On the evening of September 18, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
In the opening round of the Champions League group stage, Ajax faced Bayern Munich away.
Yang Yang stood in front of the visitors' bench, greeted by a ferocious chorus of boos from the stands.
Even after leaving Real Madrid, he remained the most unwelcome player in this stadium.
Of course, the Allianz Arena was certainly not the away ground where Yang Yang was hated most. Camp Nou and the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium still ranked ahead of it.
Sometimes, Yang Yang rather enjoyed the feeling.
Although they booed Yang Yang, the Bayern Munich fans gave Xabi Alonso warm applause. That left Yang Yang rather envious. Players as well liked as Xabi Alonso were truly rare.
Both teams fielded their strongest lineups for this match.
Bayern Munich started Neuer in goal, with Alaba, Hummels, Boateng, and Kimmich in defense. Tiago and Goretzka were the double defensive midfielders, with Ribery, Thomas Muller, and Robben ahead of them, and Lewandowski as the lone striker.
Since taking over Bayern Munich, Kovac had worked hard to reshape the team while giving more support to young players such as Süle, Goretzka, and Gnabry. But for now, Bayern Munich still relied on several veterans for their core strength. Even Tiago, a regular starter, struggled to shoulder the burden.
Ajax still lined up in a 4-3-3, but with two defensive midfielders, their shape actually bore some resemblance to Bayern Munich's 4-2-3-1. The main difference was probably the positioning on the two flanks.
Onana was in goal, with Tagliafico, Militão, De Ligt, and Achraf in defense. Frenkie De Jong and Ndombele were the double defensive midfielders, Van de Beek played ahead of them, and the attacking trident consisted of Neres, Jović, and Sancho.
Ajax's starting lineup was