Chapter 13 What Day Is It?

“What’s today’s date?” Zhang Jun asked Kozel beside him.

“August thirty-first… you don’t remember the date?” Kozel asked, somewhat surprised.

“Oh, August thirty-first.”

“Is something the matter?”

“Nothing, let’s continue.” Zhang Jun slightly increased his jogging pace.

※※※

Yang Pan stopped and looked up at the sun in the east; it was a bit dazzling. Looks like it’s going to be a hot day!

He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, then continued to run forward, the rising sun stretching his shadow longer and longer.

Every morning on home game days, Zhang Jun, Kozel, and Yang Pan made it a point to jog for half an hour in the morning light.

※※※

August thirty-first, game day. At seven-thirty in the evening, Volendam would welcome their formidable opponent, PSV Eindhoven, at home. And Yang Pan had to continue to work hard for his chance to play.

On the huge billboard next to Veronica, Zhang Jun was quietly watching the fans gathering from all directions, including Volendam fans and more than a thousand PSV Eindhoven fans who had traveled with their team. Among the fans were five-star red flags, representing support groups of overseas Chinese and Chinese students who came to cheer for Zhang Jun.

Because of Volendam’s surprisingly good performance so far this season, holding two first-place positions after four rounds—the team was first in the league, and Zhang Jun was first in the scorer rankings—Volendam fans were not as self-conscious as before in front of the PSV Eindhoven fans. They wore Volendam’s orange jerseys and sang and danced, waving the team’s scarves.

The two teams had not yet arrived, but as the sun shone on the small stadium from the west, the fans’ performances had already begun.

※※※

Mazzoni still hadn't announced the starting lineup, apparently planning to reveal it at the stadium. However, he had already told nineteen players to be ready to start. In the first league game against the strong Parma team, it was clear that he valued it highly and was being cautious.

Yang Pan only took a small bag containing his MP3 player. He didn't take anything else when he got on the team bus. Players playing at home didn't need to bring anything. The club staff had already prepared all the things they needed for the game—their jerseys, shoes, socks, shin guards—and placed them neatly in their lockers, ready to be changed into in the locker room.

Bologna’s home stadium, Renato Dall'Ara, could hold more than 42,000 people, which was a behemoth compared to Volendam’s Veronica. In terms of audience capacity, the Dall'Ara stadium could hold seven Veronicas! The largest stadium in the Netherlands, Ajax’s home stadium, the Amsterdam Arena, could hold more than 51,000 people, and even the home stadium of a mid-table Serie A team was similar in size. Even just looking at the stadiums, the level of the two leagues was apparent.

The loud singing from the Dall'Ara stadium could be heard from afar. Even before the game started, the competition between the two sets of fans had begun. As the bus drove into the stadium's internal parking lot, even the well-insulated, air-conditioned bus couldn't block out the noise outside. As soon as Yang Pan got off the bus, he felt like he was inside a giant speaker, his heart pounding to the "bass." Right now, he really wanted to go onto the field and sprint back and forth a few times, otherwise he really didn't know if his heart could handle it.

Signori patted him on the shoulder and sensed Yang Pan's slight trembling. He smiled and said, "It's much bigger than Volendam's home stadium, right? There are a lot more spectators too. If you perform well, the praise you get will be several times greater than there!"

Yang Pan barely understood, but he also knew that, from another perspective, if he performed poorly, the boos he received would also be several times louder than in Volendam, and the pressure on a player would be several times greater. It all depended on how you faced it.

Yang Pan didn't want to face the boos, but he didn't care about the pressure. What he wanted was several times the praise, and he had put in several times the effort for it. Now it was just a matter of whether luck would favor him.

Going to the locker room to change, warming up on the field, receiving the fans' cheers… everything was proceeding in an orderly manner. Yang Pan didn't even think about whether he would get to play; he was completely immersed in the exciting atmosphere.

※※※

Veronica wasn't as big as the Dall'Ara, so the team bus just parked outside the stadium, and the players got off here and walked through a corridor formed by the police to enter the locker room. This gave the fans who hadn't entered the stadium a chance to get a close look at their idols.

