Helping a Player Score Is Difficult, but I'm Willing to Put in the Effort (4k)

Helping a Player Score Is Difficult, but I'm Willing to Put in the Effort (4k)

Fuck no!

Seeing that things had gone wrong, captain Ramselaar rushed straight to the referee.

"Surely that's not a red card?"

"He showed his studs!"

Referee Semak made his position clear and immediately waved away the Utrecht players who had come to argue for their teammate.

Van der Maarel's foot had landed on Marinus's chest.

And his studs had been angled upward.

It was an indisputable red-card offense.

"Mark."

Tang Ye walked over and placed a hand on Van der Maarel's shoulder.

This was the first time Tang Ye had personally seen a teammate sent off during a match.

Although he was not the one being sent off, Tang Ye could feel Van der Maarel's emotions.

He had to be devastated. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry..."

Van der Maarel pressed a hand to his chest and kept apologizing to Tang Ye and Balazhit beside him.

Utrecht were one goal ahead now.

Their advantage could very well vanish completely because Van der Maarel had been shown a straight red!

Because Utrecht would only have ten men on the pitch from here on out!

Tang Ye and Balazhit followed Van der Maarel to the sideline. Erik ten Hag briefly comforted Van der Maarel while holding his hand, then called Tang Ye over.

"Play it safe. Don't hold us back. We still have a chance, understand?"

Tang Ye nodded.

He knew the situation was urgent! At a time like this, he absolutely could not hold the team back!

The bad news kept coming. Zwolle were awarded a direct free kick from the spot where Van der Maarel had committed the foul.

Brama took the free kick.

Rather than shoot directly, he sent the ball to the far post, where Becker was waiting.

Bell headed it into the net.

In just three minutes, Utrecht had fallen from heaven into hell.

Watching it happen on the television in the locker room, Van der Maarel's heart went cold.

At this rate, Zwolle would score again.

Three points becoming zero—Van der Maarel would become the scapegoat! Fuck, that red card's chain reaction is devastating.

Damn, the odds have flipped. Hurry up and put something on a Zwolle win, or by the end of this match I'll have lost my pants.

What the fuck, why did that defender run up there for no reason???

Idiot streamer, you said Utrecht would win 3–0 away from home. Unfollowed!

"No, no, I'm just a small-time streamer! How was I supposed to know Utrecht would get a red card this match? Don't blame me, okay?"

Wang Chao was the one suffering the most now.

He was the leader.

If the leader pointed everyone in the wrong direction, he was bound to get cursed out!

On screen, Veldwijk clutched the ball and ran toward the center circle.

They refused to celebrate.

They wanted to use the remaining time to complete their comeback against Utrecht!

"It's okay, it's okay! Come on, come on!"

Ramselaar clapped and shouted encouragement.

He was the captain on the pitch.

At a time like this, he had to step up and rally his teammates! Don't hold us back, don't hold us back...

Keeping Erik ten Hag's words firmly in mind, Tang Ye moved while considering what he should do next.

He wanted an assist, and he wanted a goal.

But more than that, he wanted to win!

Actually, Tang Ye had never been that obsessed with winning or losing before, but this match was different.

Seeing Van der Maarel looking so utterly heartbroken just now had made Tang Ye feel awful.

Before Tang Ye could think any further, Zwolle launched an attack. Forward Ryan Thomas carried the ball down the left at incredible speed.

Ramselaar began marking Thomas one-on-one.

"Cover him! Cover him!"

Erik ten Hag shouted at Tang Ye.

Ramselaar might not be able to stop Thomas, and Erik ten Hag needed Tang Ye to get out to the flank! But Tang Ye did not do that.

His instincts told him Thomas was about to pass. If Tang Ye ran over now, not only would he be too late, he would just be toyed with in the middle by Zwolle's players like a dog.

Tang Ye gave up on helping defend and instead moved toward Marinus.

Tang Ye was gambling that Thomas would pass the ball to Marinus.

And he had guessed right. Thomas feinted past Ramselaar and played a horizontal pass to Marinus in the middle.

The instant the pass was played, Tang Ye accelerated, went down sideways, and slid the ball straight to Strieder's feet.

Wow!

Strieder hurried forward.

Looking up, he saw Balazhit holding out a hand ahead of him!

With a sharp smack, Strieder launched a long pass straight toward the right byline.

