Chapter 1 2002

October 10, 2002, 5:40 in the morning. The sky outside the window was still a hazy gray. Zhang Jun was already awake. He tossed and turned several times, finding himself unable to fall back asleep, so he had no choice but to get up, get dressed, and go downstairs to wash up.

After washing up, he didn't immediately return to his room upstairs. Instead, he stood in the unlit living room for a while. With the faint light of dawn, he could see the furnishings of the room clearly without turning on the lights. Zhang Jun stretched his body a little in the spacious living room before going upstairs.

Pushing open the door, he found Yang Pan sitting by the window, facing away from him.

"Huh? Why aren't you sleeping? It's still early before the meeting time!" Zhang Jun said, surprised.

"Can't sleep..." Yang Pan muttered.

"Can't sleep?" Zhang Jun closed the door, walked to the window, and pulled open the curtains, brightening the room a little. "Are you nervous or something?"

"Bullshit! I was woken up by you!"

"Me?" Zhang Jun thought about how he had been tiptoeing around like a thief from getting out of bed to getting dressed and leaving the room. "Hehe!" He grinned at Yang Pan.

"What are you laughing at?" Yang Pan felt a little guilty from Zhang Jun's laughter.

"I always thought you were either too slow or too calm. Turns out you're just a normal person like me, just as nervous, haha!"

"Nonsense! I'm not nervous at all! I was woken up by you..." Yang Pan hurriedly jumped up and went out to wash up.

Zhang Jun watched the door that hadn't been closed, chuckling to himself. So the always steady Yang Pan could also get nervous, just like him. He had always thought he was different from others, but now he was relieved. For some reason, Zhang Jun found himself less nervous than before. Was it because he knew Yang Pan was also nervous, and he felt a sense of psychological balance? If that was the case, then he really felt a bit...

Zhang Jun scratched his head with a smile and turned to polish his shoes.

Because it was an away game, the team had to gather at the club first, and then take the team bus to Eindhoven. The Netherlands was a small country, only 41,526 square kilometers in area. Driving from north to south only took three and a half hours, so many teams would travel to away games on the day of the match, and return on the same day after the match, saving a day. For small clubs that weren't very wealthy, this also saved a lot of money.

From Volendam to Eindhoven was just over an hour's drive. The scenery outside the window was beautiful, and Zhang Jun didn't feel bored along the way. Everyone said the Netherlands had beautiful scenery, but Zhang Jun had been in the Netherlands for almost two months, and hadn't had a chance to go out and see it. Every day it was training, training, learning, learning. If Sophie asked him what he thought of the Netherlands, he really wouldn't know how to answer. Now it was better, at least he could take the opportunity to appreciate the scenery on the way to away games, so he could have something to say when Sophie asked. Time quietly passed as he admired the scenery.

Yang Pan was still the same as before, wearing headphones, closing his eyes and immersing himself in the world of music, uninterested in external things.

The bus arrived at its destination at exactly eleven o'clock in the morning. The team got off the bus, rested briefly, and were arranged to have lunch. After resting for two hours, the match between Eindhoven and Volendam would kick off at the Philips Stadion. This match was selected by the Dutch national television sports channel for live broadcast nationwide, so in order to accommodate the broadcast, the match was moved to midday. Fortunately, there was a gentle breeze in the Netherlands today, and the weather was changing from cloudy to overcast, so there was no need to worry about high temperatures or the sun being too strong at midday.

Lunch was mainly for replenishing energy, and the quantity wasn't large. Players shouldn't eat too much before a match. Eating too much would thicken the blood, weaken circulation, lead to muscle weakness, and reduce players' mental focus on the field.

After eating, the whole team rested briefly in the restaurant. They needed to take a nap, otherwise they would easily become tired and get injured during the midday match. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan had gotten up too early in the morning, and they were indeed sleepy at this time, so they quickly fell asleep.

But the coach didn't have the right to rest. Adriaanse and Stiel continued to study Eindhoven. Although he had been studying them for a week, he still hoped to find more weaknesses in the opposition.

Judging from the starting lineup announced by Eindhoven themselves, they were continuing with the same lineup that had won the previous game against Roda (Breda) with a score of 5-0. Many coaches wouldn't casually change their starting lineup after a win. Guus Hiddink was the same, unless he had a vast squad of talent like Manchester United or AC Milan.

The starting goalkeeper was 31-year-old Waterreus, who had been selected for the Dutch national team three times. He had accurate judgment, a strong sense of position, and quick reflexes, making him the best goalkeeper in the Dutch league. He had performed steadily in the previous few games. After six rounds, he had only conceded two goals, which was a very good record.

