Chapter 202: The King's Cup Final at the Bernabéu? The Europa League Knockout Stage Begins!

The day after the match between Yellow Submarine and Malaga ended, a piece of news captured the fans' attention.

La Liga Official: After comprehensively considering the schedules of the participating teams, the King's Cup final is set for 7:30 PM on March 10, with the neutral venue selected as the Bernabéu Stadium.

Originally, everyone thought La Liga Official would reschedule April's league matches to March to accommodate the King's Cup, but unexpectedly, they simply moved the final directly to March.

This has no precedent in recent years.

Because never before has a King's Cup final been a contest between a Champions League team and a Europa League team!

However, looking closely... the match time is actually not the highlight of the final.

What truly requires attention is the match venue.

The Spanish Football Association chose the Bernabéu between the two neutral stadiums, the Bernabéu and the Calderón!

Is the Royal Submarine really about to launch?

"We're actually playing the final at the Bernabéu."

In the afternoon at Wudeshitang, Bruno exclaimed in surprise, "Tom, we're really playing the final in March!"

"Tom?"

Calling out once without receiving a response from Tang Ye, Bruno turned his head.

Tang Ye was sitting right beside him, currently holding a mobile phone, his two thumbs moving incredibly fast.

Curious, Bruno stretched his neck over to take a look.

On the phone screen, Tang Ye was controlling Zidane, dressed in a Yellow Submarine jersey, sending a through ball straight into the penalty area.

The one receiving the ball was...

Aleix!

Looking carefully.

Good heavens, Tang Ye was using Yellow Submarine to play against Barcelona on his phone.

Both teams had standard starting lineups of eleven players, except that Yellow Submarine's starting attacking midfielder had changed from Tang Ye to Zidane.

"Why aren't you playing as yourself?"

Bruno asked while watching Tang Ye's controls.

"It hasn't updated yet; my current stats are only 72, which is terrible."

As he spoke, Aleix crossed the ball to Sansone on the left.

Sansone passed it back to Zidane at the top of the arc.

"Bruno, watch this!"

Tang Ye focused his attention.

His right thumb pressed down to charge power!

Then he shot directly!

With a powerful and heavy strike from Zidane, Tang Ye breached the Barcelona goal defended by ter Stegen.

This was a standard world-class goal!

"Damn, finally won."

Tang Ye exhaled deeply and placed his phone on the table.

Thanks to Zidane's long-range shot, Tang Ye defeated the opponent using the Barcelona lineup with a score of 3:2.

Although he had already won, Tang Ye did not skip Zidane's celebration animation.

Because he wanted to show his victory to the teammates at the table!

Rodri leaned over, reading the result screen on Tang Ye's phone: "Villarreal 4:3 Barcelona... Haha, so is this the final's score?"

Tang Ye nodded, and after showing it, took his phone back: "I think it should be like this."

Rodri reached out, took the phone, and looked at the starting lineup Tang Ye had arranged, discovering that he, with stats of only 74, had also been placed in the lineup.

Moreover, Tang Ye had somehow increased his stats to 76!

"Rodri, don't be fooled by Tom's game."

Musacchio laughed heartily.

Although Tang Ye playing against Barcelona in the game was somewhat amusing, discovering that Tang Ye had been using their own teammates to play the match made him feel quite happy inside.

Rodri studied the content on Tang Ye's phone, then lifted his head: "So we can beat Barcelona, but... where do we find Zidane?"

"Haha!"

The other players at the table began to tease; Tang Ye was clearly stumped by Rodri's question.

Tang Ye had defeated Barcelona in the game using ten Yellow Submarine starters plus Zidane.

Even winning against Barcelona in the game required Zidane's help.

So what should be done to win in reality?

Should we really go find a Zidane to start the match?

That is obviously impossible.

Thinking of this, the Yellow Submarine players in the cafeteria suddenly fell silent.

Tang Ye sat alone on a chair, taking two bites of a hamburger and one sip of cola, wanting to say something but unable to speak.

"It's fine, just play with all your might!"

Matti had sat down beside him at some unknown point.

