Chapter 242 - 235: A Difficult Pass

The moment the whistle blew, the entire Philips Stadium erupted.

All thirty-five thousand Eindhoven fans roared in unison.

After blowing the whistle, referee Dick van Egmond quickly ran into Eindhoven’s penalty area, right up to the Brazilian center-back Alex. Reaching into his breast pocket, he held a crimson card high in the air.

In an instant, the Eindhoven fans went wild.

"The referee, Van Egmond, has shown a red card to Alex!"

"He’s calling a foul on the Eindhoven center-back and pointing to the penalty spot."

"Yang Yang had already burst into the box on his final touch of the ball. This is an indisputable penalty."

"The slow-motion replay shows Alex’s pulling motion was very clear. And from different angles, it’s confirmed that Yang Yang had indeed entered the penalty area. As the last defending player, Alex has to pay the price for his foul."

"This means Eindhoven will have to face the second half a man down and likely concede a goal."

The Eindhoven players were furious. Kokou and Van Bommel rushed toward the referee, clearly protesting that a red card and a penalty was too harsh a punishment. But the referee just kept pointing to his own eyes, indicating he had a clear view.

Kokou and Van Bommel were still relentlessly trying to argue their case, but the referee’s decision was firm.

"Without a doubt, it was a very obvious foul. The referee’s call is indisputable."

"The Eindhoven players need to stay calm now. They should try to control their emotions, or they’ll risk getting more cards."

Charisteas walked over, extended his right hand, and forcefully pulled Yang Yang, who was still lying on the ground, to his feet.

"Well done."

"Beautifully done," Sneijder added with a grin, rushing over.

Getting an opposing player sent off and also earning a penalty—this was definitely a development that could change the course of the second half.

Yang Yang hadn’t been as eye-catching in the first half as he was in the previous two games, but at the critical moment, when he got his chance, he delivered a fatal blow to the opposition without hesitation.

You could say that counter-attack was incredibly crucial, showcasing Yang Yang’s composure in a key moment.

After getting up, Yang Yang straightened his jersey, which had some threads pulled loose from the tug. It was clear Alex had intentionally committed the foul; he just probably didn’t expect Yang Yang had already entered the box.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. Alex didn’t have time to react.

On the sideline, in front of the home and away benches, the reactions of the two head coaches, Hiddink and Ronald Koeman, were complete opposites. Hiddink was roaring in fury, clearly believing the referee was biased toward Ajax and shouldn’t have given Eindhoven such a severe "death sentence."

"You’re killing the game, you know that?" the Eindhoven coach bellowed.

Ronald Koeman, on the other hand, was cheering and celebrating. This red card, this penalty, was so crucial for Ajax.

But the question that followed was, who would take the penalty?

"The referee has calmed the Eindhoven players down. He hasn’t let the home team’s players or fans influence his call."

"He is clearly very certain that it was a foul and that it should be a penalty."

"Alex is walking off the pitch with his head down. The Brazilian center-back has to take responsibility for his foul."

"With just a little time left before the end of the first half, who will Ajax have take this penalty kick?"

...

"You should take it," Sneijder said, looking intently at Yang Yang.

Yang Yang shook his head. "No, you should go. You’re the team’s number one penalty taker."

"I missed one before, I’m not confident," Sneijder said, looking troubled.

Yang Yang looked at Charisteas, Wesley Sonck, and other teammates like Pinaar. They were all looking back at him. Pinaar even nodded at Yang Yang encouragingly.

"Your penalty conversion rate has been really high. You’re the most suitable person to take it."

To date, Yang Yang had only taken two penalty kicks, and he had scored both of them.

More importantly, both times Yang Yang had simply slotted the ball down the middle, showcasing his strong mental fortitude.

That’s why both Sneijder and Pinaar thought Yang Yang was the most suitable choice to take this penalty.

As for Charisteas, that went without saying. Wesley Sonck’s mentality wasn’t particularly strong, and Sneijder was mentally scarred from his previous miss. Plus, since Yang Yang had earned the penalty, it was only natural for him to take it.

"Don’t feel any pressure. We have the red card advantage, it’s fine," Sneijder said reassuringly.

Yang Yang gave a wry smile. ’Easy for you to say, but how could there be no pressure?’

...

...

"Looks like they’re putting Yang Yang forward to take it," Ronald Koeman said, somewhat surprised.

A flash of delight appeared in Luther Carroll’s eyes. This represented the approval of Yang Yang by the group of players led by Sneijder.

"Sneijder missed a penalty before, he’s probably got a mental block."

"Yeah," Ronald Koeman nodded. "With Van der Vaart and Ibrahimovic gone, and Galasek not playing in this match, besides Sneijder, the most suitable penalty taker is Yang Yang."

"It’s a high-profile match that all of the Netherlands is watching, and it’s at Philips Stadium, under the gaze of thirty-five thousand fans. The pressure of a penalty like this is immense, like a mountain. I wonder if he can handle it," Luther Carroll said, also a bit worried.

