable?

Yang Yang knew Lindegren well. He was a center-back for Ajax but played in the midfield for the national youth team, which showed that Sweden's overall defensive strength was definitely formidable among their peers.

Of course, this was just at the U-20 youth team level. Compared to a first team, or even the Champions League-level teams Yang Yang had faced, Sweden's defense was still riddled with problems, let alone when compared to Porto, the strongest defensive team in Europe.

But the National Youth Team's players were overconfident on one hand and impatient for results on the other. They pressed Sweden hard after the kickoff, and many players were full of confidence, eager to show off. Just three minutes in, Liu Yu attempted a series of flashy dribbles on the wing, but he failed.

Soon after, Chen Tao executed a scissor-kick pass at the edge of the penalty area, earning a round of applause, but it likewise failed to create a real threat.

From the very beginning, the National Youth Team sent a very strong signal: 'We're going to score! We're going to show off our skills! We're going to utterly humiliate Sweden and show all the fans watching the live broadcast back home what we're made of!'

This anxious, impetuous mentality was especially obvious in the first twenty minutes.

But on the field, Yang Yang, who had been through the wringer, knew very well that this was a fatal flaw.

In terms of physique, Sweden completely outclassed the National Youth Team. And when it came to footwork, they also had the advantage.

True skill on the ball wasn't about a few flashy moves or some pretty dribbles. It was about being able to open up attacking space on the field and create threats.

Even if you used the simplest, most basic, or even the ugliest moves, as long as you could create space, that was a skill in itself.

Ibrahimovic once said he could even control the ball with his ass.

Not to mention, the National Youth Team's players were far less composed on the ball than their opponents. They attacked too hastily, made too many errors in passing and receiving, and bungled a whole host of technical details. Many players couldn't even chain their own movements together smoothly. They would finish one action and struggle to transition to the next, wasting more time to readjust.

This might be hidden against a team with sloppy defense like Colombia, but against tactically disciplined European teams like France and Sweden, their true form was immediately exposed.

With no technical advantage, a physical disadvantage, and an eagerness to press the attack, the team had abandoned their best tactic—defensive counter-attacks—and opted for their worst: a positional siege.

It was a classic case of attacking the enemy's strength with their own weakness.

And at the same time, this was exactly the situation Sweden wanted to see.

...

After a wave of frustration, Yang Yang slapped his cheeks hard, forcing himself to calm down and clear his head with the sting.

'This isn't the time for blame or despair,' he thought. 'The game isn't over yet.'

When he saw his teammates around him looking dazed after conceding the goal, Yang Yang's heart skipped a beat.

'Blindly confident and impatient before the goal, then lost and broken after conceding—this is a cardinal sin in a match.'

"Hey, snap out of it!" Yang Yang shouted, waving his teammates over.

Everyone was a bit lost, but after hearing Yang Yang's call, they all gathered around him.

"Everyone, wake up! We're only down by one. We need to stay calm. Calm, understand?"

The players nodded somewhat blankly. They all knew they needed to stay calm, but how?

How were they supposed to handle this?

Yang Yang knew they couldn't go on like this. After a moment's thought, he roared, "Do you still want to win or not?"

That question made everyone on the field turn to look at him, a flicker of clarity returning to their eyes.

"If you want to win, then you listen to me," Yang Yang roared with absolute confidence and determination.

"Tell us, what should we do?" Feng Xiaoting asked.

"Yeah, we're a goal down. What now?"

Yang Yang grabbed a teammate's shoulder with each hand. "Don't think about anything else. Defend. Solidify the defense first. We'll play just like the coach taught us to organize our defense. Everyone, focus on locking down the defense first."

The coaching staff at Ajax had once told Yang Yang that the ten minutes after a goal are when another goal is most likely to be scored—either an equalizer or another one conceded to the opposition.

Given the National Youth Team's current mental state, it was obvious which one it would be: they'd concede another.

Yang Yang had a clear picture of the team's overall strength. Down one goal, they still had a chance to win. Worst case, they could fight for a 1-1 draw and take it to extra time and a penalty shootout.

