Chapter 153: The Path to Upgrading the Random High-Grade Treasure Chest: Real Betis!

"China Media Group! Bringing you live coverage of..."

"As you can see, walking out of the player tunnel wearing the number 99 jersey is our recent winner of the 2016 European Golden Boy award, Tang Ye!"

【Tang Tang Qiuwang!】

【Tang Qiuwang needs no introduction; everyone knows Tang Qiuwang.】

【Just started watching football; does anyone know what level Real Betis is at?】

【Not even a match for Tang Ye alone.】

【What about Real Madrid?】

【Same thing; any club equalized against by my Tang Tang Qiuwang is simply not worth mentioning!】

The match began, and Tang Ye, following his habit, immediately purchased a bottle of 【Vardy's Red Bull】; though the stamina-boosting effect had not yet fully kicked in, he could already feel a warmth spreading through his body.

Today, he had come to this match with the mission of upgrading his treasure chest.

One goal or one assist plus a La Liga victory; upon completing these two conditions, Tang Ye could upgrade his Random High-Grade Treasure Chest into a Random Superstar Treasure Chest.

These two conditions might seem easy on the surface, but for Tang Ye, they still presented a certain challenge!

Less than five minutes into the match, Tang Ye was knocked straight to the ground in the center of the pitch by a charge from Petros.

"Damn it!"

After rolling half a circle on the ground and standing up, the home fans in the stands immediately began booing Petros.

This was the Golden Boy of the Yellow Submarine (even if from Utrecht).

Is the Golden Boy someone you can just touch?

"Boooo——!!!"

"Beep beep beep!!!"

Amidst a sky full of fake whistles, the referee awarded Villarreal an indirect free kick near the center circle.

It was a bit far from the goal, but since it was an indirect free kick, there weren't many strict requirements regarding the ball's position.

Rodri tapped the ball up from the ground with his foot and passed it to Bruno.

Holding the ball, Bruno walked toward Tang Ye: "Do you want it?"

"I'll take it."

Tang Ye took the ball, simply wiped the moisture off it with his shirt, and placed it on the arc the referee had just drawn.

"A set-piece opportunity for Villarreal!"

"Looks like they're giving it to Tang Ye!"

Escrihá didn't have such strict requirements for indirect free kicks; Tang Ye, Bruno, Soriano, or even the defender Musacchio could have taken it.

But Tang Ye had unknowingly become the primary taker for indirect free kicks.

Everyone had immense faith in Tom!

Players from both sides moved to form a wall in front of the Real Betis penalty area as Tang Ye prepared, extending his left hand.

Far post!

Slap!

【Ward-Prowse】 executed a topspin free kick.

Tang Ye had already mastered this skill last season while playing in the Eredivisie.

And after training this season, the speed of Tang Ye's free kicks had become even faster!

A faster free kick meant it would be extremely difficult for the opposing defenders to handle!

Under the gaze of the fans, the leather ball soared to its highest point.

Although it was the highest point, it was actually only about four meters up before it began to drop rapidly.

Inside the penalty area, Haller became the focal point of intense marking.

Despite having advantages in height and heading ability, Haller simply couldn't find an opportunity to shoot.

But it didn't matter; when passing, Tang Ye had already clearly seen the physical moves the defenders were using against Haller.

He knew this ball couldn't be passed to Haller!

Far post position!

Ruiz!

Under pressure from Mandi, Ruiz successfully managed to jump!

Bang!

A header strike...

Ruiz chose not to shoot; instead, he headed the ball down into the six-yard box, where it bounced up right in front of Bruno!

Bruno lifted his foot and used the sole to press the ball down, driving it straight into the goal.

"Gooooo——aaaaa——llllll!!!"

Goal!

Bruno reacted incredibly quickly; confirming the ball had hit the net, he turned and ran.

"Vamos!!!"

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: 6th minute, Tang Ye was fouled by Petros near the center circle, earning Villarreal a set-piece.

Dongqiu Di Live Match Report: 8th minute, Tang Ye utilized the set-piece opportunity to deliver the ball to Ruiz; Ruiz headed it across, and Bruno scored, putting Villarreal ahead by one goal.

Fouls come with a price!

Especially fouls committed against Tang Tang Qiuwang!

The Yellow Submarine players embraced in celebration as Tang Ye and the holding defender González quickly ran toward Bruno.

