Chapter 37 Penalty Shootout

"Ajax is a ship that is in turmoil. If you love it, then fight for it!"

This is what head coach Ye Qiu said to the players in the locker room before the Dutch Cup semi-final between Ajax II and Heerenveen in De Tokmost on the afternoon of April 5, 2000.

There is no need for excessive exaggeration or encouragement. All the players can clearly understand the current situation of Ajax, because many familiar staff have left, and some familiar players have submitted transfer applications.

To say that it is in turmoil is a minor matter. In more serious cases, it can even be said that it is going to sink.

Most of them are from De Tokmost. Although Huntelaar is not a youth player of Ajax, he loves this team deeply, and Abidal regards Ajax as the first stop of his career. Therefore, no one wants to see Ajax decline, and no one wants to see the team they play for sink.

It was drizzling in the sky, but the players no longer cared about it. They shoveled when they should shoveled and fell when they should fall. No one had the extra energy to care about whether the rain was heavy, whether their uniforms were dirty, or whether their hair was messy. These were not important.

They were not alone, because Ye Qiu was with them from beginning to end, constantly cheering them up.

After the two games against Eindhoven and Utrecht, everyone has clearly realized the tenacity of Ajax II. No one dared to underestimate this youth team easily. On the contrary, in the eyes of many people, this second team is even more difficult and tenacious than Ajax I.

There is absolutely no need to doubt the strength of Heerenveen. They can still rank second in the league at the end of the season, surpassing Feyenoord, Vitesse, Twente and Alkmaar. They definitely rely on their real ability to kill up.

Harris Huizinger left during the winter break, which was a painful blow to Heerenveen's offense, which was not outstanding to begin with. This made them completely lose the strength to continue to chase PSV Eindhoven in the second half, and the gap between the two sides widened. However, the team's defense was very solid and unbreakable.

Ye Qiu knew that Ajax II was able to defeat PSV Eindhoven because the opponent was careless and underestimated the enemy. The opponent's head coach Mark Watt's blind confidence and arrogance were also important reasons for defeating Utrecht.

But now, facing Heerenveen, a team that originally had poor offensive strength and relied more on defensive counterattacks to win, Ajax II had no way out. They were completely suppressed by the opponent throughout the game. Several counterattacks failed to work, and they were almost counterattacked by the opponent's counterattack.

He knew very well that this game was the cruelest and most difficult game for Ajax II so far, except for the one against PSV Eindhoven, but he kept shouting on the sidelines, reminding the players and adjusting the team's defense.

Yes, in such a game, he simply couldn't care about the offense anymore, and could only let all the players concentrate all their energy on defense and defend to the end.

This is a very realistic choice!

The defensive strength of Ajax II is not bad. The back line composed of Abidal, Kivu, Van Duyn and Heitinga is getting stronger and stronger. In addition, there are three offensive and defensive midfielders De Jong, Maduro and Sneijder in front. If Ajax II really wants to tighten the camp, no one can expect to break through easily.

Moreover, after more than half a year, the players are more and more familiar with the overall defense system from Rehhagel arranged by Ye Qiu before, and the organization is becoming more and more proficient. The combination of Kivu and Van Duyn, one fast and one tall, has also established a very good tacit understanding, which makes the defense of Ajax II very solid.

Against Eindhoven, this set of defense may not work, but when facing Heerenveen, Ye Qiu is still a little confident.

Continuing the tradition of the past few Ajax II games, the home field of De Tokmost was crowded with fans who came to watch. The club still adopted the strategy of free admission for members to watch the game. A total of more than 3,000 fans poured into the scene, and the entire venue was packed.

Ajax fans put all their hopes on the second team. Many of them even stood on the sidelines to cheer for the second team players despite the rain.

The first half was 0:0, but their passion did not diminish. In the second half, they shouted even louder.

The fans shouted hard and attentively, and the players' performance on the court was equally good.

All the second team players played their 120,000 points of concentration on the court, and were always on guard against Heerenveen's attack, because they knew how small they were, how powerful the opponent was, and they were also very aware that as long as they were negligent, the opponent could trample them to death.

As head coach Ye Qiu reminded during the halftime break, "If we want to win, we can't make even one mistake!"

Not making mistakes and actively helping teammates to make up for their mistakes became the players' belief in the game.

They completely forgot about the time, the score, and everything around them. In their eyes, there was only the opponent!

They all followed the coach's usual training arrangements, and strictly required themselves to follow the four standards of ball, space, opponent, and teammates for every step and every action. In addition, Ye Qiu kept adjusting and instructing on the sidelines, and Ajax II showed amazing integrity in the game.

Even after 75 minutes, the physical fitness of both sides had obviously declined rapidly, and many players had begun to be unable to run, but Ajax II was still able to maintain good integrity. The three lines were kept very compact, and they always faced Heerenveen's attack as a whole.

The rain finally stopped, but the game continued.

