Chapter 150: Beat Inter Milan, We

"Get back!"

Asenjo shouted in front of the goal, as Inter's central midfielder advanced quickly with the ball.

As a goalkeeper, Asenjo now felt immense pressure!

Full-backs Cort and González began to shrink their defensive line, while Bruno and Soriani were also sprinting back.

Pah!

Ansaldi seized the opportunity and delivered a direct pass to the right flank.

Eder turned, collected the ball, paused for half a second, then immediately pressed toward Huang Qian's baseline.

"Oh!"

The home fans were stunned by Ansaldi's long pass.

His pass enabled Inter to launch this attack!

Eder dribbled swiftly with his outside foot, covering several large strides until he reached Cort's position.

Cort stood with one foot forward and one back, fully focused.

He had two tasks: stop Eder from cutting inside, and stop him from crossing from the baseline.

As for defending the backheel pass, that was not Cort's responsibility.

"Here!"

Biabianis began overlapping; Eder dribbled slightly, forcing Cort deeper into the box.

At this moment, Cort realized something was wrong.

A midfielder coming to the baseline to support the striker? One full-back can't handle this alone!

Any teammates?

Is anyone coming to help me?

Cort retreated while shouting—but no one came to his aid.

Eder feinted inside, then slipped the ball behind him to Biabianis.

Pah!

Biabianis sent a cross straight into Huang Qian's penalty area!

"Back post! Back post!"

Asenjo shouted; Musacchio rushed to the back post to mark Palacio, while Ruiz covered Pinamonti.

But suddenly, Miange burst out between Palacio and Pinamonti.

Jump!

Header!

Thud!

A header from Miange!

Goal!

Damn!

Asenjo sat on the ground, letting out a desperate roar.

They outmanned us!

How the hell did this happen!

"Come help me! Why the hell is no one coming to me?!"

Cort threw his hands up at Rodri: "Just mark that No. 11 (Biabianis), that's all you had to do! Fuck!"

Rodri stood frozen, embarrassed and silent.

He'd originally planned to mark Miange—but Miange suddenly ran off, and Rodri assumed he was heading to the right flank, so he didn't follow.

Then this guy suddenly reappeared!

Fuck!

Miange, the scorer, roared near the corner flag.

The home fans couldn't tolerate this—they kept booing loudly.

Some young Spanish youths even pointed at Miange and cursed him.

Inter's players couldn't take it anymore; Miange raised his left and right index fingers toward the stands.

1:1—that was the current score.

Then, Miange extended his right middle finger.

In football, the right side represents the away team.

Miange's gesture was crystal clear.

They would beat Huang Qian 2:1 and win this match!

"Xuuu—!!!"

「INT! (Inter Milan)」

"Out!"

"INT!"

"OUT!"

The match restarted; the third goal of the first half was kicked off.

The camera cut to Frank de Boer at the away team's substitute bench.

After scoring, de Boer's tension hadn't eased much.

But unlike the full-body tension he felt when trailing, his current tension carried a hint of excitement.

Miange's header made de Boer realize a critical issue:

Inter, defeated at home, had a chance to knock out Huang Qian away!

Inter would seek revenge!

De Boer would seek revenge too!

"Stay sharp! Stay sharp!"

Bruno flung his arms upward, encouraging the players on the pitch.

At the 40th minute, with Escrivá absent from the sideline, Tang Ye gained increasing possession.

Huang Qian's possession rate was dropping!

Each pass made the home fans and Escrivá uneasy.

But it didn't matter—the away fans and de Boer were even more panicked!

In stoppage time of the first half, Tang Ye received the ball in the center and delivered a direct through-ball to the left flank.

At Lv. 4, the 【Curved Through-Ball】 was perfectly executed—angle and speed flawless; Sansone evaded Andreoli and controlled the ball cleanly.

Damn!

Realizing he'd been beaten, Andreoli chased after Sansone.

But Sansone wasn't Tang Ye—he was fast; it was nearly impossible for Andreoli to catch up after being dribbled past!

Don't rush, Sansone first created space.

Once he ensured Andreoli couldn't interfere, Sansone struck a powerful cross to the center.

Bakambu, arriving into the box from the right, trapped the ball instantly.

Feinted a shot, then passed across to Pato inside the box.

Goalkeeper Carisio reacted quickly, turning his body as soon as he saw Pato receive the ball.

Pato was now extremely close to the keeper—almost no shooting angle.

But there was still Sansone on the left!

The Spanish player's passing instinct made Pato slide the ball to Sansone on the left.

This was a perfect opportunity!

Nearly an open net!

Sansone!

Thud!

He blasted a low drive that struck the crossbar; Sansone collapsed to his knees after the shot.

"Damn!"

Escrivá, seated, could no longer sit still—he leapt up from his chair.

Did they just waste an opportunity like this?!

【Damn, even I'd have scored that shot.】

【We need Ale here—he may lack link-up play, but at least he's steady in front of goal; Ale is the perfect partner for Tang Ye.】

【So when do we sub in Ale?】

The camera cut to the substitutes: Perisic and Bakayoko warmed up at Inter's bench; Cherchesov and dos Santos warmed up at Huang Qian's.

