Chapter 65: As Expected! (20k words, seeking first subscriptions!)

【Damn, it's really 1:0. Holy crap, could Wang Chao actually have made money? I refuse to accept this!】

【What's wrong? It doesn't look like Haller scored the goal?】

【What's going on? Is the goal going to be disallowed?】

【No foul was called. What's happening? Why is Haller clutching his head?】

【Can they disallow it? I didn't bet on this match!】

【We can't let the streamer make money all by himself. Referee, disallow the goal quickly!】

In the live stream footage, the Utrecht players stood frozen in place.

The ball had indeed gone in; the Utrecht players were waiting for the scoring teammate to run out and celebrate, but after several seconds, no one ran out.

"Did you score it?"

Balazite came over wanting to hug Haller, but Haller indicated that his head hadn't touched the ball.

An own goal?

The large screen above the stadium displayed the name of the goal scorer.

99 Tang

Was the goal scored by Tang Ye?

The goal was scored by Tang Ye!

"Wowww!!"

With a direction now, the Utrecht players finally ran out.

Tang Ye was right there waiting for them!

What the hell?

Tang Ye stood in place.

Wasn't that a cross? Why did I score the goal myself?

【At 37 years old, you lead your team against the formidable opponent Ajax. You pretend to pass the set piece to a teammate but had long prepared to shoot yourself. In the end, you indeed completed the breakthrough; the soul of an old warrior is burning!】

【Reward: Counterattack Points * 10】

Before Tang Ye could react, Ramselaar, who had made the feint up front, had already hugged Tang Ye.

"Awesome! A goal!"

"Holy crap, it's another last-second winner by Tang Ye!"

"What's going on?"

The director showed the replay: Tang Ye's topspin cross went into the penalty area where Haller and Balazite both jumped with their eyes closed, yet neither touched the ball, causing it to hit the ground instead.

Because it was a topspin ball, the direction it bounced back was toward the goal.

Goalkeeper Cillessen's attention had been drawn to Haller and Balazite, leaving him with absolutely no reaction to this ball that suddenly bounced in.

"Holy crap..."

Wang Chao took a deep breath, forcibly using reason to suppress his current emotions.

A direct free-kick goal.

So the question arises: did the referee just call a direct free kick or an indirect free kick?

If it was called an indirect free kick, then Tang Ye's direct shot would be invalid!

The director showed the replay again; the referee's gesture was a single arm extended horizontally to the side.

This is a direct free kick!

"The goal stands!"

"The goal stands!"

Wang Chao's hands were trembling: "The goal stands. Holy crap. Phew, huff, huff. You clowns in the live chat! Come on, look, tell me what the score is now!"

"Damn it, tell me what the score is now!"

"Where are those few who were shouting during the first half? Are they still here? Get the hell out here, all of you!"

"Tell me what the score is now!"

"1:0!"

"Tang Ye!"

"Last-second winner!!!"

【Streamer, this is how you make money behind our backs. Despicable!】

【Actually, when Brother Chao bet on 1:0 just now, I wanted to follow his lead too, but the problem is Brother Chao lost too many times betting on the Australian league last week, so I didn't trust him.】

【Australia? Does the Australian league even deserve to be compared to a Utrecht match?】

【To be honest, those playing in other leagues are all leeks; you can only really make money watching the Eredivisie.】

【Hiss, I regret it a bit.】

【Wait, is betting on balls this profitable? Is there any big shot who can lead me?】

【Person above, check your private messages.】

【Oh no, another bankruptcy.】

The Utrecht players were celebrating on the left sideline.

Why celebrate on the left sideline?

Because that was where King Tang Ball was standing!

"Tom!"

Bang bang!

"Tom!"

Boom! Boom!

"Tom!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The match is not over yet, and Tang Ye's name echoes throughout the Gelredome Stadium.

It is the 87th minute of the match; scoring a winner at this time means Ajax cannot turn the tables unless they are the God's own son.

The outcome is decided!

The full match has ended, and the final score is locked at 1:0.

With a free-kick winner, Tang Ye ended this match.

In the locker room, Ramazal holds a mineral water bottle in one hand and tightly grabs Tang Ye's wrist with the other, raising Tang Ye's right hand.

"Tell me, who scored the final goal?"

"TOM!"

Twenty-one players shout in unison.

"Tell me, whose winner is this!"

"TOM!!!"

"Who did we rely on to win this match?"

"TOMMM!!!!!"

"Wohooo (Wuhu~)!!!"

