Chapter 251 244: Group of Death

Yang Yang originally thought he didn't have any fans in Japan, as the Japanese had always looked down on Chinese Football.

But to his surprise, when the Ajax team took a flight halfway across the world and landed at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, a large number of Japanese fans were actually there to greet them.

Many of them were wearing number eleven Ajax jerseys and holding signs to welcome Yang Yang. When they saw the Ajax players emerge, they became incredibly enthusiastic, swarming the team—especially the center of attention, Yang Yang.

The Toyota Cup was held in East Asia, and Ajax were the Champions League champions. Yang Yang was currently the only Asian player on the team. Moreover, he had just won the European Golden Boy Award, hailed as the most talented and outstanding player under the age of twenty-one.

All of this—combined with his game-winning goal in the Champions League final six months prior and his outstanding performance in the Asian Cup—gave Yang Yang immense appeal in the Asian Region. His fame had long since eclipsed that of the overseas national players from Korea and Japan.

The Ajax players had just flown halfway across the world and were utterly exhausted. Yang Yang, in contrast, was still full of energy. When faced with requests for autographs from the Japanese fans, he didn't turn a single one down.

Soon, he spotted Wei Zhen from China in the crowd.

Wei Zhen had to fight his way through the fans and his colleagues to reach Yang Yang, leaving him looking quite disheveled.

"Brother Wei, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect so many Japanese fans either," Yang Yang said with a chuckle.

Wei Zhen shrugged in frustration. There wasn't much he could do. "They've always admired the strong."

Yang Yang raised an eyebrow. 'Am I one of the strong ones?'

'Well, it feels pretty good to be one of the strong.'

"This is the last Toyota Cup. It doesn't have much international influence, but the media and fans back home are taking it very seriously. A lot of Chinese fans will be there to watch the match, and the station specifically assigned me to provide dedicated coverage."

Yang Yang nodded. "Sure, but tonight probably won't work. How about tomorrow? I'll ask the team for permission to do an interview with you."

"Great. Let me know once you've set a time."

After seeing off Wei Zhen, Yang Yang was quickly swarmed again by enthusiastic Japanese fans. There were quite a few female fans among them, all shouting his name and eagerly reaching out, trying to grab hold of him.

Their fiery passion made Yang Yang feel a bit awkward.

Fortunately, the airport ground staff and security were prepared. They quickly stepped in to clear a path for Yang Yang, escorting him all the way to the bus that was already waiting by the entrance.

...

...

"Hey, Yang, didn't you say that your country and Japan are mortal enemies?" Heitinga asked curiously.

"We are. Why?" Yang Yang asked with a smile, turning his head.

"Then why do they like you so much?"

Yang Yang chuckled, suddenly remembering what Wei Zhen had said: "They've always admired the strong."

"What? The strong?" Heitinga looked incredulous. "Are you talking about yourself?"

As he spoke, the Ajax captain deliberately unzipped his jacket, revealing the powerful chest and abs outlined by the tight training shirt underneath, and flexed at Yang Yang.

The whole bus erupted in laughter.

"You've got a point. You are definitely strong and well-built," Yang Yang said, nodding in agreement.

But just as a smug Heitinga was about to flex his muscles again, Yang Yang changed his tune. "However, generally speaking, female fans like a player either because he's strong or because he's handsome. Since I'm not as strong or built as you, that can only prove that I'm..."

Before he could finish, Heitinga immediately zipped his jacket back up. "No, no, no, you're the stronger one."

The bus erupted in laughter once again.

Between being strong and being handsome, Heitinga had unhesitatingly chosen handsome.

...

...

No one at Ajax was taking the Toyota Cup too seriously. Their opponent was Cardas, a dark horse team from Colombia that had won the Copa Libertadores, and they weren't considered particularly strong.

As long as the team made a few adjustments and played their usual game, beating their opponent wouldn't be a problem.

What truly surprised the Ajax team was just how popular Yang Yang was in Japan.

The enthusiastic crowd of fans at the airport had already given everyone at Ajax a sense of Yang Yang's influence in the Asian Region. But they were all truly shocked the next day when the team's first training session in Yokohama was swarmed by fans and reporters.

Without a doubt, they were all there for Yang Yang.

Yang Yang himself was also quite flattered by the situation.

After a recovery training session, the team specially arranged for him, Sneijder, and Maxwell to interact with the fans. They also made an exception, setting up an interview for Yang Yang with the assembled media.

The group of reporters wasn't just from Japan; there were also several media outlets from China and South Korea.

It was fair to say that, at that moment, Yang Yang represented the pinnacle for Asian players abroad. A game-winning goal in the Champions League final and the European Golden Boy Award were honors no previous overseas Asian player had ever achieved.

In response, Yang Yang humbly stated that his career had just begun and that these accolades were more of an encouragement for the future.

