Chapter 498: Plans Have Changed, Prepare to Claim the Championship

"China!"

"China!"

Chinese fans had completely taken over the stadium.

Tang Ye basked in the cheers, then turned to see Minamino Takumi and Yoshida Maya kneeling on the ground, finding it somewhat strange.

If losing a match was so painful, wouldn't squatting or sitting on the ground suffice?

Why kneel?

Yet Tang Ye could never understand what kind of terrifying monster now stood before the eyes of the Japanese players.

Yoshida Maya's pupils contracted violently as he stared at his right hand: "To... to be defeated so thoroughly..."

"Tom!"

Maddaloni flew over from who-knows-where, leaped onto Tang Ye's back in a single bound, and planted a fierce kiss on the latter's hair.

"Eh, Mr., Mr., haha!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Tang Ye carried Maddaloni as he ran toward the stands.

"Roar!!!"

The camera focused on Tang Ye and Maddaloni.

It then panned upward, moving from the fan stands to the large screen at the very top, which displayed the final score of today's penalty shootout.

China 4:2 Japan

Fans in front of their televisions stared fixedly at the large screen.

Perhaps they were not looking at the score.

They were witnessing history.

"Damn!"

Letting out a roar, the Chinese team players returned to the locker room.

Tang Ye was exhausted, yet watching the locker room door sway back and forth made his heart itch.

"Look at me, look at me!"

Signaling for everyone around to focus their gaze on him, Tang Ye prepared himself.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo-hoo!"

A running start!

A leap into the air!

Bang!

Clang!

Speed combined with his full strength, plus the fact that the locker room door itself was rather thin, meant Tang Ye's foot, clad in cleats, kicked a huge hole straight through the door.

"Oh!!!"

The other Chinese football players got excited too; Gao Lin stepped up and delivered a kick as well.

And Wei Wei Shihao too!

Bang!

Clang! Clang!

Bang!

"Wow!!!"

Two staff members in the corridor stood dumbfounded on the spot; one looked at the other and asked: "Is this... the bond between Tom and his friends?"

"Just say whether we won or not."

The other person spread his hands: "Tss, I really want to go up and kick it too."

Lippi and Maddaloni returned, both freezing in place.

The door to the Chinese team's locker room was gone.

But it didn't matter; the match was already over.

Just as he reached the doorway, a piercing sound rushed into Lippi's ears.

"I am a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bird~~~"

"Wanting to fly and fly, yet flying and flying not high—!!! (voice cracks)"

"Ugh, cough cough!"

Already exhausted after playing extra time, Gao Lin now choked on his own voice from shouting so hard.

"Hehe, let me, let me."

Substitute singer Tang Ye took the microphone.

"I search and seek, search and seek"

"Searching for a warm embrace~~"

Tang Ye entered a state of self-forgetfulness.

He was not very proficient with this song, yet he still sang higher than Gao Lin!

"You sang it wrong, Tang Ye!!"

Wei Wei Shihao snatched the microphone away from Tang Ye.

"Huh? Where did I sing it wrong? It was correct, wasn't it?"

Tang Ye tried to snatch the microphone back, but Wei Wei Shihao ran away.

"Brother Hao! Let me sing one more line!!!"

Wei Wei Shihao approached the speakers: "Everyone who knows my name, how are you doing~"

There was not a shred of technical skill; it was all emotion and screaming.

The microphone passed from hand to hand until finally, everyone joined in together.

"I am a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny bird!!!!!"

"Hey, how do you sing it? How do you sing it!"

Maddaloni grabbed Tang Ye's hand and shouted loudly in English, "What is this song called? Wait for me, okay? Just a moment, wait for me!"

The Italian assistant coach very much wanted to join in.

Unfortunately, the players were too excited now; they were unwilling to wait.

"When you decide to burn for your ideals"

"The pressure of life versus the dignity of life—which one is more important~~~"

"I am a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny..."

"..."

As they sang, some of the older players on the team already had tears welling in their eyes.

The microphone was in Tang Ye's hands, but noticing that Zheng Zhi seemed to want to say something, he passed the microphone over.

"Hu hu!"

The locker room instantly fell silent.

"Um... I want to say, I am truly very excited right now. I know that as a veteran on the team, I should take the lead and not be too emotional..."

"It's fine, Brother Zhi!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly.

Although he didn't know what Zheng Zhi intended to do anyway, he figured loudly supporting him was all that mattered.

"Mm."

Zheng Zhi nodded gently: "Uh... ever since the first day I joined the national team, I have been thinking about this. Defeating South Korea and Japan successively before the eyes of the entire nation, and finally reaching the finals. However, in my fantasies, we were defeating the Japanese team in the Asian Cup final, haha, but it's all the same now."