The center back was 24-year-old Bouma, a Dutch international, who was very fast, good at dribbling past players at high speed, and had good explosive power and stamina.

Hofland, 23 years old, another Dutch international, was also a target for European giants.

The right back was 28-year-old Ooijer, a Dutch international, who played on the right flank, had excellent technique, first-class dribbling, and good crossing accuracy, but lacked explosive power.

The left back was 25-year-old Lee Young-pyo, a South Korean international, the best left back in Asia. He wasn't physically strong, but he was very agile, tireless, and had a tenacious style of play, but his crosses weren't high quality. Hiddink's arrival at Philips Stadion had also brought Koreans here. Lee Young-pyo relied on his excellent performance at the Korea-Japan World Cup to win Hiddink's favor. He was indeed talented. In the new season, he had gained the love of fans and the trust of his teammates in just two months, and had now basically secured his position as a regular starter. Because the team's main center back Faber was injured in the previous round and couldn't play in this game, and the other two center backs were in poor form, or slightly injured, the original left back Bouma had to be moved to center back. This arrangement suggested that Hiddink was a bit careless.

In midfield, there was another Korean starting, the young South Korean international Park Ji-sung, 21 years old, who played on the right flank, ran actively, and was very agile. He had also won Hiddink's favor because of his outstanding performance in the South Korean national team and was brought to the Netherlands. He assisted two goals in the previous league game and gradually gained more playing time.

Van Bommel, 25 years old, a Dutch international, was the captain and the team's attacking strategist, with a strong scoring ability himself.

Rommedahl, 25 years old, a Danish international, was a right winger, fast, with strong explosive power, but his technique was average.

Vogel, 25 years old, a Swiss international, was a midfield workhorse, with a courageous style, good stamina, and strong explosive power, but his technique was average.

Among the forwards, the most dangerous was the Yugoslavian player Kezman, 23 years old, a Yugoslavian international -- another Van Nistelrooy cultivated by PSV. He scored 38 goals in the 2002 to 2003 season, and it was only a matter of time before he went to a major club. He continued his high scoring rate, and even scored a hat-trick in the previous game, making him the number one "culprit" in the "massacre" of Roda. This Yugoslavian forward had extremely strong impact, and his footwork was excellent. He was the top scorer in the Dutch league, a terrifying figure for all defenders and goalkeepers.

Kezman's partner was Hesselink, 24 years old, who had been selected for the Dutch national team twice. He had a good sense of position, was good at setting up goals for his teammates, and was very good at headers.

Adriaanse really couldn't see anything more from it. All three lines had star players, their strength was average, their performance was stable, and they had won a big victory in the previous round. In addition, they were playing at home, and their momentum was high. Hiddink was also a master. After returning from Korea, he had instilled the never-say-die fighting spirit of the Koreans into Eindhoven, making this veteran team even more aggressive.

Facing such a strong opponent, the only thing to do was to pray to God for a miracle, otherwise it would be impossible to win. Although football is round, in the case of a huge gap in strength between the two sides, football also becomes a triangle -- the most stable shape.

However, the strength of the opponent wasn't an excuse for them to sit back and wait for death. Adriaanse was also an old coach who had been in professional football for decades. He wouldn't have had those glorious experiences without some ability.

Against a strong team, the best way for a weak team was to defend and counterattack, using an iron barrel formation to force the opponent out of the penalty area. And his defense and counterattack wasn't a passive defense and counterattack shrinking in the penalty area. He had arranged four players in midfield, with the obvious intention of starting to intercept in midfield, striving to minimize the opponent's threat to their own goal, and seizing any mistakes and opportunities from the opponent to launch counterattacks. It wasn't necessarily to score goals, as long as it made the opponent's defenders wary and afraid to press forward casually.

His own forwards' ability to seize opportunities was really poor. The goal of this game was to secure a draw. Taking a point from Eindhoven's home field would be considered a major upset.

Adriaanse finally finalized the starting lineup. He looked at his watch, it was almost time, so he told Stiel to call the players onto the bus.

Zhang Jun quickly washed his face and followed his teammates onto the bus.

The bus closed its doors and slowly drove towards the Philips Stadion.

A fierce battle was waiting for them there.

Although there was still an hour before the start of the match, the Philips Stadion had already opened its doors to welcome guests. Fans voluntarily lined up to have their tickets checked and enter the stadium. They continuously sang songs praising Eindhoven and waved the flags and scarves in their hands.

Li Yan and his friend Wang Hua were also among them. Li Yan just kept looking around, while Wang Hua followed the others and sang songs together. He was indeed a die-hard Eindhoven fan.

