Chapter 119: Champions League Play-off Second Leg, Tang Ye Starts!

In the away team's locker room at Stade Louis II, Tang Ye sat in the corner, his leg shaking incessantly.

Having learned only the day before the match that he would be starting, he himself was still completely dazed.

Wasn't it said he would ruin the team!

What exactly was the situation now?

"Tom?"

Noticing Tang Ye's abnormality, Rodri placed a hand on his thigh: "Are you very nervous right now?"

"Nervous?"

With Rodri saying this, Tang Ye finally remembered what this feeling he was experiencing was called.

"Yes, I'm f*cking nervous as hell right now!"

Escrivá had only told him about the starting lineup and briefly explained some tactics.

Tang Ye still didn't even know specifically how he was supposed to coordinate with his teammates once he got on the field!

When playing for Utrecht before, Tang Ye had never felt this way.

Because Tang Ye knew clearly that he was the team's absolute mainstay.

But now the situation was slightly different!

Tang Ye had lost Ten Hag's protection!

After leaving Utrecht, Tang Ye had shed the indestructible rattan armor he wore!

If they lost the match, he would be back on the bench for the next game!

That was secondary, however.

Spanish fans generally had short tempers; if he scammed the team, Tang Ye would be subjected to online abuse just like before!

"Come on, everyone gather around me!"

Escrivá called out, and all the players in the locker room gathered in the center.

They put their hands together.

Seeing Tang Ye hesitate to make a move, captain Bruno directly grabbed Tang Ye's arm and pressed it on top.

"Come on, you lead the chant!"

"Me? Are you sure?"

"Yes, come on!"

At the request of Bruno and his other teammates, Tang Ye took a deep breath.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

"VAMOS VILLARREAL!"

【Front row spectator!】

【I said a player worth 18 million euros shouldn't be on the bench】

【Damn, doesn't CCTV only broadcast the Champions League proper? Why are they broadcasting the qualifiers today too?】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang has taken control of CCTV】

【Awesome, Tang Ye has status!】

【Hmm, even though Monaco is up, they're still not easy to play against】

"China Central Television, China Central Television, good evening everyone, dear viewers!"

"This is the live broadcast of the second leg of the 2016-17 UEFA Champions League qualifying play-off round, the match between Monaco and Villarreal."

"I am the commentator for this match, He Wei; I am the commentator for this match, Zhan Jun!"

"Now I will introduce the starting lineups for both sides in this match, starting with the home team, Monaco!"

Monaco (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Subašić

Defenders: Raggi, Glik, Jemerson, Sidibé

Midfielders: Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Bakayoko

Forwards: Mbappé, Germain, Lemar

"And now the away team, Villarreal!"

"..."

"We can see that number 99 for the away team Villarreal is Tang Ye, a player from our China; last season he followed, or rather led, Utrecht to win the Eredivisie championship, and then this Piggy Xia Chuang was loaned to Villarreal in La Liga."

"A Transfermarkt value of 18 million euros—there is no second person like him in the entire country!"

He Wei transformed into a little Tang Ren and proceeded to lavish praise upon Tang Ye.

There was no helping it; China had gone too long without producing such a talented player.

In any case, regardless of how today's match played out, the two CCTV commentators were definitely going to speak up for Tang Ye!

In the 7th minute of the match, Monaco winger Mbappé received the ball on the left flank and, facing Soriano's defense, chose to burst past him directly.

!!!

A player not yet eighteen years old acting so arrogantly right in front of him, Soriano naturally would not show a good face.

He jostled for position and immediately fouled Mbappé to the ground!

"Beep!"

This was a tactical foul by the Yellow Submarine, giving Monaco a set-piece opportunity.

This set piece is handed to Bernardo Silva to take!

The Villarreal players are setting up the wall, while Tang Ye steps directly in front of Silva.

This was the tactic Escrivá emphasized just yesterday morning, aiming to make Tang Ye, who possesses zero heading ability, useful in set-piece defense.

"Brother, aim accurately, don't hit my head."

Tang Ye cupped his hands over his crotch, emphasizing this point to Silva standing before him.

Players in the wall often get struck on the head during set pieces.

