Qin Xiong stood at the exit of the players' tunnel with his hands behind his back, his head held high and his face full of awe.
He did not know if Mr. Slott's seemingly peaceful play with Georgia in the stadium was a special ritual.
But he could feel that Mr. Slott's calmness hid intense emotions that outsiders did not know about.
It must be related to football. It could be this stadium, or it could be related to Ajax, AZ Alkmaar, or it could be a memory of a certain game.
It had been a long time since he came to Europe.
Qin Xiong had a superficial understanding of Europe's special football culture.
It was completely different from China's football culture.
In China, football was at best an ordinary sport, entertainment, and entertainment. Rising to the level of belief and pursuit was mostly just talk.
Of course, this was inextricably linked to the history of football development and the current state of society.
Although China had a large population, how long had it been since the country was founded? How long had it been since the society was stable?
How long had it been since football was developed and popularized?
Europe's football culture was deep and profound. It did not appear overnight. It was the culmination of a long period of condensation and continuous development.
Football was already a part of their lives.
As for football, it was certainly not a 90-minute game that covered everything.
Perhaps walking out of the stadium after the game and passing by an old lady with a walking stick could be a fan who had supported the team for more than half a century.
She might not be shouting passionately in the stands, dancing, or wearing the jersey and scarf of her beloved team. But she would walk step by step to the field with her degenerating legs and sit down in a fixed position. Sometimes she would be calm, sometimes she would be full of smiles as she enjoyed the game. This was her belief and life. It did not need to be earth-shattering, nor did it need to be fanatical and intense to vent her emotions.
Just like Lutmanson, Peter, and De Kotze, they did not seem to be crazy about football, but they were always tirelessly supporting Ajax in their own way. Ask them if they were tired? They would definitely ask in return: Why would they be tired?
This is our life!
They would not fly into a rage and cause trouble after the team lost. Instead, they would be very calm because this was life!
Life will not always make you smile, make you happy, and make you satisfied. Life will give you pain, troubles, and difficulties. And then? How you face life depends on your attitude.
With football as the center, strangers met strangers, on or off the field, in or out of the focus, every day, every moment, there were stories related to football. Games were not the whole story of football.
In Europe, it was a part of life.
Here, there were dreams, ambitions, friendships, and even love. There were conspiracies, wars, redemption, and the old but incomparably exciting revenge.
In the six months since he arrived in the Netherlands, what Qin Xiong had seen and heard, as well as his own reflections, had allowed him to sublimate his understanding of football. He believed that these were all valuable assets.
Playing football was his life. A better football meant a better life.
.....
Ajax, who had a Champions League match in the middle of the week, did not send out their main players for the upcoming 27th round of the Eredivisie. Almost all of the First Team's starting players were rested.
Alkmaar came to the Amsterdam Athletics Stadium with the ambition of revenge.
After ten rounds in the first half of the competition, they were ranked second in the league. In the end, after being crushed by Ajax at home, they were dispirited for a while. When they recovered in the second half of the competition, the distance between them and the three powerhouses of the Eredivisie was too far.
There was no hope for the league title, and the Champions League spot had become a fierce battle between PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord. The UEFA Europa League was better than nothing, but it was not that attractive after all.
After losing the pressure of results, Alkmaar had the momentum to regain their courage. Anyway, it was not that bad. When they came to Ajax's doorstep, it was really like seeing an enemy with red eyes. Alkmaar showed the attitude of revenge and went head-to-head with Ajax!
Ajax, who came on as a substitute, was rarely defeated at home. If it was not for Stekelenburg's heroics, they would have swallowed the bitter fruit of defeat at home.
Alkmaar left with a draw, but he was still unwilling to accept it.
1:1
The two teams shook hands and made peace.
In the same round of the competition, PSV Eindhoven continued to be in a bad state. They were defeated by William II in the away game by 1: 3.
Ajax lost points in the league because they were distracted by the Champions League. They had a huge lead and could afford to lose points!
