Chapter 16: Tang Ye Sets Up the Winner—Now This Is the Midfield I Want!

Sitting on the bench for over 70 minutes before finally getting a chance to play would normally be a cause for great joy.

But Tang Ye could not bring himself to be happy.

The reason was that the pressure Groningen was applying in these final minutes was simply overwhelming.

Tang Ye had to run, because everyone else was running!

On the screen, Antonia received a pass from Linsen, combined with Hiariej, bypassed Ramselaar, and sprinted toward the edge of the Utrecht penalty area.

Utrecht had maintained a tight defensive formation in the middle, so Antonia could not find an opening immediately after receiving the ball.

Antonia moved laterally along the edge of the arc. He was hunting for an opportunity!

Tang Ye’s eyes were sharp; he began to jog over from the front.

"Someone behind you!" Droste shouted, signaling to Antonia to watch out for Tang Ye, who was lurking, ready to steal the ball.

Antonia dribbled toward the left flank and glanced back at Tang Ye.

Their eyes met, and Tang Ye felt a bit awkward at being caught. It was the feeling of a 37-year-old man trying to launch a sneak attack, only to be spotted!

"Don't worry about it, get up front!" Ramselaar gestured toward the front court before sprinting toward Antonia.

Since the midfield maestro had given the order, Tang Ye didn't hesitate, actively moving forward to create space.

It must be said that Ramselaar’s experience was truly immense; together with van der Maarel, he successfully dispossessed Antonia.

Ramselaar turned with the ball! He began to scan the field!

Haller, Barazite, and Tang Ye standing in the middle!

In a perfect position, Ramselaar delivered an incredibly precise pass to Tang Ye’s feet.

It was the 86th minute of the match!

[Brother Meng, I beg you, save me! If the home team doesn't win, I'm really going to jump!]
[Tang Ye, save me!]
[Just one shot, I beg you, just one shot is all it takes!]

To be honest, a 0-0 scoreline in the 86th minute made for such a boring match that only the "Bean Warriors" could endure it. But the Bean Warriors didn't just endure it; they watched with intense focus.

Because this was their promotion match. The promotion from Bean Warrior to Bean God!

After receiving the ball, Tang Ye turned decisively. Hiariej, standing right next to him, reacted quickly and reached out to grab him. A month ago, Tang Ye might have been stopped, but not anymore. During that month, van de Gaag had put Tang Ye through extensive physical training.

And, of course, there was the key Casemiro tackling template.

This template had granted him superior physical confrontation abilities!

"Screw off!"

Tang Ye had the positional advantage, so he threw his shoulder into Hiariej, successfully knocking him off balance.

"Hmm?" Ten Hag raised his eyebrows on the sidelines and said to van de Gaag next to him, "This is the effect of targeted training!"

Tang Ye was still dribbling. He hadn't even crossed the center circle yet; logically, he should have continued to carry the ball forward. But Tang Ye realized a serious problem: Groningen’s defenders were faster than him. If he kept dribbling, he would definitely be stopped.

So, to avoid unnecessary running, Tang Ye struck the ball immediately.

"Tang Ye is dribbling, Tang Ye is..."
"Wait, buddy, what are you doing? Is Tang Ye trying to chip it? Don't mess around!"

The Bean Warriors were extremely nervous now! The goalkeeper was so close to the goal that even if a chip went on target, it would be useless.

But Tang Ye’s kick wasn't actually a shot.

*Whap!*

With the outside of his boot, he whipped the ball, lifting it from the grass. It soared over the Groningen midfield, over the Groningen defenders.

And finally... it landed at Haller’s feet!

"Wow!" Haller exclaimed. He had spotted the gap and made a tentative run into it, but he never expected Tang Ye to actually thread the ball into that space!

With a soft touch, Haller brought the ball down. Facing the onrushing goalkeeper, he tucked it into the far corner.

"Goal! It’s a goal! A late winner! Utrecht wins at the death!"
"Haller! No, wait, Tang Ye! You legend, Tang Ye! Holy sh*t!"
"I’m a moron, I was blind! That was a pass—Tang Ye helped the team secure this late victory!"

The camera cut to Haller, who had scored the goal. The Ivorian center-forward sprinted toward the backfield immediately. He was looking for Tang Ye!

"Beautiful, that's the feeling!" Haller wrapped his arms around Tang Ye's head and pressed his forehead against his. In front of the 1.91-meter Haller, the 1.74-meter Tang Ye had no room to resist.

"This is the kind of pass I want!" Haller reached under Tang Ye’s arms and lifted the 16-year-old off the ground.

*Thump, thump, thump!*

The noise from the stands was thunderous; some fans had already begun chanting Tang Ye’s name.

"I told you," Ten Hag said to van de Gaag, spreading his hands. "I said we needed to design a specialized training plan for him. Only a specialized plan allows a player’s ability to improve at the fastest rate!"

"But..." van de Gaag reminded him, "our training plan was focused on the physique. This pass has nothing to do with strength; isn't this pure talent?"

"What do you know? Without enough power to support him, could he have delivered a pass that far?" Ten Hag clapped in approval.

This was the most brilliant pass of the Eredivisie season. The most brilliant, bar none!

"Tom!" Ten Hag shouted at Tang Ye on the pitch. He had meant to call out "Tang," but the name "Tom" slipped out unconsciously.

"You can come to the first-team cafeteria for training the day after tomorrow!"

*Ooh!*

Hearing Ten Hag’s voice, Tang Ye’s eyes lit up, and he finally broke into a smile. Since being promoted to the first-team squad, he had only eaten lunch in the first-team cafeteria once. The food there was incomparable to the second-team canteen!

Tang Ye had always wanted to go back, but Ten Hag had forbidden him from doing so.

Now, he could finally eat in the first-team cafeteria!

[Tears, brothers, I’m actually tearing up.]
[Do you guys understand that feeling? Standing on the roof, ready to jump, and being pulled back at the last second. Is this U17? No, this is a King of Football!]
[Let me calculate... ten thousand, twenty thousand... holy crap, 20,000! You're my foster father, Tang Ye, you are my foster father from now on!]
[A fan for life. If anyone talks trash about Tang Ye online, I'll fight them with my family tree.]
[I’m a web novelist, I type fast. If anyone dares to insult Tang Ye, I’ll help him spray them to death!]
[My first official jersey purchase, my first time is for you, Tang Ye!]
[Did you see that? Tang Ye smiled so happily after Ten Hag called him over. I bet he’s going to let him start the next game!]

Thanks to Haller’s last-minute winner, Utrecht took control of the match. And upon learning that he would be allowed into the first-team cafeteria, Tang Ye’s movement on the pitch became even more energetic.

At that moment, Tang Ye didn't know that his pass had just saved 14 lives!