Chapter 406: Tang Ye's Helplessness, China's Qualification Conundrum

"Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye!"

What rang out from the stands was Tang Ye's Chinese name.

Actually, most English-speaking fans had no idea how to pronounce Tang Ye's real name, and this World Cup gave them a chance to learn.

Follow the Chinese fans and learn how to chant Tang Ye's name!

"Damn…"

Clutching his own shin, Tang Ye's forehead was already covered in sweat.

He wasn't injured, but getting stepped on like that still really hurt.

To stop the pain from affecting his penalty kick later, Tang Ye needed a moment to recover.

"Mate, this…"

The Senegal goalkeeper spread his hands at the centre-back; the centre-back could only spread his hands at the defensive midfielder.

Because he felt it was the defensive midfielder's interception error that gave Tang Ye the chance to beat three men.

Both the first one dribbled past and the last one dribbled past have to take the blame!

"Come on! (Please!)"

Gueye stood with hands on hips: "There's nothing I can do either."

Every one of Tang Ye's moves looked real, but every one was a fake.

"They tricked my damn bank card password out of me, and you're still blaming me!"

Knowing that unity was important right now, the Senegalese players didn't keep arguing.

Tang Ye stood up from the ground, and Wei Wei Shihao handed him the ball.

"The fairy-tale world has too many changes"

"Just let little piggy wander around a bit!"

"Flying through the sky, burrowing through the earth, heaps of tough obstacles"

"Can't trap the ever-changing Piggy Hero!"

"Go go go, no matter how hard the road"

"A man of his word who never backs down—he's the best!"

Placing the ball on the penalty spot, Tang Ye began his run-up.

"Beep!"

"Penalty for China!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Run-up!"

With a rhythm of fast and slow, Tang Ye approached the penalty spot.

The entire stadium fell silent.

Bang!

A fierce shot was struck.

"GOOO—AAAA—LLLLL!!!"

Goal!

"Phew!"

Hugged by his teammates near the penalty spot, Tang Ye let out a sigh of relief.

Perhaps because of the joy of scoring, his face was now completely flushed red.

【You have obtained Comeback Points *50】

"Kick-off, kick-off!"

Maldoneri's voice came through; the Chinese players came to their senses and decisively gave up this chance to celebrate.

Slap!

Tang Ye and Wei Wei Shihao high-fived.

He looked up at the big screen.

80'23.

Trailing by one goal with ten minutes left, honestly the difficulty wasn't that great.

But one had to consider the actual situation.

Tang Ye's stamina now could no longer support him playing the way he had in the previous dozens of minutes.

And Senegal's defence was also excellent.

These were all the problems the Chinese team now faced…

Ptooey!

Spitting on the ground, Tang Ye and his teammates encouraged one another.

Time reached the 87th minute.

The Chinese players now only hoped for a miracle, just like during the last World Cup qualifiers when they had hoped the national team could pull off a last-minute winner to keep alive their hopes of reaching the World Cup proper.

Sarr played it across to find Ndiaye in the middle!

Ndiaye!

Ndiaye wanted to have a go at a long shot, but thought about it and decided against it, pushing the ball out to Mané on the wing.

Mané then played it to Sabaly!

Slap!

A 45-degree cross!

It's aimed at the penalty area!

Tang Ye has already tracked back, using his body to block Gueye's position.

Niang controls the ball!

He lays it off with a push pass!

!

Tang Ye hits the ground, attempting a sliding tackle to block Sarr, but falls just short of the distance.

Sarr's long-range shot.

"The... ball is in."

The CCTV commentators are unusually silent; only the sounds of the live fans can be heard in the broadcast.

"Roar!!!"

The Senegalese player who sealed the match sprints off the field, embracing his teammates on the bench.

"..."

Tang Ye bites his lower lip, blinking rapidly, his face devoid of expression, his gaze fixed in a stupor.

Under the gaze of the live fans, Tang Ye squats down, resting his left hand on his knee while his right hand touches the grass before him.

There felt like a chance to win, but the gap in overall team strength was simply too large.

Wu Lei walks over, pats Tang Ye's hair, and then squats down beside him.

"My fault, that one-on-one."

"No, no, it's not your fault; it's my fault, my fault..."

"Hm?"

Wu Lei doesn't understand why Tang Ye is claiming this as his fault.

"There's no need for you to take all the blame."