The Spanish Football Association scheduling the King's Cup final for March avoided Yellow Submarine's busy April and May, but it also brought new challenges to Yellow Submarine.

A simple calculation of the time reveals this.

There are now less than 30 days until the King's Cup final!

Yet Yellow Submarine has only just completed tactical adjustments not long ago, and some players have not yet fully adapted!

Martí didn't know whether scheduling the final for March was good or bad for Yellow Submarine.

The players certainly didn't know either.

As for Escrivá...

The Yellow Submarine head coach had been moved by his loyal fans just a few days ago, and was now working overtime in his office, pondering tactics for the Europa League match!

With fans treating their head coach with such loyalty, Escrivá naturally wanted to bring them the best possible result.

Yellow Submarine would fight for their league ranking; the Copa del Rey opponents were somewhat formidable, but having come this far, they certainly had to give it a try.

And then there was the Europa League!

Yellow Submarine's probability of winning the Europa League title was even lower than winning the Copa del Rey, but winning the title wasn't Yellow Submarine's European objective for this season anyway.

As long as they broke into the top eight, Yellow Submarine would receive a substantial bonus.

Finishing in the top four would be even better!

Escrivá's attitude toward the Europa League was extremely serious.

Because only when the team had accumulated enough money could they hold an advantage in Tang Ye's transfer negotiations come summer!

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: Europa League Round of 32 First Leg, Villarreal hosts Roma, with Tang Ye and Džeko leading the squad list.

On match day, a bus adorned with yellow graffiti departed from the team base, heading toward the Cerámica Stadium in the city center.

"The blocking rain resembles snowflakes; are you freezing while weeping~"

"I give you this windbreaker, worn until the lapel flowers~"

"Even after changing jobs, I fear nothing; why does my longing persist~~"

"Carefully chosen..."

Tang Ye wore earphones listening to music, his body unconsciously starting to shake.

At that moment, Rodri beside him suddenly slapped his own thigh.

Tang Ye turned around and discovered that everyone on the bus, including Escrivá, was looking at him.

Feeling slightly awkward, he quickly removed his earphones.

"Mr. Fei, Mr. Ferran, what's wrong?"

"I need to say a few pre-match things; if you want to listen to music, it's best to wait a moment,"

Escrivá said slowly; Tang Ye moved quickly, stuffing his earphones directly into his pocket.

"Today we play Roma; this is our first Europa League match this year. I told you yesterday that the opponent might be stronger than we imagine, because I've seen that Roma's league results are very good."

"What I need to say now is that no matter what happens during the match, you must play according to the original tactics; if there are any changes, I will address them collectively at halftime; until then, there will be no tactical adjustments whatsoever."

The difference between La Liga teams and Serie A teams was significant; Escrivá feared that Roma might deploy some strange tactic that would completely disrupt Yellow Submarine's rhythm.

In clashes between such high-level teams, if your rhythm is controlled by the opponent, losing the match becomes a certainty.

"We must maintain our own rhythm; if at that time you don't know what rhythm to play with..."

Speaking at this crucial point, Escrivá suddenly paused.

The Yellow Submarine players on the bus fixed their gazes on the team head coach standing in the aisle, and Tang Ye pricked up his ears as well.

If they didn't know what rhythm to play with at that time, what should they do?

This was a problem Tang Ye was deeply worried about.

Tang Ye realized that within the Yellow Submarine squad, there were no players with an exceptionally obvious sense of rhythm, so during previous matches he had always felt a lack of reference points.

"If you don't know what rhythm to play with... follow Tom's lead."

After saying this, Escrivá's little face turned red, and he quickly scurried back to his seat to sit down.

"..."

Tang Ye sat in his chair, lost in thought.

Glancing at Rodri beside him: "Why follow my rhythm? Do I have much of a rhythm?"

"I don't know."

Rodri shook his head: "Anyway, I've always followed your rhythm, and my market value has increased sixteenfold."

Huh?

This...

"China Media Group! Here is the live broadcast currently bringing you..."

"As you can see, the starting players from both teams are already ready in the player tunnel!"

That's right, they were already ready!

In the camera shot, Tang Ye quickly rubbed his hands together in the player tunnel, then began shaking his legs on the spot.