Ale was on today's matchday squad, but since he'd just returned from injury, Escrivá wouldn't give him much playing time.

Tough.

"Beeeeep—!!!"

Half-time arrived; players slowly walked toward the tunnel.

"Damn!"

Just stepping into the player tunnel, Sanzón let out a frustrated roar.

If he had controlled the ball, Huang Qian would already be leading.

"It's fine, it's fine!"

Bruno placed a hand on Sanzón's shoulder: "There's still time in the second half—we can win this."

"Come on!"

Tang Ye imitated Bruno's gesture and slapped his arm.

In the locker room.

"We must press harder—we need to pressure their players."

"Why did I lose the ball? Because our forwards didn't press hard enough—we can't let their midfield pass comfortably."

Escrivá pulled Tang Ye aside as he walked by.

"Mr. Ferran?"

"Be a model."

"Oh, okay."

Escrivá pointed at Tang Ye: "When the midfielder tries to pass out, what do we do? We charge forward."

Escrivá lunged forward, his fierce eyes locked on Tang Ye: "Understand? Only with fierce pressing can we stop their defensive midfielder from passing. Their midfield is too comfortable—we can't let them be comfortable. That's absolutely unacceptable."

"We are the stronger side—we must dominate, crush them!"

Their opponent was Inter Milan, and Escrivá said this while facing Inter Milan.

This shows two things: first, Inter's form is truly average; second, Huang Qian's players are performing well today.

Though it's impossible to directly compare the two teams' strength, Escrivá believed they held the advantage.

"Do we need to control possession?"

Tang Ye asked quietly.

Mr. Ferran said we must dominate them.

If that's the case, losing possession again won't be good.

"..."

Standing still, Tang Ye's question left Escrivá struggling to answer.

"Well..."

Escrivá scanned the entire locker room and adjusted his tone.

"I'm not saying possession doesn't matter—just for this match against Inter, we don't need much of it."

"Yeah, our first-half tactics were excellent—stick to them."

"That's great!"

Tang Ye rubbed his hands.

If Escrivá sets up tactics like this, maybe he'll find a new scoring chance in the second half?

Damn, just thinking about it gets me excited!

"In the town where I was born~"

"Lived a man who sailed to sea~"

"And he told us of his life~"

As Tang Ye stepped out of the player tunnel, he immediately heard the familiar team song.

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

The 1-1 scoreline had fired up the home fans to full intensity.

Huang Qian are currently undefeated in three matches—if they win this game, they'll advance to the Europa League knockout stage with four straight wins and twelve points!

"Inter make the first substitution—Perisic comes on."

"De Boer's tactics today are very similar to last match—I remember when Inter hosted Huang Qian last time, De Boer brought on Perisic right at the start of the second half."

"Yes, Perisic is more offensive-minded than Melo."

By replacing Melo with Perisic, De Boer intends to take the lead!

Besides the away bench, the home bench also stirred—Ale, previously injured by Gómez, took off his jacket and began warming up.

Though no one knows when the Ivorian will come on in the second half, it's certain Huang Qian now have a backup plan!

【Charge, charge, finish off Inter now】

【Don't do this—if we lose this, Inter will have only three points in four matches...】

【Can Inter really not even advance from the Europa League group stage?】

【Group issue—we thought it was Huang Qian and Ajax fighting for second, but now it looks like Inter and Ajax are competing for second】

【What do you mean 'thought'? Your thinking was wrong from the start—Huang Qian has me, Tang the King, they can't possibly lose】

"Let's go, let's go!"

Rodri tried to pass to Tang Ye, but Tang Ye signaled for the Spanish defender to carry the ball forward while he stayed tightly behind Rodri.

Since Tang Ye wasn't the ball carrier, Perisic temporarily abandoned marking him and turned to trouble Rodri.

Ansaldi moved in to cover Perisic's position.

Ansaldi is now marking Tang Ye!

Realizing the defense had fallen for the trap, Tang Ye's eyes lit up—he shouted for Rodri to pass.

Inter's defense was still solid—someone immediately filled the gap after Perisic moved off.

But any reactive movement on defense has a delay.

Before Ansaldi arrived, Tang Ye's space was empty!

Rodri decisively passed back.

The ball reached Tang Ye's feet!

!!!

Inter's defenders realized something was wrong.

They rushed to tackle Tang Ye.

Perisic had only just moved away—if this were an ordinary player, his recovery would've been enough.

But Tang Ye is certainly no ordinary player!

He doesn't stop the ball!

Bam!

He kicked it up into the penalty area.

Perisic's heart leapt—he spun around to look.

Sanzón charged into the box from the left flank.

He headed it straight!

Sanzón fell to the ground after the header, looking up at the ball he'd sent flying.

"GGGG——OOOOOO——LLLLLL!!!"

"Goal!"

"Sanzón's header!"

In the broadcast booth, the two CCTV commentators were wildly excited.

