Six night watch
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When Ajax's bus drove into Heerenveen, Qin Xiong, who was sitting in the bus, saw the beautiful city in winter. It was covered with silver frost, as if he was in a fairy tale, beautiful and quiet.
Today's weather was better. There were small snowflakes floating in the sky, much better than yesterday's heavy snow.
Although the Dutch Football Association rejected Heerenveen's proposal, there was still room for negotiation. When the game started, the referee could decide whether to play the game based on the weather conditions.
Looking at today's snowy weather, the game should not be cut in half.
The bus drove into Heerenveen's home ground, and Snede was the first to get off the bus.
He looked around, as if he was not used to the weather that was much colder than Amsterdam. He rubbed his hands and exhaled. The rising steam was clearly visible.
Suddenly, his head felt warm. Someone behind him put on a thermal cap. He looked back and saw that it was Qin Xiong.
Snede raised his hand and pulled the cap down to cover his ears. Then, under the guidance of the Heerenveen staff, he went to the away team's locker room.
Ajax's players added thermal underwear in the locker room and put on long-sleeved winter jerseys. Some players even put on gloves, such as Qin Xiong.
They also wore thermal caps to warm up in the stadium.
The Abrenveen Stadium was not big, with a capacity of no more than 20,000 people.
There was a lot of snow on the sidelines of the stadium, enough to make a snowman. Inside the stadium, there were staff cleaning up the accumulated snow in the last two hours. It could not be helped. The stadium was small and did not have a geothermal system.
When the players from both sides walked into the stadium with their heads held high, there was no snow in the stadium. The referee walked in front with a red ball for the game in snow.
It was still snowing. After the players entered the stadium, they could not help but move around frequently before kickoff to ensure that their bodies did not cool down.
Heerenveen's manager, Dehaan, stood expressionlessly on the sidelines.
His scheme did not succeed.
But it did not matter. Since Ajax insisted on playing, he chose to "avoid the battle"!
Players like Samaras, who was focused on training, were simply placed on the bench.
He sent a group of blue-collar soldiers on the field. They just needed to stop Ajax's advance.
Even if they lost, Dehaan could accept it. He did not want to be massacred and destroy the team's confidence.
The competition began.
Qin Xiong and his teammates began to run, starting from slow to fast. When their bodies were ready, they began to exert pressure on Heerenfen.
Heerenfen was determined to defend to the death.
Even if it was their home ground!
Qin Xiong organized three threatening attacks into the forbidden zone, but they didn't succeed.
He clearly felt that the overall fluency of the team had improved compared to the previous game.
However, he still did not return to his best condition before the winter break.
Don't worry, take your time.
Improvement was a sign of recovery.
Helenfen had surrounded the penalty area so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through. It was obviously impossible for Ajax to finish off his opponent in the penalty area.
Ibrahimovic was much calmer than he had been at the start of the season. He was in no hurry.
Twenty minutes into the first half, Qin Xiong gestured to Ivan from afar, indicating that they were going to shoot long shots. Ivan nodded at him.
He began to turn into a fulcrum center forward.
Under Qin Xiong's command, Ajax's offense flowed smoothly from the periphery and no longer expanded into the penalty area. However, there had to be a threat in the penalty area.
There had to be someone who was in position and someone who was running.
Snede and Van Der Vaart alternated between running into the penalty area to divert the attention of the opponent's defensive line. This was a tactical threat!
However, Ajax's threatening shots all came from the periphery.
In the 37th minute of the first half, Snede and Pienaar coordinated in the front field. Maxwell plugged in from the flank and took over Snede's position, while Snede cut inside to run into the penalty area.
This exposed a lot of space in the periphery. Snede took away two of Heerenfen's defenders, but Pienaar passed the ball to Maxwell.
When the Brazilian attracted another defender to close in, he suddenly passed the ball back to Pienaar, who was on the left side of the middle.
Snede, Maxwell, and Pienaar! Too many of Heerenfen's players were pinned down in this wave of defense!
The defensive midfielders, the Belgian and Radomski, the Polish, rushed towards Pienaar.
When Pienaar saw this, he was not surprised. Instead, he was delighted.