"I know, I know."

After saying "I know" twice in succession, Tang Ye falls silent.

Wu Lei also doesn't know what Tang Ye is thinking, so he says nothing, merely squatting quietly beside him.

"..."

"Beep, beep-beep!!!"

After the final whistle blows, the players on the Senegalese bench rush out together to celebrate.

With this victory, Senegal's group stage points have reached six after two rounds; unless China or Germany suddenly rack up a massive goal difference in the third round, Senegal's qualification for the knockout stage is basically secured.

But the situation for China is not so good.

The players walk toward the tunnel with heads bowed, the director's camera tightly following Tang Ye.

Camera focus after a win would make Tang Ye happy, but after a loss, it feels somewhat annoying.

Tang Ye sees his own head on the big screen, but he deliberately turns his eyes away, just to avoid seeing himself on the display.

Because he feels this is an extremely shameful thing.

"It's okay, Tang Ye, it's okay!"

"You were already amazing, you were already amazing."

Chinese fans gather in the stands on both sides of the tunnel; on-site security tries to drive these fans back to their seats, but fails because too many people have rushed over.

"It's okay, Tang Tang Qiuwang, 2:4 is already good; we accept this gap, you all played very well."

"It was already great, it's not your fault!"

Tang Ye bites his collar, his gaze vacant, making the hearts of the Chinese fans in the stands shatter.

Tang Ye simply raises his hand slightly to signal to the fans that he has heard their words, then runs into the tunnel.

Check Dongqiu Di Match Report: Yu Yu Hanchao scores, Tang Ye with an assist and a penalty; National Team loses 2:4 to Senegal. (Comments: 117,239)

FIFA Official: Tang Ye named Man of the Match in the China vs. Senegal game.

Although they lost by two goals, Tang Ye's comprehensive rating of 9.4 completely overshadowed Niang, the Senegalese striker who scored twice, earning him the MVP title as the loser.

Some Senegalese fans feel uneasy, but they raise no objections, after all, the rating gap between Niang and Tang Ye is simply too large.

The homepage of the Check Dongqiu Di app features a poster of Tang Ye squatting on the grass sighing, occupying about half a phone screen.

Danmu comments from Chinese fans float across the poster.

【Although beating Germany was shocking, I feel this match was the best one in Group F.】

【Glorious in defeat!】

【Unsurprisingly, people on Douyin and Weibo will start spraying hate again; if only they could watch a single live match...】

【Glorious in defeat, the Chinese team is awesome!】

【Can we see the locker room surveillance? I want to see how Tang Ye is doing; I feel like he's about to cry from playing.】

The fans think Tang Ye cried, which clearly underestimates Tang Ye.

At this moment, Tang Ye is sitting on a stool in deep thought; no one in the locker room is speaking.

Madaloni walks toward Tang Ye, and Wu Lei makes space for him.

"Tom, listen to me; I know you're feeling terrible right now, but this was the best match we've played this year, with everything done well. Except for the existing flaws, of course, but those were unavoidable."

"I feel we don't need to feel sorry for losing this match, at least you don't; I can guarantee that no one will blame you."

Tang Ye looks up, gazing into Madaloni's eyes: "Mm, I know, I know."

Tang Ye said he understood. Madaloni didn't know whether he truly understood or something else was going on, so he could only pat Tang Ye on the back: "There's an MVP trophy; go get it."

Tang Ye suddenly froze: "What?"

"The MVP trophy. Didn't you take one last time? Go take another one."

"Didn't we lose?"

Madaloni spread his hands: "Then tell me, who on the opposing team played better than you?"

"..."

"Thank you."

Tang Ye patted Madaloni on the waist, then stood up and walked outside.

"If you don't want to go, that's fine too; I can have them bring the trophy over directly."

"No need, Mr. Madaloni, thank you; I'll go get it myself."

"Hmm, even better."

Madaloni nodded gently.

He suddenly realized that this time, when going to collect the MVP trophy, Tang Ye hadn't asked anyone else to accompany him.

Was it because his mood was bad, so he wanted some time alone?

Click-clack! Click-clack!

The small mixed interview zone had gathered nearly a hundred reporters from various countries.

Tang Ye stood right in front of the advertising boards; according to his contract, he was supposed to expose the "Wanda Plaza" advertisement behind him, but Tang Ye seemed to have forgotten about that.

