Chapter 288: Cheating

Chapter 288: Chapter 281: Cheating

Ajax’s two-to-one away victory over Villarreal sent huge shockwaves through the Netherlands.

The player everyone was focused on was undoubtedly Yang Yang, who had scored a brace.

At just eighteen years old, he had scored twenty-two goals in the Eredivisie and five in the UEFA Cup. A record like that was certainly eye-catching enough to attract the attention of Europe’s powerhouse clubs.

In the Netherlands, Yang Yang was hailed as the Eredivisie’s most talented and, at the same time, most promising new star, earning him unanimous praise and adoration from Ajax fans.

After returning to Amsterdam from Spain, Ajax quickly faced their next match.

The twenty-eighth round of the Eredivisie, a home game against William II.

Yang Yang started and played for sixty minutes but recorded no goals or assists.

However, Yang Yang still played a crucial role in Pinaar’s goal in the twentieth minute.

It was his tackle on a William II defender up the field that created the opportunity for Niklas Bendtner to assist Pinaar’s goal.

After Yang Yang was substituted, his replacement, Ryan Babel, scored in the ninetieth minute.

In the end, Ajax defeated William II two to nothing.

Coincidentally, just as Yang Yang failed to score, so did Kuyt.

In Feyenoord’s away match against Breda, Kuyt played for eighty minutes but still couldn’t find the back of the net.

This extended the Dutch star striker’s goal drought to five consecutive matches.

On the other hand, his teammate Kalu, who had scored a hat-trick in the previous round, scored again in this one, bringing his total to eighteen goals.

……

……

Since Feyenoord’s match was a day after Ajax’s, Yang Yang only got the news from the newspaper the next morning.

He frowned as he read it over breakfast.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Tao asked with concern from the side.

He had spent a few days on trial with Utrecht, where he made a good impression. Foeke Booy had spoken highly of him, but on Guido Alberts’s advice, he was planning to try out for a few more teams to make the best choice.

With his excellent performance in the trials, Chen Tao’s mood had become increasingly cheerful.

This also put one of Yang Yang’s worries to rest.

“It’s nothing, just a little worried.”

Yang Yang folded the newspaper, set it aside, and sighed.

“Didn’t Kuyt fail to score?” Vermaelen asked.

Chen Tao also looked concerned. He knew that Yang Yang was competing with Kuyt for the Eredivisie’s Top Scorer title this season, and at the moment, their goal counts were tied at twenty-two each.

Another one to watch was Kalu, who was in great form recently and had suddenly shot up to eighteen goals. While it was unlikely he would catch up, he was still someone to be wary of.

“You’ve only gone one game without a goal. The media won’t trash you for that, will they?” Vermaelen asked, taking the newspaper and flipping it open.

Yang Yang shook his head. “I don’t care if they criticize me or not. I just feel that Kuyt is dangerous.”

“How so?” Chen Tao asked curiously.

“He’s a momentum player. He either doesn’t score, or when he does, he’s unstoppable. Looking at his past two goal droughts, one lasted four rounds and the other five. This one has already been five rounds, which means he’s getting closer and closer to scoring.”

Sometimes, a goal drought is a tricky thing. You could say it exists, and it certainly feels like it does. But you could also say it doesn’t, that it’s all just a mental game.

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense. Feyenoord’s next match is a home game against The Hague. With Feyenoord’s recent momentum, he’s likely to explode in that game,” Vermaelen said, agreeing with Yang Yang’s assessment.

“But don’t worry too much. After The Hague, they have an away game against Eindhoven. Hiddink’s team is no pushover. If Kuyt keeps his form up and Feyenoord manages a draw or a win, it would be a huge help for our title race. It wouldn’t even matter if you lost the Top Scorer award.”

Yang Yang shook his head. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy.

……

……

「On April 14th」

The second leg of the UEFA Cup quarterfinals began.

Having already secured a two-to-one victory in the first leg, Ajax had no intention of letting Villarreal have an easy time in the second leg at their home stadium. From the very beginning, Ajax launched an all-out attack.

Just eight minutes into the game, after a powerful run down the right flank, Yang Yang sent a cross to the center. Charisteas pounced on it inside the box and scored, putting Ajax on the board first.

But Villarreal protested, arguing that Charisteas had made a clear hand movement while tussling with a defender.

The referee did not accept Villarreal’s protest, but this became the flashpoint for conflict between the two teams.

Afterward, Villarreal began to play more physically, with particularly rough tackles aimed at the two wingers, Yang Yang and Pinaar. Ajax quickly retaliated.

The conflict escalated further in the seventeenth minute when Yang Yang was on a dribble and was fouled by a sliding tackle from behind by the opposing defender, Arualabarena. The defender’s studs scraped his calf, drawing blood. Yang Yang was injured and substituted for Demuer, which caused the tensions to boil over.

In the span of just five minutes, Ajax’s De Jong and Heitinga, along with Villarreal’s Alvarez, Riquelme, and Gonzalo Rodriguez, all received yellow cards. The situation was on the verge of complete collapse.

