Chapter 201 194: Champions League Champion? So What?

The evening of August 3rd. Beijing Workers' Stadium.

The first semi-final of the Asian Cup: China versus Iran.

This crucial match drew over sixty thousand fans, packing the Beijing Workers' Stadium to capacity for the first time.

As the National Team's performance soared, the domestic fans grew increasingly fervent.

This was especially true just before the match. When the national anthem began to play, all sixty thousand fans joined the players and staff in a resounding chorus. The sheer power of the moment was overwhelming, and whether they were in the stadium or watching on TV, the audience couldn't help but feel their hearts pound and their blood boil with excitement.

Yang Yang was in the starting lineup, and the words of Wei Zhen once again echoed in his mind.

'Of all the professions in the world, only in sports do you get to sing the national anthem before you begin.'

For this match, the Chinese Team once again deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Liu Yunfei was still the Goalkeeper, and the back line consisted of Sun Xiang, Zheng Zhi, Li Weifeng, and Zhang Yaokun, with the latter replacing Wei Xin in the starting lineup.

The midfield was a combination of Yan Song, Shao Jiayi, Zhao Junze, and Yang Yang, while the two forwards were still Li Jinyu and Hao Dong.

Having reached the semi-finals, the National Team's morale and passion were at an all-time high. Under these circumstances, even head coach Arie Haan had declared before the match that they would reach the finals and take the championship.

It was the only logical thing to do, riding the wave of momentum.

It would have been foolish for the head coach to pour cold water on the team at a time like this.

In the locker room before the match, Arie Haan declared during his motivational speech, "I believe that with our current strength and form, no team in Asia can stop our advance!"

The entire National Team was greatly inspired. From the opening whistle, they aggressively launched an offensive against Iran.

Just two minutes in, Hao Dong drifted to the left to orchestrate an attack. Sun Xiang sent a cross from the wing into the penalty area, but an Iranian defender cleared it away.

But the Chinese Team retained possession and quickly mounted another wave of attack. From just outside the penalty area, Shao Jiayi suddenly unleashed a powerful long shot that grazed the crossbar and went out of bounds.

The area just in front of the box was a weakness that had been exposed during Iran's match against the South Korea Team; all three goals they conceded had originated from there.

The Iran Team quickly launched a counterattack of their own. After shaking off a defender in the middle, Khalimi drove the ball forward to start an attack, sending a through pass into the penalty area. But Goalkeeper Liu Yunfei charged out decisively and gathered the ball.

After the kickoff, both teams traded blows on offense and defense.

The Iran Team had clearly studied the Chinese Team's previous matches, adopting a "defend left, attack right" strategy. On one hand, they used their left-flank defense to specifically neutralize Yang Yang's attacks on the wing. On the other, they leveraged their own powerful offensive advantage on the right.

All four of their goals against the South Korea Team had come from Iran's right flank.

Iran's targeted defense made it very difficult for Yang Yang to operate on the right wing. The Iranian players were more physical, not just compared to the seventeen-year-old Yang Yang, but even when measured against the adult players on the Chinese National Team.

They had a physical advantage, yet they weren't slow. Combined with their tight, targeted defense, Yang Yang found himself heavily marked from the start, struggling to find any openings.

It wasn't until the twelfth minute that Yang Yang finally found a pocket of space and got a chance, sending a cross into the penalty area from the wing.

But against Iran's defenders, this attack from the Chinese Team failed to create a real chance.

Ever since the match began, he'd had this pent-up feeling of having all this strength with no way to release it. It was so suppressing, so frustrating, that he felt like he was going to lose his mind.

He knew perfectly well that this was Iran's targeted defense against him. In a way, he supposed he should be honored, since every time he touched the ball, he drew the attention of multiple Iranian defenders.

But he was still incredibly annoyed because he wasn't getting any chances to make an impact.

Other than that one cross, he hadn't had a single decent opportunity to show what he could do.

'This can't go on.'

Yang Yang knew in his heart that he had to find a way to shake off the Iranian defenders. Otherwise, he'd be completely shut down.

Van Basten had said it himself: you can't mark an attacker who's constantly on the move.

And since the Iran Team was determined to shut him down, he couldn't let them get what they wanted.

Yang Yang couldn't help but recall their first match of the Toulon Cup against Colombia. They had also tried to shut him down, so he decisively changed his role, using his stamina to run relentlessly, constantly making runs to pull their defensive line out of shape.

Even if he didn't get chances himself, he could create space for his teammates.

...

...

With this new mindset, Yang Yang quickly adjusted his playstyle.

Whenever the team was on the attack, he ran tirelessly, stretching the opposing defense to create space for others. He made himself available for passes and played simple, transitional balls to keep possession. His link-up play with Shao Jiayi, in particular, was becoming more and more seamless.

When the Chinese Team lost possession, Yang Yang was the first to press, trying to win the ball back, and he would also diligently track back to help with the defense.

This style of play was a real headache for the Iranian defenders tasked with marking him, but there was nothing they could do. They couldn't stop him from running all over the pitch, just as he couldn't stop them from shadowing his every move.

