Chapter 230 223: He's Only Seventeen

"The Chinese fans in the stadium, including those who made the special trip to support the away team, all erupted in cheers."

"We see the Chinese Team is preparing to make a substitution."

"Young star Yang Yang has left the bench and is warming up on the sideline. It looks like he's getting ready to enter the game."

"The fans here are filled with anticipation. He's the player on the National Team most likely to change the game's momentum."

"But we're also quite worried. According to the information we have, Yang Yang was just playing for the National Youth Team in the AFC U-19 Championship. He only returned to Beijing on the afternoon of the tenth, flew to Amsterdam on the morning of the twelfth, and then from Amsterdam to Kuwait, finally arriving in Kuwait City on the morning of the thirteenth."

"According to reports from our correspondents on the scene, Yang Yang went straight to rest at the hotel upon his arrival, preparing for tonight's match."

"A journey of over twenty hours is a grueling ordeal for anyone. So, regardless of how Yang Yang performs after he takes the field, we should give him credit, especially for his spirit in fighting for his country."

...

「In the high-end community south of Beijing's Summer Palace.」

Su Wenhong and his family of three sat on the living room sofa, anxiously watching the match.

They listened to the National Television commentator's analysis while watching Yang Yang warm up on the sideline, their hearts pounding with unease. They were deeply worried about how he would perform.

"Over twenty hours of flying, and he has to play a match the moment he arrives? They're asking the impossible," Su Ye complained.

Su Wenhong nodded. He knew it was asking the impossible. "But it seems there's no other way. In Arie Haan's eyes, a Yang Yang who has just traveled for over twenty hours is still likely more useful than the other players. He's their only hope."

"Putting such a huge burden on a seventeen-year-old boy... can he really handle it?" Ye Ziqing asked worriedly.

She had always been very fond of Yang Yang and felt a great deal of sympathy for his situation.

"If you want to be a hero, you have to do what others can't. Yang Yang was born to be a hero. From the Toulon Cup and the Asian Cup to the AFC U-19 Championship, he has always been the hero," Su Wenhong said with admiration.

"And he will be tonight, too," Su Ye said with utter certainty.

Su Wenhong turned to glance at his daughter, offering a slight smile and a nod.

...

...

「Quanzhou, Fujian. Yongqiang Shoes.」

Yang Yongqiang and his wife watched the match nervously, accompanied by Shen Yuzhu.

They, too, saw Yang Yang warming up on the sideline, worried about whether he would be able to play normally after taking the field.

Shen Lifang was so anxious that she clutched the hem of her shirt, muttering prayers to the heavens for protection.

"Auntie, don't worry. I'm sure he can do it," Shen Yuzhu said, having more faith in Yang Yang.

"That's right. After such an arduous journey to get there, I'm sure everyone will understand, regardless of whether he can play at his usual level," Yang Yongqiang said, trying to console her.

Of course, Shen Lifang understood that.

"I'm just worried that boy is too stubborn. His body can't hold up, but he'll insist on pushing through. What if something happens?"

Whether they won or lost, or how well Yang Yang played, was unimportant to her. All that mattered was that she didn't want anything to happen to her son.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he knows his limits."

"Yes, Auntie, don't worry. He can handle it."

As Yang Yongqiang and Shen Yuzhu spoke, however, they couldn't help but feel a pang of pity.

'He's only seventeen, after all.'

...

...

When Yang Yang appeared on the sideline to warm up, he captured the hearts of countless Chinese fans gathered anxiously in front of their televisions across the country. Every single one of them was looking forward to him taking the field, but at the same time, they were filled with apprehension.

A seventeen-year-old boy, having flown for over twenty hours, was now being thrown into a match in Kuwait without a moment's rest. Could he do it? Would he be able to perform at his normal level?

No one doubted Yang Yang's ability. The doubt was about how much of that ability he could muster tonight.

And could he save the Chinese National Team from the brink of disaster?

...

...

"Yang, we're in trouble now."

As Yang Yang returned from the warm-up area to the coach's bench, Arie Haan immediately called him over to instruct him on his mission.

"Our situation is very bad right now. The offense has failed to create any threats, while the backline is making one mistake after another. We absolutely should not have conceded that last goal, but the mistake's been made, and we have to make up for it."

Yang Yang nodded. 'There's no point in assigning blame for the goal now; it won't change anything.'

Things change in an instant on the pitch. You could only say that at a critical moment, Sun Xiang had made an error in judgment, which led to a poor decision, and ultimately cost the team the goal.

"It's not that we haven't had chances. We've entered the opponent's thirty-meter zone more than ten times in total. But the problem now is our inability to create a threat inside that zone. I don't need you to do a lot of running; I just need you to create opportunities within that area."

Yang Yang understood. "I've got it."

"The left wing has more opportunities, but we haven't been able to create a breakthrough on the right. In any case, after you get on, you have free rein. I'll have the other players coordinate with you, understand?" Arie Haan asked gravely.

"Understood," Yang Yang nodded.

"Also, if there aren't many opportunities inside the penalty area, I'm giving you the authority to take long-range shots. We've had too few long shots this game. Remind the other players when you can."

"Okay."

Dejan reminded him from behind, "And the long balls."

