Chapter 86: Tang Ye's Hat-Trick, Ten Hag Finally Proves Himself!

"Bijansdoeteenbalprecies~"

"What a ball must do~"

"We have good players~"

"..."

The match had just begun, and the home fans immediately started singing Utrecht's team anthem.

April is a crucial month, not just for Utrecht, but for every other Eredivisie team as well.

"Okay, brothers, ahem!"

Wang Chao adjusted the microphone near his mouth: "In today's match, Brother Meng is still in the starting lineup. We can see—oh, beautiful! Right at the start, with the help of the Utrecht defenders, Brother Meng has already completed a touch!"

"Based on my experience, as long as Brother Meng gets another touch within three minutes, this match is basically secured!"

"Will Ten Hag be taken away by the Dutch police... What the hell are you talking about? Don't just believe whatever you read! I've been watching football for nearly fifteen years; I've never seen a head coach get taken away by the police. You're all overthinking it."

Some fans in the live stream actually claimed Ten Hag would be administratively detained because of Tang Ye, which Wang Chao found absolutely absurd.

Is letting Tang Ye play a few more minutes illegal?

No, Ten Hag is saving Utrecht!

"Let me first introduce the starting lineups for both sides in today's match. I'll skip the home team for now and talk about them during the game."

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

"I see someone in the comments asking what level 13th in the Eredivisie is. Simply put, it's the level that gets completely crushed by Utrecht."

Nijmegen (5-3-2)

Goalkeeper: Brad Jones

Defenders: Woudenbergh, Golla, Van Eijden, Dumic, Todd Kane

Midfielders: Brinkhof, Voor, Bikker

Forwards: Limbombe, Slegers

Ten Hag stood with his hands in his pockets, pacing back and forth in front of the substitute bench.

Actually, 5-3-2 isn't the formation Nijmegen prefers to use this season, yet they specifically chose a five-defender setup against Utrecht.

Why is that?

Clearly, Nijmegen is afraid.

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

He is capable of leading the team to victory!

By the 11th minute, Utrecht rarely found themselves ahead in possession.

Tang Ye still hadn't touched the ball much, but his teammates were performing excellently; both De Jong and Di Di Bala are masters of ball control.

As long as the ball isn't passed to Tang Ye, Utrecht's possession rate is guaranteed!

"I got it, I got it!"

Di Di Bala dribbled from the right flank toward the penalty area, prompting Golla and Woudenbergh to rush out simultaneously to block him.

Ramselaar provided support from behind, but the incredibly bold Di Di Bala chose to break through on his own.

Di Di Bala failed to successfully breach the opponent's defensive line inside the box, dribbling alone back and forth near the baseline.

He controlled the ball steadily enough, yet simply couldn't penetrate into the penalty area.

"What are you doing? Be bolder! Just go straight!"

Ten Hag shouted from the sidelines.

Alright!

Called out by name, Di Di Bala suddenly accelerated toward the penalty area, only to be tackled by the opponent's center-back the very next second.

The ball flew directly out of play over the baseline!

It was a corner kick for Utrecht, and Ramselaar hurried over to take it.

"Ramselaar! Taking the corner!"

"Targeting the first point for Haller!"

"Haller, header!"

"Damn, what a pity! Haller's header was blocked by the opponent's center-back!"

Damn it!

After landing, Haller shook his head, clearly dissatisfied with his recent header.

"Wow, what a pity."

Tang Ye shouted twice from behind, expressing amazement at Haller's excellent physical confrontation ability while also feeling that the header was a missed opportunity.

But it didn't matter; it was still early. As long as they could control the situation, Utrecht would still have plenty of chances!

By the 22nd minute, Nijmegen forward Slegers was dribbling in the attacking third when Tang Ye seized the opportunity to sneak up on him.

"Man behind!"

A Nijmegen defender in the back loudly warned, causing Slegers to quickly pass the ball to Limbombe on his left.

But an unexpected situation occurred: as if he knew exactly how Slegers intended to pass, Tang Ye stepped on the ball, turned, and executed the move in one fluid motion, directly stealing the ball.