Balazhit was quick. Like Thomas, once he received the ball on the flank, he immediately charged at the opposing defense.

Brama was the one marking him!

Tang Ye spat out the grass in his mouth and accelerated toward the attacking half.

I can't hold them back!

Balazhit reached the byline and turned his attention to Haller on the left.

Haller raised his left hand and pointed his right hand toward the edge of the box.

It was one of his signals.

Balazhit understood it! "A cutback to Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye! He gets the ball at the edge of the box, it's a good passing angle, and Haller is already nearing the six-yard box!"

"Tang Ye, pass... he shoots directly!"

"Fuck..."

"It's in! It's in!"

"A goal from Tang Ye!"

"Utrecht have taken the lead again!"

"The scorer is... Tang Ye!"

At the age of 37, you showed resilience and tenacity, helping your team regain the lead despite being a man down.

Reward: Comeback Points ×10

Portugal Low-tier Chest → Portugal Mid-tier Chest

"Hahaha!"

Ten Comeback Points and the restored lead—double joy flooded Tang Ye's mind.

There was nothing left in his head now.

Except roaring in celebration!

In the locker room, Van der Maarel, who had already resigned himself to becoming the scapegoat, suddenly leaped up from the bench.

A sliding interception to launch a counterattack, followed by a deadly finish from the edge of the box.

It had to be Tang Ye!

Damn it, if he hadn't held Tang Ye back this match, Utrecht might already have been leading 3–0! The two Dutch coaches on Utrecht's bench both flung their arms in celebration.

Ten men against eleven—at a time like this, every player would be nervous.

But Tang Ye would not.

Tang Ye's super heart showed its worth at this moment.

They were a man down, but he was not panicking at all.

That was the basic requirement of a freeloader!

"Ayoub, come back for now."

Erik ten Hag raised a hand to call back Ayoub, who had been warming up in a bib, signaling for the midfielder to return to his seat and rest.

You may be battle-hardened, Ayoub.

But at a time like this, they needed to let the lazy pig with the steadier mentality handle it! The match resumed. After Tang Ye quickly scored one against them, the Zwolle players, who had already wanted badly to win, began to feel nervous.

Not everyone had the heart of a world-class player! "Here, give it to me."

Tang Ye ran to the left flank and proactively took the ball from Nganioni.

He turned and looked up. Having learned their lesson, Zwolle did not leave Haller and Balazhit unmarked.

Passing in this situation would be giving the ball away.

Tang Ye was a lazy pig, not a reckless pig. He would not make that kind of pass.

After thinking carefully, Tang Ye laid the ball off to Ramselaar on his right.

He was getting a little too tired to run, so he had to let his teammates do the running for him.

"Ramselaar carries the ball forward!"

"Holy shit, even with a man down, Utrecht are still attacking!"

"Erik ten Hag's tactics are completely crushing the opposing manager's!"

"Ramselaar, there's an opportunity ahead!"

Ramselaar combined with Balazhit and carried the ball forward for more than thirty meters.

Trying to go any farther now would mean running into pressure from several Zwolle defenders.

If he could not advance, then he could only switch it wide.

Looking up, Ramselaar noticed Haller making a run down the left flank.

But his current position was not ideal, so he could only give the ball to Tang Ye first.

"Send it left!"

Ramselaar quietly reminded him, hoping Tang Ye would produce a brilliant pass.

Instead, Tang Ye simply ran forward with the ball.

Oh no!

Ramselaar sensed trouble.

Tang Ye seemed not to have heard him!

"Here we go, here we go."

Tang Ye stared at Zwolle's goal, practically drooling.

Ramselaar's eyesight had to be bad.

Couldn't he see such a massive shooting lane?

Tang Ye charged forward with the ball, not giving the opposing defenders any chance to step out and stop him, then whipped it away with the outside of his foot.

The ball flew straight into the top-left corner of the goal.

Hehe.

Another one!

At the age of 37, in your first Dutch Eredivisie start, you scored two goals. You were extremely satisfied with your performance today because you knew you had not held your teammates back.

Reward: Comeback Points ×10

Extra reward for scoring twice: Comeback Points ×10

Tang Ye's mind was thoroughly flooded by the system's twenty Comeback Points, so much so that he did not even notice Ramselaar and Haller running toward him.

"Woww!!!"

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

"What was that?"

"What was that!"

"Fuck, Tang Ye! A brace!"

"Utrecht 3–1 Zwolle, what the fuck did I just see!"