They knew the situation in Group L of Huang Qian very well.

Now it's 2-1 to Huang Qian—if they hold this score until the end, they'll qualify directly.

Then Tang the King will play in the Europa League knockout stage!

"Watch him! Why did you leave!"

Inter's players argued in front of the box.

Huang Qian ignored them—Sanzón, after scoring, jumped up and sprinted toward the stands.

Slid!

Jumped!

"VAMOS!"

Damn!

De Boer had his hands in his pockets—his face was now completely dark.

This fucking thing!

He glanced at the home bench—Ale was coming on to replace the newly scoring Sanzón.

De Boer had anticipated this substitution.

But the key wasn't Ale—it was Escrivá sitting on the bench.

From taking the lead, to being equalized, to regaining the lead—Escrivá had remained seated the entire time.

Why?

Why can you be so calm?

In the 67th minute, Ale came on to replace Sanzón.

After Ales came on, Pato moved from his central forward position to the left.

This was long planned by Escrivá!

77th minute.

"Dos Santos made a smart choice—directly to Tang Ye."

Facing Dos Santos's pass, Tang Ye deliberately let the ball roll past him to Pato, then shifted his position to the right.

After completing his run, he pointed to the empty space in front of him.

Oh?

!

Pato realized it and quickly passed the ball over.

It reached Tang Ye's feet.

He controlled it, then struck with the outside of his right foot into the box!

Ales, already anticipating, used his body to shove Ranocchia aside, secured the ball, and shielded it with his back to goal.

A direct shot was impossible; Ales chose to pass back to Tang Ye.

Perfect!

Without hesitation, Tang Ye planted his right foot forward and swung his left foot straight through.

Whizz!

"This one's in!"

"Tang Ye—oh my god, brace yourself, he's scored twice!"

Dongqiu Di real-time report: Tang Ye scores directly off Ales's return pass—brace yourself, Huang Qian leads 3-1 over Inter.

"Hah!"

Confirmed as his goal, Tang Ye didn't think—he sprinted out immediately.

He reached the corner flag and waved to his teammates: "Here! Here!"

"Wow!"

Bakambu and Dos Santos rushed over first, then Rodri and Ales—five of them embraced at the corner flag.

【You gained 15 Reverse Points】

【Brace yourself, you gained an extra 15 Reverse Points】

【In 2037, you scored twice against a peak Inter Milan side—a feat nearly impossible for a 38-year-old player】

【You gained an extra 220 Reverse Points】

Brace yourself!

Brace yourself against Inter Milan!

Beyond the joy of scoring and the base reward, the system boss generously awarded Tang Ye 220 Reverse Points.

Finally, money again!

Tang Ye slowly walked to the edge of the stands; the fans began to stir.

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

He took a deep breath and raised his hand.

"TOM!"

"TOM!"

Okay—right fist clenched, swing sharply upward!

"TOM!!!"

Phew…

He took another deep breath and walked slowly back to his position, but the chants of his name from the stands didn't stop.

Escrivá remained seated, clapping along with the fans for Tang Ye.

Two goals, one assist—again, 100% offensive involvement.

What could Escrivá say?

Escrivá had nothing to say.

Perhaps this was tactical domination.

"Hold firm, just hold firm!"

Bruno shouted to the players on the pitch.

Inter would make one final push now; Huang Qian's priority was defense!

The newly substituted Cherishov delivered Escrivá's handwritten notes to the players.

Tang Ye didn't know what the others' notes said, but his own read: drop back to defend.

With a two-goal lead, Tang Ye had done more than enough.

For the next few minutes, Huang Qian no longer needed a false nine!

Following Ferran's instructions, Tang Ye frequently joined the defense in the final minutes; though he contributed little beyond one foul tackle, Inter failed to score.

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

Dongqiu Di report: Tang Ye scores twice, Sansone finds the net—Villarreal 3-1 Inter, qualify for Europa League knockout stage two rounds early.

"Villarreal!"

Boom! Boom!

"Villarreal!"

Boom! Boom!

The fans in the stands continued celebrating.

Celebrating their team's early qualification for the knockout stage!

Immediately after the final whistle, Bruno led the team to the stands for a farewell.

They needed to thank the fans for their unwavering support!

…

"Bang!"

Kicking open the locker room door, Tang Ye sprinted to the center and stepped onto the physio bed.

"Wuhu!"

【At 38, you led your team to qualify two rounds early for the 2037-38 Europa League knockout stage—you've made history】

【You received: Savings Jar】

Finally!

The Savings Jar Tang Ye had long dreamed of!

When the first task appeared, Tang Ye had already read the system's description of the Savings Jar.

It was a supreme item capable of upgrading treasure chest quality.

"Tom, get down!"

Ales, just entering, shouted: "You still have an MVP award ceremony—reporters are waiting!"

Oh, right!

Just about to place his random premium treasure chest into the Savings Jar, Tang Ye leapt off the physio bed upon Ales's reminder.

He quickly slipped on slippers and ran toward the player tunnel.

…

(End of Chapter)