But PSV Eindhoven seemed to want the league to end quickly and admit that Ajax won the championship. Ajax tied, but they directly lost to widen the gap between the two teams.
There were seven rounds left in the league, and Ajax led PSV Eindhoven by as many as 18 points!
It was shocking.
Ajax's draw did not make the headlines of the Dutch football media. PSV Eindhoven successfully stole the limelight, and Hiddink's team was condemned by the media!
"What is PSV Eindhoven doing?"
Yes, PSV Eindhoven lost in the Dutch national derby in the second half of the league.
It made the gap between them and Ajax double digits, 10 points.
And then?
When the knockout stage of the Champions League arrived, Ajax began to despise the league because of the preparation and adjustment of the team's physical distribution. PSV Eindhoven not only did not seize the opportunity of Ajax losing points, they had the opportunity to shorten the point gap to at least six points, or even less, but it became an 18-point gap!
It was unbelievable that the defending champion gave up just like that!
PSV Eindhoven, who became the focus, finally turned over a new leaf. In the 28th round of the Eerste Divisie, they defeated their opponent convincingly by 4: 0 and successfully won the game to stop their decline.
However, it was too late!
Stepping into April, Ajax's attention was completely focused on the Champions League.
After the first league game in April, they would embark on a trip to London again.
At the Amsterdam Athletic Stadium, Comain sent out the main lineup to warm up for the Champions League game. He did not ask the players to do their best, just treat it as a warm-up game.
Snede, who returned to the team after recovering from his injury, came on as a substitute in the second half to test his condition. With the tacit cooperation of Qin Xiong, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Van Der Vaart, they continued their explosive competitive state. Even the audience could clearly see that they did not play their full strength, but they still beat the visiting FC Groningen by 3: 0.
The good news was that Snede performed well in the 30 minutes he came on as a substitute. It was not obvious that the injury had a huge impact on his condition, which was good news for Ajax's trip to Stamford Bridge.
At the end of the game, all the Ajax fans stood up and applauded, waving their jerseys and scarves excitedly.
"The 28th round of the Eredivisie league has ended. Ajax defeated FC Groningen at home and took all three points. They still maintain a huge gap of 18 points with PSV Eindhoven. With six rounds left in the league, it can be said that Ajax has already won the title. But in theory, PSV Eindhoven still has a very, very slim chance of winning the title. That is based on Ajax losing all the next six league games and PSV Eindhoven winning all of them. They also have to reverse the goal difference of 12 goals. In theory, the probability is very slim. We can congratulate Ajax for winning the Eredivisie league title! The rest is only a matter of time. Whether it is the next round, the 30th round, or the 31st round, no one thinks that Ajax will suffer three consecutive defeats in the league. If it really happens, haha, I'm afraid that Comain will take the initiative to resign. "
The Eredivisie league title was already a foregone conclusion. Ajax's players received a huge mental boost at this time.
The Eredivisie league only had 34 rounds. To be able to win the title almost six rounds in advance was definitely a very difficult achievement.
It just so happened that they were about to go to London to challenge Chelsea at this point in time, which was very important for boosting their morale.
Comain was rarely flamboyant after the game.
"I won't say that Ajax hasn't won the title yet. Is there a theoretical possibility? Sorry, PSV Eindhoven won't have a chance. The title already belongs to Ajax. The only difference is when we will completely announce the death of our competitor. I am very grateful for the efforts the players have made this season. The sweat they have put in is obvious to all. We have united together to bring the lost trophy back to Amsterdam. Nothing is more important than this. But for us, the season is not over yet. We now have to go all out to make a breakthrough in the Champions League. Too excited? Underestimating the enemy? No, no, no, I'm not worried. I think it's a good thing. It will let us go to London with a more proud heart and full of confidence. Because when we walk into Stamford Bridge with our heads held high, we are the Eredivisie champions! In the mainstream European leagues, we are the first league champion team of this season! "
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