Then, in the twenty-first minute, Heitinga was caught by the referee making a clear hand gesture while defending against José María. However, José María then shoved Heitinga to the ground, which fully ignited the fury on both sides.

With a two-goal lead on aggregate, Villarreal was under immense pressure, and their players were getting agitated. Ajax, a relatively young team, saw their influential player, Yang Yang, get injured and forced off the pitch. This left players on both sides seething with anger.

This time, the referee punished both sides. Heitinga received a yellow card, which was his second, resulting in a red card and his dismissal. José María, on the other hand, was shown a straight red card and sent off the field.

At the same time, the referee called over both team captains, Galasek and Hosico, and warned them to get their players’ tempers under control.

Six yellow cards and two red cards.

In just twenty-five minutes, both Ajax and Villarreal had lost control of their emotions.

Although Yang Yang was injured, the team doctor treated it, and it wasn’t serious. He remained on the bench for the rest of the game.

Ultimately, the match ended in a one-to-one draw.

In the seventy-second minute of the second half, Diego Forlán scored a goal for Villarreal.

Ajax ultimately eliminated Villarreal with an aggregate score of three to two, advancing smoothly to the next round.

However, both Heitinga and Galasek would miss the next match due to suspension.

……

……

Yang Yang Injured and Bleeding!

This was definitely big news!

Since his debut, he had rarely been affected by injuries. Suddenly getting hurt in a challenge with an opponent, to the point of being substituted off early, drew widespread concern about his condition.

Fans in China were especially worried sick.

In reality, Yang Yang wasn’t seriously hurt. It was just a superficial wound that bled a little, something not uncommon on a soccer field.

But as soon as the match ended, his parents back in China had already made several calls to ask about his injury. The brothers Wei Zhen and Wei Zheng also called late at night to check on him.

Even Su Xiaomei, who was busy preparing for her college entrance exams, stayed up late to call and ask how he was doing.

His uncle, Shen Ming, even rushed over from Almere to Oude Kerk overnight. Only after confirming that he was indeed fine did he call Yang Yang’s parents in China to reassure them.

Yang Yang was quite touched by this feeling of being cared for.

However, the outside world was abuzz with rumors. Much of the news was half-true, and some reports even claimed that Yang Yang would miss the rest of the season, leaving him not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Ajax quickly issued an official clarification, stating that Yang Yang’s injury was not serious, but as a precaution, he would sit out the next round’s match against Demboch.

Demboch had already secured a relegation spot for the season, so Ajax felt no pressure facing them.

Yang Yang had wanted to play, but Kluivert denied his request.

Over the weekend, Ajax defeated Demboch two-to-nothing, thanks to goals from Deridder and Maduro.

Yang Yang and Chen Tao watched the entire game from the stands of the Amsterdam Arena. It was safe to say the home team won without any real trouble; many players weren’t even giving it their all.

Compared to the Ajax-Demboch match, Yang Yang was more concerned about the later game between Feyenoord and The Hague. He even gathered with Chen Tao, Vermaelen, Maxwell, Maicon, and others to watch the live broadcast, huddled in front of the TV.

Just as Yang Yang and the others had predicted, Feyenoord dominated the game from the very beginning.

They scored in the fourteenth minute of the first half, followed by another goal in the twenty-third and one more in the thirty-eighth.

Kalu contributed to the latter two goals, scoring one and assisting another, putting on a brilliant performance.

But just as Yang Yang and the others were about to breathe a sigh of relief, the situation on the field suddenly changed in the second half.

The entire Feyenoord team seemed to be trying to help Kuyt score. Right at the start of the second half, Kalu sent a simple cross right in front of the goal for Kuyt.

Kuyt easily tapped it into the empty net!

This goal left Yang Yang and his friends completely stunned.

‘This is basically cheating!’

‘Is this how you’re supposed to help someone break a goal drought?’

But Feyenoord’s attitude quickly provoked The Hague’s dissatisfaction. The opposing team launched a counterattack, scoring three quick goals in the fifty-second, fifty-fifth, and sixty-second minutes, bringing the score to four-to-three.

But just as The Hague was looking to press their advantage, another assist from Kalu allowed Kuyt to score again.

With that assist, Kalu completed a hat-trick of assists.

And Kuyt seemed far from satisfied. In the eighty-sixth minute, he finally scored a goal through his own efforts, completing a hat-trick.

Watching the Dutch star striker sprint across the field in celebration, Yang Yang could only smile wryly in front of the TV.

‘Isn’t this a bit much?’

He had expected Kuyt to break his goal drought, but he never imagined he would do it like this—with a hat-trick.

Twenty-five goals. Just like that, Kuyt had pulled ahead in the goal count again.

“At this point, should I go hide in my room and cry for a bit?” Yang Yang asked with a bitter smile.

His teammates all groaned and fell back in their chairs.