Chapter 392: June Warm-up Match: First Victory Also the Last Victory for the Chinese Team

Dongqiu Di pinned post: China vs. USA warm-up match in progress, current score 1:0, China leading.

Wu Lei receives the ball inside the penalty area!

Bang!

A pushed shot is delivered, but the goalkeeper punches it out!

"Damn!"

Wu Lei cups the back of his head with both hands, his expression far from good.

There was nothing majorly wrong with how he handled this ball; it was just that the final shot wasn't executed well!

"Brothers, doesn't it feel like the national team is playing really well today..."

"Is the USA team too weak? No, no, it's not that the USA is weak, it's just that the national team is strong, okay?"

Wang Chao had been following the live broadcast all along, so he could be said to know the national team's strength better than anyone.

When the warm-up matches first started at the end of May, the national team was absolutely not this strong!

"No, brothers, listen to me first; the national team has definitely gotten stronger. Their offense wasn't this fluid before. If this continues, I feel we can really secure a draw at the World Cup."

"No joke, really no joke. Haven't you noticed? The passing speed has increased, and the coordination between Tang Ye and Wu Lei has improved too."

Wang Chao narrowed his eyes and began his analysis: "Just looking at the coordination between King Tang Ball and King Wu Ball, I feel like I'm watching La Liga. Now you know how exaggerated this is, right?"

"Zhang Zhang Yuning is also doing alright, but his awareness is a bit lacking; he doesn't know how to match Tang Ye's rhythm."

The match reaches the 30th minute of the first half.

The possession rate for both sides is...

China team 56%, holding the lead!

With possession leading, Tang Ye is arguably the most comfortable; basically, one out of every five passes made by the national team comes from Tang Ye.

They are playing very steadily; Tang Ye can coordinate with every single player in the front and back fields!

"I got it, I got it!"

Hearing Tang Ye's voice, Zhang Zhang Xizhe stops in place, letting Tang Ye run past him.

Dribbling and cutting inside!

There are three USA team defenders inside the penalty area!

Tang Ye decelerates!

Controlling the rhythm slightly, Tang Ye inches closer toward the penalty area.

The defender tries to block Tang Ye from entering, but Tang Ye handles it perfectly, stepping on the ball and pulling it back to dodge directly.

His body pauses for a moment, locking the rhythm as he moves toward the penalty area!

The defending player still wants to intercept, but by this time, Tang Ye has already entered the penalty area.

Now, only one center-back and one goalkeeper stand before Tang Ye!

"Wu Lei!"

Tang Ye shouts loudly, and Wu Lei makes a quick forward run.

At this moment, the USA team's defenders' attention has been drawn to Wu Lei, and Tang Ye makes his choice.

Pretending to pass to the right flank, he actually strikes directly toward the bottom left corner of the goal.

A classic case of aiming far to hit near, though Tang Ye made a slight modification.

Goal!

Tang Ye scores, and the score becomes 2:0!

"Phew..."

Supporting his waist with both hands, Tang Ye blows out a breath.

Wu Lei runs over and high-fives Tang Ye: "Not bad, damn, I was completely fooled."

"Haha."

Tang Ye pats Wu Lei, then says: "Brother Lei, don't just push shots; hitting the top corner works too. That goalkeeper over there dives quickly but jumps slowly; if you strike the top corner, he won't have time."

"Wow."

Wu Lei nods gently, memorizing Tang Ye's words.

"Are you sure?"

Wu Lei confirms once more.

Analyzing the opposing goalkeeper's characteristics during the match; this move by Tang Ye is truly a bit too exaggerated.

Glancing back at the opposing goalkeeper, Tang Ye replies: "It should be so; I feel there's no problem."

The USA team's goalkeeper isn't very famous, so Tang Ye hasn't encountered him in FIFA.

Furthermore, warm-up matches aren't worth Tang Ye specifically playing a few rounds of FIFA beforehand, so his knowledge of the USA goalkeeper is limited to the past 30 minutes of the match.

