What Was Going On?

"Take him on... take him on... hurry, take him on..."

"Beautiful! He got past him again!"

"Another Pendulum Dribble—what a gorgeous move."

"What a pity. Henk Dimer's form has been awful this match. After receiving the pass, he didn't immediately return it, making that Chinese kid's sprint completely pointless. Otherwise, it would've been a beautiful one-two."

"I said before, that Chinese kid is really fast."

"Who would've thought that the most active player in this match would be that kid who was Subbed On?"

The fans on the sidelines were buzzing with discussion, but Yang Yang was feeling somewhat frustrated.

After using the Pendulum Dribble to beat the opposing left midfielder, he had gotten ahead of Omnibus Number Seven's left back and squared the ball to Henk Dimer before sprinting forward. But the captain hadn't understood his intention and chose to go it alone with the ball. Not only was he dispossessed, but he also gave the opposition a chance to launch a counterattack.

Dragged down by his teammate, Yang Yang's rush had come to nothing, and he had no choice but to sprint sixty meters back to defend his own penalty area.

But when he saw Dick Van Pool angrily spread his arms on the sideline and shout at Henk Dimer, demanding to know why he hadn't played a diagonal pass toward the right byline to find him, Yang Yang immediately felt much better.

In that situation, anyone would have known to thread a pass in behind and make use of Yang Yang's speed. Once he got to the byline, there would have been plenty of options.

Henk Dimer had chosen not to pass and to go it alone. Either his mentality had become unbalanced and he was eager to make up for his poor performance in this match, or he simply didn't want to see Yang Yang steal any more of his spotlight.

Of course, both possibilities might have been true.

But no matter what, the match had to go on.

Following another adjustment from Head Coach Dick Van Pool, Baken Academy's attacks began to favor the right flank.

Though Yang Yang was a right back, he was given greater freedom to push forward and join the attack.

Having been Subbed On, he was full of energy. He kept racing up and down the right flank without sparing his stamina, and his movement was simple: with the aid of [God's Perspective], he either ran into open spaces or darted behind the defenders to call for the ball.

These were merely the most basic off-the-ball movement techniques, but they made Omnibus Number Seven's two left-sided players miserable.

Not to mention their left back, who had already played nearly the entire match—even their left midfielder, who had only just been Subbed On, could not keep up with Yang Yang's constant back-and-forth runs. Several times, he had failed to track him, allowing Yang Yang to receive the ball.

The moment he got the ball, Yang Yang completely forgot that he was a right back. It was as if wings had sprouted from his back as he charged forward at top speed.

Whenever he had a one-on-one opportunity, he broke through without hesitation. He used the Pendulum Dribble from [Ronaldo's Rush] again and again, using Omnibus Number Seven's defenders to continuously hone and improve his technique. The results were far better than training in the Super Training Ground.

At the very least, every time he heard the cheers from the sideline, Yang Yang became wildly excited, as though his whole body had been set ablaze.

John Rep had sat back down on the coaching bench, but his eyes never left Yang Yang on the pitch.

Perhaps because he had been suppressed for nearly a year and had finally received a chance to play, Yang Yang had performed with exceptional fervor after coming on.

If Omnibus Number Seven's left midfielder had been the most active player during the first hour, then throughout the final half hour, the focus of the match never strayed from Yang Yang on Baken Academy's right flank.

This Chinese kid had truly taken him by surprise. He was without question Baken Academy's biggest surprise and greatest gain from this match.

John Rep had seen Yang Yang's hard training over this period, but he had never expected him to improve so much, so quickly. If he could maintain this momentum, he would definitely earn a place in Almere's First Team someday.

More importantly, John Rep felt that he needed to reevaluate this Chinese player—not only his ability and potential, but also his position on the pitch.

"His desire to attack is too strong," John Rep said with a sigh.

Dick Van Pool nodded. "That isn't a good thing for a defender."

A defender's foremost task was defending. A defender with too strong a desire to attack was often a hidden danger at the back.

Judging from his performance since being Subbed On in the second half, Yang Yang's defending was not bad. He had good stamina and was well suited to playing fullback. Yet he had also performed remarkably well in attack, especially with his Pendulum Dribble, which had an extremely high success rate. But he seemed to know only that one move, and the way he handled the ball on several occasions had exposed his poor fundamentals.

What was going on here?

Dick Van Pool was so troubled that he wanted to scratch his head.

"Let's observe him for a while longer," John Rep said. He had a headache as well. He was finding Yang Yang harder and harder to understand.

In the 87th minute, Yang Yang broke through down the right once more. After once again beating a defender with the Pendulum Dribble, he sent a forty-five-degree cross toward the near post.