He spoke quite a lot, but Tang Ye did not lose focus.

His attention was fixed on Zheng Zhi's eyes.

This veteran of the Chinese national football team seemed to have already started crying.

Tang Ye could not fully think from Zheng Zhi's perspective; all he could do was stand properly beside him and listen.

"Time has passed for too long; after about seven or eight years with the national team, this fantasy of mine gradually disappeared because I felt the gap between us and Japan and South Korea seemed to be growing larger and larger."

The players in the locker room remained silent.

Zheng Zhi was right; after the conclusion of the Korea-Japan World Cup, Japan and South Korea gradually pulled away from the Chinese team, especially Japan, making defeating them in crucial matches an almost impossible problem to solve.

Zheng Zhi was someone who had experienced all of this; his personal experience was the most authentic.

"I want to thank you all, thank every single one of you: Wu Lei, Gao Lin, Xiao Hao... and also, the greatest Tang Tang Qiuwang."

Zheng Zhi turned his head to look at Tang Ye behind him; the latter made a 'V' sign with his right hand: "No need to thank me, Brother Zhi."

"Haha!"

"I want to say that everything we have obtained today is what we deserve; that's all I'll say!"

"Long live the Chinese team!!!"

The players raised both hands, and the entire locker room instantly erupted into commotion.

"Wu, wu wu... so moving."

Maddaloni touched his eyes with his hand; he felt he was about to shed tears.

"You understand what they're saying?"

Lippi frowned.

"I don't understand."

"Then what are you moved by?"

"I can feel the atmosphere, Marcello!"

Maddaloni's expression was serious.

Although he did not understand Chinese, he could discern something from the expressions on Zheng Zhi's and the other players' faces.

The players were excited because they had secured victory in this match.

Zheng Zhi should have thanked the players present.

Mm...

Barring any surprises, he, Maddaloni, was also on the list of those being thanked!

The sounds created by Chinese fans still echoed from the stadium as Lippi arrived at the press conference room.

Click!

Click-click!

The number of reporters on site was terrifying; those who arrived late could only sit on the floor.

For such a match worthy of being recorded in history, what were the feelings of Lippi and the Chinese team players now?

"Did you ever imagine that Tang Ye would score three direct free kicks in this match, forcibly dragging it into a final penalty shootout?"

A CCTV reporter asked.

"I know that a player like Tang is capable of doing anything. But... to be honest, I didn't believe anyone could score three free kicks in a single match. Yet we indeed witnessed it."

"We are grateful for his contribution to the match, and we did not waste the penalty shootout he brought us."

Lippi nodded gently, a rare smile on his face: "Winning the match in a penalty shootout; I feel this result is the most fitting for the Chinese team today."

"Before the Asian Cup began, fans generally believed China was no match for Japan, as the Japanese players possessed more balanced abilities and a higher overall level. Was defeating Japan to advance to the final part of your expected plan?"

"It was not."

Lippi shook his head.

"Our initial plan was to reach the semi-finals; the Japanese team was not on our list of expected opponents."

Click-click, the sound of camera shutters came again.

"But now,"

Lippi stood up from his chair.

"our plan has changed."

"We are preparing to win the championship."

Lippi left the press conference venue.

Click!

Click-click, click-click-click!

Someone is going to lose sleep tonight.

Is it the Japanese fans?

The Japanese fans certainly cannot sleep, but the Chinese fans cannot sleep either.

The players, of course, cannot sleep either.

Outside the stadium, Tang Ye, carrying a backpack on his back, continuously handed out autographs to the Chinese fans outside.

"Aren't we going back to the hotel?"

Maddaloni leaned against the bus, spreading his hands toward the players.

"Mr., you won't be able to sleep after getting back either, right?"

Tang Ye waved at Maddaloni.

"Alright, that makes sense."

Maddaloni straightened his body: "Then is there anyone who can come ask me for an autograph? Don't just crowd around Tom!"

After shouting a few sentences in English that no one understood, Maddaloni found the translator again: "Hey, hey, help me translate this, shout it out in Chinese. Don't say I want to give autographs, just say I'm relatively free right now."

The translator scratched his head.

"Tang Ye!"

"Master, give me a master-signed jersey!"

Holding a postcard in his left hand and a pen in his right, Tang Ye's hands moved super fast, producing one autograph every two seconds.

Thinking about it carefully, if Tang Ye had worked this hard when studying as a child, he probably wouldn't need to rely on football for a living.

"Master, can you take me as your disciple, Master!"

A Chinese fan knelt before Tang Ye, scaring Tang Ye into jumping away immediately: "Hey, hey, hey, don't do that! I don't take disciples, I don't take disciples!"

