Chapter 249 242: Making Amends

The day after Ajax returned from Turin, Italy, the Netherlands welcomed its first snow of the winter.

Many in the media and among the fans worried this was an omen of a harsh winter to come for Ajax.

Three days after the snow, Ajax hosted Rosendal for the fourteenth round of the league.

Rosendal's most important task this season was to avoid relegation. Their head coach, Jan van Dijk, had been a key defensive midfielder for Groningen in the eighties and nineties.

He had spent his entire career playing for Groningen and was a core contributor during the most glorious period in the club's history.

As a native Dutch player, Jan van Dijk also implemented the Netherlands' characteristic attacking football. The Rosendal team he coached could suffer a crushing 2-5 defeat at home to Eindhoven, and a 0-4 thrashing by Feyenoord.

But at the same time, they could also hand Vitesse a 4-1 bloodbath at home, or crush Graafschap 3-0.

Of course, losing 1-5 away to Utrecht, 0-3 to William II, and 0-3 to Nijmegen were all very characteristic of Rosendal.

So far this season, after thirteen rounds, Rosendal had only drawn one match: a 2-2 tie at home against Groningen.

Furthermore, in their first thirteen matches of the season, there were goals in every single game. Only one match had just a single goal—a 0-1 home loss to Twente. The rest all had two or more goals, with seven of those matches featuring more than four.

This was a very unrestrained team, with the distinct characteristics of Dutch football.

Ajax took this match just as seriously, fielding their most potent offensive lineup.

The goalkeeper was Stekelenburg. The back line consisted of Maxwell, Vermaelen, Heitinga, and Maicon. In the midfield, De Jong played deep, with Pinaar and Sneijder in the center. Wesley Sonck, Charisteas, and Yang Yang formed the trident up front.

Perhaps because the pitch was wet and slippery after the snow and rain, the match was fast-paced from the very start.

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Yang Yang had performed terribly in Turin City.

Although the public still acknowledged his effort, especially the pass he made to Wesley Sonck not long after kickoff, believing that if it had resulted in a goal, the situation would have been completely different.

But he himself still felt awful, bottling up a bellyful of frustration and looking for a place to vent.

From the very start of the match against Rosendal, Yang Yang played with immense effort. He ran quickly and aggressively, constantly making runs to find opportunities, and even frequently appeared in the central areas.

His teammates on the pitch, the head coach on the sidelines, the fans in the stands, and even the viewers watching on TV could all clearly sense his determination.

He needed a victory to redeem himself!

In the first ten minutes of the match, Yang Yang had already created two very threatening attacks. One went to Wesley Sonck, but the Belgian failed to seize the opportunity. The other was for Sneijder, whose long shot gave Rosendal a cold sweat.

In the thirteenth minute of the match, Yang Yang created another threat.

Yang Yang cut inside with the ball to the edge of the penalty area and passed it to Maicon, who was making an overlapping run on the right. Maicon quickly took it to the byline, but with no chance to cross, he could only play a cutback pass to Yang Yang.

After receiving the ball, Yang Yang quickly dribbled along the right edge of the penalty area towards the byline. Using his speed and the slippery grass, he forced his way past the defense of two Rosendal players and sent a high, looping cross from just before the byline.

Charisteas firmly dominated in the penalty area, scoring with a close-range flick of his head.

One-nil!

The Greek center-forward was ecstatic, and the Ajax fans in the stadium roared wildly.

A goal in the thirteenth minute almost suggested that this would likely be another landslide victory.

But just when everyone expected Ajax to score relentlessly, Rosendal launched a sharp counter-attack nine minutes later. DeGraaf, from the right, made a quick diagonal run behind the defensive line, collected the ball, and scored on the breakaway.

One-one!

Everyone on the Ajax team was a bit stunned!

Maxwell, who bore the brunt of the blame, covered his face in shame.

In the last match against Juventus, Camoranesi had scored from a counter-attack through this very same channel.

And this time, DeGraaf had somehow done it again, breaking through along the same route for a one-on-one goal.

For two consecutive matches, the left flank he was supposed to be guarding had become a corridor for the opposition to score. How could he not feel ashamed?

Yang Yang had just switched to the left wing and saw Maxwell's reaction. He quickly walked over.

"Don't be like that, Maxwell. You need to have confidence in yourself," Yang Yang comforted him.

"No, I really feel like I've been terrible lately," Maxwell said in anguish, grabbing his long hair tightly with both hands.

Yang Yang placed his hands firmly on his shoulders and looked his Brazilian teammate straight in the eye. "Trust me, my friend. You can do this. Have faith in yourself, have faith in me. You can do it!"

Pinaar and other teammates also ran over to console him.

Maxwell was very popular in the locker room. He was the type of person who was friendly to everyone; no one could dislike a teammate like that. Besides, making mistakes on the football pitch and doubting oneself were common occurrences.

Just like Yang Yang, who had also doubted himself after the loss to Juventus.

