Chapter 412: Searching for

"Roar!!!"

Tang Ye stood on the railing, letting out a furious roar at the fans in the stands, but then his legs gave way from exhaustion and he tumbled down.

"Damn, haha!"

Having grown accustomed to falling on the grass, Tang Ye didn't feel much pain.

"Come on, Tang Ye!"

Feng Feng Xiaoting and Zhang Zhang Linpeng shouted as they rushed over, the two of them hauling Tang Ye straight up from the turf.

"Hey, what are you doing? Damn it, what are you doing!"

Tang Ye suddenly panicked, for he seemed to guess what Feng Feng Xiaoting and the others intended to do.

Overwhelmed by emotion and bolstered by trust in his teammates, Tang Ye ultimately ceased his struggle.

"Wow!!"

More than ten players from the national football team formed a circle.

"Three, two, one!"

With his eyes shut tight, Tang Ye wrapped his arms firmly around his own body.

"Wow!"

They were taking off!

Raising his hands high, Tang Ye savored the sudden freedom of being airborne.

Again!

"Wow!!!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Tang Ye!"

Tens of thousands of fans in the stands chanted Tang Ye's name in unison, following the rhythm.

"Ggbond!"

"Ggbond!"

"Ggbond!"

"..."

"Tang Ye!"

Tang Tang Zhengxiong had somehow rushed onto the pitch at some point, joining the Chinese team's celebration.

Tang Ye's father displayed his limited-edition national team jersey, emblazoned with "Tom's Dad," right in front of the CCTV camera.

He shouted loudly.

"Haters, speak up! Haters, speak up!"

For some reason, there were always fans who wanted to criticize Tang Tang Zhengxiong's genetics.

Was that even something one could criticize?

At that same moment, on Check Dongqiu Di.

【Brothers, don't exit; if you leave, you won't be able to get back in.】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang!】

【I've already been kneeling for two hours, so I've decided to kneel for two more.】

【Tang Ye, the one true god!】

【We actually made it to the knockout stage, damn it, and with six points too!】

"Dear viewers watching at home, I know your emotions right now must be incredibly complex, because mine are exactly the same."

"You might feel like you're dreaming, that this is a scene from a dream, but I must tell you that what you are seeing has truly happened."

"After defeating Sweden with a score of 3-2, the Chinese men's football team finished their three group stage matches with two wins and one loss, accumulating a total of six points, which means they will advance to the knockout stage of this World Cup as the second-place team in their group."

"This is exactly what we have always said: you might see no hope in Chinese football, yet you still choose to persevere."

"For it is not because there is hope that we choose to persevere, but rather because only by persevering will there be hope."

"Back in 1998, when the France World Cup was held and the Chinese team failed to qualify, who could have imagined that the following year, such a youth would be born in Guangdong?"

The camera focused on Tang Ye, who was still flying in the air and had not yet come down.

He himself did not know when he would be able to come down.

All he knew was that he was thoroughly enjoying this moment, and that was enough.

Check Dongqiu Di Pinned Post: Two assists and one goal dominated the match; Tang Ye, the God of War, participated in all three goals as China defeated Sweden 3-2 to advance to the World Cup knockout stage. (279,723 comments)

It seemed the servers were so terrible that the number of concurrent users on Check Dongqiu Di had been capped.

After all, when this app was designed, no one ever imagined over ten million people would be using it simultaneously.

Danmu comments flew chaotically across the homepage; on the poster, Tang Ye stood in the very center, fists clenched and wreathed in flames.

The poster design was meticulous in every detail, even depicting the red scar on Tang Ye's cheek caused by an advertisement.

Bang bang bang bang!

Fireworks exploded at Wanda Plaza.

Since their upset victory over Germany, Wanda, the major sponsor of this World Cup, had already begun planning for a potential knockout stage celebration, never expecting it would actually come in useful today.

