"Arsenal are looking to launch a counterattack."
"Fabregas plays a long diagonal ball toward the front."
"Vermaelen steps up decisively—intercepts with a firm header. It falls to Yaya Touré."
"Touré lays it off to the left."
"Maxwell advances, and Ajax are breaking forward."
The Brazilian left-back pushed the ball upfield with pace, driving into Arsenal territory. Spotting a passing lane, he played a crisp ball into the feet of Steven Pienaar, who had drifted inside from the flank.
Pienaar, aware he couldn't win a footrace, slowed the tempo slightly and rolled the ball centrally toward the top of the arc.
Arriving in motion from the right, Yang Yang timed his horizontal run to perfection. The pass met him just in front of the D. Instead of stopping it, he brushed the ball with his instep to control its pace without breaking stride.
Gilberto Silva closed in quickly, reading the danger. He positioned his body between Yang Yang and the goal, trying to cut off any shooting angle and deny him time on the ball.
But Yang Yang, already bracing against the Brazilian's pressure, used his physical presence to shield possession. He didn't panic. He wasn't looking to score himself—he was waiting for the exact moment.
With God Vision fully active, Yang Yang scanned the entire pitch like a tactical satellite above the field. He noted Yaya Touré had continued his run after his pass, surging into space. Fabregas was trying to recover but didn't have the stride to keep up.
As Pirès dropped into the defensive line to assist Gilberto Silva, Yang Yang made his move.
He shifted his weight and used the outside of his boot to send a disguised diagonal pass through the gap between Arsenal's lines. It split the defensive triangle just as Touré reached the top left edge of the box.
The Ivorian didn't hesitate. One touch with his left foot to settle, then he unleashed a thunderous right-footed strike.
The ball bent slightly as it flew low and fast toward the far post. Almunia reacted, diving full extension—but he had no chance.
The ball nicked the inside of the post and rippled into the back of the net.
"Goooooooooooooooal!"
"Fifty-seventh minute—Ajax have finally broken through Arsenal's defense!"
"1–0 at the Amsterdam Arena!"
"A spectacular strike from Yaya Touré, unleashing a long-range effort from just outside the penalty area. A textbook finish."
"But make no mistake—this goal belongs as much to Yang Yang as it does to the Ivorian midfielder!"
After the ball slammed into the net, Yaya Touré wheeled away in celebration, but instead of heading straight to the corner flag, he turned toward the right side of the pitch.
He sprinted to Yang Yang with open arms and lifted him into the air in a bear hug, both of them shouting with joy before landing and running toward the touchline together, arms raised in triumph.
"You can see how much that meant to both of them—what a moment!"
"Yang Yang's awareness and decision-making in that sequence were outstanding."
"The pass with the outside of his foot—right into space—it looked like he had eyes in the back of his head. Otherwise, how could he have known Touré was making that run?"
"What's more, he didn't just pass into a general area. That ball was timed perfectly, weighted precisely, and placed exactly where Touré could hit it in stride."
"And that comes down to understanding. Yang Yang knew Touré would shake off Fabregas once the ball was played. He read it all."
"Fabregas just didn't have the recovery speed. That's not a knock on the Spanish youngster—it's just that Touré had the momentum, and Yang Yang knew it."
"Yes, the final shot was excellent. But the entire move was built by Ajax's captain."
"And let's not forget—Yang Yang's first-ever Champions League goal came against this very Arsenal team two years ago. He's been relentless tonight as well."
"Maybe there's something about this fixture. Maybe Yang Yang really was born to shine against Arsenal."
...
In the stands, the Amsterdam Arena roared with chants echoing the names of Yaya Touré and Yang Yang.
It was clear that the crowd fully recognized the role Yang Yang played in the goal—and so did Yaya Touré. The Ivorian midfielder couldn't stop embracing him, visibly emotional, repeatedly thanking his captain for the assist.
Yang Yang smiled, though part of him remained quietly puzzled.
People often praised Arsène Wenger for his track record of developing young talent, but both of Yang Yang's current and past teammates—players shaped by past encounters with Arsenal—held a different view.
Ibrahimović had never hidden his contempt for Wenger and the club. And now Touré, usually calm and composed, had reacted to his goal with something that felt deeply personal, almost cathartic.
Was it really just the fact that both had once failed Arsenal trials?
Or was there something more in how Arsenal handled young players—something that left a mark not easily forgotten?
Yang Yang didn't have the answer. He wasn't sure he even wanted it.