Zhang Jun was the last to get off the bus, and his appearance caused the home team fans to scream and shout. They shouted, "Eindhoven's nemesis! Eindhoven's bane!" Indeed, when Zhang Jun was on the field, he maintained an undefeated record against Eindhoven, one of the three strongest teams in the Netherlands. It was unknown whether Eindhoven could break this embarrassing record in this game.

Zhang Jun smiled and waved to the fans. It seemed that his initial choice to return to Volendam was correct. Here, he had familiar teammates, a familiar coach, familiar fans, and a familiar stadium. He was very happy here, and playing football had become a form of enjoyment. Since that phone call with Sophie, his desire to take revenge on Milan had gradually faded, and now he wanted to start enjoying football and the happiness it brought him.

※※※

The soundproofing in Bologna's locker room was much better than in Veronica. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to hear anything clearly even if you shouted at the top of your lungs over the noise of 40,000 people. But now, sitting in the locker room, Yang Pan could hear every word the translator was saying.

"The starting lineup is as follows: goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca; center backs Marco Zanchi… left midfielder Tomas Locatelli…" The translator said, and Yang Pan's heart tightened. The next was right midfielder. Would he hear his name?

Nervo was just as nervous, which could be seen from his tense body. Although he had always appeared confident in front of people, he was also aware of Yang Pan's abilities. Just like his 10.5-second 100-meter speed, he was always chasing behind him. If he wasn't careful, he might be replaced. Professional football was so cruel. He, who was already thirty-two years old, had been playing for the team since Bologna was still in Serie C, for ten years. He hoped to have a good ending, a good beginning and a good end. He had deeper feelings for Bologna than anyone else, and he wouldn't choose to leave unless absolutely necessary.

“…right midfielder, Carlo Nervo.”

The two sighed simultaneously in their hearts. Yang Pan knew that he still couldn't compete with one of the team's pillars, the veteran Carlo Nervo. It seemed the opportunity would come later. It was good, he could study hard from the sidelines.

※※※

"Our goal for this game is to win!"

Zhang Jun recalled what old coach Adriaanse had roared in the locker room. Did leading the league after four rounds make the old coach so bold? To be able to shout such words when facing Eindhoven, considering the situation last year, it had only been a year!

But his goal was the same, to enjoy football and then to win. That was just perfect!

Sophie, watch me play!

※※※

Volendam versus Eindhoven. Because of the two teams' grudges from last year and Zhang Jun's recent outstanding performance, Dutch national television had chosen it as a match to broadcast nationwide. Dutch, Italian, and Chinese media poured into the small Veronica, wanting to see if Zhang Jun could continue to score.

And Zhang Jun didn't disappoint the vast audience. He scored for the home team in the opening minutes. However, the goal wasn't scored in open play, but it was still brilliant.

Hena got the ball near the opponent's penalty area and was pushed down by van Bommel. The referee awarded Volendam a direct free kick twenty-five meters from the goal, slightly to the left.

Originally, the team's direct free kicks used to be taken by Yang Pan, but after Yang Pan left, there had been a lack of a stable free-kick taker. Therefore, the current free kicks were basically taken by Heuvel and Kozel in turns, but the results weren't ideal.

Adriaanse didn't know that Zhang Jun had been insisting on practicing free kicks alone every day for nearly a month. He trained himself according to the method of kicking curve balls that Baggio had taught him. He inserted a corner flag in the center of the goal, and then another corner flag on the penalty spot. The ball was 9.15 meters away from the corner flag on the penalty spot, and the two flags and the football formed a straight line. And he had to kick the football in a curve, bypassing the first flag and then flying into the opposite part of the goal, without touching the first flag, otherwise he would have to start over. He also couldn't hit the second flag, or fly into the same side of the goal, which would be considered a failure.

Baggio told him that this was a very convenient way to train his ability to kick curve balls with both feet. Then, when he could easily bypass the first corner flag and accurately fly into the opposite goal, without touching any of the corner flags, he could try adding another corner flag between the two corner flags, and this time he would have to bypass the second one and fly into the opposite goal.

Although Zhang Jun was still at the difficulty level of two flags, he was confident in his footwork. So this time, Zhang Jun didn't lurk in the penalty area to prepare for a follow-up shot, but ran to Heuvel and smiled, "I'll take the kick." Heuvel looked at Zhang Jun, and then stepped aside without saying a word. He believed in Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun taking the free kick surprised many people, including Wang Hua in the stands and head coach Adriaanse.

