Chapter 5 Five Minutes

With five minutes left in the match, or eight at most including injury time, PSV Eindhoven wanted to launch an all-out counterattack, but they just couldn't manage it. The two Chinese forwards who had come on as substitutes were like two nails, firmly pinning PSV's defense in their own half, preventing them from moving forward in the slightest. With the defenders unable to push up, PSV's attacks often lacked staying power and couldn't pose a real threat to Volendam's goal.

Volendam, on the other hand, cleared the ball forward with long balls, relying on Zhang Jun's headers and Yang Pan's speed to threaten PSV's goal. This tactic proved effective. Leeyoung-pyo clearly felt strained defending against Yang Pan, unable to keep up with his speed. Zhang Jun, at 1.83 meters tall, used his headers to create opportunities for Yang Pan to cut inside, allowing him to fully exploit his speed advantage.

Captain Holwijn sent a long pass forward. Zhang Jun tangled with defender Hofland, but he still managed to keep him firmly behind him. He jumped up and used his excellent leaping ability to flick the ball on with a header. Yang Pan darted out from the side, caught up with the ball, and took a long-range shot from outside the penalty area! Unfortunately, Leeyoung-pyo interfered slightly, and the ball went just over the crossbar.

The Volendam fans sitting behind the PSV goal let out a collective sigh of regret. The PSV fans, on the other hand, broke out in a cold sweat, clutching their scarves tightly and watching the game nervously, as if they were the ones trailing the visiting team Volendam.

Adrianaanse also seemed very excited. When he saw Yang Pan shoot the ball high, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn Korean, damn it!"

Hiddink sensed that things were not going well. If this continued, he might even lose the game. He quickly rushed to the sidelines and shouted loudly to the players on the field, "Recover! Recover! Defend!"

PSV immediately retreated and began to consolidate their defense.

Seeing this, Adrianaanse didn't choose to be conservative, but instead waved his hand decisively and shouted, "Attack!" It was a very bold decision. With Volendam's strength, a draw on the road would have been a good result, but with three minutes left in the game, Adrianaanse still wanted to take all three points!

Keizer was the first to launch an attack. He dribbled forward, and when an opponent closed in, he passed the ball to Heuvel on the side. Heuvel passed it back to him—a one-two!

The PSV fans were in an uproar. Since when did Volendam dare to play such combinations in front of them?

After beating his man with the one-two, Keizer quickly passed the ball to Zhang Jun. Zhang Jun had his back to the goal, and defender Hofland was marking him closely. Unable to turn, he had no choice but to pass the ball back to Heuvel. Heuvel couldn't advance either and reluctantly passed the ball to Keizer, who then passed it across to Baiyes. Baiyes immediately passed it to Yang Pan. For a moment, Volendam was controlling the ball around PSV's half, and PSV was helpless!

Finally, Yang Pan crossed the ball, and once again it was Zhang Jun, who launched himself into a diving header. The header was too straight and was caught by the goalkeeper. But goalkeeper Waterreus was still very dissatisfied. His center backs had allowed that Eastern kid to head the ball several times in a row. It was simply unforgivable. He roared at the defenders, "Damn it! Don't let him get to the ball again! Are you all stupid?"

But Hofland was also full of grievances. He thought he could win the ball every time, but at the crucial moment, that Easterner was always one step ahead of him. He seemed to have a natural understanding of football.

With three minutes of injury time, PSV barely managed to hold on for a draw. The referee blew the whistle, signaling PSV's relief. Another minute of injury time, and who knew if they would have made it out of the Philips Stadion alive? Volendam, on the other hand, was as excited as if they had won the game, carrying goalscorers Zhang Jun and Yang Pan into the locker room.

At the post-match press conference, almost all the reporters directed their questions about the two Chinese forwards at Adrianaanse, neglecting the home team coach Hiddink, a rare scene indeed.

Adrianaanse spoke into the microphone with a beaming smile, "I am satisfied with the players' performance. We made a mistake at the beginning of the game, but we didn't give PSV any more chances after that. On the contrary, I think we should have won this game if one of those two shots had gone in... Of course, drawing with the powerful PSV on their home ground is also a wonderful thing! I am very grateful to the fans who came with us..." In the eyes of the anxious reporters, Adrianaanse was completely rambling and not getting to the point. Some reporters began to remind the coach, who was "somewhat incoherent because he had won the game," "Sir, those, those two Chinese..."

"What? The two Chinese forwards? Ah... sorry, they are still very young. Actually, we bought them before this season. To protect them, I hope the media will not harass them too much. They have a very broad space for improvement, provided, of course, that they focus on playing football wholeheartedly..."