The cunning Utrecht midfielder had been waiting for Slegers to make that pass!

"Haha!"

Having succeeded, Tang Ye immediately sprinted toward the front field, not giving Slegers any chance to grab hold of him.

"Go, go, go!"

Ten Hag shouted loudly on the field.

Ten Hag could feel that after today's match concluded, he would prove himself to the fans and the reporters.

He has the strength!

Do you think I'm right, Tang Ye!

Go for it, Tang Ye!

"Calm down, calm down!"

Tang Ye ran relatively fast.

Slaghsveer tried to step up and intercept, but Tang Ye directly passed the ball to De Jong.

De Jong passed the ball back!

Passing combination plus off-ball movement; Tang Ye successfully shook off Slaghsveer.

Haller and Di Di Bala were both in decent positions; Tang Ye could have easily passed.

But his choice was... to dribble himself!

After raising his shooting attribute to 69 points, Tang Ye was now much bolder.

He wanted to shoot too!

Dumic stepped up!

Tang Ye laid the ball off to Josten ahead.

Josten laid it back!

"I'm coming!"

Tang Ye charged to the edge of the box, using the momentum of his run to successfully shoulder-barge the defender aside.

Two steps to adjust!

Curling it toward the far corner!

"Goal!"

"Goal!"

"Tang Ye, a goal from Tang Ye!"

"Utrecht opens the scoring!"

"Wait, was there any suspicion of a foul in that physical challenge just now?"

"Let's see how the referee signals?"

"No foul, good, no foul, this is a goal!"

"Top-tier physical confrontation ability, this is Tang Ye!"

In the camera shot, Tang Ye ran toward the corner flag on the left flank.

Three, two, one, jump!

Uppercut!

"Haha!"

Clap clap clap clap clap!

Watching the Utrecht players celebrating on the pitch, Ten Hag offered enthusiastic applause.

Ten Hag's intuition was very accurate; barring surprises, this match belonged to Utrecht for a big victory.

Ten Hag was about to prove his strength to the fans!

"Tom!"

"Tom!"

Tang Ye's name rang out in the stadium.

Gasping heavily, Tang Ye put his arm around Haller's shoulder: "My shooting form is great today, remember to pass to me!"

What?

Haller widened his eyes as the two walked toward their own half: "Tang, I'm the striker, you're a midfielder, a midfielder!"

"It's all the same!"

Tang Ye waved his hand.

Striker or midfielder, aren't they all attacking players?

Everyone is the same!

Arriving at the 42nd minute, the broadcast displayed the possession statistics again.

Utrecht: 52%

N. E. C.: 48%

Possession was nearly even, but N. E. C. was clearly completely passive.

Tang Ye was losing possession once every five minutes on average; under these circumstances, N. E. C.'s possession rate was surprisingly still not higher than Utrecht's.

What else can you even play at this point!

"Go, Tang, go!"

Seeing De Jong carrying the ball forward from the back, Ramselaar shouted twice, pushing Tang Ye up front while he himself stayed beside De Jong as a bodyguard.

At this moment, Tang Ye displayed his extremely strong discipline; when Ramselaar told him to run forward, Tang Ye charged straight to striker Josten's position.

Carefully observing his position and feeling his run wasn't satisfying enough, Tang Ye moved over to Haller's side.

From the winger's perspective, N. E. C. now had many players in the attacking third, so Tang Ye shouted: "Frankie, over here!"

De Jong had the pass but lacked the vision; Tang Ye helped him complete the observation task.

Pa!

A very high long pass was whipped out, and Tang Ye sprinted toward the ball.

Halfway through his run, he realized something was wrong; this ball was too high and too fast, making it extremely difficult to control.

So Tang Ye quickly stepped aside: "Alai, stop it for me!"

"What?"

Alai froze, so Tang Ye quickly pushed his teammate into the ball's landing spot; Alai extended his foot to cushion the ball, then passed it to Tang Ye.

Comfortable!

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

Ah ha?

The Nijmegen players inside the penalty area widened their eyes.

Wait, is this how combination play is supposed to work?