Opposite them was the Italian team, Roma.

This was Tang Ye's first encounter with Roma; he didn't recognize a single player on the opposing side.

Freshness and a desire for victory—these were the reasons Tang Ye was now brimming with passion!

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle upfront; players from both teams took hold of their respective mascots and slowly walked outward.

Tang Ye saw the flags of Yellow Submarine and Roma, with a Europa League banner positioned between them; one had to say that European competitions truly offered an opening atmosphere that regional cup matches could never compare to.

"As you can see, players from both sides are now ready on the pitch!"

"The head referee is checking his watch!"

"Alright, the match has begun!"

"Now let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams; first, the home team Villarreal, wearing yellow jerseys and yellow shorts!"

"..."

"Number 10 is the rising star from our China, Tang Ye!"

"Then comes the away team, Roma, attacking from the left side of the screen to the right."

Roma (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Alisson

Defenders: Lu Lu Dige, Fazio, Manolas

Midfielders: Emerson, Strootman, De Rossi, Bruno Peres

!

Forwards: El Shaarawy, Dzeko, Nainggolan

The camera cuts to an elderly man in a down jacket standing before the away team's bench.

This is Roma's head coach, Spalletti.

When Escriba shook hands with Spalletti before the match, Escriba's heart felt a strange, inexplicable tightness.

The reason was simple.

Spalletti had no hair!

This was the same characteristic as that Mr. whom Escriba admired most!

It was just unknown what fraction of that Mr.'s level Spalletti possessed?

Shortly after the match began, Roma launched a rapid attack down the right flank; Peres ran straight to the baseline, nearly scaring the Yellow Submarine fans in the stands to death.

"Watch the defensive line! Watch the defensive line!"

"Play more conservatively!"

Escriba shouted loudly from the sidelines.

What he feared most had happened.

The unique tactical style of Italian teams compared to Spanish teams brought immense pressure to the Yellow Submarine players!

Slap!

Peres's back pass found De Rossi, who then passed the ball to Nainggolan.

Although they had brought the ball into the attacking third, Roma was in no hurry to take a shot.

They needed to keep passing to find a better opportunity!

Tang Ye slowly retreated toward his own half; his excellent visual memory gave him a mental map of every Yellow Submarine player's position across the entire pitch.

The reason Roma's attacks were so sharp was mainly because almost all their midfielders participated in the forward assault.

Now, the area around the Yellow Submarine's defensive line was filled with Roma players!

The sound of "slap-slap-slap" rang out intermittently; Roma's attackers were passing the ball, while the Yellow Submarine's players were trying every means to press and harry them.

The personnel density was high; right now, El Shaarawy was standing directly in front of Tang Ye!

Tang Ye pointed at El Shaarawy, signaling Trigueros to run over, while he himself ran toward De Rossi.

Last month, while playing CS: GO, Neymar had told him that if one intended to tackle, the intention must not be too obvious.

Therefore, Tang Ye's speed was not fast.

De Rossi did not have the ball at his feet right now, but Tang Ye quickly calculated Roma's passing options.

It was just like playing Go; calculate several moves ahead.

Hmm...

A pass would definitely come to De Rossi's position in a moment!

Tang Ye was very confident, because he knew his calculations rarely resulted in errors!

Decisively, Ruiz's forward press forced Dzeko to pass backward.

Possession went to De Rossi!

This was the chance!

The instant De Rossi touched the ball, Tang Ye suddenly accelerated.

He decisively dropped to the ground for a sliding tackle!

"There's someone on the side!"

A teammate warned, but it was too late.

The startled De Rossi jumped up quickly, and the ball on the grass was kicked straight out by Tang Ye's foot.

The angle of the tackle had been observed in advance; the ball scooped out by Tang Ye landed perfectly at Gaspar's feet.

"Beautiful!"

"A very clean interception!"

"It's Tang Ye again!"

After several matches, Tang Ye once again displayed his tackling ability.

Although the commentators didn't know why Tang Ye could always find tackling opportunities in the defensive third.

But never mind that.

Anyway, just praise him!

"Faster, faster!"