"Tom, it's a pity you lost this match, but you still won the Man of the Match award. Fans say that if your teammates had performed a bit better, you would have had a chance to beat Senegal; do you think that's the case?"

"Uh... not really."

"I feel sorry for not winning the match, and my teammates feel the same. As for the MVP, if we had been the victors today, I would certainly be happy to receive the MVP; I think when I get home tonight I should post a photo of the trophy on Twitter, since that's something I like to do."

"But since we lost this match, I won't do that."

Tang Ye said slowly.

"Will you blame your teammates?"

The reporter asked tentatively: "I mean, do you feel your teammates didn't perform well enough?"

"Our coordination had some problems, but I won't blame my teammates; they did what they were supposed to do, displaying the same form they show in training. The 2–4 result was something we produced together, so if we're looking for someone to take the blame, all twenty-three of us have issues."

Tang Ye's eyes were somewhat red; clearly, he hadn't yet moved on from the match just played.

The reporter wanted to ask more questions, but unexpectedly, Tang Ye hadn't finished what he wanted to say.

"To be honest, phew, to be honest, I feel a bit guilty."

"My teammates gave me great support, and the coach, because I like to attack, let us play an attacking style. You should have seen it too: after the second half began, my position was pushed forward, and the number of times I tracked back decreased."

While speaking, Tang Ye rubbed his neck: "The coach and my teammates gave me support, but it seems I didn't play well enough."

In the previous match against Germany, Tang Ye scored two goals by himself, becoming the team's hero.

In this match, he received an even higher tactical status, but he failed to lead the team to victory.

There was a huge gap in Tang Ye's heart.

This feeling is like logging into a game, telling your teammates "I'll carry," and then losing the match anyway.

No matter what the final stats are, the word "Defeat" appears on all five players' computer screens.

"Tom..."

The reporter still had questions about the match he hadn't asked, but he was no longer planning to ask them.

"Soon you will face your final group-stage match. Currently, with three points and an inferior goal difference, you rank third in Group F. If you want to advance to the World Cup knockout stage, you must at least secure a draw in the final round. Tom, do you think your chances of winning against Sweden are greater, or are your chances of losing greater?"

"I can't answer questions about probabilities; even if you asked our coach, he couldn't give you a good answer either, because this question is too difficult to answer."

Tang Ye looked at the camera: "But what I can confirm is that our goal in participating in the World Cup is to play in the knockout stage. Hmm, I'm not talking trash; I mean, we have a goal, and we came to Russia for that goal."

Click-clack! Click-clack!

Click-clack! Click-clack!

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: After two rounds, Tang Ye ranks fifth on the top scorers list, one goal behind Cristiano Ronaldo. (Comments: 72,823)

Check Dongqiu Di hot discussion: After the match, Tang Ye stated he had let down the coach and teammates' tactical arrangements. (Comments: 93,891)

Attached: FIFA World Cup Group F standings (as of the end of Round 2)

1. Senegal, 6 points.

2. Germany, 3 points.

3. China, 3 points.

4. Sweden, 0 points.

Attached: 2018 Russia World Cup top scorers list (as of the end of Round 2)

1. Kane (England), 5 goals (2 penalties).

2. Lukaku (Belgium), 4 goals.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), 4 goals (1 penalty).

4. Diego Costa (Spain), 3 goals.

5. Tang Ye (China), 3 goals (1 penalty).

Two matches, two MVP awards: Tang Ye is the player with the most MVP awards in this World Cup, and also the only player to receive an MVP award in a losing effort.

Tang Ye's situation is extremely similar to Cristiano Ronaldo's; the difference is that Portugal has one draw and one win, giving them one more point than the Chinese team.

With two matches yielding three points, and only the final group-stage match against Sweden remaining, Chinese fans are so anxious they can hardly sleep.

And Chinese fans are best at calculating points; very soon, a Dongqiu Di netizen with the ID "Spartacus ds55" posted his calculations in the comments section.

In the third round of Group F, there are two matches: China versus Sweden, and Germany versus Senegal.

If Senegal beats Germany, then the Chinese team only needs to draw with Sweden to guarantee advancement.

Because in that case, the Chinese team's total points would be four, while Germany would have only three.

If Germany and Senegal draw, then China must win, because the Chinese team's goal difference is one less than Germany's.

Let's summarize simply.