But in the Super Training, after some guidance and persuasion from Old Ice, he had figured things out.

Instead of wasting time on self-doubt, it was better to be down-to-earth, seize the time to train, and work hard to improve.

"Didn't he 'steal' a goal? Then find a chance and go steal one back yourself!" Yang Yang encouraged fiercely.

Maxwell looked deeply at Yang Yang and nodded forcefully.

Making up for his mistake with a meritorious deed—that was his best path to redemption!

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When the match reached the thirty-third minute, Yang Yang, finding no opportunity on the right, sent a long ball over to the left wing.

After receiving the ball on the flank, Maxwell shook off his defender, cut inside, and passed the ball to Pinaar.

The South African international, understanding his intent, pushed the ball forward for him. The Brazilian left-back quickly surged forward, caught up to the ball at the edge of the penalty area, and unleashed a furious left-footed shot that pierced Rosendal's goal, putting Ajax back in the lead.

Two-one!

After scoring, Maxwell was so ecstatic that he ran off the pitch, jumped over the advertising hoardings, and rushed right up to the fan stands, celebrating his goal with a touch of madness.

Many Ajax players, including Yang Yang, Sneijder, and Pinaar, all crowded around to celebrate with him.

"Thanks!" Maxwell said gratefully, forcefully slinging an arm around Yang Yang's shoulder.

Yang Yang grinned, revealing a row of dazzling white teeth, and laughed. "Then get me an assist."

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Going into halftime with a 2-1 lead, Ronald Koeman still pointed out several issues with the team's first-half performance, especially on the defensive end.

Allowing the opponent to launch counter-attacks from the left flank that led directly to the goal for two consecutive games could not be a coincidence.

Of course, it was also irresponsible to lay all the blame on Maxwell.

The Brazilian left-back had always been stronger in attack than in defense. Ajax used him precisely because they liked his offense, but that meant they had to tolerate his defensive vulnerabilities. This was a common issue for all attacking full-backs.

After switching sides for the second half, Yang Yang quickly launched a wave of attacks from the right wing and won a corner kick in the fifty-first minute. Sneijder took the corner, and Vermaelen once again scored with a header. Three-one.

The Belgian center-back scoring repeatedly with headers had already become his signature attacking method, and it also helped him gradually solidify his position in Ajax's defense.

With a two-goal lead, Ajax basically had the victory in the bag, but Yang Yang still showed no signs of relaxing.

He was desperate for a goal!

During the Juventus match, he had been completely shackled by the likes of Zambrotta, Tacchinardi, and Nedved for the entire game, unable to fight back at all. The feeling was terrifying, and he loathed it.

He knew he didn't yet have the strength to break such a lockdown, but he needed to emerge from that shadow as quickly as possible. And the fastest, best way to do that was to score a goal.

It was just like with Maxwell.

A single goal not only made up for his earlier mistake but also helped him regain some confidence.

Yang Yang needed that too.

Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll were both aware of Yang Yang's issue. Since there was no Champions League match this week, the team would have a full week to rest, so they were in no hurry to substitute Yang Yang.

In the sixty-fifth minute, Anastasiou replaced Charisteas.

Seven minutes later, Mitja came on for Wesley Sonck.

Both substitutions were made to adjust the team's offense.

Both Ronald Koeman and Luther Carroll hoped that Yang Yang could get a goal.

And he himself was on the pitch, constantly trying, constantly searching for an opportunity.

Yang Yang was very different from Ibrahimovic and Van der Vaart.

When the latter two players got anxious, their emotions would get a bit out of control. If they got even the slightest chance, regardless of whether it was a good opportunity or if they were confident in it, they would take a shot immediately.

As a result, whenever they got anxious, their shooting accuracy would plummet, sometimes even affecting the team's overall offensive efficiency.

But Yang Yang was different. He was anxious on the inside, but he remained calm and rational.

His creed was to never fight a battle he wasn't sure of winning.

This meant that while he couldn't be said to have a one hundred percent success rate, his shooting efficiency was still very high.

The match continued, and Ajax still had one last substitution slot.

At this point, the outcome of the match was no longer in doubt. Players like Sneijder, Pinaar, Maxwell, and Maicon were all trying to help create chances for Yang Yang, but Rosendal was also clearly marking him tightly.

It wasn't until the eighty-third minute that a crack appeared in Rosendal's defense.

Yang Yang suddenly switched to the left wing again. After pulling out to the left sideline to receive a pass from Pinaar, he passed the ball back to the advancing Maxwell and then made a quick diagonal run to the edge of the penalty area.

Maxwell took the ball on an overlapping run down to the byline, drawing the defenders' attention before passing it back to the edge of the penalty area.

As Yang Yang controlled the ball, he nudged it towards the center, quickly cut inside, and unleashed a furious shot with his right foot.

The ball traced an arc, flying so close to the right post that it practically scraped it as it shot into Rosendal's goal.

Four-one!

Yang Yang had finally scored!