It is said that trained professional players fear nothing of the sort.

Tang Ye didn't know if this claim was true, but regardless of whether others were afraid, he certainly was!

"..."

Silva thought Tang Ye was trying to mess with his mind, so he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths specifically to compose himself.

Crack!

The set piece is taken, flying past Tang Ye.

Into the penalty area!

Boom!

Germain heads the ball toward the goal, but Musacchio immediately clears it with his own header.

It seemed as though the Villarreal goal was already safe.

But in reality, it was not so!

"Outside the box, Fabinho!"

"Control the ball, make a simple adjustment!"

"Shoot directly!"

"Goal! Goal!"

"Monaco scores first! From Fabinho!"

Monaco, holding the advantage, scores the opening goal first.

The score becomes 1-0.

Including the first leg, Villarreal now trails by two goals!

"Damn it!"

Escrivá angrily flung his hand away.

These Villarreal players are clearly not in form!

The camera cuts to Tang Ye.

The match has now reached the 9th minute; Tang Ye's total touches so far are four, which is two fewer than the number of touches by Monaco's goalkeeper, Subašić.

He chews the gum in his mouth.

There aren't many chances to initiate attacks, but Tang Ye hasn't lost heart; he is striving to find his own opportunity!

"Monaco!"

Boom boom!

"Monaco!"

Boom boom!

Unsurprisingly, the home fans begin applying pressure.

Bruno, the Villarreal captain, now has possession!

"Pass to me! Pass to me!"

Tang Ye actively runs toward Bruno's position.

Bruno plays a short pass over!

OK!

Fifth touch!

The haters in the live broadcast room quickly note this statistic, intending to use these numbers to craft articles once the match ends.

Tang Ye receives the ball, and Mbappé comes over to press.

Mbappé's speed is a bit too fast; Tang Ye feels a slight hint of pressure.

Pretending to shield the ball himself, he actually passes it out immediately.

Bruno receives the ball again up front!

Pass to Castillejo on the left!

Castillejo starts driving down the flank!

"This is a chance for Villarreal!"

"Let's see how Castillejo handles this!"

"Tang Ye is making a very energetic forward run; he must be trying to help the team complete this attack!"

Monaco's defense is very compact; after reaching the byline, Castillejo cannot advance any further.

At this moment, he spots Tang Ye, ready and waiting in the center.

Pass the ball over quickly!

Tang Ye receives the ball again!

"Here!"

Pato on the right reaches out his hand to Tang Ye, but Tang Ye ignores him.

Long before receiving the ball, Tang Ye's vision should have already covered Pato's position.

Based on Tang Ye's judgment, passing to Pato was not a good choice.

His choice was...

To stand still and take a free kick!

Glik and Jemerson both ran over, and Tang Ye suddenly made a passing motion.

Glik dove toward Haller's position, but Tang Ye never passed the ball at all.

He trapped the ball under his foot.

So the next step was...

A pushed shot!

Subašić's line of sight was blocked by Jemerson's calf; he completely failed to see Tang Ye's shooting motion.

The shooting angle wasn't very good, but since Subašić didn't even make a saving motion, there was no possibility of a successful save.

"GOOOO——AAAAAA——LLLLL!!!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye's goal!"

"Oh my god, in the 23rd minute of the match, Tang Ye's poaching from outside the penalty area has helped the team equalize the score!"

"Let's take a look at the replay!"

The two CCTV commentators were now very excited.

Because Tang Ye had just accomplished something that none of the team's forwards had managed to do.

That was scoring a goal!

In the slow-motion replay, Tang Ye feigned a pass to trap the ball, then twisted his ankle to fire a pushed shot toward the right post of the goal.

The technical content wasn't very high.

But it exuded a calmness that overflowed the screen!

"Haha!"

Tang Ye was now very happy; he spread his arms and ran toward the corner flag.

Helping the team equalize in such an important match brought an incomparably satisfying feeling!

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *30】

【First goal scored in a Champions League match; you have obtained extra Counterattack Points *30】

In the system's view, the Champions League qualifiers counted as the Champions League, so Tang Ye received double the reward he got for his goals in La Liga.

This made him feel even more comfortable!

