Intercepted!

Volendam favored attack over defense, with their four defenders arranged in a shallow dish formation. Left back Paul Quasten was especially dangerous going forward down the left, often pushing high enough to leave the two center backs, Hélder Postiga and Henny Schilder, exposed.

Whenever the opposition had possession, Yang Yang deliberately kept disrupting the center backs. It was a tactic.

When he saw his teammates win the ball in the middle and backfield and right back Nick immediately hoof it forward, he turned and burst into motion without hesitation, sprinting behind Volendam's defensive line like an arrow loosed from the bow.

Every time, he sprinted at full speed without holding anything back.

Postiga and Schilder had been mentally prepared. They kept retreating, judging where the ball would land.

This time, they had only backed up to around the halfway line before heading the dropping ball clear back into midfield.

After successfully clearing it with a header, Postiga did not forget to turn and glance at Yang Yang, who had only stopped after charging into the thirty-meter area and was now walking back, panting heavily. His eyes were full of mockery, as if saying, Why are you running? Did you really think the ball could get through?

Yang Yang had no interest in what the proud Dutch center back was thinking. He quickly dropped back and once again threw himself into pressing and harassing the opposition in the final third, taking the chance to recover some strength.

He had already made several sprints like that in the second half, but without exception, every one had failed.

Aside from one offside call, the rest had all come down to his teammates failing to deliver the ball properly.

Of course, he could not blame his teammates for it. The middle and backfield were under immense defensive pressure, and with more than seventy minutes already played, everyone was severely drained and struggling to hold on.

But Yang Yang knew even more clearly that as long as he succeeded once, he could score.

He believed his teammates would eventually send the ball over Volendam's defensive line.

Soon, they won the ball again in the middle and backfield, but this time the long clearance struck an opposing player directly. It failed to leave the danger area and instead created chaos inside Almere's own thirty-meter zone. In the end, the goalkeeper had to rush out and smother the ball.

Everyone from Almere broke out in a cold sweat.

Volendam could see their opponents' desperation and lack of strength to resist. Already one goal ahead, they were no longer pressing relentlessly as they had in the First Half and at the start of the second, but they still maintained firm control over the match.

Yang Yang kept running tirelessly up front, constantly searching for an opening and patiently waiting for his chance.

Postiga and Schilder were thoroughly sick of this Chinese player running all over the place. At first, they tracked him step for step, but after seeing that he posed little threat, they gradually stopped following him.

But just then, Almere's back line suddenly won the ball again.

Henk Dimer intercepted it while tracking back, poking the ball away from Volendam striker Van Saen. After gaining possession, the Almere center back looked upfield and immediately launched the ball forward with a long kick.

Yang Yang had been waiting for an opportunity. The moment he saw his teammate send the long ball over, he burst forward, sweeping past the two center backs like a gust of wind.

Postiga and Schilder were startled as well and kept retreating. Postiga in particular, after backing past the halfway line, judged the ball's landing point. He got into position and leaped high, intending to head it back into midfield again.

But whether it was because he was too exhausted, had failed to plant his foot properly when jumping, or had misjudged the ball's trajectory, he completely missed it!

A wave of gasps swept through the stadium as everyone's faces changed.

The ball flew over Postiga's head and dropped into Volendam's thirty-meter area.

As Yang Yang sprinted, he used [God's Perspective] to keep track of the situation on the pitch, especially the two center backs and the goalkeeper. He also kept an eye on the incoming ball from the corner of his eye. When he saw Postiga miss the header, delight surged through him.

He had finally caught up to the ball. This was his best scoring chance of the second half so far. As long as he controlled it, he would be one-on-one with the keeper.

Yang Yang knew his first touch was poor, so he chose the safest method: controlling it with his chest.

He turned his body at a forty-five-degree angle, puffed out his chest, and brought the incoming ball down in front of himself before quickly accelerating after it.

In the blink of an eye, he was closing in on the penalty area.

The opposing goalkeeper did not hesitate and chose to rush off his line.

The two figures converged near the Penalty Kick spot. Yang Yang struck first with a Pendulum Dribble, feinting as if he would cut past the goalkeeper on the right. He fooled the keeper into diving right, then suddenly shifted his body and broke through on the left before meeting the ball with the inside of his left foot and pushing it forward.

The ball streaked in a straight line and slammed into the unguarded net behind him.

Only when the ball crossed the line did Volendam's other center back, Schilder, catch up to Yang Yang. But by then, Yang Yang had already leaped into the air with a roar before turning and charging toward his teammates.

One-one. Both sides were back at the same starting line.

Volendam, however, had been dealt a severe blow. They had never imagined that in the seventy-sixth minute, their opponents would equalize through a counterattack.

Postiga was so regretful that he kept pounding the turf. He knew he had to bear the main responsibility for the conceded goal. If he had not been overconfident and missed the header, how could Yang Yang have ended up one-on-one with the goalkeeper?

