Chapter 231: China

Dongqiu Di pinned: In the 7th round of Asian qualifiers, China's national team is away against Iran; current score 2:1, China trailing by one goal.

Dongqiu Di live update: At 67 minutes, Tang Ye cut inside from the right flank and struck directly with the outside of his foot; 2:2, China equalizes!

【I told you—he's the savior.】

【666666】

【Holy shit, go go go!】

Tang Ye's goal gave the livestream viewers hope.

Being one goal behind Iran was almost a death sentence.

But now it doesn't look like that at all!

Tang Ye hugged Zhang Yuning near the corner flag and roared; the livestream chat flooded with lyrics from "Little Hero Big Belly."

Just like in an animated film, GGBond always shows up when his friends need him most!

"Tang Ye!"

Zheng Zhi and Hao Junmin charged forward and slammed into Tang Ye at once.

"Hahaha!"

Tang Ye staggered a few steps, then moved beneath the away fans' section.

Right fist clenched!

Then he swung it upward sharply!

"Wow!!!"

Chinese fans who had traveled far joined Tang Ye in cheering.

"Tang Ye has stepped up again!"

"After scoring against South Korea a week ago, Tang Ye has scored again."

"This is his second match for the national team—and just now, he scored his third goal for China!"

"At eighteen years old, you might think what you're seeing is absurd."

"But!"

"This is Tang Ye!"

"Having won over the fans of the Iberian Peninsula, Tang Ye has brought his talent to the national team!"

Boom!

Wu Lei dribbled down the right flank and was cleared out of bounds by Talebi.

It's a sideline opportunity for China!

"Can switch, can switch!"

Tang Ye sprinted toward the sideline while waving to his teammates.

Based on his match experience, if they keep playing like this, China still has a chance to score again!

China can turn this around!

Of course, Iran still has a chance too!

Hmm, look at Pellegrini—see what he's got to say!

Head coach Pellegrini remained silent for now.

There are ten rounds in this stage; they've reached the seventh, but China has only five points.

Another draw won't help China much anymore!

They need to win!

Even against Iran, they must win!

"Amazing, amazing!"

Pellegrini clapped his hands; Tang Ye, meanwhile, scanned the field for opportunities to push forward.

72nd minute!

"Jahanbakhsh!"

"Straight shot!"

"Right on target—the Chinese goalkeeper caught it!"

Jahanbakhsh delivered an outstanding performance in this match; he's undoubtedly Iran's best player.

But livestream viewers quickly pointed out that China has no reason to fear Jahanbakhsh.

Jahanbakhsh is the starting striker for Alkmaar.

Last season in the Dutch Eredivisie, Alkmaar was thoroughly outplayed by Utrecht, Tang Ye's club.

Utrecht > Alkmaar.

Tang Ye > Jahanbakhsh.

So China > Iran.

It's a simple size comparison—something even elementary school kids understand.

77th minute.

Tang Ye received the ball in the center and pushed forward steadily.

His pace wasn't fast, but Iran's defenders were extremely cautious.

Because they'd been burned before by his changes of rhythm!

Ebrahimi drifted over from the left!

On the right: Ezatolahi!

What is this!?

This is Tang Ye's favorite hamburger!

But now Tang Ye doesn't like hamburgers—he's the filling stuck in the middle!

Look at his teammates!

Wu Lei, China's most agile forward, hasn't found any space to receive the ball.

Tang Ye has two choices.

Hold the ball in place!

Or…

Try it himself?

Tang Ye's mindset leans toward opportunism, and this heavily shapes how he plays.

At 2:2, they should play more aggressively!

Look up!

Push the ball from his left foot to his right!

Tang Ye feinted past Ezatolahi, giving the defender the illusion he'd cut outside.

As he feinted, his eyes locked onto the opponent's center of gravity.

The weight shifted!

Swish!

He pushed the ball from his right foot to his left, then drove it forward with his left foot!

"Fried meatball!"

"Fried meatball from Tang Ye!"

"Central double move—powerful dribble!"

"Tang Ye tore through Iran's central defense!"

"Now it's all up to Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye was brought down!"

The fried meatball move was dazzling—even many Iranian fans shouted in admiration.

But Iran's defenders couldn't let Tang Ye reach the penalty arc!

"Beep!"

The referee ran over and showed Ezatolahi a yellow card, then awarded China a free kick.

Dongqiu Di live update: Tang Ye was fouled after the fried meatball double move; China awarded a free kick.

China's free kick!