Dopamine and adrenaline secreted rapidly; Tang Ye dropped into a knee slide.

Swish swish swish!

Still three stripes.

Tang Tang Qiuwang's knee slide had to have at least three stripes!

"Hiss..."

Escribá rubbed his head.

It was certainly a good thing that Tang Ye had helped the team score.

But Escribá always felt something was slightly off.

Would he be cyber-bullied after the match ended?

"Tom!"

Haller and Pato rushed over; the two of them directly lifted Tang Ye off the ground.

"VAMOS!"

By accident, the chewing gum in Tang Ye's mouth fell onto the grass.

"Wow!"

The match continued; the score was now 1:1.

Among the several teams participating in the new season's Champions League playoff matches, Villarreal had drawn Monaco, who were in the best form.

However, the good news was that even facing the strong opponent Monaco, Villarreal still had some chance of victory.

But now there was also some bad news within the team.

That was, Escribá didn't know how to give instructions anymore!

Every time Tang Ye entered the field, Villarreal gave Escribá a very unfamiliar feeling.

It was as if this team wasn't the one he was coaching.

So what should be done now?

Escribá chose silence.

Soon, after scoring the goal, Tang Ye's frequency of touching the ball began to skyrocket, and the number of times he lost possession also began to skyrocket.

Arriving at the 41st minute, Tang Ye delivered a 45-degree cross from the right flank.

【De Bruyne 45-Degree Cross Lv3: Simulation】

Proficiency: 21/200

The ball speed wasn't fast, but the trajectory was as mysteriously unpredictable as ever.

When taking the cross, Tang Ye had integrated Ward-Prowse's topspin set-piece technique, so the forwards would find it relatively comfortable to receive.

Haller!

Facing this gift from the heavens, Haller jumped up and headed the ball, smashing it onto the ground; after the rebound, it went to Pato on the side.

A very calm choice; Pato now faced an empty net.

A one-touch push shot!

The ball...

Didn't go in!?

"What the hell?"

Tang Ye covered his mouth, watching helplessly from behind as the ball flew out past the right post.

Pato dropped directly to his knees inside Monaco's penalty area.

The ball was difficult to handle in mid-air; lacking absolute certainty, he had chosen to strike it on the volley.

This was absolutely, absolutely wrong!

【What the hell, what's wrong with this number 10? Is he trying to screw over my Tang Tang Qiuwang?】

【Unbelievable, this guy is worth 11 million euros? He's not even half as good as Aleix.】

【Even if Tang Tang Qiuwang took that shot, he would have scored; sure, the kick wasn't accurate, but my Tang Tang Qiuwang stays calm in front of goal.】

【You bold hater, watch out or my Tang Tang Qiuwang will flood your main team's goal!】

【If that had gone in, it would be 2:1; sigh, wasting my Tang Tang Qiuwang's brilliant pass, Pato can just go repent now.】

"Woww!!"

The home fans in the stands began to cheer.

Because they had just escaped disaster!

Pato and Aleix high-fived, then raised their hands to acknowledge Tang Ye.

It was a bit of a pity, but this didn't mean Villarreal wouldn't find opportunities later.

At halftime, Escriba urged the players to sit down on the benches immediately.

"We encountered many problems in the first half; there were simply too many mistakes on the defensive end."

Escriba and Martí manipulated the magnetic flags on the tactical board together.

Snap!

Snap-snap-snap!

Creak—

Pulling the tactical board closer, Escriba analyzed bit by bit: "Bernardo Silva has excellent vision; like Tang, he might suddenly pass the ball forward, so you need to watch for that. When defending, never forget your position; this is very important, I'll say it again, this is very important!"

Looking at Soriano, he said: "That number 29 runs very fast; I recall his name is Mbappé. He displayed strong individual ability in the last match; you must absolutely not give him the chance to cut inside or reach the byline."

"If possible..."

Escriba looked left and right, finally spotting Tang Ye leaning against a cabinet, putting gum into his pocket.

"You need to help Roberto defend against Mbappé, provided you ensure your stamina is sufficient."

"I can run."

Tang Ye agreed, then reflexively raised his hand: "But I have a question."

"Which one is Mbappé?"