With red and yellow fireworks complementing the background music "Ggbond's hot blood flows in the heart" playing on-site, tourists could describe the scene with only one phrase.

"Damn, a Great Tang Prosperity!"

"Oh la la la la!"

The national football players were dancing in the locker room; Tang Ye was now soaked through, having just been doused with bottled water by his teammates.

Bang!

Wang Wang Shenchao kicked the tactical board in the center to pieces, and a water fight broke out again in the locker room.

Ten minutes later, having changed into a fresh set of clothes, several national football players and head coach Lippi arrived at the press conference room together.

Click click!

The news was so shocking that the number of reporters present today was equally exaggerated.

"The players put in a lot of effort during training and the warm-up matches, so I would say that the players of the Chinese team deserve any victory."

Lippi clearly found it difficult to conceal his current excitement.

In his view, leading the Chinese team into the World Cup knockout stage was just as difficult as leading Italy to the World Cup final.

Already seventy years old this year, Lippi himself had never expected to welcome the second spring of his coaching career with the Chinese team.

Fifty percent gold content, fifty percent sugar content.

Although not one hundred percent gold, it was already an incredibly awesome level.

The camera turned to the national football players; Feng Feng Xiaoting, Wu Lei, and Zheng Zhi—all now had slightly reddened eyes.

Tang Ye appeared to be the calmest among them, but he was only calm on the surface; inside his mouth, he kept chewing gum incessantly.

"Tang Ye, do you have anything to say about this match? Before the World Cup began, did you ever imagine advancing to the knockout stage?"

"Of course we thought about it, but our plan was to advance with four points: beat Sweden and then draw with Senegal. However, the current situation is quite different from our plan."

Looking at the table before him, Tang Ye spoke slowly: "I seem to have said once before that participating in the knockout stage was our goal for this year's World Cup. Now that it has truly been achieved, my teammates and I feel a sense of being rewarded; I even feel that what we have gained exceeds our efforts."

"Mmm..."

Lifting his head, Tang Ye looked at the reporters.

From the camera lens, one could faintly see a glimmer in Tang Ye's eyes.

Unsurprisingly, he must have been crying, though not too severely; it seemed he could still control himself.

"Phew, this must be the most important match I have ever played. The opponent was strong, but we were the luckier side. After finishing the game, I suddenly felt very relaxed, because the reality is that if our luck had been just a little worse, we might have lost."

Fans in the stands screamed and celebrated wildly, rejoicing that the Chinese team had advanced to the World Cup knockout stage.

Although Tang Ye often forgot things, he would never forget today's match.

And of course, he would never forget the scene in the stands after the match ended.

"Tang Ye, in the past three matches you scored four goals and provided three assists, directly participating in all seven goals scored by the Chinese team. Some fans say you are the hero Chinese football has been waiting for so long, just as the lyrics describe. Do you agree with this statement?"

The lyrics the reporter mentioned were, of course, from "Little Hero, Big Belly"; during the World Cup, this song consistently topped the trending lists on major social media platforms, its popularity even surpassing that of the official World Cup theme song.

"Uh... I am very grateful."

"But I feel I probably don't qualify yet."

Beside him, Wu Lei and Feng Feng Xiaoting turned their gazes over, while the reporter continued to press the question.

"Why is that?"

"Well..."

Tang Ye wanted to say that only after achieving a ranking could one be considered a hero, but thinking of the Chinese team's next opponent, Brazil, he ultimately swallowed the words back down.

Little Hero?

Is GGBond a little hero?

GGBond doesn't know.

CCTV-1: Beijing time, June 27th, 23:00, FIFA World Cup Group F, third round match; Tang Ye demonstrated individual heroism with two passes and one shot, ultimately leading the men's national team to a 3-2 victory over the Swedish men's national team, ranking second in the group and advancing to the knockout stage.

"CCTV reporter: This marks the first time in history that the Chinese men's football team has entered the World Cup knockout stage; Chinese fans held large-scale celebrations outside the Kashan Arena to commemorate this historically significant moment."