Ronald Koeman nodded. That was true, but this was also a challenge Yang Yang had to face.

"Eindhoven’s Brazilian goalkeeper, Gomez, has been on a sharp rise this season. He seized the starting position right after arriving and is in excellent form. A player like that is dangerous; Yang Yang might not be able to get the better of him."

Luther Carroll strongly agreed with Ronald Koeman’s assessment, and a trace of worry showed on his face.

But this was also a hurdle a team’s new standard-bearer must overcome.

If he couldn’t stay calm and perform steadily at a time like this, then how could he be convincing?

How could he make everyone believe that he could lead Ajax to success?

...

...

Shurelio Gomez. Twenty-three years old, 1.91 meters tall, weighing 82 kilograms.

He transferred from Brazil to Eindhoven this summer for a fee of one million euros. He made a mistake in the first match of the new season against Rosendal and was subsequently benched by Hiddink for three rounds.

Starting with the away game against Nijmegen on September 18th, he re-established himself as the starter, helping the team to a 3-0 away victory. In the following five matches, he started and played the full game every time, conceding only one goal.

That’s right, it was the goal he conceded in Wednesday’s away match against Rosenborg, and it wasn’t really his fault.

And up until tonight, he had kept a clean sheet against his opponents for four consecutive Eredivisie matches—three hundred and sixty minutes without conceding a goal.

You could say he was one of the key contributors to Eindhoven’s four-game winning streak.

Yang Yang stared intently at the tall and sturdy Brazilian Goalkeeper, who was also watching him.

Suddenly, Yang Yang remembered that before coming to Eindhoven, Gomez played for Cruzeiro.

At this thought, Yang Yang immediately looked toward Maicon, who was not far behind him, and waved him over.

Maicon quickly ran over. "What’s up?"

"Does Gomez have any habits when saving penalties?" Yang Yang asked with concern, but his eyes remained fixed on Gomez in the distance.

The Brazilian Goalkeeper indeed noticed Maicon, knowing full well this was his teammate of many years at Cruzeiro.

Maicon also glanced at Gomez. "No special habits, but he’s right-footed. He seems to prefer diving to his left."

Yang Yang deliberately gave a firm nod, patted Maicon’s shoulder to signal that was enough. "Thanks."

"No problem." Maicon quickly returned to his position.

Yang Yang took a deep breath, looked straight at Gomez, and calmly walked into the penalty area. He placed the ball on the penalty spot, stamped down the turf behind it, and then slowly backed away.

The entire time, he kept an eye on Gomez’s movements, a faint smile on his face.

’Did his former teammate Maicon reveal some secret to Yang Yang?’

Gomez was filled with doubt.

He couldn’t blame Maicon for something like this; after all, each was serving his own team. But he racked his brain and still couldn’t figure out what Maicon could have told Yang Yang.

But the referee didn’t give him time to think. After Yang Yang placed the ball and backed into position, the whistle for the kick blew quickly.

In an instant, all thirty-five thousand fans practically held their breath.

At this very moment, countless fans across the Netherlands, huddled in front of their TVs watching the live broadcast, also held their breath, their eyes all fixed on Yang Yang in the number 11 jersey.

Yang Yang took a few quick breaths, then a deep one, and charged forward.

Gomez was also rapidly trying to predict the shot’s trajectory based on Yang Yang’s movements, but he knew next to nothing about Yang Yang’s habits. When he saw Yang Yang feint as if to kick toward the right side of the goal, he was instantly reminded that as a right-footed player, his own left side was indeed weaker.

In a split second, Gomez launched himself into a diving save.

He knew very well that if he waited for Yang Yang to strike the ball, it would be too late to react.

But Yang Yang suddenly hesitated for a moment, then quickly pushed the penalty kick forward.

"My God, he went straight down the middle again!"

"Good Lord, Yang Yang calmly slotted the ball into the center of the goal!"

"This is the third consecutive penalty he’s put straight down the middle."

"We’re even forced to wonder, is this just his regular penalty-taking habit?"

"But what’s undeniable is that he has calmly converted his penalties all three times!"

"One-nil!"

"The situation is now quite favorable for Ajax. Just before the end of the first half, a moment of individual brilliance from Yang Yang saw him get past two defenders, draw a red card for Alex, and then calmly convert the penalty."

"After maintaining a 400-minute record without conceding a goal, Gomez’s goal has finally been breached!"

The moment he scored the penalty, Yang Yang excitedly sprinted off the pitch.

’This is so thrilling!’

’That was a gamble for me, too!’

Of course, he had deliberately hesitated because he had clearly seen Gomez’s reaction.

The Brazilian Goalkeeper must have been guessing that Yang Yang had gotten some secret from Maicon, but in reality, the Brazilian right-back hadn’t given him any useful information at all.

But that little act before the penalty had planted a seed of doubt in Gomez’s mind, causing him to commit early.

’This feeling is so exhilarating!’