Chapter 319 - 312: How Come You Went Limp?

Perhaps it was their hunger for a world-class competition, their desire to prove themselves at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, or maybe they were genuinely stirred up by Yang Yang’s pre-match comments. Of course, it was also possible they were simply spurred on and inspired by Yang Yang’s opening goal...

After Yang Yang scored, the National Youth Team continued to play with immense effort on the pitch.

The players’ morale was high, and their movement was incredibly energetic. The four-man midfield, composed of Lu Lin, Cui Peng, Zhou Haibin, and Chen Tao, in particular, firmly controlled the center of the park, seizing the initiative of the match.

With the players moving so actively, there were always options available, which made their passing and receiving naturally more fluid.

Turkey, on the other hand, had already lost to them once before at the Toulon Cup. This time, they were caught off guard by the National Youth Team’s opening strike and seemed flustered. Moreover, they were playing a 4-3-3 formation.

Having played in a 4-3-3 formation at Ajax, Yang Yang knew it very well. It was indeed an excellent system, arguably the most favored mainstream tactic in Europe at the moment. The problem was, a team couldn’t execute a 4-3-3 without sufficient cohesiveness.

Turkey’s problem was laid bare in their lack of overall team coordination.

Their midfield was suppressed by the Chinese Team and couldn’t move the ball forward. Whether due to a poor understanding of the tactics or the coach’s instructions, their three forwards stayed high up the pitch, completely disconnected from the midfield, and showed little energetic movement.

With their attack disconnected from their midfield and defense, the Chinese Team frequently exploited their midfield dominance to create chances.

After scoring the first goal, Yang Yang found himself tightly marked by Turkey. He consciously began to change his role, using his individual skill and advantages to draw the attention of defenders and create opportunities for his teammates.

A minute after the goal, the Chinese Team launched another wave of attacks. Zhou Haibin suddenly unleashed a long shot from outside the penalty area. Although it didn’t result in a goal, it still took everyone by surprise.

Turkey then mounted a counter-attack but failed to penetrate the Chinese Team’s thirty-meter zone. Acting too hastily, they took a long shot from over thirty meters out, which posed no threat at all.

Soon after, the Chinese Team used a series of quick passes to move the ball to the edge of the box. Chen Tao once again hit a low, flat shot, but it lacked power and was easily collected by the goalkeeper.

Ten minutes into the game, Turkey had only managed one shot—a long-range effort from over thirty meters out—while the Chinese Team was frequently creating dangerous opportunities.

This was especially true in the tenth minute, when Chen Tao sent a brilliant pass from the right flank. Yang Yang received the ball, suddenly cut inside, and sent a diagonal pass with his left foot into the box. Lu Lin made a quick run up the left channel, finding himself one-on-one with the keeper.

The attack was just a step away from a goal, but unfortunately, Lu Lin tried to control the ball before shooting and missed the opportunity.

The Chinese Team then launched another surge of attacks.

Gao Lin made a powerful, solo run through the center, throwing Turkey’s defense and penalty area into complete chaos. His impressive footwork and physical strength left a deep impression.

After their opening goal, the Chinese Team attacked relentlessly and completely dominated the pitch. However, they failed to score again, which allowed Turkey to start fighting back. Soon, they orchestrated a very threatening attack, even getting a chance at an open goal.

Fortunately, the Turkish player couldn’t get to the ball in time.

Yang Yang noticed Turkey’s tenacity and quickly realized they had to crush the European team’s comeback momentum.

And so, three minutes later, after winning the ball back in their own half, a series of passes saw Zhou Haibin and Chen Tao link up on the right flank. They passed the ball to the center, finding Yang Yang at the edge of the penalty area.

Yang Yang’s first touch took him past a Turkish defender, all in one smooth, fluid motion.

After more than half a year of physical challenges, Yang Yang’s physique was not much inferior even when facing adult players in the Eredivisie, let alone the young players from Turkey.

Inside the box, he used his speed and strength to forcefully carve out a sliver of an opportunity before firing a low shot with his right foot into the net, scoring another goal for the Chinese Team!

"GOOOOAL!!!!"

"Yang Yang! It’s Yang Yang again!"

"A brace!"

"He’s simply unstoppable!"

"This was another goal that showcased his incredible individual skill. Yang Yang’s first-touch turn was brilliant. The Turkish players were powerless to stop him and could only watch helplessly as he broke into the box and scored."

"Two to nil!"

...

...

"He’s holding back," Van Gaal said, his eyes narrowed.

"Who?" Trus Opmel asked, looking puzzled.

Van Gaal didn’t explain. Instead, the youth training assistant sitting beside him, Patrick Radru, answered, "Yang Yang."

"He’s not going all out?"

Fitness coach Winston Bogard nodded. "That’s right. He just finished a full, high-intensity season. Although the club protected him well, often playing him for only sixty or seventy minutes, that was still in the Eredivisie and the UEFA Cup. So his body isn’t in peak condition right now."

"He’s been training consistently during this period, but it’s mostly been about adjusting and recovery."

As Yang Yang’s personal coach, Winston Bogard’s words were very convincing.

"Turkey isn’t a strong team. Against an opponent like this, there’s no need to go all out," Van Gaal said bluntly.