Actually, Tang Ye's original intention had been for Ruiz or Sansone to shoot directly, but he hadn't expected Ruiz, upon receiving the ball, to choose a headed layoff instead.

It's a pity to have one assist fewer.

But the match time is still early, and Tang Ye's confidence remains quite high!

"Villarreal!"

Bang bang!

"Villarreal!"

Bang bang bang!

The match continued, and the fans in the stands shouted their home team's name at the top of their lungs.

The Yellow Submarine fans have been in high spirits throughout the new season.

Because the Yellow Submarine, Real Madrid, and Barcelona are currently the only three teams undefeated in the league.

Not only has the Yellow Submarine not lost a single match in La Liga, but they also remain undefeated in the Europa League!

Villarreal is too...

No, it's Escrivá!

The fans' attention shifted to Escrivá; the native Spanish head coach was currently sitting on the first-row chair of the substitutes' bench with an utterly calm expression.

Too calm!

The bearing of a famous coach!

Capable!

"..."

"Currently, the possession rates for both sides are 51% and 49% respectively."

"Don't be fooled by Villarreal's current lead in possession; in reality, they are in a somewhat dangerous situation."

"In the two matches against Real Betis last season, Villarreal's possession rate exceeded 58% in both!"

"But now Villarreal's possession rate is only 51%; this is an issue that requires reflection!"

"Tang Ye accidentally kicked the ball onto an opposing defender!"

"A mistake, but it doesn't matter!"

"He went straight to the byline and slid to tackle; Tang Ye has won the ball back!"

Tang Ye's reaction was still quite fast; immediately after losing possession, he pressed forward to win it back.

With his left hand propped on the grass, Tang Ye had not yet stood up.

But he had already spotted an opportunity inside the penalty area!

Bang!

【De Bruyne Curved Through Ball Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 54/1000

Whether it was because his kicking motion wasn't standard enough, this through ball from Tang Ye did not bring him any increase in proficiency.

But the ball had already been passed out!

Sansone controlled the ball!

Goal!

Perfect!

Tang Ye's left hand, propped on the ground, exerted force suddenly; coordinating with his feet to stand up, he quickly ran toward Sansone.

Damn it!

The long-awaited assist has finally arrived!

However, just as Tang Ye and Sansone reached the sideline, before they could shout that "Vamos," the referee disallowed the goal.

"What the hell?"

Tang Ye clasped his head with both hands; looking back, he saw the linesman by the corner flag on the right flank raising his flag.

Offside during the pass!

Damn!

This fucking luck is just too bad!

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

Bruno patted Tang Ye's arm, then led the players to retreat quickly.

While running, Tang Ye pondered the situation from just now.

Because he had passed the ball while crouching, his viewing angle was too low, preventing him from judging the front-to-back positioning of Sansone and Pezzella.

At the moment Tang Ye made the pass, Sansone had already run to the very front; this was a very obvious offside goal!

If that goal hadn't been offside, the Yellow Submarine would now be leading by two goals, Tang Ye would have one assist to his name, and upon the final whistle, he could complete the upgrade of his treasure chest.

One can only say it is indeed somewhat regrettable.

The first half of the match continued, and Tang Ye's running distance gradually increased.

Throughout the entire first half, apart from reminding his players to track back, Escrivá said nothing else; he held a pen and wrote rapidly on a very small sticky note.

Problem Three: The interchanging runs between the forwards are not flexible enough.

The Yellow Submarine had a total of three forwards on the field: Sansone, Ale, and another, Bakambu.

The Real Betis players knew that Tang Ye would have moments of sudden brilliance, so their marking of the Yellow Submarine's forwards was quite focused.

At times like this, the forwards must make a large number of runs to shake off their defenders.

Otherwise, they are simply wasting the opportunities bestowed by me, Tang Tang Qiuwang!

The first half ended with a score of 1:0; soon, the match entered the second half.

"Betis! (Betis)"

"Betis!"

"Betis!"

The away supporters numbered only 1,500 in total, unable to create much of an uproar.

But the fans' idea was that Real Betis were not yet trailing by much, so they should shout as loudly as possible.

Perhaps there would be a chance to equalize later!

"Real Betis are maintaining their offensive pressure well; although relevant statistics haven't been provided yet, their possession rate is already leading."