"Then you should at least tell us their names!" a reporter shouted.

Adrianaanse smiled slightly, "No. 21, Zhang Jun, and No. 25, Yang Pan. You better remember these two names now..."

Wang Hua watched Li Yan put down the phone, "So, it's settled?"

"Yes, the vacation is extended!" Li Yan held out two fingers, making a "V" sign.

"Are you really going to Volendam to interview them?"

"Yes, I have a feeling that if it's successful, this will be an interview that can change my life!" Li Yan said with full confidence.

Zhang Jun opened his eyes. There was a game yesterday, so there was no training today, and he didn't have to get up early, but he still woke up on time. It was strange, when he was at school, he wished he could sleep in more. But now that he was working—or could be said to be working—he should want to sleep in more. When he finally had the chance to sleep in, he couldn't sleep at all. He wondered if he was cheap?

The hands of the clock were still ticking quietly. Zhang Jun had already started to get up and put on his clothes, thinking about yesterday's game as he dressed...

...

"Hurrah!!"

"Hurrah!!!"

Zhang Jun and Yang Pan were thrown into the air by their teammates, their heads almost hitting the roof. He shouted, "I'm hitting my head!" But no one paid attention to his Chinese and continued to throw him.

"Hurrah!!!"

Adrianaanse watched the group of excited young men with a smile, with no intention of stopping them. It was rare to have such a triumphant game, so let these kids, who had been stifled for so long, vent their emotions.

"Well done, Zhang!"

"Well done, Yang!"

"Hurrah!!!"

Adrianaanse looked at his watch. He should go out to attend the press conference, but... looking at these partying kids... let the reporters go to hell!

...

Zhang Jun lowered his head, fiddling with the bracelet Su Fei gave him. Until this moment, he couldn't believe that he had scored in his first professional game. It was so easy to score, it was like he and Yang Pan were practicing on the Shuguang field. Yang Pan crossed, he headed the ball, and then the ball went in, only Su Fei was missing to clap and cheer.

Su Fei ah...

Zhang Jun suddenly propped himself up and got out of bed to wash up.

In the bathroom, Zhang Jun looked up and saw himself in the mirror. His hair had grown longer again, and his beard was faintly visible. He was much darker than before, and... it seemed like Su Fei was right, he was stronger than before. Heh heh, he should be able to pick up Su Fei more easily... Zhang Jun scratched his head and smiled foolishly at the mirror.

"Stop smiling foolishly, if you smile any more, you'll really be stupid."

Zhang Jun was startled, and the toothbrush almost poked his throat. He coughed, spraying foam all over the sink. After finally finishing coughing, he looked up and realized it was Yang Pan. "Huh? You, why are you up too?"

"I woke up when you got up." Yang Pan threw the towel on the edge of the sink, filled a cup with water, and started brushing his teeth.

"Ha! I understand, you're still very excited, right?"

"Mhm, s'right..."

"What?"

Yang Pan spat out the foam in his mouth, "Even if I am, still very excited... but, I won't be as excited as you, getting up early in the morning and sitting there blankly, not knowing what you're doing."

"Hey, Yang Pan, do you think you knew I could score when you passed the ball?"

"Yes."

"Heh heh, I thought so too. When I saw you pass the ball, I knew there was a chance... But at that time, I thought we were still on the Shuguang field, until I heard the cheers of the fans and realized it." Zhang Jun picked up the towel and rubbed it roughly on his face. "But, hearing the cheers of those fans, although there weren't many, it was still very cool..."

Yang Pan looked back at Zhang Jun, then put his arm around his shoulder, "Heh heh, you're already so happy with so few spectators? What if tens of thousands of people shout your name in the future? Wouldn't you have a heart attack then? Let's go, let's go for a run together!" Yang Pan threw the towel over his shoulder in a dashing manner and turned to leave. But Zhang Jun was still stunned in place, "Ah, you..."

"What?" Yang Pan asked, turning back in a dashing manner.

"You... you haven't washed your face yet..."

"..."

"Actually, if I had given you a half-high ball yesterday, the effect would have been better." Yang Pan said to Zhang Jun beside him while putting on his shoes at the door. "That way you could have had a volley, just imagine, a volley, how cool!"

Zhang Jun made a volleying motion, then recalled it, "No, that wouldn't work. If I volley, the other defender would push me from behind, and I would definitely miskick it."

"Why?"

"If it's a header, when I jump up, even if the opponent pushes me, it's considered adding force to me. But if it's a volley, as soon as the opponent pushes, my body leans forward, my center of gravity changes, and I'll definitely hit the bottom of the soccer ball, so the ball will fly into the sky."