Because he passed the ball!
He gently pushed the ball to the side. On his right, Heerenfen exposed a lot of space.
Ajax's offense, after restricting most of the opponent's defensive strength, created the best opportunity for his teammate to shoot.
Pienaar's calm pass was a great contrast to his teammate's quick run from the back.
The player who rushed up from the area behind him was Qin Xiong!
He was thankful for Pienaar's good pass. It was too comfortable.
He did not even need to stop the ball. He adjusted his pace as he ran, observing the opponent's goalkeeper's position, shooting angle, and route.
Then, he rushed up and unleashed a shocking long shot!
The football did not spin at all. It was as imposing as a dragon, soaring through the sky!
Boom!
It went straight to the corner!
The visually stunning long shot blasted open Heerenfen's goal!
Qin Xiong, wearing gloves and a long-sleeved shirt, let out a long sigh. It was especially obvious in the cold weather. He slowed down his pace, turned around, and high-fived Pienaar in celebration.
His teammates came over to celebrate with him. From their running and coordination in the first half, everyone could feel that their condition was improving.
However, they were not at their best yet. Of course, they were not satisfied.
Ajax's attacking system was flexible and varied. Since it did not work in the penalty area, they would create opportunities outside. In a mature tactical system, such changes were not difficult.
Heerenfen did not seek victory. They could accept a draw. Even if they were behind, they would consider it a win.
This was the reality of a weak team. Their dreams were too far away.
De Haan did not make any changes. Heerenfen defended to the death as usual.
Ajax scored a goal in the first half and temporarily took the lead.
In the second half, they also firmly created opportunities for the outside to shoot from the distance.
This game was also very difficult. Apart from the influence of the weather and the field environment, Heerenfen's defensive posture tested the psychological quality of the team.
Fortunately, Ajax's temperament in the league was still very stable. Perhaps it was related to their huge advantage on the scoreboard.
It was not until the 80th minute of the second half that Ajax scored a long shot from the right side of the penalty area from Van Der Vaart. The goalkeeper made a save, and Ibrahimovic scored a second goal.
In the end, 2: 0.
The Jax Legion won this away game without any bloodshed.
Back in the locker room, Ajax's players still did not celebrate. Everyone unanimously encouraged and affirmed each other.
In a difficult away game, they played much better than in the previous game. Their offense was very smooth, but due to the limitations of the environment, their rhythm was not as fast as before.
Their condition was improving, and their confidence was recovering.
After the winter break, all the players and coaches of Jax worked hard together, and they were on the right track. They didn't want to stop and didn't want to step back. They wanted to move forward!
After leaving the cold Heerenveen and going back to Amsterdam where the sun was a bit warmer, the Jax team was full of energy when they faced The Hague in their home match three days later.
After the difficult victory over Nijmegen, Ajax fans were worried. How can they play against Arsenal in this state?
But after watching Ajax play against The Hague, the fans were completely relieved of their worries.
In the 67th minute of the game, Qin Xiong dribbled the ball forward in the midfield. After his teammates ran to contain the opponent's defensive power, they created space and route for him to directly attack. He boldly and decisively dribbled the ball forward to break through.
He first used a fake technical move to deceive the opponent's midfielder, Husman. Then he picked up his speed and slowed down in front of the defensive midfielder, van der Ligt. He pulled the ball horizontally and accelerated past the opponent with a different rhythm. Finally, in front of the penalty area, The Hague's defender, Rafala, impatiently shoveled the ball forward, giving Qin Xiong a chance to perform the Marseille Spin.
After avoiding Rafala's shovel and turning forward, Qin Xiong had already formed a one-on-one. When the goalkeeper, Degut, abandoned the goal, Qin Xiong calmly volleyed the ball into the near corner of the goal. The half-high ball made the goalkeeper helpless, and the ball went into the net.
The Ajax fans in the stands of the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium stood up and applauded.
Qin Xiong scored the team's fourth goal!
The score was changed to 4: 0.
And his series of thrilling and wonderful performances had already conquered the fans, who regarded him as a favorite and an indispensable core in Ajax's formation.
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