Ye Qiu stood on the sidelines, watching silently, constantly patrolling and observing the positions of both sides.

"It's been 80 minutes!" Ricklink came over to remind.

Ye Qiu looked at the manual scoreboard on the sidelines, which was still 0:0, and the time showed that it had been 80 minutes.

There were only 10 minutes left before the end of the 90-minute normal match time, but he didn't feel relaxed at all. On the contrary, he became more and more solemn.

He understood the truth that a journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step!

"Yang, go and sort out the information. I want the penalty reports of each of their players, as well as all the records of the opponent's main goalkeeper Hans?Funk's penalty saves!" Ye Qiu said with a heavy face.

Ricklink frowned, "Do you think it will drag into a penalty shootout?"

Ye Qiu turned his attention to his assistant and asked with a wry smile, "Do you think we still have a chance?"

Facing such a team that already had excellent defense, Ajax II could not find any opportunities throughout the game. Could it be that they still hoped to turn the tables at the last moment? What capital and chips did they have?

Could it be that they just counted on the group of teenagers aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 sitting on the bench?

"If we can enter the penalty shootout, we will win!" After Ye Qiu finished speaking, he adjusted his attention back to the court.

Ricklink was understanding the meaning of Ye Qiu's words, and gradually, he understood.

Defeating PSV Eindhoven and Utrecht made him and some people mistakenly believe that Ajax II already had the strength to compete with the Dutch Eredivisie teams, and mistakenly believed that Ajax II was already very strong, but in fact, Ajax II was only strong relative to its peers.

Facing the second teams of other teams, Ajax's 5:0 win was nothing, and even facing a mid-to-lower-level Dutch Eredivisie team like Utrecht, Ajax II might not have no chance of winning, but the problem is that now they are facing Heerenveen, which is currently ranked second in the Dutch Eredivisie.

If the Dutch Eredivisie is divided into grades, PSV Eindhoven is the only team that stands out this season, and Heerenveen, Feyenoord, Vitesse and other three or four teams are very close in strength, and they are very close. Even Ajax's first team has little chance of winning against them. It can be imagined that no matter how strong the second team is, can it be stronger than them?

"I understand!" Ricklink nodded heavily and turned away.

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“80 minutes, Bobby!”

In the second team’s chairman’s stand, Van Praag let out a heavy breath. He could clearly feel that the atmosphere in the stadium was becoming more and more depressing, especially the momentum and fighting spirit shown by the players on both sides.

“Yes, there are still 10 minutes, and there is overtime.” Bobby Harms looked a little tired, because he felt nervous from time to time in this game. Heerenveen’s strength made this team able to create some threats from time to time.

"If Westhoff hadn't insisted on bringing in Harris Huizinger, this game would have been tough!"

After hearing this, Van Praag smiled. He didn't expect that the $4 million he spent would have such an effect. It was really ironic to say it, "Do you think there is a chance of winning?"

"I don't know!" Bobby Harms shook his head, "If it were a top coach, he might be able to find loopholes in Heerenveen's tight formation and use them to attack, but it's not clear whether the second team players can still attack."

"If you really can't find it, then just defend, defend to the end, and drag it into a penalty shootout!"

"Play a penalty shootout?" Van Praag was a little surprised.

Bobby Harms laughed, "I heard that Ye Qiu specially arranged targeted penalty training before the game." Perhaps he noticed something strange on Van Praag's face. Bobby Harms knew that Ajax has always advocated offense, so he added, "There is no good or bad tactics, only suitable or unsuitable. It depends on yourself and the opponent." Van Praag listened and nodded, "Don't worry, I understand, Bobby, with the strength and quality of the second team players, the possibility of winning the game against an opponent like Heerenveen is very small. Ye Qiu's choice is correct!" After a pause, he was still a little worried, "But, dragging it into a penalty shootout, it can only depend on luck and the psychological quality of the players. Is he really sure?" Bobby Harms shook his head again, "Who knows? However, a penalty shootout is not just based on luck." Van Praag looked at Bobby Harms, but the latter didn't say anything more.

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No one knows how much pressure the Ajax second team has endured, but when everyone saw that at the moment when the official whistle sounded at the end of the game, Kurul collapsed on the court because his legs were weak. , everyone can deeply understand the hard work of this Ajax second team.

Van der Vaart also fell to the ground, his left leg cramped, and the pain made him grin and almost cry.

This scene also made many shallow-eyed Ajax fans cry on the sidelines.

"Ajax! Ajax!! We are the proud and brave Ajax!!!"

"Come on, boys of the second team, come on!!"

Amid the cheers of the fans, the players supported each other and walked out of the stadium, which made many fans sigh.

This is a team that is united and full of fighting spirit!

Ye Qiu quickly replaced Kurul with Rui. He originally wanted to replace Van der Vaart with Van der Vaart, but the latter insisted on continuing to play and refused to be substituted. This immediately made many fans feel worried. I was moved beyond words.