"Joaquín can't get through on his side; he crosses horizontally to Sanabria on the right flank!"

"Tang Ye and Rodri both track back, preparing to defend against Sanabria."

Having two players simultaneously defend on the flank is relatively effective because the additional covering defender can block the attacker's passing options.

But now this is central defense; instinct drives Tang Ye to actively seek out Sanabria's passing options.

Imagining himself as Sanabria—if he were Sanabria, whom would he pass the ball to...

Pretend to be the striker and take it himself?

No, no!

Sanabria would never do that!

Among the many Real Betis players, Tang Ye suddenly accelerated, running toward Joaquín.

Just at that moment, Sanabria passed to Joaquín; Tang Ye decisively went to ground, cleanly tackling the ball over to Ruiz.

Sanabria: What the hell? "Woww!!"

"Perfect!"

"Simply a perfect defense!"

"Some fans in the live stream might be questioning the credibility of the European Golden Boy award!"

"But now it seems that's completely unnecessary; what an incredibly fast reaction!"

It looked like mere reaction, but in fact, it included anticipation.

Had Tang Ye run out even half a second later, he wouldn't have been able to reach the ball.

Yellow Submarine launched their counterattack; Tang Ye scrambled up from the grass and sprinted forward quickly.

"Wowow!!!"

"Charge, charge, charge! Push forward!"

"Push forward quickly!"

!

Urged on by the fans, Yellow Submarine's three forwards plus midfielder Bruno had all surged forward.

Ruiz dribbled rapidly ahead and passed to Musacchio.

At this moment, Rodri actively moved aside, calling for the ball; Musacchio passed it to him.

Right to Rodri's feet!

Control the ball!

Immediately launch a long kick!

Crack!

A crisp sound of striking the ball rang out; Rodri's long pass accurately found Bakambu making a run down the right flank to the byline.

Bakambu controlled the ball!

Adjust slightly!

Through-pass into the penalty area!

Ale!

Without controlling, he directly pushes a shot!

Goal!

In the 57th minute of the second half, home team Villarreal scored again!

Now they lead by two goals!

"Clap, clap, clap!"

"Brilliant!"

Escrivá applauded the Yellow Submarine players on the pitch, then picked up a bottle of mineral water placed beside him and took a small sip.

Actually, Escrivá wasn't thirsty; he just felt he needed to do something at that moment.

The live camera focused on Escrivá; the Yellow Submarine fans were now somewhat excited.

Remember what the Spanish manager had said in a post-match interview previously.

"An excellent manager communicates all substitutions and tactical adjustments to the players at halftime, so actually, once the match begins, the coach doesn't need to do much."

Escrivá had spoken these words and put them into practice.

What does this count as?

A famous manager!

This counts as a famous manager!

He's only been with the team for less than half a season?

What does that matter!

As long as he leads the team to good results, Escrivá can become Villarreal's famous manager!

"Fran!"

"Fran!"

"Wowhoo!"

A true famous coach never needs to shout wildly from the sidelines; Escrivá could already hear the home fans chanting his name!

The match had reached the 65th minute.

Tang Ye was now feeling a bit nervous.

Winning was one thing, yes.

But the system's task required him to score a goal or provide an assist in this match.

Clearly, Tang Ye had not yet fulfilled the system's requirements!

"Defend, defend!"

"Watch the defense!"

Captain Bruno was quickly directing the players on the field when Tang Ye suddenly shouted, "Can we keep attacking?"

Oh?

Bruno raised an eyebrow.

Of course, he was willing to join in if Tang Ye had the desire to attack, but this clearly conflicted with the tactics Escrivá had arranged at halftime.

Knowing Bruno's dilemma, Tang Ye took advantage of an opponent's foul to frantically gesture toward Escrivá.

Fingers together and extended, then pointing forward.

"Oh? Is Tang Ye offering input on the team's tactics?"

"Yes, that gesture should mean he wants to attack."

Following the CCTV commentator's analysis, the viewers in the live stream turned their attention to Tang Ye, and of course, to Escrivá sitting on the substitutes' bench.

Escrivá:?

This...

Tom still wants to attack.

But the team is currently leading; launching a rash attack could have a negative impact on the situation.

Escrivá would never agree to anything detrimental to the situation!

So...

Escrivá gave Tang Ye a thumbs-up.

OK!

