Core Combat Power

My God, what happened?

John Rep, standing by the sidelines, was completely stunned.

Dick Van Pool beside him and the surrounding fans were all dumbfounded, staring at the field in disbelief.

The kid in the number nine jersey, after calmly slotting the ball into the net when facing the goalkeeper alone, first stood frozen in place, but then quickly rushed towards the sidelines, shouting loudly along the way.

As a former professional player, John Rep could completely imagine how excited and thrilled Yang Yang must be at this moment.

Even though it was just an amateur league, this was like a dream come true for Yang Yang, utterly unbelievable.

Two months ago, this kid was at the bottom of the team, condemned by everyone, and almost left Almere. But now, two months later, he had become a sharp blade on the wing for the Almere Youth Team. He had just consecutively dribbled past three opposing defenders and scored.

Three to two, Almere had taken the lead again.

Yang Yang also ran out of the field, sprinting past the fans behind the iron fence, arms spread wide, soaring around the pitch.

John Rep could clearly see the smile on his face up close. Under the night lights, it seemed to be shining.

This was a gem that couldn't be hidden!

Suddenly, John Rep even felt that Almere might not be able to keep him.

Look at his performance in this match, dribbling past Marvin Doring, a starter for the fourth-tier team, as if it were child's play, effortlessly. And he was only sixteen years old. With his current progress, Almere would soon be unable to satisfy him.

And as long as he continued to maintain this level of performance in amateur matches, he would soon catch the eye of Eredivisie teams.

A teenager who wouldn't turn seventeen until October, showing such performance and rapid progress, his potential was limitless.

The Almere players also rushed out of the field, tackling Yang Yang by the sidelines, piling on him.

They all knew Yang Yang had improved greatly and was very skilled, and he had taken first place in the academic assessment again. But they had never imagined that Yang Yang would one day become their savior and bring them such a huge surprise.

Even Henk Dimer was completely convinced by Yang Yang at this moment.

At the very least, he could never have replicated Yang Yang's brave move just now, that brilliant dribble past three players.

Many home team fans by the sidelines also gave Yang Yang warm applause.

Although they supported AS80 more, they couldn't help but applaud such an outstanding goal.

The AS80 players were filled with disappointment, especially Kule and Marvin Doring, who were toyed with by Yang Yang, feeling even more humiliated.

They were all older than Yang Yang, and some were even starters for the first team. Yet, in the end, they were toyed with by a sixteen-year-old kid. How could they face this?

Wesley Snoyer trembled with anger, gritting his teeth as he stared at Yang Yang, pinned down by his teammates on the sidelines, but he was helpless. He simply couldn't replicate such a dribble past three players.

The outstanding performance of an opposing player not only greatly boosted the morale of the opponents but also dealt a devastating blow to the morale and fighting spirit of their own players. Especially since Yang Yang scored the crucial go-ahead goal, which made everyone at AS80 feel even more dejected.

Even this kind of defense couldn't stop this sharp blade. Should they send two players to mark him at the same time?

How could the game be played then?

After all, Almere still had Henk Dimer in the middle.

As the saying goes, one side's gain is the other's loss.

After Yang Yang scored their third goal, AS80 was greatly demoralized, while Almere's morale soared. They focused on defense and ultimately held onto the 3-2 lead until the final whistle.

When the final whistle sounded, everyone from Almere rushed towards Yang Yang. Many fans by the sidelines also moved the iron fence and charged onto the field, celebrating unrestrainedly.

Even though this was the home ground of their bitter rivals, and even though their rivals' fans were all around, this was the privilege of the victors.

Yang Yang took off his soaked jersey and kept high-fiving his teammates and fans who came to congratulate him.

Amidst the celebrating crowd, a boy of about eight or nine years old approached Yang Yang.

"Brother, can you take a picture with me and sign it?"

Yang Yang was taken aback. This was the first time someone had asked him for a signed photo.

The little boy's father was not far away, holding a camera. As Yang Yang crouched down and posed affectionately with the boy, he immediately clicked, capturing the moment.

"My dad said this picture should be kept well, it will definitely sell for a lot of money in the future," the little boy said with a innocent smile.

A sense of immense satisfaction washed over Yang Yang. How could he refuse? He picked up a pen and quickly signed his name in the autograph book, thinking to himself that he should practice his signature when he had the chance.

"Thank you, brother," the little boy said, holding the autograph book and pen, and quickly ran back to his father.