Baidu Trending Search.

No. 1: Men's football advances to the World Cup knockout stage.

No. 2: China defeats Sweden.

No. 3: Tang Ye's god-like goal.

No. 4: National football team surpasses Germany to rank second in the group.

No. 5: Germany fails to reach the World Cup knockout stage.

"China!"

"China!"

Outside the Kashan Arena, Chinese team fans were celebrating wildly.

This crowd consisted of two groups: Chinese fans of the Chinese team and foreign fans of the Chinese team.

Why did the Chinese team have so many foreign fans?

The reason was simple: the personal charisma of a certain midfielder on the national team was simply too exaggerated.

"Knockout stage, here we come!"

Several fans gathered before the reporters, shouting their declaration into the camera lenses.

"As you can see, standing behind me right now are Chinese fans; just moments ago, the Chinese national team defeated Sweden and advanced to this year's World Cup knockout stage as the group runner-up. I believe the emotions of the fans on site are currently extremely excited..."

"Excited! Too damn excited!"

The fans roared at the camera.

"However, to be honest, although Sweden and Germany were defeated by China, their performances were also commendable..."

"Trash!"

A Chinese fan snatched the microphone: "Ozil and Ekdal aren't worth a single hair of Tang Ye!"

"..."

The reporter felt somewhat awkward: "Um, the fans' statements might be a bit exaggerated; what is certain is that Sweden's..."

While the reporter was still conducting the interview, the Swedish team's bus next door was besieged by their own fans.

"Trash!"

"Refund us the money for the tickets!"

"Can't you even get a single point? You played so well during the European qualifiers!"

"You've lost all sense of shame!"

"Refund us the money for the tickets!"

Bang!

Bang-bang!

The Swedish fans were now furious, hurling empty or half-empty mineral water bottles directly at the bus.

To watch the World Cup, Swedish fans had spent thousands or even tens of thousands of euros on airfare, match tickets, hotels, and more.

Yet their national team had failed to secure even a single point!

Chaos had already erupted among the neighboring fans, prompting the Chinese reporters to rush over and join the spectacle.

Coincidentally, a Swedish reporter was interviewing some emerging fans.

【Swedish National Television】

"It's too shameful; football isn't played like this."

"We couldn't beat Germany, we couldn't beat Senegal, and now we can't even beat China."

"Is handling one Tom really that difficult?"

The fan shrugged at the reporter, both cheeks flushed red.

"The Chinese team didn't qualify for the last two World Cups, yet this year they reached the knockout stage directly and earned six points. Why can't we do the same?"

"Those players from our country think they're so great, so incredibly great, believing they could breeze into the knockout stage, only to get their asses kicked by Tom until shit flew out. Why has China succeeded? Because they keep learning."

"And then what! What are we doing?"

"We're doing nothing! I could tell Ekdal wasn't in form during the warm-up matches; if he didn't want to play, why did he join the national team? Just get the hell out!"

"..."

After all that, the Swedish reporter hadn't uttered a single word; it was entirely the interviewed fan ranting wildly.

And it wasn't over yet; the fan thrust his head toward the microphone, startling the reporter into stepping back.

"Swedish team, refund my ticket money!"

The hearts of Swedish fans were shattered, but those of German fans even more so.

The contrast between being World Cup champions and exiting in the group stage was simply too grotesque; consequently, head coach Löw received death threats from German fans.

"The match is over; I advise you not to return to Germany, or we will make you experience the despair we feel now!" a German fan said while being interviewed by a YouTube football blogger.

Attached: Final Standings for Group F of the Russia World Cup:

1. Senegal, 9 points. (Advanced)

2. China, 6 points. (Advanced)

3. Germany, 3 points.

4. Sweden, 0 points.

After the conclusion of Group F matches, only Groups G and H remained in this World Cup, with four matches yet to be played.