"A direct finish into the top corner with the outside of his foot!"

No way, he's that ruthless? Two goals in his first start at sixteen—are we sure he's full-blooded Chinese?

Baidu Encyclopedia says he's from Guangdong. Definitely full-blooded.

Holy shit, he pulled another one out of nowhere? Awesome! He's taking off, he's taking off!

He scored more than the forwards in one match. Isn't this guy a possession-based midfielder?

Damn, Erik ten Hag should bow to Tang Ye at least twice. If Tang Ye hadn't started this match, Utrecht would've been slaughtered.

While the away team celebrated, the broadcast camera cut to the home manager, Omond.

There was not a trace of expression on Omond's face.

Before the match, he had thought Erik ten Hag had started Tang Ye because he was underestimating them.

Now, he realized he had been wrong.

This was Ten Hag's respect for Zwolle! It was precisely because Erik ten Hag respected Zwolle enough that he had started Tang Ye.

This Chinese kid might play football without much logic, but when he got a chance, he really knew how to take it!

Tang Ye celebrated with his teammates in an embrace by the sideline, and his system sent him a notification.

Because of this brace, his Portugal chest had successfully upgraded to Advanced.

That meant that after this match, Tang Ye could obtain the skill of a player worth €30 million to €70 million.

But Tang Ye's performance in this match had been fucking incredible, giving him a second option.

At 37, you are experienced and steady. You may temporarily forgo claiming this reward. If you score or assist again in your next match, the chest may be upgraded further. If you do not contribute to any goals in your next match, the chest will drop by one level. (Next match only)

Next match only. In other words, the system had given Tang Ye one extra match to upgrade his chest.

Wasn't this just wealth management? As a financial tycoon who had taken out a one-time Huabei loan of 100,000 comeback points, Tang Ye naturally knew this was a profit.

He immediately chose wealth management!

The second option was triggered.

Tang Ye voluntarily gave up claiming the Portugal Advanced Chest after today's match.

His goal was to get that damn Superstar Chest in the next match! A true superstar worth €70 million to €100 million.

There was an essential difference between that and a star worth €30 million to €70 million!

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

"Jerry!"

Someone in the away stand shouted "Jerry," but his voice was quickly swallowed up.

The match ended. Thanks to Tang Ye's two goals, ten-man Utrecht defeated Zwolle 3–1 away from home.

The Zwolle players were stunned, and so were the Utrecht players.

They had still taken a two-goal lead despite being a man down.

Great God had been on their side today! After the match, in the press room, Erik ten Hag faced ten reporters alone, without the slightest trace of panic on his face.

"Mr. Erik, congratulations on your victory today. Both in terms of the process and the result, this was a very difficult match."

The first to stand was a female reporter, who praised Utrecht's outstanding performance today.

She then asked about Van der Maarel's red card. "When Mark was shown the red card, how did you feel as the team's head coach?"

"I didn't feel much. Or you could say I wasn't fazed at all."

Erik ten Hag shrugged indifferently, looking as though he had known the result all along.

"Not fazed at all? Are you saying you believed ten-man Utrecht could defeat a full-strength Zwolle?"

"More or less."

Erik ten Hag casually rolled his neck. "A lot of fans questioned my decision to start Tang in this match. The truth is, Tang's place in the starting lineup was specifically designed by me."

"Specifically designed? What does that mean...?"

"I knew Tang would score those two goals. That was why I put him in the starting lineup. His task was to go out there and solve our scoring problem."

Erik ten Hag spoke slowly. "But honestly, Tang's performance today could only be called average. He should have scored three, not two, because according to my plan, we should have beaten them 4–1, or 4–0."

"..."

"So you predicted all along that Tang would score, which is why you put him in the starting lineup?"

"You could say that." Erik ten Hag nodded.

The female reporter's eyes widened.

Oh my God!

Erik ten Hag was...

Too incredible! "Then will you continue to start Tang in the future, given his good performance today?"

"There's no need to rush that. I need to think about it."

Erik ten Hag shared his experience with the reporters in the press room. "A player's performance on the pitch is heavily influenced by the coach's tactical arrangements, just like Tang today. Although his talent may not be that outstanding, I will help him. That is my responsibility as a head coach."

"When the next opportunity comes, I will still start him."

Erik ten Hag smiled.

"Helping a player score is difficult, but I am willing to make the effort."