In the twenty-third minute of the match, the Chinese Team finally created an opportunity.

After a blocked shot, Li Jinyu immediately dropped back to press. He and Yang Yang double-teamed Iran's left-back, forcing a turnover. Li Jinyu quickly passed the ball out to Hao Dong on the right, who then sent a horizontal pass to the middle. Shao Jiayi made a late run from deep and coolly finished the chance.

One-nil!

The entire Beijing Workers' Stadium erupted in cheers.

Although Yang Yang hadn't scored, he had contributed to the goal, so he was still ecstatic.

Besides, as long as the team won, it didn't matter who scored.

But to Yang Yang's surprise, after scoring the goal, the Chinese Team's play became awkward and disjointed.

This was a long-standing problem for the Chinese Team: they didn't know how to play with a lead.

The players on the pitch were no longer on the same page. Some wanted to push for another goal to seal the victory, others wanted to slow down and control the pace, and some even wanted to sit back, defend the lead, and wait for a counter-attacking opportunity.

As someone on the field, Yang Yang felt this lack of cohesion most acutely.

Iran, in contrast, seemed liberated after conceding. They threw caution to the wind and began to press forward in waves.

As the Iran Team surged forward, the Chinese Team was forced onto the defensive. After successfully repelling two waves of attacks, they finally buckled under the third.

In the forty-third minute, just before the end of the first half, the Iran Team launched an attack down the right flank. Madavi assisted Alavi, who scored to level the match.

The first half ended with the score tied at one-all.

For Iran, it was undoubtedly a massive morale-boosting goal. But for the Chinese Team, it was a crushing blow.

...

...

Conceding an equalizer just before halftime left the National Team players dejected as they returned to the locker room. Yang Yang was especially downcast, his head hung low with a grim expression on his face.

He was extremely dissatisfied with his first-half performance.

His overriding feeling from the entire first half was that he was full of energy but had no way to unleash it.

The feeling was so oppressive, so frustrating, that he felt like he was on the verge of losing it.

Iran's targeted defense was suffocating. It forced him to run constantly in search of an opening, but for one reason or another, he could never quite make anything happen.

Compounded by the team conceding an equalizer at the very end of the half, Yang Yang felt just as frustrated as everyone else.

The only difference was that a rational part of his mind kept telling him not to get agitated. 'The more crucial the moment, the calmer you have to be.'

Besides, there was still the second half to play.

Arie Haan walked into the middle of the players. He started by affirming their performance in the first half.

"I saw everyone's effort, and I'm proud of your performance. For most of the half, we successfully neutralized their right-wing attack. But it's a real shame that one mistake unraveled forty-five minutes of hard work."

Arie Haan's tone then shifted. "However, I believe we'll still have our chances in the second half. We've had one more day of rest than they have, so we have a slight stamina advantage. And most importantly, our left flank cannot give them any more opportunities."

In the days leading up to the match, Arie Haan had drilled the team's left-flank defense relentlessly, and it had paid off during the game.

Other than the goal conceded just before the break, Iran's right wing hadn't gotten a single real opportunity.

Of course, it went both ways. The Iran Team had also set up a targeted defense against the Chinese Team's right wing, and Yang Yang had been given no room to operate.

Arie Haan clearly noticed Yang Yang, who was staring silently at the pools of sweat on the floor, his head hung low. The coach walked over and gently patted his shoulder. "You played very well. We all saw your effort. The opponent is marking you tightly, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Yang Yang gave a slight nod. He heard the words, but he still felt a knot in his stomach. He felt a fire burning inside him, constantly wanting to erupt but always being suppressed. He wanted to personally shove aside the massive boulder weighing on his heart.

"Let me finish this match," Yang Yang said, gritting his teeth.

...

...

"Our defense in the first half was excellent, especially against the Chinese Team's right wing."

In the Iran Team's locker room, head coach Ivanovic wore a confident smile as he addressed his players.

"Yang Yang had no real impact the entire first half. Besides that one cross, he failed to create any threat whatsoever. He's only seventeen, after all. As long as we continue what we did in the first half, we can definitely shut him down for the rest of this match."

Many in the locker room nodded in agreement. A flash of disdain even crossed the eyes of a couple of players, as if to say, 'A seventeen-year-old kid? How hard can it be to mark him?'

'A Champions League winner?'

'Hmph. So what?'

Ivanovic took Yang Yang very seriously. Before the match, he had specifically drilled a targeted defense to neutralize the Chinese Team's right wing. This had a clear effect in the first half, as Yang Yang was completely ineffective.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Team's left wing was also being pinned back by Iran's right-wing attack.

"Remember what I said: as long as we stay organized and solid in defense, the Chinese Team will eventually crumble under their own pressure. The final victory in this match will be ours!"

...

...

After the halftime break, both teams returned to the pitch at Beijing Workers' Stadium.

But just a short while after the second half began, the Chinese Team suffered an unexpected blow.