All he knew was that Ajax had scored. They were leading Arsenal in a match that could define the group stage.
And for now, that was more than enough.
"Arsenal are in a tough position now," the commentator noted.
"Ajax have come out energized after halftime and are pressing with real intent."
"You wonder if Arsène Wenger will make a tactical change soon. Arsenal need more threat going forward—they can't afford to let this slip away."
...
...
Ronald Koeman quickly made his first tactical adjustment. Galásek came on to replace Steven Pienaar, pushing Yang Yang into a more advanced role on the right wing. With Ajax now shifting toward a deeper block and counter-attacking approach, Arsenal began to grow increasingly frustrated.
The Gunners launched a series of attacks after falling behind, but they continued to lack precision in the final third. The most threatening moment came in the fifty-ninth minute when Hleb sent in a sharp cross from the right. Henry timed his run toward the near post but misread the delivery completely, letting the ball drift harmlessly across the six-yard box.
The miscommunication only highlighted Arsenal's anxiety and lack of composure.
Looking to shake things up, Wenger withdrew Hleb and brought on Ljungberg to inject more pace and vertical threat on the flanks.
But every time Arsenal pushed forward, they left themselves increasingly vulnerable at the back.
In the seventy-third minute, Yang Yang tracked back to help defend and attempted to poke the ball away from Pirès, but caught the Frenchman's ankle instead. The foul earned him a yellow card from referee Medina Cantalejo.
The crowd inside the Amsterdam Arena responded with cheers. They appreciated the effort, not the foul.
Yang Yang, visibly apologetic, immediately helped Pirès to his feet and made it clear it wasn't intentional. Pirès nodded, showing no hard feelings. In truth, had he not shifted his body at the last second, Yang Yang might have cleanly won the ball.
Fortunately for Ajax, the free kick came from well outside the penalty area and didn't lead to any danger. And with this only being Yang Yang's first yellow of the Champions League campaign, there was no suspension threat looming.
Arsenal intensified their efforts in the final quarter-hour, but Ajax responded by deliberately lowering the tempo and holding their defensive shape, waiting for an opening.
In the 78th minute, the visitors earned a corner. The delivery caused chaos in the box, but Ajax managed to clear. Heitinga picked up the second ball near the byline and sent a driven long pass over the top toward the halfway line.
Charisteas had dropped deep to help defend, but Yang Yang had stayed high in anticipation.
As the ball arced toward midfield, Yang Yang positioned himself expertly between Ashley Cole and the ball. He shielded it using his body, forcing Cole—already on a yellow card—to hesitate. The English left-back knew a reckless foul now would mean an early shower.
Anticipating this, Yang Yang jumped slightly and flicked the ball on with the top of his head. Though headers had never been his strong suit, he had worked tirelessly to improve even his weakest areas. The touch redirected the ball into space behind Arsenal's defense.
In a flash, he turned and took off.
Cole tried to recover, but with one eye on his disciplinary record and the other on Lauren tracking across, he held back. Lauren, the right-back, did well to match Yang Yang's pace as the Ajax captain surged toward the edge of the box.
Then, just before the penalty area, Yang Yang subtly decelerated, fooling Lauren into thinking a shot was coming.
Lauren hesitated—and that was the mistake.
Yang Yang shifted gears instantly, exploding past him with one final burst and cutting into the box. Almunia rushed out to narrow the angle, but Yang Yang stayed composed. With a clinical finish low and hard, he slid the ball beneath the keeper and into the back of the net.
2–0 Ajax.
The stadium erupted.
"Goooooooooooal!"
"Seventy-ninth minute—Ajax double their lead!"
"A brilliant solo counter-attack from Yang Yang!"
"He held off Ashley Cole, outran Lauren, and finished with icy precision."
"They call him the Gunner Killer, and tonight, he's proving why."
"This is becoming his signature performance of the group stage—one goal, one assist, a yellow card earned through pure effort, and a constant threat throughout."
"Yang Yang stunned Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup, and now, he's tearing apart Arsenal on the biggest stage in Europe once again!"
"He just keeps reminding everyone—this is only the beginning of what he's capable of."
The atmosphere inside the Amsterdam Arena reached a fever pitch as tens of thousands of fans rose to their feet, chanting Yang Yang's name with growing intensity. The sound was not just loud—it was overwhelming, a unified roar of admiration and celebration that reverberated across every tier of the stadium.