Because they were facing the bottom team in the league, all the fans firmly believed that Eindhoven would win. The only question was how many goals they would win by. They excitedly talked about the upcoming game.

As Li Yan looked around, he spotted the away team's fans. In the huge crowd of red and white striped shirts, their orange-yellow colors were almost drowned out. There weren't many of them, only about a hundred people, holding Volendam's team flag as they entered the stadium. Even their faces didn't show much expression, as if they were also worried about the fate of their team. Li Yan didn't know much about Volendam, only that it was a team currently at the bottom of the standings. But now, he suddenly became interested in Volendam, perhaps out of sympathy for the weak, and also a bit of a contrarian psychology with his friend. Since Wang Hua supported Eindhoven, then he would firmly support Volendam.

Zhang Jun and Yang Pan were no strangers to Eindhoven's Philips Stadion. Two and a half months ago, they had come here to participate in the "Stadium Open Day" event and witnessed Romario's brilliant performance here.

Zhang Jun would have to admit in the future that he had a great affinity with this stadium. The first European professional football match he watched on the spot was here, and the first European professional football league game he participated in was also here. For him, Eindhoven's Philips Stadion meant the starting point, and he took his first step from here.

Before the match, the two teams warmed up on the field for twenty minutes. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan also went up to feel the atmosphere. The team completed various warm-up exercises under the guidance of assistant coach Stiel. Zhang and Yang were also in the line.

The Volendam warm-up goal was right under the Volendam fans' stands, so they won a lot of applause. The players performed very actively, and didn't give up on themselves just because they were facing a strong team.

Although Volendam was also warming up on the field, everyone ignored their existence except for their own fans. Nearly 30,000 fans sang praises and cheered for Hiddink's team. Hiddink also seemed to have underestimated the weak opponent. In comparison, Eindhoven was an elephant, and Volendam was just a pitiful ant.

After warming up, the two sides entered their respective locker rooms for final preparations.

Hiddink had said everything he needed to say the day before, and the tactical board was also scribbled all over, so he just said one sentence to all the players: "Crush them in the first ten minutes, and then keep the rhythm of the game firmly in our hands."

Adriaanse, on the other hand, was busy explaining his tactical arrangements to the players. "In this game, Bridji and Keizer will form a double defensive midfielder. Huisman, Holwijn, Luirink, the three of you are center backs. Bartele, you're still on the left, Leeflang, you play right back. Heuvel is still the left midfielder, Faria, you're still the right midfielder. The striker in front is still Ouichou. Buys, you don't go on first, there's no attacking midfielder. We're removing the attacking midfielder in the hope that everyone will fight actively in midfield, striving to keep the opponent away from our goal. Play it tough, don't be afraid to foul. If you want to play technical football against Eindhoven, you'll only lose face in the end!"

Although Zhang Jun and Yang Pan weren't playing, Wang Bo was still quickly translating for them in sync. Compared to the two teenagers, he was even more excited.

"Bridji, you have a large running range, take care of things behind Keizer. The two of you, one in front and one behind, guard the center of midfield and force the opponent to pass the ball to the sides. Keizer, always pay attention to the opponent's captain, number 6, van Bommel. His ability to insert and score is very strong. If he comes up, stick to him, keep an eye on him, and don't let him have a chance to shoot easily. The opponent's two forwards are both strong center forwards with good headers. Hiddink's arrangement is probably to use strong center forwards to overwhelm us from the start. The center backs need to be extra careful."

Everything that needed to be said had been said, everything that needed to be done had been done. Adriaanse looked at the tactical board that had been drawn beyond recognition and waved his hand. "Go!"

The starting eleven of the two teams lined up in two rows in the tunnel, led by three referees, and walked out of the tunnel in single file. The decibels in the stadium suddenly increased by more than double. At the same time, the on-site announcer began to introduce the starting lineups to the audience. When the home team players were announced, each name would cause a roar of cheers. The away team, on the other hand, were greeted with chaotic shouts -- don't think this was their dissatisfaction with the away team. They didn't care who the away team's opponents were. These shouts were still for the home team. If Ajax or Feyenoord came, there would at least be huge boos, but Volendam didn't even have the qualification to be booed.

When the starting players took the field, the other substitutes sat on the bench. Zhang Jun and Yang Pan sat next to Buys. Their other side was the translator Wang Bo.

The fans' shouts quickly subsided. The two teams stood in their respective formations. Kezman and his partner Hesselink stood in the center circle, waiting for the kickoff.

With a referee's whistle, accompanied by huge cheers from the fans, Kezman kicked the ball to Hesselink in the cheers, and quickly ran forward. Hesselink passed the ball back to captain van Bommel.

The game began!