Chapter 189: Two Straight Losses? Villarreal

Although they lost the first leg of the quarterfinal against Alavés, Tang Ye had adjusted his mood well these past few days.

One key reason was his close friends.

Tang Ye's friends split his homework, helping him shed a great deal of burden.

It was January 21st; the match between Huang Qian and Valencia kicked off at the Ceramic Stadium.

Dongqiu Di match preview: At 3 a. m. on January 22nd, La Liga Matchday 19, Villarreal hosts Valencia; Tang Ye and Nani start.

"China Central Television, live broadcast here…"

"Both teams are ready!"

"The referee is checking his watch!"

"Kickoff! Let me introduce the starting lineups!"

"…"

"And now the away team, Valencia: we can see former Manchester United legend Nani in their starting XI—his experience will greatly benefit the team."

Valencia (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Diego Alves

Defenders: Gaya, Mangala, Garay, Cancelo

Midfielders: Soler, Enzo Pérez, Parejo

Forwards: Nani, Santi Mina, Munir

Head coach: Voro

Currently, Valencia ranks 11th in La Liga, far behind third-placed Villarreal.

Still, Villarreal players dared not underestimate Valencia as an opponent.

The reason was simple: Escrivà had told his players before kickoff that Valencia's strength was tackling.

Whether in defense, midfield, or attack, Valencia's players excelled at tackling.

Villarreal already had low possession, and with an opponent skilled at tackling, Escrivà was extremely frustrated.

Valencia seemed to have a slight edge over Villarreal!

In the 14th minute of the first half, Tang Ye was fouled by Soler as he ran toward the arc, earning Villarreal a free kick.

The ball was unquestionably given to Tang Ye.

On camera, Tang Ye held the ball and observed the spot marked by the referee.

Not an ideal free-kick position, but if forced, it was still worth attempting.

He loosened his right ankle and chose the foot he'd use to strike the free kick.

He raised his left hand.

Back post!

Villarreal players inside the box quickly moved toward the back post as Tang Ye delivered his cross.

Thwack!

A driven cross with topspin shot into the box.

"Back post!"

"Sansone!"

Tang Ye overemphasized spin, causing the ball to land poorly.

Sansone jumped but failed to connect.

The ball went out of bounds!

"Damn…"

He felt uneasy, standing still, regretting his crossing technique.

But Tang Ye couldn't dwell long—Escrivà's voice shouted for him to track back.

"Get back! Get back!"

With their strong league position, Escrivà wasn't relaxed as head coach.

On the contrary, his pressure was heavier—he had to watch out for Atlético Madrid suddenly surging from behind to strike Villarreal down.

That would be truly unbearable!

Taking advantage of the goalkeeper's long kick, Valencia launched a counterattack.

Santi Mina won the ball from Costa and headed it decisively to Nani, who had already sprinted into position on the flank.

Nani dribbled down the left wing, accelerating toward the baseline.

He was ready to take on Gaspar one-on-one!

He moved closer to Gaspar.

No rush—first, a step-over.

Okay, closer now; Nani searched for the right moment to dribble, when Mina, who had just passed to him, found space inside the box.

Munir had also found space.

Valencia now had two forwards, both in scoring positions down the center and right.

But Nani didn't pass!

Mina kept driving into the box.

Nani still didn't pass!

He'd do it himself!

Keep dribbling!

Nani's step-over made Gaspar think he'd cross—but Nani didn't cross.

Gaspar was fooled!

He cut inside the box!

Now was the time to shoot!

Bang!

Nani struck the ball with his instep toward the penalty spot; Mina, sprinting from the arc, seized the chance.

He slotted it!

Bang!

"Oh, goal!"

"Valencia, playing away, opened the scoring against Villarreal—within ten minutes!"

"This result is unexpected!"

Valencia's quick goal stunned the commentators.

Wasn't Villarreal supposed to be the stronger side?

And they were at home!

Mina and Nani sprinted together toward the left corner flag.

Roaring toward the home fans' stand!

"Damn!"

Escrivà was already under heavy pressure; Santi Mina's goal made it worse.

He had to think of a solution…

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

Captain Bruno clapped to encourage his teammates.

They needed to adjust quickly!

At the 27th minute, Tang Ye received a long pass from Asenjo, turned, and chested the ball to Rodrigo in front of him.