After scoring Ajax's second goal, Yang Yang sprinted with purpose toward the section beneath the chairman's stand. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees at the edge of the pitch, sliding across the turf with arms extended wide in a gesture that was both triumphant and defiant. There were no theatrics, no exaggerated poses—just a raw expression of pride and conviction.
This was the moment he had been working toward for the past three years. It wasn't just about winning a match or scoring a goal. It was about making a statement. Yang Yang had long set his sights on the Champions League, not just to compete, but to prove his value on Europe's biggest stage. He wanted every spectator, every commentator, and every doubter to recognize what he had become.
He wasn't chasing headlines. He was chasing legacy.
At a time when Ajax needed a leader, he had delivered. At a time when the match demanded composure and clarity, he had produced brilliance. And now, as the Arena echoed with his name, he knew this performance would leave its mark. No longer just a promising talent from Amsterdam, Yang Yang had become a name that Europe would remember.
Tonight, he wasn't just helping Ajax win. He was commanding the respect of a continent.
...
...
"We made several serious mistakes tonight."
At the post-match press conference, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger addressed the media with a calm but unmistakably disappointed expression. His side had just suffered a 2–1 defeat away to Ajax.
The final score reflected the international standard format: the home team listed first, Ajax, and the visitors second, Arsenal. Though the Gunners managed to pull one goal back in the final minutes—Freddie Ljungberg finishing off a move inside the box with composure—it wasn't enough to change the course of the match.
Ajax emerged victorious with a goal and an assist from Yang Yang, securing a valuable win in the second round of Group B. In the other match of the group, Swiss side Thun claimed a surprise 1–0 win over Sparta Prague, allowing Ajax to top the group with four points from two matches—one win and one draw.
Wenger didn't attempt to conceal his frustrations.
"In a high-level match like this, you can't afford to make basic mistakes," he said. "Unfortunately, we made more than one, and we were punished for it."
He acknowledged that Ajax's defensive structure had been excellent, making it difficult for Arsenal to penetrate the final third. Despite Arsenal's high number of attempts, most were limited to long-range efforts. Clear chances inside the penalty area were few and far between.
"If you look at the overall picture of the match, we had far more possession. We controlled much of the play and dictated the tempo, but our possession didn't translate into meaningful pressure in front of goal," he admitted. "We need to become more direct, more efficient in our transitions. At the moment, we're lacking sharpness when it matters most."
Wenger was also asked about the lingering shadow of Patrick Vieira's departure and whether it contributed to the team's imbalance in midfield. He rejected that premise.
"People are always eager to draw comparisons. But Vieira and Fabregas are different types of players. Vieira brought physicality and leadership, but Cesc has vision and intelligence. He's still only seventeen and already showing tremendous promise. It would be unwise to measure them with the same yardstick."
On why Ljungberg was brought on so late, Wenger explained that he believed Hleb had performed well, especially during the first half. "Freddie's had some issues with fitness, and while he made a positive impact after coming on, I felt that Hleb gave us attacking depth from the right in the early phases."
When asked about Yang Yang's performance, Wenger was generous in his praise.
"I've been following him closely since our meeting two years ago in the Round of 16. His development has been remarkable—he's progressing year by year, and now he's proving himself on the biggest stages in Europe."
He revealed that after that Round of 16 elimination, Arsenal seriously considered trying to sign Yang Yang.
"Our scouting team was very impressed. He was explosive down the wing but had areas he needed to improve—ball control, decision-making, off-ball movement. We felt at the time that he would benefit most by continuing to grow at Ajax."
"But no one could have predicted the trajectory he's taken since then," Wenger admitted. "Ajax went on to win the Champions League, and Yang Yang scored the decisive goal in the final. Last season, he exploded onto the scene, and now we're seeing a young man who is not only talented but decisive."
The look on Wenger's face carried a hint of regret.
"I'm happy for him, honestly. He's carved out his own path and is now entering the peak development phase of his career. For me, he's already one of the best young players in European football."
That was the second time during the press conference Wenger used the phrase "one of the best" to describe Yang Yang. It didn't go unnoticed by the press.
His performance in the UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool—two goals and a Man of the Match display—had already turned heads. Against Arsenal, on the Champions League stage, he added another goal and an assist to his growing résumé. He was again voted Man of the Match.
Statistics from the Eredivisie showed him leading the league in both goals (nine) and assists (five), but none of that carried the same weight. In football, it's the big nights that matter, and the big opponents.
That's the power of the Champions League.
And that's where Yang Yang was proving that he belonged.
...