Tang Ye raised his hand to acknowledge, then immediately threw himself into the attack.

With less than 30 minutes remaining, Tang Ye needed to find a way to create an assist or score a goal directly within that time.

Otherwise, his chance to upgrade the treasure chest would have to wait until the next match!

"Tom!"

Bang bang!

"Tom!"

Bang bang!

The home fans were incredibly supportive; Tang Ye had to step up his game as well!

Possession went to the left flank; Korte dribbled out from the defensive line.

Real Betis's defensive strategy was very clear: Cejudo ran toward Korte, while Joaquín blocked the passing lane between Korte and Rodri, as the other players began to retreat into defense.

The opponent's intention was clear: they did not want Korte to pass the ball comfortably.

Fortunately, Ruiz had excellent awareness and moved directly behind to provide support.

Pa!

Korte decisively passed back; after receiving the ball, Ruiz took one touch to adjust.

Then he sent it straight forward!

Yo!

Seeing that his position was quite good, Tang Ye sneaked over.

But he didn't stop the ball; instead, he chose to stand beside Bruno.

After Bruno controlled the ball, Tang Ye called for it.

He immediately sent a through ball toward the right-wing baseline!

Bang!

Bakambu accelerated outward, fully utilizing his speed advantage.

Controlling the ball with his right foot to his left, then passing it back from his left to his right.

Then he began dribbling with the outside of his foot to compress the opponent's defensive line.

While Bakambu was running, Tang Ye kept observing.

The opportunity looked good; Tang Ye and Bruno executed a crossing run, successfully moving from the center of the arc to a position slightly more to the right.

"Here!"

Reaching out for the ball, Bakambu passed it out!

OK!

Seizing the chance, Tang Ye planted his right leg, feigned a shot, and cut the ball onto his left foot.

Mandi was directly fooled by Tang Ye and fell down!

With the ball now at his left foot, Tang Ye scanned the penalty area and spotted a good gap between Bruno and the goal, so he used his left foot to set up a cannon for Bruno.

Bang!

A direct volley shot!

Goal!

"Ggggg—ooooooo—lllll!!"

"Wow wow"

Less than ten minutes after switching from defense to offense, the goal difference stretched directly from two to three, and the excited Villarreal players rushed out quickly.

Here it comes!

Swish swish swish!

Tang Ye drew three lines on the grass, then stood up and punched the air.

Finally got a damn assist!

【You have obtained 10 Counterattack Points】

Come to think of it, that Random High-Level Chest had been sitting on Tang Ye for quite some time; today, he finally managed to turn it into a Superstar Chest.

This wave was... bitterness ended, sweetness began!

【Wow, 3:0, Villarreal is truly strong】

【It's mainly Tang Tang Qiuwang; Tang Tang Qiuwang playing in La Liga is purely overpowered, at least two levels above La Liga!】

【66666, the little Tang Ren is at it again】

【Another win, brothers; did this league round let Villarreal overtake Real Madrid in the standings?】

【I just checked; the polarization in La Liga seems a bit severe—the last-place team has only won three matches so far; are they preparing for relegation?】

"Bruno!"

The stadium announcer called out the name of the scorer, Bruno.

Escrivá, sitting in his chair, spread his hands wide.

"Eon, this is tactics!"

Escrivá made a judgment based on the actual situation, changing the team's tactics from defense to offense on the fly; this move directly helped the team secure another goal!

Reaching out to touch his own hair... could Escrivá feel that he still had hair?

But his hair seemed to be gradually thinning?

As the match entered its final moments, Escrivá substituted Tang Ye off early to rest.

"Mr. Ferran!"

After fist-bumping Escrivá, Tang Ye sat back down in his seat.

If not for Escrivá's support in changing the tactics, Tang Ye estimated he wouldn't have completed his upgrade mission today.

"Tom!"

Dos Santos on the substitutes' bench fist-bumped Tang Ye; the latter put on his jacket and watched the match, which was not yet over.

Although his own work was finished, his teammates were still on the field, and Tang Ye needed to silently pray for them.

"Beep, beep-beep!!!"

The full-time whistle blew; Villarreal decisively defeated Real Betis 3:0 at home, securing their ninth league victory of the season.

【Piggy Bank Wealth Management Settlement】

【Random Club Chest·High-Level → Random Club Chest·Superstar】

(End of Chapter)