Ramazal holds the mineral water bottle and keeps pouring water over Tang Ye's head.

This is the second time Tang Ye has had water poured on him, but unlike the resistance last time, this time Tang Ye chooses to accept it.

Because he knows that in the Utrecht locker room tradition, having water poured on you is a symbol of honor.

This is his honor!

The celebration in the locker room continues; Tang Ye takes his mobile phone out of his backpack: "FIFA one-on-one, who's in!?"

"I'm in!"

Amrabat takes out his own phone: "But I still need to update."

"Sofyan, if you haven't updated, don't come to make trouble."

Ramazal pushes past Amrabat, takes the phone, and walks toward Tang Ye, saying fiercely as he walks: "I don't believe you can score a winner in the game either!"

"Hahaha!"

Tang Ye spreads his hands, jumps up, and stands on the locker room bench: "You've only been playing this game for a few days, right? I'll fight you with one hand."

"Wowowo!!"

"Tang is about to beat up the captain!"

"Come on, Tang, you want the captain's spot right after scoring the winner, huh? Go for it!"

While the players in the locker room are still fooling around, in the stadium press room, Ten Hagh shakes his body and puts both hands into his suit pockets.

After handling everything, he walks into the camera frame.

Click! Click! Click!

Click! Click! Click! Click!

He struggles to take his hands out of his pockets, pulls out a chair to sit down, and then puts his hands back in his pockets.

Leaning back in the chair, head held high, still with both hands in his pockets.

This is Ten Hagh's confidence.

This is the confidence of the Eredivisie October Best Coach!

"Eric! Eric! What do you have to say about today's match?"

"Eric, your players scored a winner, and it was a 16-year-old rookie!"

"Will Tang be Utrecht's future?"

"The Eredivisie player values on Transfermarkt are about to be updated soon; can you make a prediction about Tang's value?"

"..."

The reporters downstairs are very noisy; Ten Hagh takes his hands out of his pockets and lightly taps the table twice, and the reporters immediately quiet down.

"There is plenty of time; we will go one by one."

Ten Hagh picks a somewhat familiar face among the reporters downstairs.

"Eric, today your team was completely at a disadvantage, yet you managed to win the match in the end; may I ask what you did during the match?"

"This is a very simple question."

Ten Hagh smiles: "Do what needs to be done; analyze the team's next move based on the situation at the time. I know Ajax is a strong opponent, so I will not let my guard down."

"Then do you feel nervous?"

"Nervous? Perhaps, but I am more focused. You know, facing this situation, the head coach must calm down, because only a calm head coach can help the team achieve victory."

"Of course, I have reasons not to be nervous."

Ten Hagh speaks to the reporters in an orderly manner.

After losing, he might not want to say much to the reporters, but now that they have won, Ten Hagh is happy to stay in the press room and accept more interviews.

Sometimes it is like this; if you don't say a few more words, others cannot even realize how great you are.

"To be honest, I actually expected to win this match long ago."

Ten Hagh's words make the reporters downstairs greatly surprised.

"Eric, are you saying you guessed today that you would snatch victory from Ajax's hands?"

"Yes, exactly. I said before the match started that the second-place team on the standings is stronger than the third."

"!!!"

The reporters below the stage were somewhat flustered.

Ten Hag's train of thought was completely different from that of normal people.

What reporters fear most are people like this!

Because their drafts were instantly rendered useless!

"Can we talk about Tom? A sixteen-year-old player putting on such a brilliant performance."

Ten Hag nodded: "Of course. Regarding Tang, my stance is very clear: that is to help him improve himself as much as possible."

"I won't say how much influence a coach has on a youth player, but this is the fact."

Ten Hag took a deep breath, his expression serious.

After delivering this speech, Ten Hag didn't know whether the fans believed him, but what Ten Hag did know was that his December Best Coach trophy was almost certainly within reach.

Dongqiu Di Match Report: You know how to do this too? Tang Ye directly scores a free-kick winner against Ajax!

"Amsterdam Telegraph"—Away 0:1 defeat to Utrecht; for the first time in Ajax's history, their goal is breached by a minor, breaking the "18+" rule!

"Football Development"—An 86th-minute free-kick winner against Ajax; is the teenage genius recreating a miracle?

Royal Dutch Football Association Announcement: The association has currently dispatched specialists to Shandong, China, in order to study the advanced youth training concepts of the Shandong Luneng Taishan Football School.

Having defeated Ajax, one of the Eredivisie's big three, Ten Hag should logically have given the players three days off, but the Dutchman did not do so.