"Not bad, learning to use your brain to play football! Haha!"

"Damn! I could use my brain to play football in the first place, but I just didn't show it..." Zhang Jun said as he opened the door, but he was startled by the scene in front of him. Not only him, but even Yang Pan was stunned.

"Zhang Jun! Yang Pan! Come sign your names!"

"Take a photo with me!"

...

The town of Volendam was simple and honest, and Zhang Jun and Yang Pan had never seen them so enthusiastic. Of course, they didn't know that because the team had drawn with PSV Eindhoven, the two of them, as the heroes who had scored goals, had become the heroes of this small town. It was only natural that they were so popular.

The two of them couldn't retreat, that would be very impolite. They had no choice but to bite the bullet and go up to satisfy the requests of those enthusiastic neighbors, getting their first taste of being a celebrity: signing autographs until their hands were sore, and taking photos until their eyes were blurred.

Zhang Jun was signing autographs with his right hand, while smiling and taking a photo with a friend on his left, thinking in his heart, "It seems like I'll have to buy sunglasses to wear in the future..."

On Monday, the team resumed training.

When Zhang Jun and Yang Pan walked into the training base gate, they saw a Chinese person standing at the gatehouse. That person was talking to the gatekeeper. He had his back to them, and the two couldn't see his face clearly.

The two felt a little strange. What was a Chinese person doing here? Could it be that he was here to ask for autographs and photos? Yesterday, many Chinese students from other places had come to this small town just to ask them for an autograph and take a photo.

When Adrianaanse saw the short-haired Qiu Suhui, he was a little surprised. He was stunned for a long time before laughing and hugging Qiu Suhui, "Haha! Qiu, you're even more energetic!"

"You too, you haven't changed at all, you're still so enthusiastic... You're hugging me too tight!"

"It's been a long time since I saw you, of course I have to use some force! You haven't come to see me, your old teacher, for so long!" Adrianaanse let go of Qiu Suhui.

"I'm here now, aren't I?" Qiu Suhui rubbed his nose.

Adrianaanse's eyes were full of concern, "You're still the same, even this little action hasn't changed."

"Heh heh!" Qiu Suhui smiled.

"Honestly, I know why you're here. You watched the game too?"

Qiu Suhui nodded, "It was a coincidence, I really didn't expect it to be your game."

"What do you think of them?" Adrianaanse asked with a smile.

"They surprised me, I didn't expect China to have such outstanding players. Teacher, you've dug up a great treasure this time!"

Hearing the praise, Adrianaanse smiled even more happily.

"However, I'm afraid that Teacher won't be able to handle it alone, so I'm here to share the burden for you."

"Boy, you underestimate me!" Adrianaanse laughed heartily. He was in a good mood today after drawing with the powerful PSV Eindhoven. "However, it's even better that you're here. With you, Louis van Gaal's assistant, helping me, I'll be much more relaxed!"

Adrianaanse was talking about something that happened ten years ago. In the 1989-90 season, Van Gaal was the head coach of the Ajax youth team. At that time, his assistant was this somewhat thin Chinese man in front of him, who was only 29 years old at the time. The following year, they brought back the championship of the Dutch Youth League. If you knew that this achievement was created in a situation where the Ajax first team's performance was declining, you would know how difficult it was. And in that Ajax youth team, Davids and the De Boer brothers were the core players. Seedorf, Kluivert, and Michael Reiziger were still training in the youth team and were often transferred to the youth team to participate in matches. And the current main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team, Van der Sar, who is known as the greatest goalkeeper in Dutch history, was dug up by Qiu Suhui from an amateur club participating in the "Saturday League."

Later, in the 91-92 season, Van Gaal was promoted to head coach of the Ajax first team. He wanted to keep Qiu Suhui in the Ajax youth team, but Qiu Suhui insisted on leaving. He said to Van Gaal, "I'm still very young, I want to learn." He packed his bags and left Ajax. Subsequently, Adrianaanse became the head coach of the Ajax youth team, and the opportunity for this pair of teachers and apprentices to cooperate for the first time fifteen years ago passed them by.

Now, the two have finally reunited and have the opportunity to work together, so it's no wonder Adrianaanse is so happy.

"Come with me!" Adrianaanse pulled Qiu Suhui and walked towards the training ground. Having just drawn with the powerful PSV Eindhoven away from home, Zhang Jun and Yang Pan had become the key figures in turning the tide. Adrianaanse could also hold his head high in front of that fat Hoens. The contract stated that he had the right to quote players and recruit coaches for the team, so let that fat guy who didn't understand anything go to hell! From today onwards, Qiu Suhui would become Volendam's assistant coach.