They saw Zhang Jun reposition the football, then step back and stand still two steps away.

"The first marker is the wall, the second marker, you can think of it as the goalkeeper," Baggio smiled at him.

The first is the wall, get around it! The second is the goalkeeper, get around him too! Zhang Jun recited in his heart, then he started his run-up. After two steps, his left foot firmly planted on the left side of the ball, his right leg swung, whipping from back to front!

His arms naturally opened to maintain balance, his toes pointing down, the inside of his foot kicking the lower right part of the football, lift!

With a flurry of grass clippings, the football soared into the air, clearly drawing an arc in the air, and bypassing the jumping wall!

Goalkeeper Waterreus dived towards the football, but the arc of Zhang Jun's shot was too great. Although the speed wasn't fast, the angle was very tricky. His hand touched the football, but he still couldn't stop the football from flying into the net!

Goal! Volendam leads 1-0!

※※※

A huge cheer erupted from the Dall'Ara stadium. In the opening minutes, the team's number 25, Andres Guglielminpietro, scored with a powerful shot to give Bologna the lead!

Yang Pan excitedly stood up from the bench, and took the opportunity to pat Guglielminpietro, who ran over to celebrate the goal, in the confusion. He needed to integrate into the team as soon as possible, so this kind of behavior was essential.

Only by truly becoming a member of the team psychologically could there be tacit understanding on the field. At this moment, Yang Pan completely forgot about Volendam, forgot about Adriaanse, forgot about Kozel, forgot about Bajes, forgot about Zhang Jun. His heart was only with Bologna.

Bologna leads Parma by one goal, hooray!

※※※

Zhang Jun's goal wasn't as emotional as his performances in the previous few games. Instead, he stood in place, his right index finger pointing to the sky, a very simple celebration that declared to the entire Netherlands: I am the number one scorer in the Dutch league!

Zhang Jun's goal no longer made Hiddink so emotional that he threw things on the sidelines. He could only helplessly watch Zhang Jun become the focus of attention at that moment. Being snatched away from under his nose and then refusing his invitation, and then continuing to play the role of Eindhoven's nemesis. Even though Hiddink had historically led the South Korean team into the World Cup semi-finals, letting go of Zhang Jun and Yang Pan would still be a mistake he could never forgive himself for.

But this time it was old coach Adriaanse's turn to throw things. He slammed the water bottle in his hand hard on the ground. The water bottle bounced high, and the splashed water wet his shirt. Zhang Jun's anger was gone, but the old coach's anger hadn't subsided. The shooter he had painstakingly discovered and cultivated was dismissed with a casual report from Milan Lab, could he not be angry? A person with a serious hidden injury in his left foot had defeated almost all Dutch defenders and become the league's second-highest scorer and the cup's top scorer, what did they take Dutch football for? Italians!

Now Zhang Jun had scored again, and the goal was a beautiful direct free kick. He had now scored ten goals in various competitions. Milan people, did you see that? You will regret it!

Kezman thought, this was Zhang Jun's sixth league goal, and he was two goals behind him. It seemed he had to work hard.

Let's compare who is the best scorer, Zhang Jun!

※※※

Bologna, leading by one goal, relaxed a bit, and for a while was even pressed back into their own half by the visiting Parma team. Mazzoni was very unhappy about this. He believed that the team should take advantage of the situation instead of being timid.

You had to know that although Parma had lost the Romanian Mutu this season, the young Brazilian Adriano was still there, and his 1.89-meter height could still make Bologna's defense uneasy.

Sure enough, Bologna, which had retreated too far, gave Parma's number 10, the Japanese Hidetoshi Nakata, a chance. He calmly took the ball in the frontcourt, and then suddenly made a straight pass while looking around for teammates!

The Brazilian sped into the penalty area, and then stretched out his long legs, poking the ball into the empty net in front of the onrushing Pagliuca!

Goal! Parma tied the score! It was only the twentieth minute of the first half!

The Parma fans who had traveled from afar cheered, while tens of thousands of Bologna fans fell silent. For a moment, only the cheers and shouts of thousands of Parma fans could be heard in the huge Dall'Ara stadium.