A bit far from goal.

But it's central, so it's still a direct shot.

On screen, several Chinese players huddled together discussing.

Zheng Zhi covered his mouth and walked over to Tang Ye: "You taking this one?"

Tang Ye didn't answer immediately; he stared at Iran's goal, thinking.

"I'll take it."

"Then I'll cover."

Zheng Zhi and Tang Ye stood side by side; players from both sides began positioning in the box.

"We know Tang Ye has decent free-kick ability—his crosses are excellent—so I think he'll take this one."

Huang Jianxiang's comment was immediately challenged by the other commentator: "I'm not so sure—he's new to the national team; he might not have even trained for free kicks more than a few times."

"Let's see…"

Zheng Zhi, take your run-up!

Fake!

Tang Ye!

Thwack!

Classic 【Ward-Prowse curling free-kick template】!

Straight into the box!

This one's for Zhang Yuning!

Zhang Yuning jumps!

Header shot!

Hits the right post!

Iranian fans thought the ball was safe—until Wu Lei suddenly appeared and slotted it in with a low drive.

Goal!

Wu Lei scores!

Luckily, CCTV didn't require the commentator to show his face, or fans would've seen Huang Jianxiang's flushed face.

The national team took the lead in the 80th minute!

Wow～

Tang Ye felt a wave of relief after the pass; his teammates sprinted past him.

Wait for me, wait for me!

Wu Lei tore off his jersey and hurled it into the stands; Tang Ye sprinted up from behind and leapt onto Wu Lei's back.

Roar—!!

Wu Lei roared toward the stands, then sprinted ten meters down the pitch with Tang Ye on his back.

Woww!!!

Dongqiu Di live report: Last-minute winner? Wu Lei taps in the rebound—China leads Iran 3:2.

Damn!

Mark your man!

What are you standing there for?

Coach Queiroz was clearly furious—he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Iran had clear dominance in possession and attacking stats throughout the match.

And yet they were trailing?

What the hell is going on!

Come on, come on!

As the national team players walked back, slapping hands, Tang Ye sprinted over to Zhang Yuning: "See? I told you we could turn it around."

Hah!

Zhang Yuning let out a loud laugh, then pulled Tang Ye into a tight hug.

Ball King!

Dongqiu Di live report: 84th minute, Jahanbakhsh fires from outside the box—Feng Xiaoting makes a perfect block.

【Hold on! Hold on!】

【Hold on and we win!】

【Hold on, hold on, come on!】

【Stay calm, stay calm—send Tang the Ball King to tackle on the flank!】

After going ahead 3:2, every single comment on screen read "Hold on!"

Because if they hold this lead, the national team will have beaten Iran away from home!

Fun fact: The third round of Asian World Cup qualifiers has reached Matchday 7.

Iran hasn't lost a single game yet!

Iran's team is still living in a fairy tale.

Today, the fairy tale's hero, GGBond, will lead his friends to hand Iran their first loss!

Stay calm, stay calm, come back, come back!

By the 85th minute, Pep Guardiola switched China's formation to 5-4-1, leaving only Gao Lin up front; Zhang Yuning was substituted off.

Iran's attack!

I'm watching this!

Tang Ye slowly jogged toward his own penalty arc, saw an Iranian player pick up the ball on the wing, and sprinted over to help Hao Junmin with the defense.

Hao Junmin cut off the crossing lane.

Then Tang Ye slid in!

Tackle!

Thud!

Held!

Hao Junmin pulled Tang Ye up from the ground.

In the final minutes, every Chinese player's heart rate spiked above 140.

Iran sent a player charging toward the endline every 120 seconds—China's defenders had to stay locked in.

Hold on and we get three points!

If they score, we get only one!

94th minute: Jahanbakhsh reaches the endline.

Beep, beeeep—!!

Full time!

3:2! Iran loses their final chance to equalize!

3:2! China defeats Iran away from home!

The home fans fell silent; the stadium erupted in cheers from Chinese supporters.

Phew…

Tang Ye, exhausted and relieved, sat down on the grass. "Tang Ye!"

Wu Lei walked over, crouched down, and wrapped his arms around Tang Ye's neck: "We won! We won!"

After losing all five of the first five matches, winning two straight in Matchdays 6 and 7 was a massive psychological boost for the national team.

Hah!

Tang Ye slapped Wu Lei's hand, then pushed himself up with both hands on the grass behind him.

That's what makes football great.

The harder you fight during the match, the greater the joy when you win.