If Germany loses, China can advance to the knockout stage with either a draw or a win.

If Germany draws, the Chinese team must win.

If Germany wins, the Chinese team must win, and simultaneously ensure their goal difference is greater than Germany's.

The match between Germany and Senegal and the match between China and Sweden will kick off at the same time.

There is no way to know Germany's points and goal difference in advance; the only thing the Chinese team can do is go all out.

……

Sohu News: The Chinese Men's National Football Team has arrived in Kashan and begun preparations for the third round of the group stage.

Reporters at the airport captured photos of the national football players disembarking with their luggage.

Among them, observant fans noticed a key detail: traces of iodine on Tang Ye's arms and lower legs, clearly indicating that wounds from falls in the first two matches had not yet fully healed.

The good news is that in the photos, Tang Ye wore a smile and gave a thumbs-up to the reporters.

A few hours of air travel seemed to have helped Tang Ye figure some things out; he appeared to have emerged from the terrible mood caused by the loss.

"Tang Ye, can I get a photo with you?"

"Mm."

Tang Ye took the phone from the reporter's hand and used the front camera to snap a picture.

"Don't feel any pressure, Tang Ye; good luck in the match against Sweden!"

Tang Ye fist-bumped the reporter: "Thanks!"

Inside the bus, Tang Ye sat beside Zhang Zhang Yuning; from the seat next door, Wu Lei stuck his head out: "Tang Ye, did that reporter ask you any questions?"

"He just asked if I wanted a photo, so I just took a picture and that was it."

Tang Ye shrugged.

"Hmm, I thought you'd be grilled with difficult questions."

Wu Lei nodded gently: "Given our current situation, I feel reporters could easily ask some uncomfortable questions."

"It's alright; I think domestic reporters are quite decent. British reporters are exaggerated, but not too bad."

Perhaps due to good luck, none of the reporters Tang Ye encountered had given him too hard a time.

"However..."

"Do you know my club coach, Ten Hag? Those British reporters always ask him strange questions, but he's too skilled at answering them."

Tang Ye spread his hands: "If it were me, I guess I'd just be sitting on the bench."

"Haha."

……

Moscow People's Daily World Cup Column: In the first match of the third round of the group stage, Russia lost 0–3 to Uruguay, suffering their first group-stage defeat; Cherishev scored an own goal.

The match between Russia and Uruguay took place in Kashan; on the evening after the game ended, Cherishev had dinner with Tang Ye, who had just arrived in Kashan.

These two former Villarreal teammates finally reunited.

"If we had landed four hours earlier, I could have gone to watch your match; if there had been time, I would have called my teammates to go together."

"Wow, well, it's good you landed late then; otherwise, you would have had to witness the embarrassment firsthand."

"Haha!"

Cherishev's reply made Tang Ye laugh: "But I still watched the live broadcast; that screen on the plane was showing your match."

"So you saw my own goal?"

"Haha, yes, Denis."

Eating, Tang Ye said: "But it doesn't matter, right? You've already qualified in advance."

"I don't know why I played that kind of shot; maybe I haven't been devout enough to God these past few days. The World Cup pressure is too huge; I haven't had a chance to have a proper chat with God."

Cherishev always talked about God and such things, just like Sebastian.

Unfortunately, Sebastian wasn't here today; otherwise, these two guys with the same faith would surely have chatted late into the night.

"Denis, you've already treated God very well, because you've qualified; right now, not many teams have confirmed their advancement."

Speaking of qualification, Cherishev and Tang Ye suddenly fell silent.

Because the Chinese team was now facing a huge qualification dilemma.

"Playing against Sweden, Tom, do you have confidence?"

Tang Ye narrowed his eyes and shook his head: "Uh... to be honest, no."

"No, don't be like that; with your ability, you shouldn't be so humble. You should be like Ronaldo; he's also trying to lead his team to advance."

Gulp, gulp.

Drinking the juice in his cup, Tang Ye's chest rose and fell.

"Actually, actually, I really do want to play in the knockout stage."

Tang Ye looked into Cherishev's eyes.

Since playing for the Utrecht first team at age sixteen, he had never stopped at the group stage in any competition.

The World Cup certainly could not be an exception.

……

Pengpai: "FIFA Online 4" updates World Cup player ability stats; Tang Ye breaks 90 for the first time.

(End of Chapter)