Zhang Jun looked at the thin Chinese compatriot, who was the person he saw at the gate in the morning. He felt a little unbelievable. Was it just because he scored a goal in the league? A Chinese coach had actually come! But Yang Pan was a little excited. He nudged Zhang Jun, "It's Qiu Suhui!"

Zhang Jun found it strange that the head coach hadn't introduced him yet, how did he know?

"Everyone, this is the team's new assistant coach, Qiu Suhui!" Adrianaanse introduced to the players, "Although he is Chinese, he has lived in Europe for ten years and has a deep understanding of Dutch football."

Keizer on the other side also seemed very excited. He turned to Zhang Jun and whispered, "If he comes to be the assistant coach, then that's really great!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Can Van Gaal's assistant be bad?"

Zhang Jun looked at Keizer with the same eyes he used to look at Yang Pan.

"Qiu was once Van Gaal's assistant and helped Van Gaal lead the Ajax youth team to win the Dutch Youth League championship in the 90-91 season." Adrianaanse continued to explain. "Therefore, everyone must not have any doubts about Coach Qiu's words!"

Qiu Suhui waved his hand on the side and said with a fluent Dutch smile, "Actually, everything I say is based on what your coach says. He is the head of all of us!"

One sentence made all the players laugh and unintentionally shortened the distance between this new assistant coach and the players.

On this day, several major Dutch sports newspapers listed the news that PSV Eindhoven was held to a draw by Volendam at home as the front-page headline. However, many people still thought that PSV Eindhoven was too careless, rather than Volendam being so strong. Numbers best illustrate the problem. PSV Eindhoven had twenty shots in the entire game, eleven of which hit the target, while Kezman, the team's main striker, wasted eight chances alone.

Of course, the appearance of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan surprised many media outlets. Their mystery and strength made the reporters as excited and excited as if they had taken aphrodisiacs. Letters of "love" flew to Volendam, hoping to interview these two mysterious Chinese forwards, but they were all turned down by Adrianaanse for one reason: the players were still very young and he didn't want them to be disturbed by the media.

Adrianaanse had good intentions. He didn't hesitate to earn the reputation of "not cooperating with the news media" in the media, but also wanted to keep Zhang Jun and Yang Pan away from interference so that they could focus on playing football and improve. It was only because when he was the head coach of the Ajax youth team, he saw too many geniuses who had fallen because they became famous too early and were sought after by the media. The most painful thing for him was the premature death of Portuguese genius Dani. He was once a very promising player, but the premature fame brought a series of disasters. When he performed well, he was sought after by the media. When his performance was unstable, he was scolded and criticized, and in Amsterdam, the "city of sex," the high-spirited Dani couldn't control himself at all. In the end, he became famous in football, but he fell in the rich nightlife of Amsterdam. In fact, from the bottom of his heart, he also fell in football. A star briefly shined in the night sky, then turned into a meteor, streaking across the sky, and could no longer be found.

Adrianaanse could never forget Dani's eyes. When he first met him, he was a pure young man with a love for football, his eyes shining brightly. In the end, all he could see were two pools of stagnant water.

Now, Adrianaanse saw the same eyes that Dani had when he first came to Ajax on Zhang Jun and Yang Pan's faces. He would never allow himself to make that mistake again, to see two pools of stagnant water again.

In the past, he only focused on improving technical and tactical aspects, but completely forgot that those players were just seventeen or eighteen years old. Their minds were not yet mature, and in the big dyeing vat of professional football, maintaining a healthy mentality was the most important thing.

Now, Adrianaanse wants to atone for his sins on Zhang Jun and Yang Pan.

ps: Today is Valentine's Day, although I am still single, it does not prevent me from congratulating all lovers in the world for becoming married, and I also hope that lovers who have already become married will cherish this relationship. May you have today every year, and may you have today every year.

It has been almost a year since I started writing books on the Internet. The story of Zhang Jun and Su Fei has also unknowingly developed for almost a year. During this time, I would like to thank you for your care and understanding, so that this young couple can continue to be together. Therefore, I specially posted the words written by a friend of Huanjian, "Absolutely Neutral," which can also be regarded as representing my blessings. Distance cannot stop missing, it will only become a red line that is more cherished by each other; time cannot blur the face, but it can make the wine in that jar more mellow.

Recalling Qin E - Su Fei's Missing

The sound of rain is gone,

Vaguely dreaming of the Dutch night.

Dutch night,

Thousands of miles of loneliness,

Feelings follow the vast moon.

Tomorrow I will see you with a haggard face,

Separated by thousands of waters, I feel sad.

Feeling sad,

The west wind is in the twilight,

Intimacy is difficult to cross.