But!

Tang Ye knows himself very well; he feels his judgments on the field cannot be wrong!

Wu Lei needs to strike the top corner, and then...

"Full-backs push up a bit more! They have five defenders; we need more people, otherwise the ball can't get through!"

Commander Tom diligently does his job!

The 37th minute!

The corner kick is taken, and Tang Ye arrives at the first point.

He easily cushions the ball to his feet!

As the defending player approaches, Tang Ye quickly dodges, then kicks the ball out to Deng Deng Hanwen waiting for support on the perimeter.

Pa!

Deng Deng Hanwen delivers a 45-degree cross into the penalty area!

Zhang Zhang Yuning!

"Here!"

Tang Ye shouts, and Zhang Zhang Yuning heads the ball to Tang Ye.

The pass isn't great, but it's no big deal.

Hiss!

Controlling the ball with his thigh, then shifting it from his right foot to his left, Tang Ye successfully shields the ball amidst the pressing.

The entire sequence flows like drifting clouds and flowing water; it's hard to imagine this was executed inside a densely defended penalty area.

"Come on!"

Tang Ye plays a through ball to Feng Feng Xiaoting!

Bang!

Shot!

Goal!

"Holy crap! 3:0!"

"Awesome! Feng Feng Xiaoting!"

The score suddenly jumps to 3:0, and the stadium erupts.

It's only a friendly, yet in just the first half, the Chinese team has already scored three against the USA.

The tension is rising!

"Good, good!"

Tang Ye high-fives Feng Feng Xiaoting, expressing his admiration for his captain.

This is exactly the feeling!

After linking up with Wu Lei, GGBond has now found chemistry with the national team captain as well.

Bit by bit, progress is made; success is right before their eyes!

"Hey, focus, focus!"

The USA coach is getting anxious too, shouting loudly at his players on the field.

He knows clearly that the USA isn't holding back, so with a three-goal deficit, he is the most nervous one of all!

"Wingers drop back, wingers drop back, widen the midfield defense!"

The USA team makes an impromptu adjustment, while the Chinese national team sticks to their tactics.

Snap!

Zhang Zhang Yuning loses the ball in the attacking third, and the USA launches a rapid counter-attack.

Like the Chinese national team, the USA's style of play is also bold and expansive.

Played forward.

The striker receives the ball!

The control is somewhat sloppy, but since there are no Chinese defenders nearby, the American attack continues.

Bang!

Goal!

A world-class strike from an American wide midfielder brings the score to 3:1!

"..."

Chewing gum, Tang Ye ponders the reason they were caught on the counter-attack.

"Beep, beep-beep!!!"

Check Dongqiu Di halftime report: Friendly match, Chinese national team temporarily leading USA 3:1; Tang Ye delivers a stable performance with two assists and one goal.

Creating three goals against the USA in just one half is quite an impressive feat.

But unfortunately, the Chinese national team's number 10 is the young hero GGBond, known as "The World's Best Number 10."

For this young hero, scoring three goals against the USA is merely an average performance!

"Damn, that felt great."

Back in the locker room, the first thing Tang Ye does is gulp down water.

Today's temperature is only slightly above 20 degrees, but Tang Ye has sweated profusely, leaving him extremely thirsty now.

"Aren't you worried about needing the toilet later if you drink this much now?"

Zhang Zhang Yuning asks, somewhat surprised.

"It's fine; I should be subbed off around the 60th minute. This isn't an official match anyway, and my brother Hao hasn't even played yet."

Tang Ye says nonchalantly.

"Didn't he say you might play the full match?"

Wu Lei points in Lippi's direction, reminding him in a low voice.

"..."

"Seems like that's the case."

Tang Ye screws the cap back onto the mineral water bottle he had just brought to his lips, then casually tosses it onto the floor.

"Guys, we played very well in the first half today. Although the opponent isn't strong, I must admit your performance was outstanding enough."

Madaloni looks very happy.

