Chapter 86

「bijansdoeteenbalprecies～」

「wateenbalmoetdoen～」

「wehebbengoedespelers～」

「……」

The match had just begun, and the home fans immediately sang the Utrecht team anthem.

April is a crucial month—for Utrecht, and for every other Eredivisie team.

「Okay, guys, uh—」

Wang Chao adjusted the microphone at his mouth: 「Today, Mong is still in the starting lineup. We can see—oh, beautiful! Mong has already touched the ball with help from Utrecht’s defender just minutes into the match!」

「From my experience, if Mong touches the ball again within three minutes, this match is basically won!」

「Will Tenghahe be taken away by Dutch police… What the hell are you talking about? Don’t believe everything you see. I’ve been watching football for nearly fifteen years—I’ve never seen a head coach get arrested. You’re just imagining things.」

Some fans in the livestream claimed Tenghahe would be administratively detained because of Tang Ye—a notion Wang Chao found utterly absurd.

Letting Tang Ye play a few extra minutes—is that a crime?

No, Tenghahe is saving Utrecht!

「Let me introduce the starting lineups for both teams today. I won’t list the home team yet—I’ll mention them during the match.」

「The away team, Nijmegen, currently sits in 13th place in the Eredivisie standings this season!」

「I see someone in the chat asking what level 13th in the Eredivisie is. Simply put—it’s the level that gets crushed by Utrecht.」

Nijmegen (5-3-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad-Jones

Defenders: Wodenhof, Gora, Van Eeden, Dumic, Todd-Kane

Midfielders: Brinburg, Vuur, Bickel

Forwards: Linbangbi, Slagels

Tenghahe stood with his hands in his pockets, pacing in front of the substitutes’ bench.

Actually, 5-3-2 isn’t Nijmegen’s preferred formation this season—but they chose a five-defender setup specifically against Utrecht.

Why?

Clearly, Nijmegen is afraid.

Because they know the great Erik Tenghahe will prove his worth in this match!

He can lead his team to victory!

At the 11th minute, Utrecht surprisingly led in possession.

Tang Ye still hadn’t touched the ball much, but his teammates were exceptional—De Jong and Barazite were both masters of ball control.

As long as they didn’t pass to Tang Ye, Utrecht’s possession rate was still secure!

「I’ll take it! I’ll take it!」

Barazite dribbled from the right flank toward the penalty area; Gora and Wodenhof rushed out to block him.

Ramselaar provided cover from behind, but the audacious Barazite chose to go it alone.

Barazite failed to break through the defense inside the area, dribbling helplessly along the baseline.

He controlled the ball perfectly—but couldn’t get it into the box.

「What the hell? Be bolder! Just go straight!」

Tenghahe shouted from the sideline.

Fine!

Barazite, called out, suddenly accelerated into the box—only to be tackled instantly by the opposing center-back.

The ball flew out over the baseline!

It was a corner for Utrecht; Ramselaar sprinted over.

「Ramselaar! Take the corner!」

「Aale, take the first point!」

「Aale, head it!」

「Damn! Aale’s header was blocked by the opposing center-back!」

Damn it!

After landing, Aale shook his head—he was clearly dissatisfied with his header.

「Man, what a shame.」

Tang Ye called out twice from behind, amazed by Aale’s physical strength but also thinking the header was a wasted chance.

But it didn’t matter—the match was still early. As long as they controlled the game, Utrecht had plenty of chances!

At the 22nd minute, Nijmegen’s forward Slagels dribbled forward; Tang Ye seized the opportunity and sneaked up behind him.

「Someone’s behind you!」

Nijmegen’s defender shouted a warning; Slagels quickly passed left to Linbangbi.

But something unexpected happened—Tang Ye seemed to anticipate Slagels’ pass, stepped on the ball, and turned in one fluid motion, stealing it cleanly.

The cunning Utrecht midfielder had been waiting for Slagels to pass!

「Hah!」

Tang Ye sprinted forward immediately, avoiding any chance for Slagels to grab him.

「Go! Go! Go!」

Tenghahe shouted loudly from the sideline.

Tenghahe could feel—he would prove himself to the fans and reporters after this match.

He had the ability!

Don’t you agree, Tang Ye?

Come on, Tang Ye!

「Stay calm! Stay calm!」

Tang Ye was running fairly fast.

Slagels tried to tackle him; Tang Ye passed the ball directly to De Jong.

De Jong passed it right back!

Passing combination + movement—Tang Ye shed Slagels cleanly.

Aale and Barazite were in good positions; Tang Ye could have passed.

But his choice was… to dribble himself!

After his shooting stat rose to 69, Tang Ye’s confidence had grown significantly.

He wanted to shoot!

Dumic rushed forward!

Tang Ye passed to Yosten ahead.

Yosten laid it off!

「Here I come!」

Tang Ye sprinted into the arc, using his momentum to shoulder past the defender.

Adjusted two steps!

Curled it into the far corner!