Baken Academy's forward quickly surged in and headed it from close range, but the ball skimmed past the post and went out.

That was also Baken Academy's final threatening attack of the match.

Yang Yang's successive successful dribbles won him another wave of thunderous applause from the fans on the sidelines, but he was powerless to prevent his team's defeat.

In the end, Baken Academy lost 1–2 at Home to their city rivals, Omnibus Number Seven.

When the final whistle blew, Yang Yang, drenched in sweat, slowly walked toward his uncle Shen Ming's family by the sideline. Many Baken Academy fans gave him enthusiastic applause, and two students from Baken Academy's elementary division even rushed onto the field to ask for his autograph. A powerful sense of satisfaction rose in Yang Yang's heart.

Being recognized and admired by others felt amazing!

"Good kid, you played incredibly well." His uncle Shen Ming lightly punched his nephew as he approached.

Watching Yang Yang's performance on the pitch had left him excited as well. He felt proud beyond words.

"I played a little above my usual level today," Yang Yang said with a chuckle.

This wasn't him being modest; it was simply the truth.

After being Subbed On, he had the advantage in stamina. On top of that, he had spent an hour watching from the sidelines and had gained a fairly clear read on the opponents, so once he entered the match, dealing with them came naturally.

"Keep playing like this, and I believe you'll definitely be able to stay at Almere," Shen Ming encouraged him.

Even if an interschool match couldn't prove much, people still needed something to look forward to.

While speaking with his uncle and cousin, Yang Yang noticed that in the distance, First Team Head Coach John Rep was talking with a middle-aged couple. The Dutch Middle-aged Man was unmistakably the same person Yang Yang had encountered at the Skate Park that morning.

So he really did know John Rep—but who exactly was he?

After Omnibus swaggered off with the three points, Dick Van Pool gathered the entire team together.

Baken Academy's Head Coach flew into a rage and berated everyone, believing that once the players stepped onto the pitch, they had completely thrown his pre-match arrangements out the window. Omnibus had dominated them from start to finish, especially their own midfield and attack.

"Whether it was organization or attacking, you played like complete shit."

After fiercely venting the frustration in his chest, Van Pool specifically named Yang Yang, who had been Subbed On, for praise.

"I'm very pleased to see your improvement. It's the result of all your hard work over the past period of time. I hope you'll continue working hard and strive to maintain today's performance in future matches."

Yang Yang smiled and nodded vigorously. He knew this meant he would continue to get opportunities to play in the future.

Both the starting and substitute right backs were injured, so it looked like he would have to keep filling in for a while longer. But as long as the Head Coach continued granting him the freedom he had enjoyed in today's match, it made little difference whether he played up front or not.

However, the group of players led by Henk Dimer, who had previously looked down on him, wore extremely unpleasant expressions after hearing Van Pool's words. They too understood what the Head Coach meant, yet were powerless to stop it.

It could be said that Yang Yang had been Baken Academy's best player in this match. In fact, Henk Dimer had Yang Yang's assist to thank for not being singled out and criticized by the Head Coach.

Continuing to be included in the match squad was not only necessary because of the team's injuries, but also the reward Yang Yang deserved.

After the team dispersed, everyone went home with their parents, but Yang Yang did not rest.

After telling his uncle, he headed south while juggling the ball, returning to the Skate Park to continue his basic training.

He had only played for half an hour just now, so he had not expended much energy and still felt unsatisfied. Old Bing had also long since prepared a post-match analysis for him, pointing out each of the many mistakes he had made during the match and offering suggestions for improvement.

"Even though I only played for thirty minutes, it feels like I gained more than I did from all the training over the past period. My understanding of many things has clearly deepened, and I've gained a better feel for using techniques too," Yang Yang said in amazement. It was how he genuinely felt.

"Of course. A match that changes from moment to moment is both tense and thrilling. Even the Super Training Ground cannot simulate it perfectly. The grueling training day and night is all accumulation, meant only to erupt during those brief ninety minutes. Naturally, the gains are something ordinary training cannot provide," Old Bing unusually agreed with Yang Yang in a calm tone.

"Then do you think I should add more training focused on actual matches?" Yang Yang asked with a smile.

He had gotten a taste for the sweetness of competition.

Old Bing did not object. "Your fundamentals are still terrible, so you must continue with basic training. But since you'll continue taking part in matches, I'll make suitable adjustments to the training programs and add some special training focused on matches, especially [Ronaldo's Rush]. You should master the various techniques and variations of the Pendulum Dribble as soon as possible."

"Understood." Yang Yang grinned.

He was growing increasingly confident about his future development. He could practically see his future already.

If Almere really managed to earn promotion to the Dutch Second Division this season, would he have a chance to play in the Dutch Second Division next season?

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