Then he shouted.

"Rodri!"

Rodrigo knew exactly what Tang Ye wanted—he controlled the return pass, adjusted briefly, and played a through ball forward.

Perfect!

Tom and Rod's connection!

Sprint forward!

Rodrigo's pass lacked perfect weight; Tang Ye had to challenge Soler for possession.

Keep running!

Soler was sprinting toward Tang Ye too!

He was nervous—but Villarreal was down a goal; Tang Ye had to summon courage.

He reached the ball first, flicking it up with his toe!

Tang Ye's imaginative move not only avoided confrontation with Soler but also secured possession in a strong attacking position.

Still airborne, he glanced ahead to assess the box!

A chance!

Landing on the grass, Tang Ye prepared and delivered a through pass.

【De Bruyne Through Ball Lv4: Realistic】

Proficiency: 188/1000

Although he used the through-ball skill, Tang Ye didn't add much spin to the pass.

A Laideweizhiyijinghenhaole ， Zhiyaonengbaqiuchuandaowei ， Zheqiujibenjiujinle 。

Chuandaojinquli ！

Tangyedechuanqiugangsongdao A Laijiaoxia ， Kanqilaiyijingwenle 。

Danzheshi A Laishenpangdejialeiturandaodi ， Zhijiejiangqiuchanlechuqu 。

A Laiyebeiliandaibandao 。

Fujinhuangqianqiuyuanxiangxiangcaipantousu ， Dancaipanlijishiyijialeidechanqiubufangui 。

Takandeqingchu ， Jialeiqueshixianpengdaoleqiu ！

Shangbanchangtangyeyigongchuangzaolesicihaisuanbucuodejingongjihui ， Dandoubeiwalunxiyahuajiele 。

Suiranwalunxiyamuqianliansaipaimingjindishiyi ， Dannibixuchengren ， Zhezhiqiuduihouchangmijifangshoudenenglifeichangchuse 。

Buguowalunxiyadezhezhongfangshouhemajingyouyoudianbuyiyang 。

Majinggenbenbugeinichuangzaojihuidekongjian 。

Erwalunxiyazeshi ， Nikeyichuangzaojihui 。

Dannideqianfengruoxiangbawojihui ， Womenjiubuleyile ！

Zhechangbisaizhongtangyesuiranmeiyudaogaoqiangdubiqiang ， Danjinqulidesangsongneihe A Laidoubeisisidingfang 。

Zhetainanshoule ！

Aisikeliwazuozaitibuxizijideweizhishang ， Shoulinazhuobihebianlitie 。

Shashashakuaisuxiezi ， Youshuashuahuadiao 。

Tataitoukanzheqiuchangshangzhengzaijingongdewalunxiyaqiuyuan ， Xianruchensi 。

" Bi ——！！！"

Dongqiudibanchangzhanbao ： Biliyaleiyaerzhuchang 0:1 Luohouwalunxiya ， Nanizhugongminapomen ， Tangyeduocichuangzaojihuiwuguo 。

【 Duimianzhuangtailamana ， Zhexiazenmeban 】

【 Aishengbixudexiangxiangbanfa ， Walunxiyadetifahealaweisiyiyangdoushihenkezhihuangqiande 】

【 Tangqiuwangzhanchulaiyemeiyonga ， Qianfengwanquanbeisuosile 】

【 Huangqianxuyaolianggetangye ， Yigefangzuobianyigefangyoubian ， Zuihaozhongjianzailaiyige 】

【 Loushangdenishixianhuangqiandekongqiulvhaibugoudima ……】

【 Jiayouahuangqian ， Biebeimajingzhuishanglai 】

【 Fangxinfangxin ， Majingbaozhuibushanglai 】

Zhongchang ， Aisikeliwaheqiuyuanmenkuaisujiangjielexiabanchangdeyixiezhuyishixiang 。

Qizhongzuiguanjiandeyidian ， Shitongguoqianfengjiaochapaoweixunzhaojihui 。

" Womendeduishouhuibazhuyilifangzaijinqulideqianfengshenshang ， Zhehuirangqianfengqiangdianshemenbiandefeichangkunnan 。 Womenxuyaozuode ， Jiushiqianfengjiaochapaowei ， Huxiangyanhuxunzhaojihui 。"