Tang Ye loved this feeling—the relief after intense pressure!

China～China～

I fight for you～I'm proud of you～

China～China～

Amid the fans' singing and applause, the national team players slowly filed back to the locker room tunnel.

!

Check the standings, check the standings!

Back in the locker room, Tang Ye urged Zhang Yuning to pull out his phone and check Group A's current standings.

"I feel like we're getting close to the World Cup," Tang Ye whispered.

He had joined only halfway through the third round, so the qualifiers felt like they'd flown by.

Asian World Cup Qualifiers, Group A Standings (after Matchday 7)

1. Iran, 14 points.

2. South Korea, 13 points.

3. Uzbekistan, 12 points.

4. China, 8 points.

5. Syria, 8 points.

6. Qatar, 4 points.

"Hah, fourth place!"

The national team players slapped hands; Tang Ye rubbed his own hands together.

When Tang Ye first joined the national team, China had only 2 points and ranked last. Now, after two wins, they'd surged to fourth.

When Tang Ye first joined the national team, he had seen the standings; at that time, the Chinese team had only 2 points and ranked last. After two matches, the national team, thanks to two consecutive wins, surged directly to fourth place.

"Only the top two qualify directly, right?"

Tang Ye confirmed with his teammates.

Yes, only the top two qualify directly.

Indeed, only the top two can advance directly.

"We're in a bit of danger…"

Tang Ye calculated.

There are ten matches in the third stage; three remain.

To finish in the top two, you must win all your matches—or you have no chance.

"Don't worry, we still have a six-point match against Uzbekistan."

Feng Xiaoting walked over with a bottle of mineral water: "Win against Uzbekistan, and third place is no problem—then we can play the playoff."

Tang Ye nodded.

"Hmm… I think it's better to qualify directly."

"Haha!"

Gao Lin put an arm around Tang Ye's shoulder: "King Tang, if we finish top two in the group, we qualify directly—we've got to beat South Korea too!"

Weibo trending top three.

1. Chinese national team wins two in a row.

2. Chinese national team defeats Iran, reigniting qualification hopes.

3. A divine weapon descends! Who is the Chinese national team's new No. 19?

vs Iran, Tang Ye's post-match stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, 29 offensive opportunities created, 11 ball losses, 3 successful tackles.

【【29 Offensive Opportunities Created】】

【Just checked—Iran's entire team created only 28 offensive opportunities. King Tang just single-handedly outperformed an entire squad.】

【Iran is stupid—they should've sent two men to mark Tang Ye.】

【You're clearly new to football. If two guys mark Tang Ye, their defense opens up completely—and then Tang Ye turns, plays a backheel pass, and the net explodes.】

【So it's unbeatable, then?】

【Only a king is unbeatable!】

Click-click-click!

As man of the match, Tang Ye appeared with Pellegrini at the post-game press conference.

After questions for Pellegrini, the reporters turned their cameras to Tang Ye.

"Your performances in the national team's first two matches have been excellent—you now have three goals and two assists."

"Yes."

Tang Ye rubbed his hand: "I've felt in good form this month. Helping the team win makes me happy."

"When did you find out you'd been selected for the national team?"

The reporter asked the question fans cared about most.

Tang Ye was officially added to the squad list at the start of this month, but as the player himself, he should have known the news earlier than fans or reporters.

"Uh, around January. During the Hainan training camp, I got added to a group chat and found out I was selected."

"But because of club matters, I didn't go to Hainan in January."

Tang Ye explained.

January was critical for Huang Qian's King's Cup knockout stage—that's why Tang Ye didn't join the Hainan camp; Zhang Yuning's situation was similar.

"Can you talk about your goal for this Asian qualifiers campaign?"

"Top two in the group. My goal is direct qualification, but I know it's tough—we don't have many points yet. I just checked the standings with Wu Lei and the others in the locker room. We're tied with Syria at eight points. To finish top two, we can't afford a single mistake in the next few matches."

"Can you beat Uzbekistan?"

Uh…

Honestly, Tang Ye had no idea how to answer questions about match outcomes in football.

"Uzbekistan seems strong—I don't know if we can win. But there's still time before the next match. We'll train slowly."

At this, the reporters below smiled: "Will you still play games while with the national team?"

"Uh…"

At the mention of games, Tang Ye sat up straight: "Sometimes I play a bit, but not much."

"If possible, let's play a match—I mean CS: GO. You play that, right?"

The reporter's words made everyone in the room laugh.

Huh?

