Chapter 38: Helping a player score is difficult, but I am willing to put in the effort (4k)

"Fuck no!"

Seeing the situation, team captain Ramselaar rushed directly to the referee:
"That shouldn't be a red card, right?"
"He had his studs up!"

Referee Siemek’s stance was firm; he immediately dismissed the Utrecht players who had come up to argue for their teammate. Van der Maarel’s foot had landed squarely on Marinus’s chest, and his studs were pointing diagonally upward. It was an indisputable red card offense.

"Mark." Tang Ye walked over and placed a hand on Van der Maarel’s shoulder. It was the first time Tang Ye had witnessed a teammate being sent off in person. Even though it wasn't him, he could feel Van der Maarel’s emotions. He must have been devastated.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry..." Van der Maarel kept his hand pressed to his chest, apologizing repeatedly to Tang Ye and Barazite beside him.

Utrecht was currently leading by one goal, but that advantage was likely to be wiped out entirely by Van der Maarel’s straight red card. From this point on, Utrecht would be playing with only ten men.

Tang Ye and Barazite followed Van der Maarel to the sideline. Ten Hag grabbed Van der Maarel’s hand for a brief moment of consolation before calling Tang Ye over.

"Play it safe, don't let the team down. We still have a chance, understand?"

Tang Ye nodded. He knew the situation was critical. He absolutely, under no circumstances, could be a liability.

The bad news arrived in quick succession. Zwolle was awarded a direct free kick from the spot where Van der Maarel had committed the foul. Brama took the kick. Instead of shooting directly, he chipped the ball to the back post, where Becker was waiting. Becker headed it home.

In just three minutes, Utrecht had fallen from heaven to hell. In the locker room, Van der Maarel watched the scene on TV, his heart sinking. At this rate, Zwolle would score again. The three points were turning into zero, and Van der Maarel had become the scapegoat.

[Damn, the chain reaction of this red card, it’s over.]
[Shit, the betting odds have flipped. Hurry up and hedge on Zwolle to win, or we’ll lose everything by the end of this match.]
[What the hell, why did the defender rush up there for no reason???]
[Retarded streamer, talking about an Utrecht 3-0 away win, I’m unsubscribing!]

"No, no, I’m just a small streamer, how was I supposed to know Utrecht would get a red card? Don't blame me, okay?" Wang Chao was having the worst time of it. As the leader, if the direction he pointed was wrong, he would be roasted.

On screen, Veldwijk grabbed the ball and ran back to the center circle. They refused to celebrate; they wanted to use the remaining time to complete a comeback against Utrecht.

"It’s okay, it’s okay, keep it up!" Ramselaar clapped and shouted. As the captain on the pitch, he had to stand up and inspire his teammates.

*Don't let them down, don't let them down...* Tang Ye kept Ten Hag’s words in mind, moving while thinking about what to do next. He wanted to provide an assist, he wanted to score, but most of all, he wanted to win.

Actually, Tang Ye hadn't been that obsessed with winning or losing before, but today’s match felt different. Seeing Van der Maarel’s heartbreak earlier had genuinely pained him.

Before Tang Ye could think further, Zwolle launched an attack. Striker Ryan Thomas dribbled down the left flank at incredible speed. Ramselaar began his one-on-one defense against Thomas.

"Cover! Cover!" Ten Hag shouted at Tang Ye. Ramselaar might not be able to hold Thomas off alone; Ten Hag needed Tang Ye to shift to the wing.

However, Tang Ye didn't do that. His instinct told him Thomas was about to pass. Running over now would be too late, and he’d just be toyed with in the middle like a dog. Instead, Tang Ye abandoned the cover and drifted toward Marinus’s position.

Tang Ye was gambling—gambling that Thomas would pass the ball to Marinus. He was right. Thomas feinted past Ramselaar and sent a horizontal pass to Marinus in the middle. The moment the ball was played, Tang Ye accelerated, slid in from the side, and poked the ball directly to Strieder.

Wow!

Strieder sprinted up. Looking ahead, Barazite was calling for the ball!