"You did great," the boy's father even walked over to shake Yang Yang's hand.

Watching the father and son leave, Yang Yang let out a heavy sigh.

This feeling was really quite good.

"Cheers!"

In the courtyard outside the entrance of Shen's Chinese Restaurant, all the participating Almere players pushed tables together to form a large circle. Everyone held a cup in their hand, but they were all filled with plain water as they cheered and celebrated their victory.

Three to two, they had defeated their city rivals, AS80.

What made them even happier was that after the match, Head Coach John Rep and Dick Van Pool both highly praised the players' performance, especially their tenacious defense.

John Rep stated that the coaching staff would continue to closely monitor the team's performance, and all outstanding players would have the opportunity to join the first team in the new season, which undoubtedly thrilled and excited all the players.

Although he wasn't singled out for praise by the head coach, Yang Yang knew he didn't need it.

All three goals in this match came from his feet, especially the last one where he dribbled past three players. Even he found it hard to believe when recalling it afterward, and couldn't imagine repeating it, yet it happened.

Since he performed exceptionally well and was recognized without needing praise, there was no need to dwell on anything with his teammates.

After the match, his teammates felt Yang Yang should treat them. So, after showering, they gathered at Yang Yang's uncle Shen Ming's Chinese restaurant. They asked his uncle to whip up a few light and delicious dishes, prepared a large portion of noodles, and then everyone crowded around a table to devour the meal.

They weren't professional players yet and were still in their growth phase, so they didn't have many dietary restrictions. However, if they joined the first team, there would likely be some controls.

Of course, no alcohol or sugary drinks were allowed, so they toasted with plain water.

"We really have Yang Yang to thank this time. That last play, dribbling past three players, was spectacular. What were you thinking at that moment?" Henk Dimer asked with great admiration.

It was something he wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Yang Yang carefully recalled the process at the time and shook his head, saying, "I wasn't thinking much. I just saw an opportunity and decided to take it, one defender at a time. I didn't expect to make it all the way to the penalty area, but maybe the opponents were quite fatigued, which gave me the chance."

Hearing his explanation, everyone found it reasonable.

Even in amateur matches, dribbling past three players wasn't easy.

What's more, Yang Yang was facing AS80's starting defensive lineup.

Upon hearing this, the others offered more congratulations, all agreeing that Yang Yang's triple-dribble was brilliant.

"It's a shame this was just an internal match for Almere. I noticed there were hardly any scouts from outside the region, so Yang Yang definitely wouldn't have become famous. If he could get noticed by a big team, that would be incredible..."

His teammates also expressed their regret.

In their eyes, any professional team in the Eredivisie or Dutch Second Division was basically a big team.

Yang Yang, however, took a more laid-back approach. He replied calmly, "There's nothing to regret. As long as we keep working hard, we'll definitely have more opportunities."

"You're absolutely right," Henk Dimer agreed wholeheartedly. "We defeated AS80 this time and advanced smoothly from the first round. As long as we play every match diligently from now on, I guarantee we'll be noticed sooner or later."

AS80 wasn't particularly strong originally, but this time they had five players from the first team, especially key players like Wesley Snoyer and two others, which significantly boosted AS80's overall strength.

Almere's ability to defeat such a team meant that as long as they played seriously from now on, ordinary amateur teams would pose no threat, especially with Yang Yang, a sharp winger, on their side.

Unknowingly, everyone began to see Yang Yang as the team's backbone and core.

Even Henk Dimer had to admit now that Yang Yang was the core fighting force of this Almere team.

Yang Yang didn't overthink it. He participated in these matches primarily to hone his skills and improve himself. He was also starting to realize that playing more games stimulated his progress.

As for defeating opponents, achieving rankings, or attracting attention, he truly had no such considerations.

He knew very well that as long as his own strength was sufficient, opportunities would eventually come.

He also understood himself well. The triple-dribble was a fluke, a rare occurrence that couldn't be easily replicated. Even if given another chance, he might not be able to do it again. However, his weak fundamental skills were his biggest bottleneck and vulnerability.

Improving his fundamental skills as quickly as possible and mastering the Star Skill [Ronaldo's Rush] were his top priorities right now. He wouldn't concern himself with anything else.

But he had to admit that being adored by fans and relied upon by teammates gave Yang Yang a great sense of satisfaction, especially when he thought about his embarrassing situation just two months prior. This made him clearly define his own position.

That position was progress, progress, and more progress!