After watching the first 45 minutes, he suddenly feels that the team might actually secure a draw at the World Cup.

Confidence has been established, and the level of coordination has improved!

Maddaloni briefly said a few words to encourage the players, then yielded the spot to Lippi.

The bespectacled head coach of the national team stood in front of the whiteboard!

"In May, we gathered back in May."

Lippi wrote an Arabic numeral 5 with his marker, then wrote a 60 after the 5.

"Back in May, I could give you an overall score of 60. That rating isn't high, because your coordination was like that of strangers — a group of strangers gathered together can't play in the World Cup, no matter how talented each of you individually is."

"And now…"

Lippi glanced at the players before him, turned his head, and wrote another Arabic numeral 6 on the whiteboard.

After the 6 came 75 — the national team's current score.

"Why 75? Because your coordination has improved a great deal, and you've also gained confidence. Those 15 points are for your teamwork and tactics."

"Originally my goal was to get you up to 70 before the World Cup, but the speed of your integration exceeded my estimate. That's an unexpected development, so now we need to adjust the plan."

Halftime ticked away bit by bit, but Lippi wasn't in any hurry — unhurriedly, he wrote down an 80.

"We need to see if we can reach 80. If we can touch 80, then I don't think a World Cup draw would be any big problem."

Because Lippi was backing his words with data, just like playing a FIFA game, Tang Ye's attention was immediately drawn in.

"Mr. Marcello."

"I don't like it when someone… oh, Tom! Commendable behavior. Did you want to say something?"

Lippi looked forward to a reply from assistant Tom.

"Mr. Marcello, you said we're at 75 now and our target is 80 — so how do we get to 80?"

Tang Ye voiced the question on every national team player's mind. Lippi didn't rush to answer, but thought it over carefully for a while.

"I don't think we can get to 80 before the World Cup starts."

"How to reach 80? That's a great question. Given our actual situation, only when all 11 players on the pitch are at their peak condition can we put out an 80-point overall performance."

Lippi waved his marker in mid-air, not writing anything for a long moment.

"It's not just Tom alone, and not just Lei — all of you need to show your best form, and that takes the stimulus of a match."

"You need to feel pressure, and the World Cup proper can bring you that pressure."

"Hmm…"

The locker room was terrifyingly quiet.

The national team players finally understood what Lippi meant.

The remaining time was no longer enough to lift the national team's core strength from 75 to 80.

But if their form was good, the national team could temporarily put out an 80-level performance in the World Cup proper.

That required every player to stay focused enough.

And it also required…

Mm, a tiny little bit of luck!

Tang Ye tilted his head, carefully analyzing what Lippi had just said.

If he understood what Lippi was saying, he'd definitely be very happy.

Because he knew his luck was good — he would bring the national team good fortune.

But…

Mm, for Tang Ye, it would take him some time to figure out what Mr. Marcello had just meant.

The second half was about to begin. US team goalkeeper Steffen asked Tang Ye for his jersey.

"My spare clothes… oh, right."

Remembering the friendly was about to end and the shirt on his back would be useless in a few days: "Sure, mate — after the match."

"Come on, come on!"

Time for the second half!

The national team switched from 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-1-2.

Despite the 2-goal lead, Tang Ye's position was pushed further forward.

Chinese fans watching the broadcast were now very surprised.

Lippi!

What are you doing!

"Mm, the US team's attack in the second half is fierce."

"Let's look at this number 17 — by position he should be a winger. What a play!"

The US winger blew past his man with a quick dribble, then carried the ball right to the edge of the box.

Despite being down 2 goals, the US team played very calmly.

A string of passes completed the penetration of the national team's back line!

Shot!

Goal!

The score was 3:2!

【The national team has started throwing the match, right?】

【What's Lippi thinking, why switch to 4-3-1-2? Feels unstable.】

【It's a friendly, but honestly I really don't want the US to win…】

A 3:1 scoreline is very comfortable, but 3:2 isn't so great.

