When the Slovak referee, Ivan Kružliak, blew the final whistle, Yang Yang turned around with a hearty laugh, thrust out his right hand, high-fived Xabi Alonso, and then pulled his best friend into a tight hug.
Four-nil!
Even in the final stages of the match, Standard Liège had failed to gain any advantage over Ajax.
It was a complete victory, an utterly convincing one!
The Ajax players on the pitch were all extremely excited as well. Once the whistle sounded, they cheered wildly on the field.
Four-nil, six-two on aggregate—they had advanced to the Champions League qualifying playoffs with a huge advantage.
They were just one step away from the Champions League Group Stage!
Everyone knew that this had been Ajax's relentless pursuit over the past few years.
Among the current Ajax squad, aside from Achraf, not a single player had even played in the Champions League Group Stage. Their Champions League experience was practically nonexistent.
But as professional footballers, every one of them had a yearning for the Champions League running through their veins.
After Yang Yang released Xabi Alonso, he grinned from ear to ear.
But soon, he wiped the smile from his face and clicked his tongue twice. "It still wasn't good enough. We missed too many chances."
Seeing his smug expression, Xabi Alonso angrily punched him, then immediately burst out laughing as well.
It really hadn't been easy!
Especially for such a young team, winning six-two on aggregate against Standard Liège was truly no small feat.
"What we gained tonight isn't merely a victory or a place in the next round. We also gained confidence—the players' confidence in themselves, and our coaching staff's confidence in the team's tactics. That's more valuable than a single victory."
The coaching staff around Yang Yang all deeply agreed with