When he saw Adriano score, Mazzoni angrily patted his thigh, then stood up and walked to the sidelines, loudly warning the players to calm down, there was still time.

Sitting on the bench, Yang Pan leaned his head back, very disappointed. The Brazilian was indeed powerful, he had to pay more attention to him. Maybe he would become an opponent in the national team in the future!

※※※

Kezman ran towards the coaching area, then plunged into the crowd, celebrating his goal. He had just scored a header in front of the goal to equalize the score for Eindhoven. This goal also meant that the entire Veronica could only hear the songs of the Eindhoven fans. And this goal also meant that Kezman's league goal total was only one goal behind Zhang Jun's.

Westerveld helplessly kicked the ball high towards the center circle. Zhang Jun and Hena were already standing at the center spot waiting for the kick-off.

In the thirtieth minute of the first half, Kezman equalized the score, but Zhang Jun wouldn't let it go. With Chivu gone, he now had only one goal in the Netherlands: to surpass Kezman and become the top scorer in the Dutch Super League.

Thus, the duel between the two was only the first round. From the first thirty minutes, it was even.

※※※

The referee blew three whistles, and the first half of the game ended. The players on the field walked towards the players' tunnel. Yang Pan, sitting on the bench, warmed up on the field with the other substitutes under the guidance of the assistant coach.

Simple warm-up. Shuttle runs, leg presses and waist twists, small group passing practice, shooting practice… Della Rocca, in front of Yang Pan, kicked a shot high, directly into the stands. With this skill, no wonder he was a substitute…

Yang Pan prepared for a long shot. His appearance caused the cheers of all the Chinese people in the stadium. Even though he was a substitute, being on the nineteen-man roster was something to be very happy about.

The assistant coach kicked the ball towards Yang Pan from the side. Yang Pan rushed forward, but he didn't dribble the ball forward, but directly met the ball and whipped his right leg for a powerful shot!

The football drew a slight arc at a very fast speed, and then smashed hard on the advertising board, bouncing high. And the stands behind the advertising board were the territory of the visiting Parma fans.

Watching the ball go wide of the goal, Yang Pan shook his head regretfully. It seemed that his shooting accuracy still needed to be improved. A shot that didn't hit the goal, even if it reached a speed of more than two hundred kilometers per hour, was useless.

But Yang Pan's amazing powerful shot still excited the Bologna fans in the stadium for a while. The fans who had nothing to do during the halftime break were stimulated by this shot and became excited, and they started shouting Yang Pan's name loudly.

In the second round of shooting practice, Yang Pan resolutely chose a powerful long shot. The football flew twenty-four meters in a second, and then drilled into the upper right corner of the goal. Substitute goalkeeper Manninger had no reaction!

Yang Pan, who scored a goal, waved his fist in satisfaction, and turned and ran towards the bench. His performance ended here, and the second half of the game was about to begin.

※※※

In the second half, the two sides fought fiercely in midfield, and the number of mistakes increased. The 4-4-2 formation with parallel positioning was a balanced formation for both offense and defense, and both sides used this formation in this game.

When Volendam was defending, Hena was required to actively retreat to defend. Only Zhang Jun had the privilege of staying at the front, because with his speed and skill, he was the key figure in launching counterattacks. Zhang Jun would occasionally press in the middle and front of the field, but the effect wasn't great. He put more energy into waiting for the moment when defense turned into offense. As a peerless divine weapon, it only needed to flash occasionally to be enough.

Robben dribbled inside, but Kozel managed to keep the ball. Kozel, who had intercepted the ball, didn't even bother to look up to find someone, and made a long pass forward! They had cooperated in training countless times for such a quick counterattack, and they had a tacit understanding. He knew that Zhang Jun would definitely appear at the landing point of the ball.

Zhang Jun did appear at the landing point of the ball, but he was also accompanied by Hofland, the center back who was as famous as Chivu in the Dutch league.

Zhang Jun and Hofland could be said to be very familiar, and the two had faced each other many times. Judging from the previous confrontations, Zhang Jun seemed to have the upper hand. What about this time?

Zhang Jun turned around, opened his arms, leaned back, and blocked Hofland behind him. He wanted to get this ball! But how could Hofland let him have his way? He jumped first, stretched his head forward, and wanted to head the ball out!