Only one goal ahead — the US could equalize at any moment!

Of course, that's only on the surface.

In fact, fans watching the match didn't know that if Tang Ye wanted to score, he could easily find opportunities.

It was just different from his time at the club; now, he preferred assists over goals.

Because he wanted to help his teammates find their form!

Only by playing coordinated football could the national team go far in the World Cup!

Keep looking for Wu Lei!

He played a long through ball straight to Wu Lei.

Knowing that Wu Lei was not skilled at controlling the ball, Tang Ye put a slight spin on this pass, so that merely touching it with his foot would allow him to control it steadily.

Wu Lei succeeded!

Go down the line!

Adjust a bit!

Slap!

Cross into the box to find Zhang Zhang Yuning!

Header!

Zhang Zhang Yuning's header lacked power, but the angle was sharp enough.

Goal!

The score became 4:2!

"Awesome!"

Wang Chao slammed the table and stood up, causing the headset hanging on his head to fall off directly.

He quickly picked it up and spoke: "Invincible, brothers! With this form, isn't drawing against Sweden a breeze?"

"Ibrahimović? Ibrahimović won't work; as a striker, his role is too limited. He can't carry the team like Tang Ye does."

With the score at 4:2, the national team players gathered together, slapping hands to celebrate.

It was now the 57th minute of the second half; Tang Ye glanced toward the substitutes' bench, where Maddaloni gave him a thumbs-up.

It seemed he would not be substituted off early in this match.

China quickly made their substitutions: Wei Wei Shihao, Gao Lin, and Gao Gao Zhunyi came on one after another!

Tang Ye remained on the field as the sole attacking midfielder.

Lippi's substitution was very cunning; he simply wanted the substitute strikers of the national team to build chemistry with Tang Ye as well.

By the time of the World Cup finals, the starting striker would play 70 minutes, and the substitute striker would play the remaining 20-plus minutes.

This would preserve the strikers' stamina, allowing all of them to coordinate with Tang Ye.

With such a high-intensity attacking line, even against the strongest teams, the national team would have a chance!

"..."

Check Dongqiu Di match report: In a friendly, the national team defeated the USA 5:3; Tang Ye recorded a hat-trick of assists, while Wu Lei, Zhang Zhang Yuning, and Wei Wei Shihao all scored.

"An easy win, an easy win."

Rubbing his hands, Tang Ye, shirtless after changing jerseys, walked toward the locker room with his teammates.

Suddenly, Tang Ye stopped by the side of the tunnel, supporting himself against the wall with one hand.

"Yue!"

"Hey! What's wrong!"

Zhang Zhang Yuning and Feng Feng Xiaoting quickly ran over, placing their hands on Tang Ye's back.

"Damn, I feel like vomiting..."

Tang Ye retched once but ultimately did not vomit.

In today's match, he was only substituted off in the 82nd minute.

Although he didn't play the full match, because he had been running back and forth constantly, Tang Ye already felt somewhat overwhelmed.

Lippi stood in the distance, watching Tang Ye, who had nearly vomited, and for a moment didn't know what to say.

"Cough, cough, it's nothing, it's nothing, let's go, let's go."

Back in the locker room with his teammates, Tang Ye gulped down mineral water and quickly recovered his condition.

It was as always: if you want to gain something, you must give something up; this is the law of exchange.

As the only world-class star in the national team, Tang Ye covered the entire Asian market.

And what he gave in return was his effort during training and matches.

National team training was very relaxed, so relaxed that Tang Ye could complete it just by coasting along.

But having taken so much, according to the law of exchange, Tang Ye definitely had to give a lot in return.

If he didn't exert himself in training, he would have to compensate for it during matches.

In national team matches, due to his special tactical role, every game was extremely strenuous for him.

"By the way."

Tang Ye suddenly thought of something and picked up the mineral water bottle.

"Brothers, let me tell you a ghost story."

"The next match is the World Cup finals..."

(End of chapter)