The Yellow Submarine launched their counterattack, with Escriba urging them from the sidelines.

After gaining possession, Gaspar immediately ran forward!

Knowing his own speed wasn't fast, Gaspar passed the ball ahead to Trigueros.

Trigueros dribbled the ball on the counterattack!

"Wow!!"

The fans in the stands jumped to their feet!

Right now, Villarreal had Ale up front as the spearhead.

As long as the ball reached Ale, relying on his excellent one-on-one ability, this was basically a guaranteed goal!

But how to get the ball to Ale!

Trigueros now only wished he were Tom.

If Tom were taking this ball, it would be an effortless pass!

Screw it!

I'll pretend to be Tom!

Trigueros summoned his courage and whipped out his right foot.

Crack!

This was a through-ball from Trigueros!

However...

The pass was a bit lackluster, striking Fazio squarely on the head.

No chance left?

Wait!

The ball rebounded backward, bouncing directly in front of Fazio.

Realizing what happened, Ale accelerated again and sprinted forward!

This was a one-on-one ball passed by a Roma defender to the Villarreal striker!

"Oh!!!"

Goalkeeper Alisson rushed out; at the moment Ale shot, his body formed a "K" shape.

Stopping a one-on-one depends on luck!

But Alisson's luck today was clearly not very good!

"Gggg—oooooo—llllll!!!"

"Goal!"

"Beautiful!"

"In the 12th minute of the match, Ale scored the opening goal with a one-on-one."

"That goal was, uh, slightly dramatic; Fazio's attention was entirely on Ale, and he didn't realize the ball had already hit his head."

"Right, if Fazio had glanced back, he might have headed the ball away."

Trigueros had accidentally manufactured a fatal error from the Roma defender.

"Haha!"

Tang Ye ran toward Trigueros: "Awesome, Manu!"

Trigueros spread his arms and shouted in triumph.

Through this pass, he once again felt the terror of this young golden boy in the team, while also finding inspiration for himself.

If Tang Ye is this good, then couldn't I just pretend to be Tang Ye whenever I play and take off?

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: 12th minute, Trigueros' long pass caused Fazio's own-goal assist, Ale scored on a one-on-one, Villarreal leads 1:0 at home!

【The match report doesn't even have Tang Ye's name; the Check Dongqiu Di staff won't get pork trotters in their pork rice tonight.】

【Fazio is truly f*cking ridiculous, haha!】

【If this ball had gone to Tang Ye, he probably would have passed it straight to Ale's feet, but passing it onto Fazio's head still counts as Trigueros being awesome.】

【Isn't Roma's confidence completely shattered by this?】

Ale's one-on-one goal might seem like just a simple one-on-one finish, but in reality, it was far more than that.

Because of this own-goal assist, Fazio's performance for the entire match was destined to be far from good!

Today, Roma's defensive line would have huge holes!

"Yellow submarine, yellow submarine~"

"And all our friends are aboard~ (All our friends live inside.)"

"Many more of them live next door~ (So many, right next door.)"

"Villarreal!"

"Villarreal!"

Facing the strong Serie A team Roma, scoring a goal before the first half even reached the 15th minute.

This was something worth celebrating.

The home fans were now riding high on passion!

"Villarreal's first goal established momentum while demonstrating stability in both defense and attack; this is a headache for Roma right now."

"If they can't turn the tide in the remainder of the match, I feel Roma will drift further and further away from victory."

The camera cut to Spalletti.

Immediately after Villarreal's goal, the Roma manager called several nearby players to the sideline.

"Push the defensive midfielders forward during attacks!"

"Be decisive with passes; think before controlling the ball—can you control it right now? Only then should you control it!"

"Go, go, go!"

"Remember, if their number 10 pushes forward, find a way to push him back!"

Walking past from the side, Tang Ye seemed to hear "ten," which meant "10" in English.

Glancing at Spalletti, Tang Ye shook his head.

Was he talking about himself?

Tang Ye really wanted to know what Spalletti had just said.

What a pity; if he had known earlier that he could hear the opposing head coach speaking, he should have used his Counterattack Points before the match started to buy full proficiency in both Italian and English!

……

(End of Chapter)