" Dangran ， Zhegejihuikenengfeichangduanzan ， Suoyiwozaiciqiangdiao ， Nimenbixujizhongzhuyili 。"

Chuleqianfengdejiaochapaowei ， Aisikeliwahaitileyigeguanjiandian 。

Najiushiyuanshe 。

Duishouzaijinqufangshoufeichangmiji ， Zheshihuangqianqishikeyitongguoyuanshexunzhaoyixiejihui 。

Buguotangyehebulunuodeyuanshenenglidoubusuanhao ， Suoyiaisikeliwazhishijiandantileyiju ， Jiumeizaijixushuo 。

Hexinhaishiyaorangqianfengqiuyuanquxunzhaojihuia ！

"Vamos Villarreal！"

Xiabanchangbisaikaishi ！

" Jiayou ！"

" Gandiaotamen ！"

" Gansitamen ！"

" Jiayoua ！"

Suiranqiuduiluohou ， Kantaishangdeqiumireqingbujian 。

Tamenxiangkandaozijidezhuduiwanchengduiwalunxiyadenizhuan ！

Zaijinlianggeqiu 。

Ranhoujibaiduishou ！

"In the town where I was born～"

"Lived a man who sailed to sea～"

"And he told us of his life～"

Geshengzhong ， Xiabanchangdejiezoubeihuanhuanlasheng 。

Shangbanchangzhanjuyoushi ， Suoyixiabanchangwalunxiyarengyanyongshangbanchangdedafa 。

Dabufenshijiandouzaimijifangshou ， Xunzhaojihui 。

When a suitable opportunity arises, Valencia will expand it through a counterattack.

Walunxiyazhetaozhanshuzhibangtamennadaoliansaidishiyideweizhi ， Danpianpian ， Zhetaotixizhengshihuangqiandekexing 。

Jiuxiangalaweisizai 1/4 Juesaishouhuihezuodenayang ！

Di 71 Fenzhong ！

Paleihuodaiqiulabian ， Kansailuoxunsucongpaleihuoshenhoupaoguo 。

Daodaqianchangweizhi 。

Jiezhupaleihuosongchudezhisai ！

Cancellao demonstrated his excellent dribbling on the flank; Sanzone, returning to defend, tried to intercept him but failed.

" Papa ！"

Lianxudejiqiusheng ， Laiziwalunxiyayoufengyuyouhouweideerguoyipeihe 。

Kansailuodaiqiuzhijiechongdaodixianfujin ！

Wangjinqulipao ！

Walunxiyadejingongsihujijiangdachu ， Huifangdetangyezhuyiligaodujizhong ， Ganjindingzhupeileisi 。

Tongshitazhizheyiqiqianchadesuolaier ， Chaobulunuohandao ：" Nikannage 28 Hao ！"

Kansailuoxiangbianfengyiyang ， Daiqiumanmanyasuohuangqianjinqufangxian 。

Zheshimunierzaicipaolaijieying ， Kansailuozuojiadongzuohouhuichuan 。

Yaolaile ！

Tangyezheshituranjiasu ， Zhijiechongdaopeileisishenqian 。

Haowuyiwai ， Munierxuanzebaqiuchuangeipeileisi 。

Peileisixianzaizhandeweizhishigejuejiadeyuanshedian 。

However, he no longer had a chance to take a long-range shot.

Tangyekazhuletadeweizhi ！

Yinweitangyedezulan ， Peileisihuitouguancha ， Zhijiebaqiuxiangshenhoula ， Chuangeizuohoufangdesuolaier 。

" Kanyixia ！"

Tangyedahan 。

Danzheshibulunuozaixiangguolaiyijinglaibujile 。

Suolaierbaituishemen ， Tangyezhijiexiangsuolaiershenqianchanqiu ， Xiangpengpengyunqinengfoulanjie 。

Buguo Tom Jintiandeyunqibingbuhaoa ！

Peng ！

"GGGG——OOOOO——LLLLLL！！！"

Suolaierdeyuanshezhijiefeiruqiumen 。

" Menjiangasenhuoqishiyijingzuochupujiudongzuo ， Danyijinglaibujile 。"

" Suolaierzhejiaoyuanshefeichangguoduan ， Qiusuyejiqikuazhang ！"

" Wanquanmeibanfaa ！"