More importantly, before Yang Yang received the ball, both center backs had been some distance away from him.

But no matter what, they had conceded. They had to take responsibility.

The cheering Yang Yang rushed past Postiga and embraced the teammates who came flying toward him. They celebrated wildly on Volendam's pitch. After being suppressed by their opponents for over an hour, they had finally vented their frustration.

With this goal, no matter the final result, they could leave Karas Stadium with their heads held high.

But after the burst of celebration, Postiga clearly heard Yang Yang calling out loudly to his teammates not far away.

"Alright, everyone, get back quickly. It's one-one. We still have time, and we still have a chance."

"We don't want a draw. We want a win. We want a comeback."

"Tonight, we're going to beat Volendam at Karas Stadium!"

His teammates seemed deeply inspired by him, cheering along one after another.

From afar, Postiga gritted his teeth as he listened. He deeply regretted his mistake just now, but what he felt even more was resentment.

They wanted a comeback?

Keep dreaming!

Time ticked away, but the score remained 1–1.

Both teams had fought to the point of exhaustion, and neither could come up with an effective way to break through the other's defense.

After Yang Yang had snatched a goal, Volendam tightened their marking on him, making it difficult for him to find another opportunity like that.

The flow of the match was still under Volendam's control. They had even pushed their defensive line past midfield and launched fierce attacks against Almere's defense. After the eightieth minute, Yang Yang had no choice but to drop back into midfield to defend.

The match had now entered a battle of endurance.

Whoever could hold on had a chance to win. The side that gave up first, or could not hold on any longer, would be doomed.

The fans by the sidelines could feel that the decisive moment had arrived. They kept shouting encouragement, cheering on the home side, Volendam.

Volendam held the possession advantage and played with greater composure, keeping the ball around midfield and the thirty-meter area. Once they entered the thirty-meter area, they accelerated the tempo of their attack. Almere, meanwhile, had to stay alert at all times and could not afford the slightest lapse.

After the eighty-fifth minute, even Yang Yang, with his abundant stamina, was already gasping for breath and suffering terribly.

A match like this was undoubtedly exhausting, but its training value was also extremely high.

Yang Yang focused on the match, while also using [God's Perspective] to observe both sides' formations and momentum. He had gained a great deal from it, but he had no time to carefully analyze every detail. He could only review it with Old Bing after the match.

Right now, he was considering only one thing: how to win.

The flanks were Volendam's most active attacking areas. Left winger Stuer came from Ajax's youth academy, while right winger Diesels had scored in the First Half. Both players were highly threatening, and Volendam's midfield and back line frequently distributed the ball to the flanks.

Their strategy was simple. As long as they could open things up on the flanks, with Ajax youth academy product Van Saen anchoring the middle, they would have a great chance.

Yang Yang naturally understood this as well. So when he saw Volendam's left back, Paul Quasten, surge forward and receive a teammate's pass outside his own team's thirty-meter area, bringing the ball firmly under control, he immediately rushed over to support his team's right side.

He had played right back before and had considerable defensive experience. He positioned himself between Paul Quasten and left winger Stuer, cutting off their passing connection, but Volendam's midfielder quickly ran over to offer support.

Quasten played a diagonal pass to a teammate receiving the ball in the middle, who immediately sent it forward to Stuer.

After that transition through a teammate, the ball still ended up at Stuer's feet.

Nick had more defensive experience than Yang Yang. He quickly got into Stuer's path, preventing him from driving to the byline after receiving the ball and pinning him tightly against the right touchline.

At that moment, a teammate from central midfield also rushed over to help defend. The two were about to form a double team.

Yang Yang had left Paul Quasten behind and tracked back. He noticed that the Volendam midfielder who had just helped link up the play was making a rather strange run. Looking over the whole field through [God's Perspective], he realized that when Stuer faced the two-man trap, he had originally had only one passing option: to pass back to Paul Quasten, who was far behind him.

But if he did that, Volendam's attack would come to nothing.

Yet with that midfielder's run, a second passing lane had opened up.

Yang Yang was startled, but he also had to admire the intelligence of the opponent's movement. Without caring whether Stuer would notice his teammate's run, he charged straight toward the midfielder without hesitation.

It was the best choice he could make at the moment: prepare for the worst and assume that Stuer could see the run and make the pass.

Things were often strange that way.

This passing route was something Volendam had practiced in training. Stuer had excellent individual ability and could shield the ball well, so naturally he spotted his teammate. Just as he had done in training, he immediately played the pass.

The receiving midfielder was overjoyed. This was a perfect opportunity to break into the penalty area.

But just as he was dreaming of scoring, a figure flashed before his eyes. Someone suddenly darted out from his side, got there ahead of him, and forcibly stole the ball away.

He had been intercepted!