At the post-match press conference, Ronald Koeman couldn't hide his satisfaction with Ajax's performance—and particularly with his captain, Yang Yang.
"He stood up at the critical moment," Koeman said. "That's the kind of player every team needs. It's not just about scoring or assisting—it's about leadership."
Then, with a slight smile, Koeman added something else.
"Maybe not everyone realized it, but Yang Yang is now the youngest captain in Champions League history."
That caught the attention of every journalist in the room. Until now, the record had belonged to another Ajax player, Rafael van der Vaart, who wore the armband at 20 years and 217 days old back in 2003. Yang Yang, on the day he led Ajax against Sparta Prague, was just 18 years and 324 days old—shattering the previous mark by nearly two years.
It was a record few outside the Netherlands or UEFA's statisticians had noticed. But now, thanks to Koeman, the story would headline sports columns across Europe.
"He leads by example," Koeman continued. "He gives his all in training, drives the team forward on the pitch, and in games like this, he doesn't hide. He thrives."
Koeman also circled back to one key moment in the first half that he believed could have changed the match's course earlier.
"It was a clear handball in the box," he said. "Everyone saw it. Our players appealed, but the referee let it go. That should've been a penalty, no question."
Across the room, Wenger was more reserved on the issue.
"I didn't see it clearly," he responded when asked. "From where I was, it wasn't obvious. The referee made the decision he felt was right in that moment. I don't believe my player had any intention to handle the ball."
That was the only moment of disagreement between the two managers during the press conference. Otherwise, both were measured and professional in their assessments.
...
...
Arsenal's 2–1 loss away to Ajax was not considered a disaster.
In fact, even before kickoff, many media outlets across Europe had suggested Ajax were far from underdogs. Arsenal had already shown vulnerability this season—especially away from home, where they had lost all three of their previous matches. And Ajax, after all, were not just another team.
In the past three seasons, Ajax had built a remarkable continental résumé: two Champions League quarter-final appearances, a stunning Champions League title, and, most recently, a UEFA Cup triumph following an early Champions League exit. Few clubs in Europe could boast a better European record over that span.
Given that context, it was no surprise that global media focused on two key narratives after the match.
First, there was Arsenal's midfield dilemma. The departure of Patrick Vieira had clearly left a void in the team's spine—one that neither Cesc Fàbregas nor Mathieu Flamini had yet managed to fill. While Arsène Wenger publicly denied the loss of Vieira had significantly impacted his side, most pundits and analysts agreed it was the club's most painful setback in years.
But more compelling than Arsenal's issues was the rise of Yang Yang.
With one goal and one assist, Ajax's captain had orchestrated the victory. At just 18 years old, he had been named Man of the Match and led his side with maturity well beyond his years. More than that, he had done so against one of Europe's most decorated clubs, on the biggest stage in club football.
The world had taken notice.
In England, The Sun splashed the story across its front page: "Wenger's Biggest Regret", followed by another biting editorial that read:
"Wenger won't be the only one losing sleep tonight. Benítez, Mourinho, and Ferguson have all watched Yang Yang slip through their fingers. Each of them had the chance. None of them pulled the trigger."
The piece continued:
"All four giants once showed interest in Yang Yang, but hesitated. Now, after watching him dismantle Arsenal, they'll be cursing their indecision—and calculating how far their transfer budgets will stretch come summer."
Meanwhile, the Spanish press took the news harder.
Yang Yang had been heavily linked with both Barcelona and Real Madrid during the previous transfer window. There were even whispers that Barcelona had considered selling Lionel Messi to Inter Milan to make room for the Ajax star. At one point, Ronaldinho himself was quoted welcoming Yang Yang to Camp Nou.
But in the end, Barça chose to keep Messi, and Cruyff publicly slammed the board for even considering a €40 million gamble on an 18-year-old. "It would have been madness," he had warned.
Now, the narrative had changed.
"Laporta must be regretting everything," read a front-page editorial in El Mundo Deportivo. "Yang Yang is no longer available for €40 million. That ship has sailed."
Even Madrid's Marca and AS newspapers admitted that Florentino Pérez had missed a golden opportunity to reinvigorate the fan base and win political capital within the club.
"He missed the chance to bring in a generational player," Marca wrote bluntly. "Now, Real Madrid are not only playing catch-up on the pitch—but in the market as well."
For Yang Yang, the attention had become routine. But for the football world, the realization was only beginning to dawn:
Ajax's young captain was not just a prodigy. He was already becoming one of the most coveted players in the world.