"Who is he?"
When Baken Academy made a substitution, everyone from Omnibus was watching closely. The head coach was especially unfamiliar with the black-haired, yellow-skinned Asian standing by the sidelines. There was no mention of him in the materials.
"I don't know. I've never seen him." The assistant beside him was just as clueless.
They were only a school team, after all, and their intelligence gathering could not match that of a professional club. At most, they could obtain Baken Academy's lineups from the past few matches and general information about the players. Naturally, they knew nothing about Yang Yang, who had never made Baken Academy's matchday squad.
"He's probably someone they pulled in temporarily just to make up the numbers," the assistant said indifferently.
With both their starting and substitute right-backs injured in succession, the blow to Baken Academy was devastating. Yet Omnibus's left-wing attack was the team's greatest strength, making this the perfect opportunity to press their advantage and secure a big win.
The head coach nodded, agreeing with that assessment. Dick Van Pool was practically grasping at straws by using him at a time like this.
At that thought, he immediately went to the sidelines and signaled for the players to continue attacking down the left.
Today, he was going to win by a wide margin at the home ground of their local rivals and give the team's morale a tremendous boost.
"How could he put him on?" Henk Dimer could hardly believe his eyes.
At a time like this, Dick Van Pool had actually sent on a rookie?
Had he already given up on the match?
"What's going on?"
"Why would Van Pul make a substitution like this?"
"How could he let that guy play?"
"It's over, it's over. With that guy on, we're definitely going to lose."
Their teammates all around them cried out in despair.
Although Yang Yang had made obvious progress in training recently, his earlier performance had been so terrible that it had left his teammates with a deeply ingrained first impression. Everyone had already condemned him to failure. On top of that, his conflicts with Henk Dimer and the others meant that nobody trusted him.
With his terrible fundamentals and dreadful training performances, who could possibly believe in him?
"Forget about all that. We have to stabilize the situation as quickly as possible, make sure we don't concede again, and then try to equalize." Henk Dimer gritted his teeth and said fiercely.
After a pause, he added, "That guy can't be trusted, so don't pass to him."
With that, Henk Dimer turned and walked away.
His own performance in the match had also been poor. Omnibus's midfield had placed enormous defensive pressure on him, while his teammates on both wings had failed to provide enough support. As a result, he had no room to show what he could do and was extremely frustrated.
Were they really going to lose to those bastards from Omnibus?
Amid a wave of doubtful exclamations from around the field, Yang Yang entered the pitch and took up position in the right-back's defensive area.
He clearly felt the mistrust and doubt coming from every direction. It came not only from his teammates on the field and the fans by the sidelines, but even from the head coach who had sent him on, Dick Van Pool, and John Rep sitting behind him.
If they had any other choice, I'm sure they wouldn't have chosen me.
Yang Yang understood that perfectly. But now that he was on the field, he had to seize this rare opportunity.
His first priority was defense.
Although he considered himself an attacking player, since the head coach had assigned him this role, he could only obey. He had to do everything he could to protect the right flank. Only then would he have another chance to play.
No head coach would use a player who refused to follow orders, even if it was only on a school team.
Yang Yang stared at the number seven on Omnibus's left flank a short distance in front of him. He had been the most active and outstanding player in the match, and he was now sizing up this unfamiliar new opponent with a mocking smile.
"I've heard of you," the other player said with a chuckle.
"Have you?"
"They say you're the famous wastrel from Almere Youth Team."
Yang Yang frowned and was just about to lose his temper when Old Bing's reminder sounded in his mind.
"He's deliberately provoking you."
Old Bing's words immediately brought Yang Yang back to his senses.
The other player had been watching Yang Yang's expression the whole time. He had noticed that Yang Yang was beginning to get angry, but he had not expected him to calm down so quickly. That surprised him.
He's steadier than that other guy was. Not so easy to anger.
"I've never seen you before. This is your first time on the field, right?"
Yang Yang did not look at him or reply. Instead, he turned his attention to the movement farther upfield.
"Meeting me in your first appearance—what terrible luck. This will probably be your last appearance too." The other player laughed smugly.
Yang Yang glanced at him and noticed that his expression was practically shouting, Go on, get angry. Lose your temper. The small spark of anger inside Yang Yang died down again, and he snorted impatiently.
"Are you done? You're so noisy. Will you die if you stop talking?"
The number seven instantly grew furious at the disdain in Yang Yang's voice. He gave a cold snort. "Fine. Just wait."
The match resumed. Baken Academy was two goals behind, yet the situation on the field still showed no signs of improving.
Their key player, Henk Dimer, was being shut down by the opposition. The midfield organization had fallen into chaos, making it difficult to build any effective attack. Omnibus soon won the ball back in midfield again.
As soon as the number seven saw his team regain possession, he immediately raised his hand and called for the ball on the left wing.
He had decided to teach this newly substituted rookie a harsh lesson.
"Yang, be careful," Head coach Dick Van Pool warned from the sidelines.