"Oh, right. Also, we're playing too many long balls. While it allows us to bypass the midfield quickly and avoid getting tangled with the opposition, it's also reduced our efficiency. And our forwards aren't suited to playing off long balls. Remind your teammates."

"Understood," Yang Yang nodded.

The lack of a center forward had always been a problem for the Chinese Team.

Zhang Yuning had been suggested before, but Arie Haan believed that the player was still a long way from being the kind of center forward he had in mind.

...

...

Soon, Yang Yang had completed the substitution process on the sideline. He was set to replace the injured right midfielder, Xu Yunlong.

This player had always played as a right-back before, but for this match, Arie Haan had him play as a midfielder, which showed the head coach's intent to play a defensive counter-attack. However, his performance could only be considered average.

Xu Yunlong was on the side of the field closest to the coach's bench and quickly walked over to give Yang Yang a hug.

"It's on you now. Go for it!"

"Okay!"

After the embrace, Yang Yang quickly ran onto the pitch.

At that moment, the hundreds of Chinese fans in the stadium erupted in cheers.

"Yang Yang is extremely popular here. It looks like he's come on the field with a tactical mission from Arie Haan. The moment he came on, he started communicating constantly with his teammates, relaying Arie Haan's intentions."

"Arie Haan once said that Yang Yang is the player on the team who best understands his intentions, because his tactics are derived from Ajax's 'Total Football,' and Yang Yang currently plays for Ajax. This gives him an advantage in understanding the head coach's objectives."

Kuwait was clearly aware of the threat Yang Yang posed. He was the MVP of the Asian Cup; within Asia, at least, no team dared to be complacent against him.

This was especially true for a team like Kuwait, which wasn't considered particularly strong.

And after taking the field, Yang Yang conveyed the head coach's intentions with a few simple, direct sentences.

The Chinese Team players understood quickly and immediately made adjustments.

Soon, Yang Yang's first touch on the right flank was just in front of the opposition's thirty-meter zone. But when he saw that right-back Wei Xin hadn't pushed up, he immediately passed back, signaling for Wei Xin to come up further.

This teammate was a bit conservative but quite steady and not prone to errors.

After Wei Xin came up to receive the ball, he passed it laterally to Zhao Junzhe in the center, who then passed it back to the right flank.

By this time, Yang Yang had already appeared in an open space near the edge of the penalty area on the right side, raising his hand to call for the ball.

Wei Xin didn't hesitate, quickly passing the ball to Yang Yang's feet.

When Yang Yang received the ball, he was directly facing the goal. Kuwait's left-sided center-back came out to mark him from inside the penalty area.

One-on-one.

Yang Yang controlled the ball, facing his opponent directly. He knew the left-back behind him was tracking back, preparing to pincer him. The center-back in front of him clearly had the same idea, but Yang Yang wasn't going to give them the chance.

Just as they were about to close in, Yang Yang suddenly exploded into motion. With an agile, on-the-spot Pendulum Move, he feinted toward the middle but then suddenly cut the ball toward the byline, shaking off the Kuwaiti left center-back. He used his speed to accelerate rapidly, forcefully creating a man's worth of space before sending in a low cross.

The ball flew quickly into the six-yard box. Hao Dong at the near post missed it, but the diving goalkeeper managed to deflect it. At the far post, Li Jinyu had gotten into the perfect position. All he had to do was swing his foot to hit the open goal, but he was blocked tightly by a defender and couldn't get a foot on the ball. In the end, the opposing goalkeeper smothered it.

Hao Dong and Li Jinyu both looked helplessly over at Yang Yang on the right, their expressions seemingly saying, 'Man, that was a great pass. It was on us.'

"That was a very threatening attack from the Chinese Team."

"Yang Yang has been very active on the right flank since coming on. That cross sent a cold sweat down the backs of everyone on the Kuwaiti team."

"It must be said, since Yang Yang came on, the team's right-wing attack has shown new life."

"There's still plenty of time. The most important thing is to stabilize the defense and then plot our attack. As long as we score one goal, the situation will become much more favorable for us."

Yang Yang was clearly very aware of this situation. So, after the failed attack, he didn't rush to attack again. Instead, he kept signaling to his teammates to steady themselves, focus on defense, and slowly look for opportunities.

Soon after, Arie Haan made a second substitution.

This time, he substituted Yan Song for Hao Dong, and also made a positional adjustment.

Yang Yang was pushed up to the front line, while Yan Song was moved to the right midfielder position.

Clearly, Arie Haan wanted to further activate Yang Yang's role in the thirty-meter zone near the penalty area.

Yan Song was a left-footed player who specialized on the left wing, but in the Dutchman's eyes, wingers were fundamentally expected to be able to play on both sides.

Robben and Van der Meede were examples of this, and Yang Yang also often suddenly switched over to the left wing.

After exchanging a few words with Yan Song, Yang Yang quickly moved up to the forward line. But Kuwait also made a quick substitution, reinforcing their defense against him. Yang Yang, for his part, patiently waited for an opportunity.

Yan Song was clearly still very uncomfortable on the right wing. Unable to create any threat, he was forced to pass the ball back to the center.

Yang Yang, however, took advantage of the moment the midfield was reorganizing to suddenly run from the right flank over to the left.

At this moment, Shao Jiayi understood intuitively. He dribbled forward through the center before suddenly distributing the ball to the left half-space.