The rules for determining knockout stage opponents in the World Cup differ slightly from those in regular leagues and cup tournaments, being based on group assignments and group rankings.

The first-place team from Group A plays the second-place team from Group B, while the second-place team from Group A plays the first-place team from Group B.

Therefore, the knockout stage opponents for all teams from Groups A through F have now been fully determined.

1. Russia vs. Spain.

2. Uruguay vs. Portugal.

3. France vs. Argentina.

4. Denmark vs. Croatia.

5. Brazil vs. China.

6. Switzerland vs. Senegal.

As the group runner-up, the Chinese team was very fortunate to encounter Brazil, the group winner.

FIFA Official: The World Cup Round of 16 match against Brazil will take place at 10:00 PM Beijing Time on July 2nd at the Samara Arena.

Brazil is naturally not easy to handle; indeed, among these Round of 16 teams, Brazil can be said to belong to the strongest tier.

But no matter how strong Brazil is, that is a matter for later; what the Chinese players and fans need to do now is celebrate.

Celebrate their historic achievement of reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in team history!

Just half an hour after FIFA officially announced the time and venue for the China-Brazil knockout match, the Russia World Cup Committee announced the Best Player of Group F.

Best Player of Group F:

Tang Ye (China)

Attacking Midfielder, Playmaker.

Goals (Penalties)/Assists: 4 (1)/3.

Group Stage Match Ratings: 9.8, 9.4, 10.0.

Comprehensive Group Stage Rating: 9.733 (First in Group F).

With a comprehensive rating of 9.733 across three matches, Tang Ye was, unsurprisingly, the highest-rated player in the group stage since the World Cup began.

Soon, fans began to dissent.

Tang Ye's goal tally was identical to Cristiano Ronaldo's, and he had only two more assists.

Why was his comprehensive rating 1.0 point higher than Ronaldo's?

Chinese netizens provided the answer: that night after the match and the following morning, Douyin was flooded with highlight reels of Tang Ye; even the match lost against Senegal had been dissected by fans.

"Let's look at this attack... Tang Ye receives the ball in the center. From this position, passing seems impossible; let's see what he chooses."

"First, he glances left, then right, signaling Zhang Zhang Linpeng to make a forward run."

"It seems looking left was pointless, right? Well, let's keep watching."

"Tang Ye passes to Zhang Zhang Linpeng. Note that at this moment, Tang Ye's attention is fixed on Wu Lei, Zhang Zhang Linpeng, and two defenders; he lacks vision on the left flank."

"Zhang Zhang Linpeng passes back!"

"With his right foot, Tang Ye instantly flicks the ball to Yu Yu Hanchao on the left!"

"This is exactly why we said Tang Ye looked left before passing right: he identified his teammate's position three seconds in advance, allowing you to guess where that teammate would be. After delivering the ball to Yu Yu Hanchao, Tang Ye used his left hand to signal Zhang Zhang Xizhe to move behind him, and his right hand to instruct Wang Wang Shenchao to push wide for support..."

The power of the masses is formidable; with hundreds upon thousands of analysis videos, Chinese football bloggers had even deduced the color of Tang Ye's underwear.

【Wait, I've never played football; is this for real?】

【As a former professional footballer, let me tell you: that realm is beyond our comprehension.】

【I am an anthropologist; this isn't human.】

【I am a zoologist; this isn't an animal either.】

A GGBond person; he doesn't even count as an animal.

Then what exactly is he?

A fan posted a video on Douyin that garnered over 50,000 likes in just half an hour.

In the video, the fan opens a browser on his computer, navigates to Baidu, slowly types "Chinese CPU," and hits search.

【Searching the entire web for you】

【...】

【Tang Ye, nicknames: GGBond, Tom, GG Bond, Meng Ge; born March 2, 1999, in Foshan City, Guangdong Province; Chinese professional footballer, plays as a midfielder...】

You search for "Chinese CPU."

What comes up isn't necessarily a CPU.

(End of Chapter)