Tang Ye raised an eyebrow: "Let me check your profile."

He took the reporter's phone, flipped through it briefly, then handed it back.

"You can't beat me."

…

After the match, the Chinese national team held a celebration dinner at their hotel in Tehran, and another one after returning home.

But Tang Ye did not attend the second celebration.

"Mr. Marcelo, the club is urging me to return."

Tang Ye pointed to his phone—the familiar WhatsApp interface, a message in Spanish from his contact: "Return as soon as possible."

At the top of the screen was Tang Ye's note for him.

【Mr. Ferran】

Pellegrini squeezed Tang Ye's shoulder: "Go hard. Focus on your club."

Tang Ye is currently improving rapidly; national team training and matches won't help his skills much.

The key is still the club!

There are only two months left in this season's La Liga and Europa League!

…

"Wow!!!"

"Garcia scores!"

"Eibar scores a last-minute winner!"

Eibar's players began celebrating.

Just moments ago it was 3-3; after Garcia's goal, it became 3-4.

"This…"

Tang Ye was stretching near the bench, glancing toward Escrivá.

Tang Ye could tell Mr. Ferran was in a bad mood.

He walked over: "Mr. Ferran, am I still going on?"

Escrivá checked the time.

86'23"

"Forget it. Just sit."

"Alright."

Tang Ye sat back down, next to Rodri, who had just been subbed off with an injury.

"Rodri, how's your foot?"

Rodri pressed his ankle bandage, shook his head: "It hurts, but I think it's fine. Damn, why did we get beaten like this?"

Garcia's sudden goal had stunned all Villarreal players.

At 3-3, they'd have gotten a point; at 3-4, they got nothing.

Villarreal lost their first league match of April!

Tang Ye watched his teammates fighting back on the pitch; the deficit in the second half made him desperate to get on. That's why Escrivá had him warm up.

But for various reasons, the Spanish coach ultimately didn't put Tang Ye on.

He'd just finished playing for the national team, then flown ten hours—sending him on now risked injury!

The camera cut to Escrivá on the pitch.

Escrivá was under heavy pressure.

Not just because of the score.

But because of what came next.

The post-match press conference!

A week ago, Escrivá had told reporters bluntly that Villarreal had two very strong tactical systems.

He believed Eibar wasn't a strong team—that they could win even without Tang Ye.

Escrivá was right: Eibar really wasn't strong. They were even a bit weak.

But Escrivá hadn't expected that without Tang Ye, Villarreal's players simply didn't know how to play.

They played worse than last season!

"It's unavoidable—team performance sometimes fluctuates."

In the press room, Escrivá faced over thirty football reporters alone.

"Did I lie? No, I didn't lie. Villarreal does have two strong squads. But you saw it—Eibar was strong, our opponent was excellent. That's why we lost."

Marca front page headline—Villarreal sheds its underdog image: How good is Escrivá really?

SER Radio: Do the two-squad claims even exist? Can Villarreal go far in this crucial April?

Villarreal, undefeated in March, lost their first April league match—sparking widespread discussion among fans and reporters.

Initially, fans thought even without Tang Ye, Villarreal could still maintain their underdog status this season.

But now it seems the Huang Qian fans have underestimated Tang Ye's role in the team.

A Huang Qian with Tang Ye and a Huang Qian without Tang Ye are completely different teams!

The post-match Twitter comment section was lively, with fans questioning the title "Saint" given to Escrivá.

The evidence shows there is a gap between Ferran Escrivá and Erik ten Hag.

This gap is why Escrivá still cannot become a Saint.

【I said before: without Tom, Huang Qian's win rate drops—and now it's proven.】

【Can't they even beat Espanyol? Why did they get a last-minute winner?】

【There are so many matches in April—can Tom really play them all?】

"…"

Watching the fans' comments, Escrivá felt unprecedented pressure.

What should he do now?

Keep Tang Ye on the bench and prove his own ability to the fans?

Prove his damn self!

Escrivá himself doesn't have that ability…

Hmm… not exactly.

The main reason is that the upcoming matches are too crucial for Huang Qian—whether in the league or the Europa League.

What Escrivá needs to do now is get Huang Qian more wins—that's his duty as head coach.

With a flick of his index finger, Escrivá pulled up the Twitter interface.

Taking a deep breath, Escrivá made up his mind and pressed his thumb hard against the "Twitter" icon on his phone screen.

【Remove "Twitter" from iPhone?】

【Delete app】

…

(End of Chapter)