The referee finally blew the whistle to signal the end of the match.
The entire Cruyff Stadium turned into a sea of celebration.
More than fifty thousand fans frantically chanted Yang Yang's name, while the Ajax players inside and outside the stadium celebrated wildly as well.
The entire Tottenham Hotspur team was dispirited, every player looking utterly dejected.
In this season's Champions League Group Stage, they had lost all three of their matches without earning a single point. It was extremely dangerous for them.
Eriksson, Vertonghen, Alderweireld...
These three players from Ajax were dejected, yet they still politely shook hands with the Ajax players to congratulate them. Vertonghen in particular had once played under Yang Yang, so the two could be considered old acquaintances.
"That last ball—if you'd been just a little slower, I would've caught up," Vertonghen said unwillingly.
Yang Yang smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I know you would've caught up, so I couldn't slow down."
The Belgian center-back was speechless, but he believed Yang Yang, because he was Yang Yang.
Only those who had watched Yang Yang play, or had played alongside him, could understand just how terrifying he was on the pitch.
Tottenham Hotspur had a very deep Ajax influence, not only because several of their players had come through Ajax's youth academy, but also because the two teams' styles were quite similar. Pochettino's home tactics were also similar to Ajax's.
But he was different from Yang Yang.
Pochettino had studied under Bielsa. From Espanyol to Southampton and then to the current Tottenham Hotspur, he had advanced step by step, and every team he coached bore the strong imprint of a disciple of Bielsa.
Yang Yang was also very interested in and optimistic about Bielsa's football philosophy. So, with this rare opportunity, he seized