With a sharp "thwack," Strieder launched a long pass toward the right byline. Barazite was fast. Just like Thomas, once he had the ball on the wing, he immediately charged at the opponent’s defensive line. Brama was responsible for marking him.

Tang Ye spat out a blade of grass he’d accidentally swallowed and accelerated toward the front. *Can't let the team down!*

***

Barazite reached the byline, his attention fixed on Haller on the left. Haller raised his left hand and pointed his right finger at the edge of the box. It was a secret signal, and Barazite understood it.

"Cutback, to Tang Ye!"
"Tang Ye! He’s got the ball at the top of the arc. Good angle for a pass, Haller is already reaching the six-yard box!"
"Tang Ye, pass... he’s shooting directly!"
"Oh my god..."
"It’s in! It’s in!"
"A goal from Tang Ye!"
"Utrecht has regained the lead!"
"The scorer is... Tang Ye!"

[At 37, you are resilient and tenacious, helping the team regain the lead while playing a man down.]
[Reward: Counterattack Points * 10]
[Portuguese Low-Level Chest -> Portuguese Mid-Level Chest]

"Hahaha!" The 10 Counterattack Points and the lead hit Tang Ye’s brain with a rush of joy. His mind was blank, save for the urge to roar in celebration.

In the locker room, Van der Maarel, who had already prepared himself to be the villain, suddenly jumped off his seat. A sliding interception to launch a counterattack, followed by a clinical shot from the edge of the box—Tang Ye was the man! If only he hadn't been dragging Tang Ye down, Utrecht might have been 3-0 up by now!

The two Dutch coaches on the Utrecht bench threw their arms up in celebration. Playing 11 vs 10 is always nerve-wracking, but not for Tang Ye. His "Super Heart" played its part here; despite being a man down, he wasn't panicked at all. That was the basic requirement for a "slacker"!

"Ayoub, come back," Ten Hag signaled to Ayoub, who was warming up in a vest, telling the midfielder to sit back down. Even though Ayoub was experienced, he needed the steadier, "lazier" pig to handle this.

The match continued. Having been caught off guard by Tang Ye, the Zwolle players, who had been hungry for a win, began to get nervous. Not everyone has the heart of a king.

"Come on, give it to me." Tang Ye ran to the left flank, proactively taking the ball from Nganioni. He turned and looked up. Zwolle had learned their lesson and were no longer leaving Haller or Barazite open. Passing in that situation would be a giveaway. Tang Ye was a "lazy pig," not a reckless one; he wouldn't make that pass.

After careful consideration, Tang Ye passed to Ramselaar on his right. He was starting to run out of steam, so he needed his teammate to do the running.

"Ramselaar is pushing up!"
"Holy crap, even with ten men, Utrecht is still attacking!"
"Ten Hag’s tactics have completely crushed the opposing coach!"
"Ramselaar, there’s an opening ahead!"

Ramselaar combined with Barazite, pushing the ball forward about 30 meters. At that point, any further advance would be met by heavy pressure from multiple Zwolle defenders. Unable to push through, he had to distribute to the wing. Looking up, Ramselaar noticed Haller making a run down the left. But he wasn't in a great position, so he passed to Tang Ye.

"Go left!" Ramselaar whispered, hoping Tang Ye would deliver a brilliant pass. Instead, Tang Ye just kept running forward with the ball.

*Crap!* Ramselaar thought, *He didn't hear me!*

*Here we go, here we go.* Tang Ye was practically drooling looking at the Zwolle goal. Ramselaar probably had bad eyesight—how could he not see such a massive shooting lane?

Tang Ye charged forward, giving the opposing defenders no chance to close him down, and whipped the ball with the outside of his boot. The ball curled directly into the top left corner of the net.

*Heh.* Scored again!

[At 37, you have scored two goals in your first Eredivisie start. You are very satisfied with your performance today, knowing you did not let your teammates down.]
[Reward: Counterattack Points * 10]
[Brace Bonus: Counterattack Points * 10]

Tang Ye’s brain was flooded with 20 system points, so much so that he didn't even notice Ramselaar and Haller running toward him.