「Goal!」

「Goal!」

「Goal by Tang Ye!」

「Utrecht takes the lead!」

「Wait—was there a foul in that physical challenge?」

「Let’s see what the referee decides.」

「No foul—excellent! No foul! It’s a valid goal!」

「Top-tier physical strength—that’s Tang Ye!」

On camera, Tang Ye sprinted toward the left corner flag.

3, 2, 1—jump!

Uppercut!

「Hah!」

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Watching the celebrating Utrecht players, Tenghahe clapped enthusiastically.

Tenghahe ’s instincts were right—this match was likely to be a decisive Utrecht victory.

Tenghahe was about to prove his worth to the fans!

「Tom!」

「Tom!」

The crowd chanted Tang Ye’s name.

Panting heavily, Tang Ye put his arm around Aale’s shoulder: 「My shooting’s on fire today—keep passing to me!」

What?

Aale stared with wide eyes as the two walked toward their own half: “Tang, I’m the forward, you’re the midfielder—midfielder!”

“It’s all the same!”

Tang Ye waved his hand.

What’s a forward or a midfielder? Aren’t they all just attacking midfielders?

We’re all the same anyway!

At the 42nd minute, the livestream once again displayed possession statistics.

Utrecht: 52%

Nijmegen: 48%

Possession was nearly even, but Nijmegen was clearly on the defensive.

Tang Ye lost possession once every five minutes on average, yet Nijmegen’s possession rate still didn’t surpass Utrecht’s.

What are you even playing for?

“Come on, Tang, move!”

Seeing De Jong advancing from the back, Ramselaar shouted twice, pushing Tang Ye forward while staying beside De Jong as his shield.

At this moment, Tang Ye demonstrated exceptional discipline—he ran straight to Jossten’s forward position as Ramselaar ordered.

After checking his position, he felt it still wasn’t aggressive enough, so he moved over to Aale’s side.

From the winger’s perspective, Nijmegen now had many players forward, so Tang Ye called out: “Frankie, here!”

De Jong had the ball but lacked vision—Tang Ye helped him spot the passing option.

Plop!

A high, long pass was launched, and Tang Ye sprinted toward it.

Halfway there, he realized something was wrong—the ball was too high and too fast to control.

So Tang Ye quickly stepped aside: “Aale, help me stop it!”

“What?”

Aale froze, so Tang Ye shoved his teammate into the ball’s landing spot; Aale stretched out his foot to cushion it, then passed it back to Tang Ye.

Perfect!

Tang Ye controlled the ball at his feet and began moving toward the penalty area.

Huh?

Nijmegen’s defenders inside the box widened their eyes.

Wait, is this how you’re supposed to play?

But Nijmegen’s players were too overwhelmed to care—Utrecht’s super wild boar was charging toward them.

A cross was delivered into the six-yard box.

Tang Ye had always been meticulous with short passes—he placed it exactly where the goalkeeper couldn’t reach, but his own forward could.

Jossten sprinted in from the center of the box!

Bang!

A powerful shot struck the left post, bounced out, and hit Tang Ye on the head.

“Damn!” Tang Ye was about to fall, then realized he’d scored.

“Great pass, great pass!”

“Hahaha!”

【You gained 10 Reverse Points】

【Hat-trick potential—bonus 10 Reverse Points awarded】

Though his header stat was only 41, that didn’t mean Tang Ye lacked heading ability!

“tomtomtomtommm……!”

“Tom!”

The commentator shouted Tang Ye’s name; he opened his arms toward the stands.

This was the feeling!

What’s the point of scoring if no one shouts your name?

!

“Beep, beeeep!”

The halftime whistle blew. Tang Ye and his teammates walked toward the tunnel, having earned 25 Reverse Points; Tenghahe stood with hands in pockets, looking invincible.

He needed to prove himself in this match.

With the halftime score 2:0, he’d already completed half his proof.

【Holy shit, is Tenghahe really that cocky?】

【Hahaha, why does Tenghahe make me feel like he did all the work in this match?】

【In other words, Tenghahe ’s done great—he put Mengge in the starting lineup!】

【Insane! Even if the second goal had luck, Tang Ye still scored twice!】

【Damn, I’ve played Happy Beans for years—I’ve never seen a midfielder score like Tang Ye!】

【Don’t get it—what kind of player is Tang the King?】

【Movement type—he moves brilliantly. Why it’s not ‘running’? You’ll have to observe yourself.】

Tenghahe ’s pre-match interview made this match incredibly compelling, and Tang Ye’s brace completely ignited it.

Wang Chao checked the livestream backend, glancing at real-time viewer numbers.

75,000 concurrent viewers—on a pirated site, for a Dutch Eredivisie match!

Of course!

Wang Chao grinned.

Tang Ye needed to stick close to Tenghahe ’s footsteps; he, in turn, needed to stick close to Tang Ye’s!

……

In the halftime locker room, with a two-goal lead, Tenghahe still didn’t let the players relax.

“I need you to understand—this is a very important match.”

Tenghahe stood in the center; everyone else sat, listening intently to the Dutchman.

“We’re currently top of the table, which means we’re facing fan skepticism.”

“No—not ‘might.’ We’re already facing fan skepticism!”