The reason was simple: the recent schedule was relatively congested.

They played Ajax on the 13th, and on the 16th there was another match, a KNVB Cup fixture against Excelsior from the Eerste Divisie.

Ten Hag actually looked down on Eerste Divisie teams, but there was no help for it; the 16th was the date for the KNVB Cup Round of 16.

In the eyes of Eredivisie teams, the KNVB Cup was far less important than the league, but it was not entirely useless.

Ten Hag's meaning was that since they had already reached the Round of 16, they should play properly and strive to win a championship trophy or at least a runner-up medal or something similar.

On the afternoon of the day after the match against Ajax ended, the Utrecht first-team players resumed training.

"Damn it, Tang, hurry up; three minutes have already passed, you're late again, goddammit!"

Amidst Ten Hag's shouting, Tang Ye came running from the dormitory direction holding his boot bag, stopping only when he reached the place in the middle of the training ground where the chairs were set up.

With time so tight, he changed clothes right there on the training pitch.

"No, I just don't get you."

Ten Hag frowned, looking Tang Ye up and down: "I can understand being late for morning training; you couldn't wake up from sleep. But why are you late for the afternoon session?"

"Chinese people have a habit of taking afternoon naps."

Fan Fan Dejiahe reminded him, simultaneously handing Tang Ye a bottle of mineral water and signaling for Tang Ye to wash his hands.

"Really or fake? So, did you take an afternoon nap?"

Ten Hag looked into Tang Ye's eyes; the latter quickly nodded: "Of course. It's a pity; if I had gotten up the moment I heard the alarm, I absolutely would not have been late."

"He was playing games in the dorm!"

Ramselaar, who was warming up, deliberately ran over to Ten Hag's side: "When I came out, his FIFA was still online; he's been playing since past nine this morning until now."

After saying this, Ramselaar slipped away immediately.

"Damn, Bart!"

Tang Ye shouted loudly, but all that was left for him was Ramselaar's retreating back.

This was a betrayal!

A betrayal from the captain!

"I was playing with him; he didn't take an afternoon nap either."

Tang Ye quickly dragged Ramselaar down into the mud with him.

Ten Hag spread his hands: "You seem to have gotten it wrong; the point isn't the afternoon nap, nor is it the game; it's being late!"

"..."

Tang Ye took a deep breath.

It seemed...

... that was indeed the case?

His train of thought had been led astray!

"No, I just don't understand; if you're playing games, it means you're awake. Since you're so awake, why couldn't you appear for training early?"

Uh...

Tang Ye struggled to pull on his high-stretch athletic pants: "Mainly because the game had already started."

"If the game had started, couldn't you pause it?"

"I..."

Tang Ye wanted to say something, but in the end, the words didn't leave his mouth: "How should I explain this to you... never mind, it's my problem."

Tang Ye finished changing into his clothes and boots, then jumped in place a few times.

The boots felt very comfortable, and the clothes issued by the sponsor fit quite well too.

But he always felt something was missing.

"Hurry up and warm up!"

Ten Hag kicked Tang Ye right on the buttocks.

That's right!

This is exactly the feeling!

……

In the afternoon, after training ended, in the Utrecht first-team canteen, Ten Hag carried his tray and walked toward Tang Ye's table.

Amrabat and Tang Ye were both startled.

The first-team canteen wasn't large; who sat with whom was basically fixed, yet Ten Hag, this fellow, broke with custom and sat directly at the largest table.

Haller and Di Di Bala squeezed inward, successfully making room for Ten Hag and Ramselaar.

"OK, everyone gather round!"

At Ten Hag's call, the players dragged nearby tables over.

Bang, bang, bang—eight tables were pushed together, meaning the first-team players were now eating at a single table.

"I chose to communicate with you during mealtime mainly because I wanted the conversation to be a bit more relaxed."

Ten Hag ate while signaling the players to relax and not feel constrained.

Don't feel constrained!

Tang Ye picked up the Angus Super Beef Burger from his plate and took a huge bite.

The mixture of ketchup and salad dressing was simply perfect!

After chewing four or five mouthfuls, Tang Ye finally realized something was off.

Everyone at the large table was staring at him.

Including Ten Hag!

"Wh-what's wrong?"

Tang Ye felt somewhat embarrassed, but out of the principle of cherishing food, he still finished eating.

"Nothing, nothing; I just think you look very much like those sows in the town's pigsty when you eat."

"... Your grandmother's!"

……

(End of chapter)