"Woww!!!"
"Tom!"
"Tom!"
"Tom!"
"What is this?"
"What is this!"
"Shit, Tang Ye! A brace!"
"Utrecht 3-1 Zwolle, what the hell am I seeing!"
"A curler into the top corner with the outside of the boot!"

[Is he for real? Two goals in his first start at 16, is he pure-blooded Chinese?]
[Baidu says he's from Guangdong, definitely pure-blooded.]
[Holy crap, he just lucked out again? Awesome! He’s taking off, he’s taking off!]
[He’s scored more than the strikers in one game, isn't he supposed to be a ball-playing midfielder?]
[Sigh, Ten Hag needs to kowtow to Tang Ye; if Tang Ye hadn't started today, Utrecht would’ve been killed.]

As the away side celebrated, the director cut to the home coach, Omond. Omond’s face was expressionless. Before the match, he thought Ten Hag starting Tang Ye was a sign of disrespect. Now, he realized he was wrong—this was Ten Hag’s way of showing he took Zwolle seriously. Because he respected them, he started Tang Ye. And though the Chinese kid played in a very unconventional way, he could actually finish when the chance arose!

Tang Ye hugged his teammates on the sideline, and his system chimed. Because of this brace, his Portuguese chest had successfully upgraded to [Advanced]. This meant that after the match, Tang Ye could obtain the skills of a player valued between 30 million and 70 million euros.

But because his performance was so stellar, the system gave him a second option:

[At 37, you are experienced and steady. You can choose not to claim this reward yet. If you score or assist in the next match, the chest has a chance to upgrade further. If you do not participate in any goals in the next match, the chest will drop by one level. (Limited to the next match only.)]

Limited to the next match—the system was giving him one more chance to upgrade his chest. Wasn't this just like financial investment? As a financial mogul who once borrowed 100,000 points from the system, Tang Ye knew this was profitable.

*I choose to invest!*

The second option was triggered. Tang Ye gave up claiming the Advanced Portuguese Chest today. His goal was to get that damn Superstar Chest in the next match! A superstar valued between 70 million and 100 million euros—that was a totally different league from a 30 to 70 million euro player!

"Tom!"
"Tom!"
"Jerry!"
Someone in the away stands shouted "Jerry," but the voice was immediately drowned out.

The match ended. Thanks to Tang Ye’s two goals, the ten-man Utrecht defeated Zwolle 3-1 away from home. The Zwolle players were stunned, and the Utrecht players were equally bewildered. Leading by two goals while a man down—the great God was on their side today!

After the match, in the press conference room, Ten Hag faced ten reporters alone, his face completely calm.

"Mr. Erik, congratulations on your victory today. Judging by the process and the result, this was a very difficult match." The first to stand up was a female reporter who praised Utrecht’s performance. Then, she asked about the red card: "As the head coach, how did you feel when Mark was shown the red card?"

"No particular feeling, I suppose. You could say I was completely calm." Ten Hag shrugged nonchalantly, looking as if he had known the result all along.

"Completely calm? Do you mean you believed ten-man Utrecht could defeat a full-strength Zwolle?"

"More or less." Ten Hag stretched his neck briefly. "Many fans questioned my decision to start Tang today. The fact is, Tang’s start was a design of mine."

"A design? What does that mean..."

"I knew Tang would score those two goals; that’s why I put him in the starting lineup. His task was to go up there and solve our scoring problems." Ten Hag said slowly, "Though to be honest, Tang’s performance today was only average. He should have scored three goals, not two, because in my plan, we should have beaten the opponent 4-1 or 4-0."

"..."

"So you predicted Tang would score, which is why you started him?"

"You could put it that way." Ten Hag nodded.

The reporter’s eyes widened. *My god! Ten Hag... he’s incredible!*

"Will you continue to start Tang in the future, given his good performance today?"

"No need to rush; I need to consider it." Ten Hag shared his experience with the reporters: "A player’s performance on the pitch is largely influenced by the coach’s tactical arrangements, just like Tang today. Although his talent might not be that outstanding, I will help him. That is my responsibility as a head coach."

"When the next opportunity arises, I will start him again." Ten Hag smiled. "Helping a player score is difficult, but I am willing to put in the effort."