"Hahaha!"

Escriba clapped his hands: "Number 29, number 29, uh... the one who looks a bit like a mutated turtle!"

"It's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!"

Soriano corrected him.

"Oh, I know which one now!"

Tang Ye sat back in his spot, silently noting the task Mr. Ferran had assigned him.

For him, defending was much more exhausting than attacking, but if it was just assisting Soriano in defending against Mbappé, that was actually manageable.

After the players regrouped and entered the tunnel, lining up in a single file, Mbappé happened to be right next to Tang Ye's right hand.

"Hey, bro!"

Mbappé greeted Tang Ye in English: "Your passing is very accurate!"

Tang Ye extended his hand to shake Mbappé's, then made several gestures.

He had learned English at the Shandong Luneng Football School; given that football school's study intensity, Tang Ye could only understand one word: "you," which means "you."

"He said your passing is very accurate, Tom!"

Musacchio acted as Tang Ye's translator.

"Wow, thank you, thank you!"

Tang Ye and Mbappé shook hands again.

An opponent praising him to his face.

Damn, he felt a bit embarrassed!

Tang Ye had developed a favorable impression of Mbappé, but unfortunately, Mr. Ferran had already issued a wanted order for this French forward.

This wasn't Tang Ye's fault!

"Beep!!!"

The second half began; Germain passed the ball directly back to center-back Glik, and the Monaco players quickly initiated pressure against Villarreal.

The score was 1:2, but Monaco, playing at home, was indeed the more dominant side!

With a serious expression, Escriba came to sit in front of the substitutes' bench and whispered to Martí beside him: "Your mind is very chaotic right now!"

Oh?

Martí leaned his upper body backward: "How do you know?"

"Because... my situation is about the same as yours right now."

Escrivá sighed.

Just now in the locker room, he had said a lot, but it was all emphasizing minor details.

Escrivá did not utter a single word about the team's overall tactics.

Because he himself did not know what to do next!

"I think Villarreal needs to find some passing space for Tang Ye right now."

"Monaco has already noticed Tang Ye as a key point; whenever Tang Ye receives the ball, he is immediately pressed. In this situation, his teammates should step up to draw some defenders away from Tang Ye."

"Hmm! Let's look at Monaco's attack this time!"

"Sidibé goes directly for Lemar!"

"Lemar, incredibly fast; both of Monaco's wide midfielders are extremely quick!"

With the left flank already engaged, Tang Ye began jogging backward, turning his head as he ran to observe Monaco's attacking players.

It was definitely too late for him to go support Castillejo now.

Lemar was dribbling, with Germain and Silva providing two supporting options in the center.

Hmm...

After a brief analysis, Tang Ye started drifting toward Bernardo Silva's position.

After reaching the byline, Lemar played a cutback pass.

Oh!

Tang Ye rushed forward immediately, trying to win the ball before Silva, but Silva simply poked it back to Lemar.

Lemar launched a long pass directly to the left wing.

The player controlling the ball now is Mbappé!

Time to work!

Knowing the Ninja Turtles' playing habits, Tang Ye remained stationed at the edge of the penalty arc.

Unable to cut inside directly, Mbappé chose to go to the byline first before cutting in.

Reaching the edge of the penalty area, he raised his foot, preparing to shoot!

Here I come!

Tang Ye planted his right leg on the ground, extended his left leg, and executed a clean tackle on Mbappé.

"Beautiful!"

"Tang Ye! What a clean tackle!"

"Monaco's wing attack has been completely neutralized!"

His teammates reacted with incredible speed; seeing Tang Ye poke the ball away from under Mbappé's feet, Musacchio immediately surged forward and kicked the ball ahead to Bruno.

Getting up from the ground, Tang Ye patted Mbappé's head: "Sorry, brother."

Mbappé's hair was very short, somewhat prickly!

Bruno, the defensive midfielder, advanced with the ball, while Tang Ye, as the attacking midfielder, looked forward from behind.

This was exactly why Escrivá was currently at a loss.

Tang Ye's positioning was completely chaotic.

Just now, the position he took for defense was even deeper than the defenders!

However...

Hey, just say it—did we defend successfully or not!

(End of Chapter)