Zaibulunuoshenpang ， Jinqiudesuolaierzhangkaishuangbichongchu 。

Turanxiangdaoshenme ， Zhengzaibenpaodesuolaierzhijietuoxiaqiuyi 。

Ranhoushuailechuqu ！

"VAMOS！！！！"

Walunxiyayiliansaidishiyideshenfen ， Zaibisaidi 70 Duofenzhongshi 2:0 Lingxianjifenbangdisandebiliyaleiyaer 。

Zhideqingzhu ！

Zhejueduishizhidedasiqingzhudeshengli ！

Tangyezuozaicaodishang ， Zuilihanzhekouxiangtang ， Bantianshuobuchuyijuhua 。

" Hu ……"

Bulunuotuzheqizouxiangtangye ， Laidaotashenbian ， Shenshoubatacongdishanglaqilai ：" Wodewenti 。"

Suiranbuzhidaotangyeweihetixingzijidingfangsuolaier ， Danbulunuoxianzaizhidao ， Gangcaimeitingtangyedehua ， Jueduishijiqicuowudejueding ！

Tafancuole ！

Ruguotiqianpaodaosuolaiershenqian ， Walunxiyahouyaogenbenbuhuiyoushemenjihui ！

"Valencia！"

「Valencia! 」

After the score became 2-0, the away team's stand also grew lively.

The away team's stand had always been lively; it was just that the silence of the home team's stand made the away fans' noise stand out.

Time ticked away second by second, and Tang Ye checked the sideline timer almost every few minutes.

Huang Qian kept accelerating their offensive pace, which indeed created opportunities for them.

But Huang Qian's decision to speed up came too late; now trailing by two goals, many of their players had lost their confidence.

In the 82nd minute, Sancet received a long pass from Rodri.

Despite having a clear chance to shoot, Sancet chose to pass, missing another excellent scoring opportunity.

【At 38, you led your team in Matchday 19 of La Liga, and in this match your squad exposed serious problems. There are far too many young players who lack your level of calm, on-field decision-making.】

【As the oldest player on the team, you should have stepped forward to comfort the younger players now—but you didn't. This is why, at 38, you've never been captain.】

【Comeback Point -2】

Damn it!

While running on the pitch, Tang Ye realized he'd been fined again!

Bloody hell!

But the fine could wait—Tang Ye now needed to figure out how to win this match!

Can we win…?

«Beep! Beep-beep—!! »

«The referee blew the final whistle. In the end, Villarreal, playing at home, lost 0-2 to Valencia, suffering defeat in their 19th league match! »

«How do we explain this loss…? Well, Villarreal seem to have failed to find the right way to play. »

«Yes, exactly—they've felt chased all match. This is the urgent issue the team must resolve. »

CCTV's two commentators expressed their concern over Huang Qian's current state.

Losing to Valencia was painful, but given Huang Qian's current points tally, this defeat isn't too serious.

The worst part is coming.

In three days, Huang Qian will face Alavés away—it's the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal.

A packed schedule, plus a dreaded opponent.

How should Huang Qian handle this crisis?

…

«Huh…»

Tang Ye exhaled, sat back down on his bench in the locker room, picked up a bottle of mineral water, and gulped down half of it in one go.

He wasn't actually thirsty—he just needed a way to vent his current emotions.

Setting aside the terrible 0-2 scoreline for now…

No, we can't set it aside.

They didn't just lose 0-2—they suffered through the entire match.

Extremely, extremely painful!

Tang Ye felt they kept creating chances but just couldn't score.

He screwed the cap back on and tossed the water bottle carelessly onto the floor.

Tang Ye was thinking.

If only he had Soler's outstanding long-range shooting ability.

If he did, the team wouldn't be struggling so much.

Huang Qian lost 0-2, and now no one in the locker room was speaking loudly—it wasn't the atmosphere Tang Ye liked.

The players were silent; at a time like this, the captain, Bruno, should break the silence.

But Bruno isn't omnipotent—he too needs time to reset his mindset.

They could only wait for Mr. Ferran to return.

Wait until Mr. Ferran finished his media interviews before addressing the team's issues.

…

«Villarreal Times» front-page headline—Two straight losses: Is the La Liga super underdog about to be fully studied by other teams? How should Huang Qian break the deadlock?

Now is the best time to test Escrivá's mettle.

Can Huang Qian's head coach step up when the team needs him most?

…

(End of Chapter)