The ball arrived!

Zhang Jun noticed the other party's intention, so when Hofland jumped, he shrugged his shoulders slightly upwards. Hofland had just jumped when he felt something was wrong. He was originally relying on Zhang Jun's shoulders to compete for the ball, but now that Zhang Jun had done this, his center of gravity suddenly lost its support, which directly affected the quality of his header.

Hofland didn't completely head the ball! The football grazed the top of his head and fell in front of him. Zhang Jun, who had been suppressed all along, stretched out his right leg and flicked his toes! The ball that Hofland hadn't headed far enough was actually hooked over their heads by Zhang Jun!

At the same time, Zhang Jun withdrew his strength, turned around, and accelerated! He completely shook off Hofland in an instant!

Accelerate! Accelerate again! Zhang Jun faced the defender coming from the side, and showed no intention of stopping. He wanted to rely on his speed to break through the other party!

The goalkeeper sealed off the near post, waiting in full force!

The defender finally managed to stick to him and constantly interfered with Zhang Jun's dribbling with his body.

Zhang Jun took a step forward with his left foot, stepping in front of the ball, using his heel to stop the ball, and at the same time suddenly stopping and turning around! His right foot then quickly dribbled the stopped ball inwards, and his left foot pushed off the ground, surpassing another defender who was quickly returning to defend!

The shooting angle had already been opened up by Zhang Jun, far corner!

Zhang Jun swung his right leg, and Waterreus quickly dived towards the far corner!

Shoot!

Near corner! The inside of Zhang Jun's right foot wrapped around the football, and it quickly rolled towards the near corner! Everyone helplessly watched the football hit the net!

Goal! Zhang Jun's quick counterattack! He scored twice! Putting the score ahead!

The small Veronica erupted in huge cheers at this moment, sweeping every corner of the stadium like a flood. The fans began to sing the song they had just written for Zhang Jun—"Zhang Jun Bless Volendam!" "When the whistle sounds, we call out as much as we can, call out our prince, and bring us the carnival of victory! When victory is in sight, we call out crazily, call out our God, and bring us the pleasure of scoring! The cheers seem to stop, but the moment is still forever! Let us sing praises for our Veronica prince: Zhang Jun! Let us pray that Zhang Jun will stay with Volendam forever! oLA~oh~yeah~Bless volendam, myLord! oLA~oh~yeahprAyforvolendam, myLord! oLA~oh~myLord, forevery!"

※※※

A short but huge cheer erupted from the Dall'Ara stadium, but it quickly subsided. Veteran Nervo cut inside on the right and then shot, but hit the side netting. If the viewing angle wasn't good, it would be easy to think the ball went in.

"What? Say it louder! I can't hear you!" In the midst of that cheer just now, Li Yan received a call from Wang Hua from the Netherlands. Now the Dall'Ara was quiet, but he still couldn't hear clearly, because it was too noisy on Wang Hua's side!

"You don't need to hear clearly! You don't need to hear clearly!" Wang Hua took the phone away from his ear and shouted loudly into the receiver. "Do you hear what they're singing? What are more than six thousand fans shouting? Zhang Jun bless Volendam! Zhang Jun bless Volendam! I swear! They see Zhang Jun as God! God! Do you know? God! Go…" Wang Hua couldn't shout anymore, because his voice was completely drowned out by another wave of cheers from the Volendam fans. He couldn't even hear what he was saying, he could only hear "Zhang Jun bless Volendam! Zhang Jun bless Volendam!"

Li Yan really heard it. That sentence was repeatedly sung by the Volendam fans, and it was unusually clear. He really didn't expect that a report from Milan Lab would have put Zhang Jun in a low period, and Yang Pan's landing in Italy should have been the beginning of a glorious path for Chinese players in Serie A. But now Yang Pan was still working hard to play in games, and Zhang Jun had unexpectedly exploded in the Netherlands.

Maybe life was originally a football game, and no one knew what would happen in the next second.

But don't give up until the final whistle blows. Li Yan looked at Bologna's bench. Although he could only see the roof because of the angle, he knew that Yang Pan was there, waiting to play.