But the Nijmegen players could no longer worry about that; Utrecht's super wild boar was charging toward them.

A cross was delivered into the six-yard box.

Tang Ye's control over short passes had always been extremely delicate; he placed this pass where the opposing goalkeeper couldn't reach it, but his own striker could.

Joosten sprinted up from the center of the penalty area!

Bang!

A volley struck the left goalpost; the ball rebounded and smashed into Tang Ye's head.

"Damn!" Tang Ye was just preparing to fall when he realized he had scored.

"Great pass, great pass!"

"Hahaha"

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

【Brace achieved; you have obtained an additional Counterattack Points *10】

Although his heading attribute was only 41 points, that did not mean Tang Ye lacked heading ability!

"Tomtomtomtommm...!"

"Tom!"

The live commentator shouted Tang Ye's name, and the latter spread his arms toward the stands.

This is the feeling!

If no one loudly shouts your name after you score, what meaning does that goal even have?

!

"Beep, beep beep!"

The halftime whistle blew; Tang Ye, who had earned a whopping 25 Counterattack Points, walked toward the player tunnel with his teammates, while Ten Hag stood with hands in pockets, looking invincible.

He needed to prove himself in this match.

And with the score at 2:0 at the end of the first half, it meant his proof was already half complete.

【Holy crap, is Ten Hag this arrogant?】

【Hahahaha, why does Ten Hag give me the feeling that he did a lot in this match】

【In other words, Ten Hai has already done very well, because he put Meng Ge in the starting lineup】

【Awesome, damn it; although the second goal had an element of luck, Tang Ye did indeed score a brace】

【Hell, I've played Happy Beans for so many years, and I've never seen a midfielder score goals like Tang Ye】

【Asking if I don't understand: what type of player is Tang Tang Qiuwang exactly?】

【The positioning-flow type; his positioning is very good. As for why it's not called off-ball movement, you'll have to observe that yourself】

Ten Hag's pre-match interview made this match highly watchable, while Tang Ye's brace completely ignited the game.

Wang Chao operated the livestream backend and glanced at the real-time viewer count.

75,000 concurrent viewers, and this was on a pirate site + the Eredivisie!

Indeed!

Wang Chao chuckled.

Tang Ye needed to keep pace with Ten Hag's footsteps, while he himself needed to keep pace with Tang Ye's footsteps!

In the halftime locker room, despite holding a two-goal advantage, Ten Hag still did not let the players relax.

"I need you to know that this is a very important match"

Ten Hag stood in the center; except for him, everyone else in the locker room was seated, listening intently to the Dutchman speak.

"We are currently first in the standings, which means we may face doubts from the fans"

"No, not may—we are already facing doubts from the fans!"

Ten Hag waved his hands continuously in front of him: "Facing doubts, so what should we do?"

"We need to prove ourselves!"

"You must find a way to prove yourselves in today's match; that is what you need to do. Leading 2:0, is that enough? Actually, it is not enough"

"In the second half, we still need to push harder!"

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

He was thinking.

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

He wanted a hat-trick!

The second half begins!

"Erik ten Hag!"

"Erik ten Hag!"

The song of Erik ten Hag rang out in the stadium!

Utrecht's attack unfolded once again!

"I've got it, I've got it!"

Seeing an attacking opportunity, Tang Ye immediately ran forward calling for the ball.

Unfortunately, after the encounters in the first half, Nijmegen's players had significantly increased their defensive awareness regarding Tang Ye as a focal point.

As soon as he received the ball on the right wing, Brinkhof charged directly at him, attempting a tackle.

Tang Ye dragged the ball back and turned, preparing to showcase his dribbling prowess, but unfortunately, Brinkhof bypassed him directly.

Damn!

Realizing the situation was going wrong, Tang Ye quickly reached out his hand.

He tried to pull Brinkhof down directly but failed!

Tang Ye's mistake allowed Nijmegen to successfully launch an attack.

Although the opponent did not score from his error, Tang Ye still felt somewhat regretful.

He was playing too anxiously!

Scoring goals is like this, or rather, Tang Ye's way of scoring goals is like this.