Ajax's second team was shrinking in defense, and their physical exertion was not as good as that of their opponents. However, Heerenveen was a professional player and had an advantage in physical fitness. Therefore, by the time the two sides reached overtime, it was already considered even. .

Entering overtime, every player could no longer run. In addition, the Ajax second team continued to adopt a shrinking defense and did not dare to be careless. Therefore, although Heerenveen did not continue to exert pressure, Ajax The second team of Kekes still made their own half of the field impregnable, refusing to give their opponents any gaps or opportunities.

In this case, overtime failed to break the deadlock, and the two sides eventually entered a penalty shootout.

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When the referee blew the whistle to end the overtime, Ye Qiu clenched his right fist and waved it hard, looking very excited.

Relative to the game, he has greater certainty in reaching the penalty shootout because he is prepared.

If it were in a normal game, the possibility of killing Heerenveen would be slim, but in a penalty shootout, that might not be the case.

"Boss, how do you arrange the candidates?" The players all came closer. Kifu was the current captain on the field and was about to be responsible for communicating with the referee.

Ye Qiu glanced at the players in front of him and smiled confidently, "Don't be nervous, relax. We trained on penalty kicks before the game. Remember what I told you, Hans Funk is best at shooting on the right side, but His left side is his weak spot, so in the first few rounds, I’ll hit him on the left side. Don’t think too much about it, don’t be stressed!”

That being said, who can truly achieve this without any pressure?

"Eric, how do you feel?" Ye Qiu looked at Abidal.

Abidal shook his head, "It's okay, I can't die!"

Ye Qiu smiled, "Do you dare to go up and take the penalty kick first?"

As early as the training before the game, Ye Qiu noticed that Abidal's playing style was relatively wild and his skills were rough, but his feet were still very accurate. This was probably because he had practiced shooting a lot in the amateur league. There is a certain relationship.

A penalty kick is actually a contest between the taker and the goalkeeper. The goal is so big, as long as you can not miss, the possibility of scoring is very high, and Abidal is a left-footed player, so he will target Hans Funk's left Penalty from the side is very appropriate.

"What are you afraid of?" Abidal agreed with a grin.

After the 120-minute game, everyone's physical fitness is almost the same. At this time, the penalty shootout is to test the players' psychological quality on the one hand, and whether the technical movements will be deformed due to physical fitness. Abidal is in good physical fitness. , and a big heart, but give it a try.

"Huntelaar will take charge of the second one!" Ye Qiu arranged again.

The first two penalty kickers were in tandem, and Ye Qiu obviously hoped to win both penalties.

"The third taker is Wesley!" When Sneijder was practicing penalty kicks in the team, he had the highest hit rate, so Ye Qiu placed him in the crucial third position.

Third, fourth and fifth, these three positions are the most important in the order of penalty kicks, especially the third and fourth. If these two links are not done well, the penalty shootout will basically be useless, so Ye Qiu The fourth place was given to Kifu, who is also a left-footed general.

The fifth candidate was also very important. Ye Qiu chose Van der Vaart. Although this player suffered cramps in his left foot during the game, Ye Qiu learned about him and decided to trust him and let him take the fifth penalty kick. .

Of course, if something goes wrong with the first four penalty kicks, the fifth one will most likely not have to play.

After arranging the order from one to five, the rest is basically not very important. Ye Qiu gave the sixth position to Fan Duyin, who was also a central defender, obviously just in case.

The remaining penalty kick takers are basically arranged according to the results in penalty kick training.

After Ye Qiu made the order of penalty kicks, Kifu immediately went to the referee and submitted the list of penalty kicks. At the same time, he also began to negotiate on which side to take the penalty kicks, and at the same time drew lots with Heerenveen to take the penalty kicks. order.

Ye Qiu took advantage of this period of time to hand a note into the hands of goalkeeper Stekelenberg.

"This is the record of penalty kicks taken by players on the field in Heerenveen. Currently, we can only find the data of 4 people. You should remember their penalty kick habits." Ye Qiu patted Stekelenberg's shoulder heavily. , "The next step is up to you!"

Feeling the coach's attention and trust, Stekelenburg kept nodding, "Don't worry, boss, we won't let you down!"

"Come on!" Ye Qiu nodded and encouraged.

Watching the players slowly walk to Heerenveen's half, Ajax took the lead in taking the penalty kick.

Heerenveen's goalkeeper Hans Vonk took the lead in standing in front of the familiar goal line, and the first person to come out of Ajax II was Eric Abidal.

After seeing who it was, the whole audience was in an uproar, and some fans even shouted, "Why not Van der Vaart or Huntelaar? Why a defender?"

I believe that the same doubts are also in Hans Vonk's mind.

But when Hans Vonk saw Abidal put the ball and slowly retreated, he immediately concentrated his mind, and everything was thrown out of his mind, and all his energy was focused on the dark-skinned Ajax II player in front of him.