※※※

Eindhoven was unwilling to lose to Volendam, but their attack seemed a bit weak. In order to prepare for the next round and the Dutch national derby against Ajax, Hiddink had left midfielder core van Bommel on the bench. He himself didn't ask to play because of a bit of a cold.

Therefore, Eindhoven, which was anxious because it was one goal behind, seemed very chaotic because it lacked an offensive and defensive core. Kezman, who had lost the support of the middle and rear, was not too difficult for Louis Link to deal with.

In addition, there was Zhang Jun's constant threat in the frontcourt. Hiddink didn't even plan to push the defensive line up. Now, one or two defenders absolutely couldn't mark Zhang Jun.

The score continued to be deadlocked.

※※※

The game had progressed to the seventy-odd minute, and the score on the field was still tied 1-1. Parma's strength wasn't weak, but Bologna also had the advantage of playing at home. The two sides were deadlocked until the seventy-eighth minute.

Nervo got the ball, and after a one-two with the retreating captain Signori, he forcibly broke into the penalty area, and then quickly shot!

French goalkeeper Frey got a touch, but unfortunately Nervo's ball speed was too fast. The football bounced once, and still drilled into the goal!

Goal!

"goooooooAL!!!" A roar came from the stadium's loudspeakers, and tens of thousands of fans immediately echoed loudly, "gooooooooooooooooooooooAL!!!"

Bologna took the lead again! Nervo was so excited after scoring that he took off his jersey and threw it into the stands. Even though he was a gentle person, this goal was indeed too important, not only for the team, but also for him. Yang Pan was chasing closely behind him, and his extra practice after each training session put pressure on him. Now this goal had come at just the right time, it told coach Mazzoni: Carlo Nervo was the team's main right midfielder, although the number 7 jersey was given to Yang Pan, the main position would not be easily handed over!

Yang Pan guessed that Nervo's excitement after scoring was related to him. But he still pretended not to see it, stood up from his seat, and cheered with his arms raised.

Unfortunately, the joy of the Bologna fans lasted for only a short nine minutes. In the eighty-seventh minute, Adriano, with his 1.89-meter height, turned around and tricked Marco Zanchi in a quick counterattack, and then shot powerfully. Pagliuca tried his best to save, but couldn't stop the powerful shot from breaking the net!

The Brazilian waved his arms forcefully to protest to the home fans. Before the game, some people worried that he would be a bit lonely without his good partner Mutu, but he didn't expect that he would score twice in the first league game, helping the team tie the score at the last minute!

Mazzoni had one substitution left until the end, but he kept watching the field, without any intention of making a substitution, let alone replacing Yang Pan.

Yang Pan was always on the bench, expecting to play, and he kept saying in his heart, "I'm ready! I'm ready!"

But he was still sitting on the bench until the moment the final whistle blew.

※※※

The TV was turned off with a "beep," and Dad looked back at his daughter Yilan, who looked a little surprised, "Off to work, free part-time worker!"

After the final whistle blew, the camera panned across the faces of the three goalscorers, and just as it focused on Yang Pan, the TV was turned off by Dad. She was about to get angry, but she saw her dad's big beard and serious expression, so she quickly rolled her eyes, pouted, picked up the tray, and walked towards a couple who had just come in.

"May I ask what the two siblings would like?" Yilan slammed the menu on the table.

※※※

The camera was pointed at Yang Pan. He got up and walked towards the locker room, with the camera following him closely. He tried to look expressionless. He didn't want the reporters to say that he was throwing a tantrum because he couldn't play. He wasn't qualified to throw a tantrum yet.

It was normal not to be able to play, after all, he was still a Serie A rookie. He was on the nineteen-man roster for this game, maybe the coach just wanted him to feel the atmosphere of Serie A. Now he had felt it for a full ninety minutes, and he could be considered to have completed the tactical task assigned by the coach… Yang Pan said to himself in his heart, but despite this, he still felt… even if he was expressionless, it was still very tiring to maintain it all the time!

※※※

The game ended, and Volendam defeated Eindhoven 2-1 at home! Zhang Jun scored twice, continuing the undefeated record against Eindhoven when he was on the field!

Zhang Jun excitedly waved his arms, accepting the cheers of the entire stadium. He really did continue to bless Volendam, just like the fans sang!

The light of the flame had dimmed, and the wind was blowing hard.