Pulling the fan up from the ground, he said: "Brother, I'm not a coach."

"Then can we win the championship, Master? The Asian Cup championship?"

Tang Ye shrugged: "The Master doesn't know any more than you do."

"But brother, I've remembered you."

Tang Ye placed his hand on the fan's shoulder: "Will you come to the final?"

"Tickets for the final haven't gone on sale yet; with so many people, I'm not sure if I can grab one."

"Haha."

That's true; given the current situation, the number of people at the final will probably be ridiculously high.

Tang Ye swung his backpack around to his chest, took out a blue pass from inside, and handed it to the fan: "Front row of the family stand; you can just enter directly when the time comes."

"I've already memorized your face."

Tang Ye pointed at the guy who had just knelt before him: "If we really win the championship, I'll bring the trophy to find you."

"If I don't see you then, you're done for!"

"Haha!"

After jokingly issuing this threat, Tang Ye slipped away.

The surrounding fans crowded around the fan who had just interacted with Tang Ye, while the latter turned over the blue pass Tang Ye had handed him.

【2019 Asian Cup】

【SSVIP (All Games)】

"6."

Is this the legendary travel permit of Emperor Taizong of Tang...

ggbond: Let him pass!

The fan looked up at the deep black sky of Abu Dhabi; for a moment, he seemed to see the towering back of Master GG.

The Sun: The Mancheng locker room leak was committed by stadium staff; Mancheng has currently dismissed the involved staff member, who will directly lose remaining wages of 45,000 pounds due to contract violation.

Manchester Evening News front-page headline: A direct free-kick hat-trick helps the Chinese team advance to the Asian Cup final; TY is poised to become the undisputed number one free-kick taker in the Premier League!

Manchester United Official: Congratulations to Tang Ye for achieving a hat-trick in the Asian Cup semi-final and successfully advancing to the Asian Cup final. We wish the Chinese National Team victory in the Asian Cup final.

【Haha, one can imagine how uncomfortable Man United fans are feeling right now.】

【One less round played; Newcastle seems very fierce, can Man United manage without Tang Ye?】

【It doesn't matter as long as we don't fall too far behind; wait for my Tang Tang Qiuwang to return in February!】

【Manchester United Official: What happened to the promise of being eliminated in the quarter-finals...】

After every knockout round victory, Manchester United's official account would release a personal poster of Tang Ye, then wish the Chinese national team success in their next match.

The tweets were posted exactly like that, but in reality, from Manchester United's perspective, they actually did not hope the Chinese national team would advance through so many rounds.

Now look at this: congratulations went from the Round of 16 to the quarter-finals, then to the semi-finals, and now directly to the final.

Tang Ye would play all seven matches of the Asian Cup, meaning Manchester United would also face a sugar-free period lasting forty days.

The good news was that after this match, the final's schedule was confirmed, so the time for Tang Ye to return to the club was also roughly settled.

Now, the tweets posted by Manchester United's official account were absolutely sincere.

Go for it, Tom! The championship belongs to you!

Repost: Tang Ye posted a video clip of his third free-kick in extra time on his personal social media; Manchester United Official and Escrivá liked it, while Rodri commented: "Idol."

Diario Sport: James liked TY's tweet and commented, "Enviable precision; this goal should earn the Chinese national team three points."

Japan national team head coach Hajime Moriyasu: "A difficult result; this match will become a painful lesson for Japanese football. I am disappointed in myself, but our goal remains the World Cup championship."

With the outcome between China and Japan decided, the Chinese national team ultimately entered the final round as the sole survivor from the upper half of the bracket.

The opponent for the Chinese national team in the final would be determined tomorrow night, being the winner between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

It would take nearly twenty more hours to know the result, but in truth, everyone knew that the strength gap between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates was absurdly large.

As long as no red cards appeared or core players got injured and forced off the field, Qatar would basically be the team advancing from the lower half.

Qatar.

They were the top favorite to win this edition of the Asian Cup, with championship odds even lower than those for the Japanese team.

After winning, Chinese fans felt the current Chinese national team was invincible under heaven, but once they stepped out of their excitement and thought carefully, looking at Qatar's starting lineup...

After doing this, you would discover that this Middle Eastern team was damn ridiculously strong!

"Change of plans; prepare to win the championship."

These were the words spoken by the Chinese national team's head coach during an interview, a statement that gave fans immense confidence.

But as the person who personally uttered those words, Marcello Lippi could no longer sleep.

During the twenty days of training camp, the Chinese national team had absolutely no contingency plan for dealing with Qatar.

(End of Chapter)