But if they conceded a second, it would really be over.

He was only one person against eleven opponents. Even if he really had wings, he couldn't fly.

Besides, he wasn't a superstar with overwhelming individual talent like Ronaldinho.

"Protect the goal until halftime. As long as we don't concede again, we'll still have hope in the second half."

As he spoke, Yang Yang extended his right hand.

Feng Xiaoting, Hao Junmin, Chen Tao, and several other players who played in the domestic league quickly understood what Yang Yang meant. To blindly push for a goal now would be suicide. The National Youth Team's only path to survival was to defend steadily and wait for a chance to counter-attack.

And so, one by one, they placed their hands on top of Yang Yang's. The other players, inspired, all followed suit.

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

With their unified shout, everyone returned to their positions.

Just then, the Sweden Team, leading by a goal, returned to the field with the proud air of victors.

...

...

After the kickoff resumed, the Sweden Team's morale was sky-high, and they looked ready to swallow the Chinese Team whole.

Two minutes later, the Chinese Team made another passing error in the midfield. Lindgren again sent the ball forward to Dahlberg, who launched a quick counter-attack and passed to a teammate. Their number fifteen cut across the top of the box and abruptly fired a shot with his left foot.

But Feng Xiaoting was well-positioned and blocked the shooting angle, causing the shot to go wide.

However, the Sweden Team didn't let up, continuing to intensify their attack.

Four minutes later, their number thirteen dribbled past three Chinese Team players in a row on the right flank. However, his final shot with his left foot was aimed straight at Goalkeeper Guan Zhen, who saved it.

Not long after, Sweden sent a long pass down the left flank. Yuan Weiqi, fighting for the ball, deflected it out for a corner. The subsequent kick once again threw the Chinese Team's penalty area into a panic, but the final header from a Swedish player went high.

The continuous attacks put the Chinese Team under pressure and steadily chipped away at the National Youth Team players' confidence.

'It wasn't that our opponents are too strong, but that we're too weak.'

The three consecutive wins in the group stage had been due to many factors, especially the outstanding performance of Yang Yang, who had just returned from Ajax.

Now, with Yang Yang tightly marked by the opposition, the Chinese Team's offense took a nosedive, and the team's true level was exposed.

Many players on the team felt ashamed of their earlier blind arrogance, especially the few who had tried flashy moves against the Swedish defenders. They were particularly mortified.

The opponents' moves weren't flashy, but they were practical and steady. Each action flowed seamlessly into the next, which was how they could dribble past three players on the right flank. The Chinese Team's players couldn't even find an opportunity to kick them or commit a foul.

They could only watch helplessly as the opponent dribbled past.

This was the Sweden they had previously looked down on.

This was the Sweden that many in the media had labeled as the "Northern European power-style"—all physique and no technique.

Yang Yang was also very aware of the current situation. He worked extremely hard, running constantly, looking for opportunities, actively participating in defense, and continually encouraging his teammates, hoping everyone would keep fighting and not give up.

"As long as we hold this score, we still have a chance! We absolutely will not give up until the very last second!"

Yang Yang encouraged his teammates with his actions. One moment he was sprinting upfield to receive a pass, the next he was tracking back to the edge of his own penalty area to help defend.

He never really knew how to encourage others, nor did he have the ability to inspire the team's morale with a display of genius. He could only use his own effort and diligence to help the team, doing everything in his power to protect their last glimmer of hope.

To have a clear conscience—that was what he strived for.

The match ticked by, second by second. The intensity of a youth team game wasn't overwhelming, and after a period of attacking, the Sweden Team gradually slowed their offensive.

This allowed the entire Chinese Team to breathe a sigh of relief, but Yang Yang kept reminding his teammates to stay vigilant and not let their guard down.

But after the game clock ticked past the forty-minute mark, the referee finally blew the whistle for the end of the first half.

Zero to one. The National Youth Team was temporarily trailing Sweden.