Tenghahe gestured wildly with both hands: “Facing skepticism—what do you do?”

“Prove yourselves!”

“You must prove yourselves today—2:0 ahead—is that enough? It’s not enough!”

“We need to push harder in the second half!”

Tang Ye sat on the locker room bench, hands pressed on his knees.

He was thinking.

He knew his form was excellent, so he was considering a possible way to score.

He wanted a hat-trick!

……

Second half begins!

“eriktenhag!”

“eriktenhag!”

The stadium erupted in the Erik Ten Hag chant!

Utrecht launched another attack!

“I got it, I got it!”

Seeing an opening, Tang Ye sprinted forward to demand the ball.

Unfortunately, after the first half, Nijmegen’s players had increased their awareness of Tang Ye.

As soon as he received the ball on the right flank, Brinborg charged in to tackle.

Tang Ye pulled the ball and turned, ready to show off his dribbling—but Brinborg simply overtook him.

Damn!

Sensing trouble, Tang Ye reached out.

He tried to pull Brinborg down—but failed!

Tang Ye’s mistake allowed Nijmegen to launch a counterattack.

Though the opponent didn’t score from his error, Tang Ye still felt regretful.

He was playing too hastily!

Scoring works like this—or rather, Tang Ye’s way of scoring does.

If Tang Ye wants to score, he can’t just charge forward and blast long shots—he lacks that ability.

So how does he score?

Go with the flow—that’s Tang Ye’s unique way of scoring!

Calm down, calm down!

Tang Ye kept mentally reminding himself, and during the set piece, he swapped his gum for a fresh piece.

A faint mint scent stimulated Tang Ye’s brain, helping him think better during the match.

Time crept forward to the 77th minute, when Nijmegen’s right-back Todd-Kane cut inside and fired a precise long-range shot.

The score is now 2:1!

“Xuuuu!!”

The stadium erupted in boos; Utrecht fans did not want Nijmegen to equalize.

“Man, guys, I feel like Utrecht started off way too aggressively.”

“The pace was too fast from the start—now most players are running on empty!”

No sooner had Wang Chao finished speaking than Ten Hag made a substitution.

Amrabat replaced De Jong!

This season, Ten Hag almost always reserved one substitution slot for midfield, sometimes even two.

This was because Tang Ye’s movement coverage was poor, requiring other players to cover the runs he should have made.

De Jong and Ramseyer had taken on part of Tang Ye’s duties—their energy expenditure was enormous!

“Tang!”

On the pitch, Amrabat handed Tang Ye and Josten each a slip of paper.

The papers bore the Dutch word for “defend.”

A 2:1 scoreline might not silence the reporters, but it was enough for Ten Hag to prove himself!

Damn!

Tang Ye felt uneasy.

But there was no choice—he had to follow his coach’s instructions.

His first career hat-trick would have to wait for the next match!

89’

“Amrabat, brilliant! Perfect tackle!”

“This is a counterattack chance for Utrecht—this season, their counters have been quite effective.”

“Can Amrabat pass it to Tang Ye?”

“Damn, too bad—there are too many defenders near Tang Ye right now.”

“...”

“Corner kick!”

“Ramseyer takes the corner!”

“To Ale or Josten?”

“Shoot! Tang Ye!”

“Why is Tang Ye in the penalty area?!”

Wang Chao voiced his inner question.

Not just him—the fans watching live, even Nijmegen’s defenders, all wondered the same.

But there was no time to ponder it.

【You gained 10 Reverse Points】

【Hat-trick: Bonus 30 Reverse Points】

【First career Eredivisie hat-trick: Extra reward—30 Reverse Points】

One goal = 70 Reverse Points!

Of course!

A smile spread across Tang Ye’s face.

Goals can’t be forced.

They come with fate!

Dongqi Di Real-Time Report: 91st minute, Tang Ye heads in a rebound from a corner to complete his hat-trick—the score is now 3:1!

Dongqi Di Real-Time Report: The referee blows the final whistle. Utrecht’s final score is 3:1. Ten Hag is about to give a press interview!

The phrase “about to give a press interview” actually appeared in the real-time match report.

The value of Ten Hag!

This is the value of Erik Ten Hag!

Under staff guidance, Tang Ye re-entered the pitch from the locker room.

The podium had already been set up; as the hat-trick hero, Tang Ye was unquestionably the MVP.

“Well-deserved, Tom.”

The host handed Tang Ye a transparent little trophy; he raised it high as reporters below snapped photos nonstop.

But to Tang Ye’s surprise, fewer reporters had come today for the MVP ceremony than usual.

Those guys had all gone to the press conference room to find Ten Hag!

The reporters asked Tang Ye a few simple questions, then suddenly said: “By the way, Tom, you should know—you’re entitled to ask the referee for the match ball. It’s the hat-trick hero’s right.”

“Oh, right!”

Tang Ye’s eyes lit up as he realized.

In football, there’s an unwritten rule: a player who scores a hat-trick may request to keep the match ball from the referee.

“Where’s the referee now?”

“Right in front of the players’ tunnel. Better hurry—he won’t wait long!”

…

(End of Chapter)