This was Yang Yang's first test since coming on as a substitute. Even Van Pul, a veteran of countless battles, could not help but tense up.
He had little confidence in Yang Yang.
Van Pul did not need to remind him. Yang Yang had already noticed the ball's trajectory through [God's Perspective] and had taken in every movement of the opposing number seven. As Van Pul shouted, Yang Yang had already locked onto his defensive target.
The previous night, Old Bing had specifically set aside time in the Super Training Ground to give him defensive training, especially on several of the most basic defensive movements. The purpose had been to help him handle the challenge of this match, and now that training was coming in handy.
"Things change in an instant on a football field. Everything depends on your performance in the moment. No one can help you—you can only rely on yourself."
"In one-on-one defense, the most important thing is to put yourself in an unbeatable position first. Patiently stay with your opponent, and don't dive in recklessly."
Old Bing's instructions from the previous night's training echoed in Yang Yang's mind. He did not rush in recklessly. Instead, he deliberately kept a certain distance, his eyes fixed on his opponent and taking in every movement, while using God's Perspective to survey the entire field.
The opposing number seven had been dazzling throughout the match, turning Baken Academy's right flank into a sieve. He was bursting with confidence. Seeing Yang Yang refrain from rushing in rashly, he settled the ball and immediately charged forward with it.
Isn't he just a rookie making his debut?
"Harassing the opponent is a very important defensive method. Its purpose is to disrupt the rhythm of their dribbling, but you must leave yourself room to react."
"To harass the opponent effectively, you need to prepare thoroughly before the match."
The opposing number seven was left-footed and skilled at reaching the byline before crossing.
Yang Yang had learned that from observing him for more than an hour by the sidelines. The number seven clearly did not take this rookie seriously. Whether it was because he trusted his own ability or simply felt bold, he made no effort to hide his intention: he was going to beat Yang Yang one-on-one.
The number seven wore a contemptuous smile, as if saying, I've got you figured out. What are you going to do now?
Just as he entered Yang Yang's defensive zone, Yang Yang suddenly took a small step backward. Before the opponent could react, he abruptly stepped forward, moving toward his own right and targeting the opponent's left foot.
Yang Yang was not physically strong, but he was agile and explosive. He moved like a startled hare. The number seven instinctively stopped, stepped on the ball, and, after a feint, shifted it onto his right foot.
Unexpectedly, Yang Yang's step had also been a feint. After stepping forward, he immediately retreated, but by then the distance between them had already narrowed considerably. Having anticipated his opponent's reaction, Yang Yang quickly stepped forward again, once more targeting his left foot.
The number seven was startled again. Without time to think, he paused and shifted the ball onto his right foot once more.
Damn it. This time it's real, right?
Let's see how you get past me!
Just as the number seven shifted the ball back onto his stronger left foot and drove inward past Yang Yang's left side with force, Yang Yang suddenly retreated another step and turned sideways to the left. The moment he saw his opponent trying to break through inside, he planted his left foot and quickly poked out his right.
"Don't commit unless you're certain. Once you do, you must win the ball." Old Bing's warning from training still rang in his ears.
In the blink of an eye, the player went past—but the ball was knocked away.
The Baken Academy center-back covering behind Yang Yang quickly charged out of the penalty area and cleared the ball with a powerful kick.
Only then did a wave of surprised exclamations rise from around the field.
The number seven from Omnibus turned around wide-eyed and stared at Yang Yang. He could not believe that his dribble had actually been stopped.
A fluke. It must have been a fluke.
All the Baken Academy players were equally stunned. They never would have expected Yang Yang's first defensive action after coming on to succeed. Henk Dimer in particular wore an expression of utter disbelief.
Luck. That was nothing but a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse. How could this guy possibly have that kind of ability?
Yet enthusiastic applause erupted from the sidelines.
Although most ordinary fans had not clearly seen the exchange between the two players, the result was obvious: Baken Academy had defended successfully, and that alone was enough to earn a warm round of applause.
It was the most successful piece of defending on the right flank all match.
"What a move! That was beautiful defending!"
"Wasn't it? Clean and decisive, and he didn't even commit a foul."
"Who is that guy? How come I've never seen him before?"
"He's that famous wastrel from Almere Youth Team. I didn't expect him to be pretty good at defending."
"Exactly. If we'd known he could hold the line, we should have put him on earlier."
As the saying went, outsiders watched the excitement while experts saw the skill.
John Rep and Dick Van Pool on the bench, as well as the Dutch Middle-aged Man by the sideline, were clearly more surprised than anyone else. Although everything had happened in the blink of an eye, their experience allowed them to see the entire sequence clearly.
It had been a battle of wits and strength between attack and defense.
What surprised them most was Yang Yang's composure in defense. His two feints had disrupted the opponent's rhythm, and he had then decisively stuck out his foot to break up the dribble. The entire process had been clean and efficient, without the slightest hesitation.
Was this really the Yang Yang they knew?
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