Ajax's performance this season had been less than ideal, but Yang Yang was confident the team would improve in the second half. He also stated his intention to strive for an even higher level of form in the coming months.

A Japanese reporter then asked Yang Yang about the recently concluded draw for the final round of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers. They wanted to know his thoughts on the results.

After defeating Kuwait, the Chinese National Team had successfully qualified from their group to advance to the final round.

The seeding for this final round was based on the results from the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. South Korea and Japan were placed in Pot 1, China and Saudi Arabia in Pot 2, Iran and Uzbekistan in Pot 3, and Bahrain and North Korea in Pot 4.

Since November, all the teams with a chance of making the final round had been lobbying the AFC. They were all desperate to avoid the team from Pot 3, Iran, because everyone knew that drawing Iran was tantamount to being placed in the "group of death."

But with only two groups in the final round, it was inevitable that either Japan or South Korea would draw them.

The final result, determined at the draw ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on December 9th, was that South Korea was grouped with Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Bahrain. Japan, on the other hand, was grouped with China, Iran, and North Korea.

In other words, China had been drawn into the group of death.

Wei Zhen had relayed the news to Yang Yang as soon as the draw results were announced.

"It's certainly not a lucky draw for us. We're in the same group as two of the strongest teams in Asia, and North Korea is also very competitive. The situation in this group is definitely grim."

Yang Yang answered the media's question with a solemn expression. "But I want to say that we are confident we can face any and all difficulties and challenges."

"We're familiar with both Japan and Iran. We've competed against both teams in the Asian Cup. I believe we have what it takes to win, but of course, that will require everyone to come together and work as a team."

When a Japanese reporter asked Yang Yang to predict the group's final outcome, he replied with a smile, "I hope to see China, Japan, and Iran all advance together."

It was a very clever answer.

According to the rules, the top two teams from each group would qualify directly. The two third-place teams would then face each other in a playoff, with the winner competing against the fourth-place team from Central and North America for a spot in the World Cup in Germany.

Yang Yang's answer earned him a round of enthusiastic applause.

But a Japanese reporter soon tried to stir up trouble, asking him about the time he pressured the referee during the Asian Cup final. The question instantly made the previously relaxed atmosphere very awkward.

Yang Yang's smile vanished. He stated sternly, "Even now, I still maintain that it was a handball—and a deliberate one. I can understand the Japanese players denying it at the time for the sake of their country, but what I can't understand is why, even today, in the face of indisputable facts, some people are still unwilling to accept the truth."

The Japanese reporter who asked the question hadn't expected such a confrontational response from Yang Yang and was left looking utterly embarrassed.

Yang Yang had no further interest in the interview. After politely apologizing to the fans and reporters, he turned and walked away.

As for the troublemaking reporter, he scurried away under the hostile glares of his peers.

...

...

On the evening of their third day in Yokohama, the final Toyota Cup officially kicked off at Yokohama Stadium, the site of the World Cup final. Nearly sixty thousand fans were in attendance to witness the event.

Cardas adopted a defensive, counter-attacking strategy to face the European giants.

The Colombian team had arrived in Japan early, on December 1st, and had spent two weeks in a training camp to prepare. They were in peak condition to face Ajax.

Ajax, in contrast, was not only dealing with a long journey but had also played a match just four days prior, leaving their stamina severely drained.

Ronald Koeman was well aware that his team was at a disadvantage physically. They had to finish off their opponents in the first half.

Therefore, from the very start of the match, Ajax went on the offensive, putting Cardas under heavy pressure.

Just four minutes into the game, Yang Yang delivered a cross from the right flank. Charisteas met it with a close-range header that struck the crossbar.

Although it didn't result in a goal, it gave the opposition a huge scare.

Soon after, another attack developed from the right. Maicon sent in a cross, and Wesley Sonck at the far post hit a volley that struck the post before bouncing out of play.

Just as everyone began to worry about Ajax's luck and form after they had hit the woodwork twice in a row, Yang Yang stepped up. Charisteas used his body to hold off an opposing center-back, controlling a diagonal pass from the left and laying it off for Yang Yang. Yang Yang seized the opportunity, cut past a defender, and broke the deadlock with a powerful left-footed shot.

With their defense breached, Cardas could no longer afford to sit back and defend.

The Colombian dark horse had no choice but to push forward in the second half. Ajax, in turn, adapted their strategy. With their own stamina dropping sharply, they fell back into a defensive posture and focused on hitting them on the counter-attack.

During a fast counter-attack in the sixty-fourth minute, Yang Yang used his Pendulum Move to dribble past two opposing players. He then played a square pass to the left, where Wesley Sonck quickly ran onto it and tapped it in, extending the lead to 2-0.

In the end, powered by a goal and an assist from Yang Yang, Ajax defeated Cardas to claim the final Toyota Cup.

For his outstanding performance, Yang Yang was named the Player of the Match and received a Toyota.