Radru nodded repeatedly, clearly agreeing with Van Gaal’s assessment.

At that moment on the pitch, Yang Yang began to call out to his teammates, urging them to control the tempo, not to attack too fiercely, and to slow down the pace to conserve energy for the second half. After all, a FIFA U-20 World Cup match was ninety minutes long, not just the first half.

In his next few touches, Yang Yang focused more on creating chances for his teammates, showing no strong desire to attack himself.

"Look, he’s started to reduce his vertical sprints and is moving more at a steady pace, acting as a transitional point to receive passes from his teammates. This effectively links up the team’s attack, brings out his teammates’ strengths, and reduces his own energy consumption, allowing him to use the match to stimulate his body and fine-tune his condition."

Winston Bogard could see that Yang Yang was already confident of victory.

Following Yang Yang’s change in play and his calls to the team, the Chinese Team began to slow down their attacks. However, they still maintained their dominance on the field, giving Turkey no chance to counter. The moment their opponents showed any sign of life, they were immediately shut down.

This made it very awkward for Turkey to play.

On the contrary, the Chinese Team’s players started to show off their skills.

First, it was Chen Tao. Faced with three defenders on the right wing, he managed to dribble past all of them in one go, bringing the ball out and crossing it into the box. But Gao Lin’s finish missed the mark. What a pity.

Although his finishing was poor, Gao Lin’s subsequent aggressive pressing up front put Turkey under considerable pressure.

On one occasion, the Turkish goalkeeper threw the ball directly to Gao Lin. Gao Lin reacted with incredible speed and immediately tried to link up with Yang Yang beside him. Unfortunately, the pass was poor and Yang Yang couldn’t receive it, but the intent was clear.

Next, Feng Xiaoting suddenly pushed up to intercept the ball. He dribbled past several players in midfield, charging all the way to the edge of Turkey’s penalty area. He played a one-two with Yang Yang, who then sent a through ball into the box. Feng Xiaoting ran onto it and immediately took a shot.

The entire build-up was beautiful, but that final shot was absolutely terrible!

Yang Yang spread his hands toward Feng Xiaoting in frustration, as if to say, ’Buddy, how could you just choke on the finish like that?’

Feng Xiaoting himself was frustrated to no end. He ran back with his hands on his head, too embarrassed to even look at Yang Yang again.

But Turkey made another mistake soon after. Once again, the goalkeeper passed the ball directly to Gao Lin. This time, however, a tracking defender scrambled to block the shot, preventing another goal.

"Turkey should be thankful Yang Yang is holding back, otherwise..." Patrick Radru said with a laugh.

Though he didn’t finish the sentence, his meaning was clear.

Given their performance in this half, the Chinese Team’s dominance, and Yang Yang’s reliable scoring ability, it wouldn’t have been surprising at all if they had racked up a huge lead in the first half.

"That number eighteen is quite good," Van Gaal said, pointing at the center forward, Gao Lin.

Radru agreed. "His finishing is just a bit weak."

"His tactical contribution is obvious, he’s physically strong, and his footwork is quite good. With some coaching, he’ll definitely be a decent player," Van Gaal said lightly.

"I think that center-back is also very good," Radru said, pointing to number five, Feng Xiaoting. "And that number eight in midfield."

The number eight midfielder was Zhou Haibin.

"That number ten trained with Ajax for a while before. He’s really quite skilled. With a bit more coaching, he could improve even more. He’s already transferred to Anderlecht now," Radru continued.

"Anderlecht is a good move. He’ll get playing time. After two or three years of development there, he’ll have a good chance of playing in one of the Four Major Leagues."

...

...

They went into the halftime break with a two-nil lead.

Klauen was very satisfied with the team’s first-half performance. He particularly praised the midfield for controlling the tempo of the game after going two goals ahead, which made Zhou Haibin admire Yang Yang even more.

After switching sides for the second half, Turkey had clearly recovered from their first-half chaos. They gradually seized the initiative and started to put pressure on the Chinese Team.

The most obvious change was that they had strengthened the connection between their midfield and attack.

Once their midfield and attack were reconnected, Turkey’s true strength began to emerge.

But the Chinese Team, holding a two-goal lead and having controlled the tempo in the first half, still had decent stamina. They began to methodically execute a defensive counter-attacking strategy.

In the sixty-fifth minute, Yang Yang was substituted for Zhao Xuri to further strengthen their midfield control.

This was something Klauen had discussed with Yang Yang before the match. The Chinese Team needed Yang Yang for every game, so Klauen was unwilling to keep him on the field and deplete his energy in a match where victory was already assured.

Subsequently, Hao Junmin came on for Lu Lin. The young player’s stamina had clearly become an issue. Although he had been eye-catching and very active for the first seventy minutes, running out of energy and even cramping after just seventy minutes in the first group stage match was unlikely. It was probably related to excessive nervousness.

During stoppage time, Hao Junmin performed a brilliant knock-and-run that drew applause from the entire stadium. He burst into the penalty area and fired a powerful shot from a tight angle, winning a corner kick.

The ensuing corner was taken, and Turkey cleared it, but only as far as Zhao Xuri outside the box. He hit a magnificent long-range volley that traced a perfect arc straight into the top corner of the goal!

Three to nil!