If Tang Ye wanted to score, he couldn't just rely on dribbling relentlessly or shooting from long range, because he lacked that capability.

So how could one go about scoring?

One must leave it to fate; this was Tang Ye's most unique way of scoring!

Calm down, calm down!

Tang Ye repeatedly gave himself psychological hints, and taking advantage of the set-piece time, he swapped out his piece of chewing gum for a fresh one.

The faint scent of mint stimulated Tang Ye's brain, helping him think better during the match.

Time ticked by, reaching the 77th minute, when Nijmegen's full-back Todd Kane cut inside and unleashed a highly precise long-range shot.

The score became 2:1!

"Booooo!!!"

Whistles erupted across the stadium; Utrecht fans did not want Nijmegen to equalize the score.

"Hiss, brothers, I feel like Utrecht started off playing a bit too aggressively."

"The tempo rose too quickly; now the players are generally running out of stamina!"

Just as Wang Chao finished speaking, ten Hag made a substitution.

Amrabat came on for de Jong!

This season, ten Hag almost every match reserved one substitution slot for the midfield, sometimes even two.

This was because Tang Ye's running coverage ability was very poor, consequently requiring other players to cover the positioning duties Tang Ye should have completed himself.

de Jong and Ramseelaar had completed part of Tang Ye's workload, and their stamina consumption was enormous!

"Tang!"

On the field, Amrabat handed a slip of paper to both Tang Ye and Joosten.

Written on the paper in Dutch was the word "Defend."

With the score at 2:1, although it might not shut up those reporters, it was already sufficient for ten Hag to prove himself!

Damn!

Tang Ye felt somewhat uncomfortable.

But there was no choice; he had to follow the coach's instructions.

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

89'

"Amrabat, beautiful! A perfect tackle!"

"This is a counter-attack opportunity for Utrecht; Utrecht's counter-attacks have been quite effective this season."

"Let's see if Amrabat can pass the ball to Tang Ye!"

"Hiss, what a pity! There are quite a few defensive players around Tang Ye right now."

"..."

"Corner kick!"

"Ramseelaar takes the corner!"

"To Haller or to Joosten?"

"Shot! Tang Ye!"

"Why did Tang Ye appear inside the penalty area!"

Wang Chao voiced the doubt in his heart.

Not only him, but the fans in the livestream room and even Nijmegen's defensive players now harbored this same doubt.

But there was no time to consider such things anymore.

【You have obtained Counterattack Points *10】

【Hat-trick achieved, obtain bonus Counterattack Points *30】

【First career Eredivisie hat-trick, extra reward: Counterattack Points *30】

Seventy Counterattack Points for a single goal!

Indeed!

A smile hung on Tang Ye's face.

Scoring goals is something you can't force.

It depends on fate!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: 91st minute, Tang Ye meets a corner kick, cushions the ball into the net to complete a hat-trick; the score is now 3:1!

Check Dongqiu Di live match report: The referee blows the final whistle; Utrecht ultimately keeps the score at 3:1. Ten Hag is about to accept interviews from reporters!

The phrase "about to accept interviews from reporters" actually appearing in a live match report.

The true worth of Ten Hag!

This is the true worth of Erik Ten Hag!

Led by a staff member, Tang Ye re-enters the pitch from the locker room.

The podium had long been set up; as the Mr. Hat-trick, Tang Ye is the undisputed MVP.

"Well deserved, Tom."

The host hands the transparent small trophy to Tang Ye, who lifts it up while reporters below click away with their cameras.

However, to Tang Ye's surprise, fewer reporters than usual had come to attend the MVP award ceremony today.

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

After asking Tang Ye a few simple questions, the reporter suddenly said, "By the way, Tom, I think it's necessary to remind you that you can now ask the referee for the match ball; it's the right of the Mr. Hat-trick."

"Oh, right!"

Realizing this, Tang Ye's eyes lit up.

In football matches, there is an unwritten rule: a player who completes a hat-trick may request to take the match ball home from the referee.

"Where is the referee now?"

"Just ahead at the entrance to the players' tunnel; you'd better hurry, he won't wait for you too long!"

(End of chapter)