Chapter 166: Dimensional Suppression! Overtaking on the Bend! Despairing Ashley Cole
April 8th, evening, Wembley Stadium in London.
First leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals: Beisworth Chinese FC vs. Chelsea.
Pre-match, in the dressing room.
Yang Cheng received Chelsea's starting lineup:
Goalkeeper: Čech
Defense: Ashley Cole, Alex, Terry, Ivanović
Midfield: Lampard, Mikel, Ballack, Essien
Forwards: Malouda and Drogba
As soon as they saw the lineup, everyone—including Brian Kidd—looked at Yang Cheng in amazement.
He got it right!
Yang Cheng had predicted all along that Hiddink would adopt a more conservative, defense-oriented setup,
especially in the first leg.
Now, with four defensive midfielders starting, Yang Cheng was nearly certain:
Essien would play on the right, supporting Ivanović.
The players, even those about to take the pitch, were visibly boosted.
If even the opponent's surprise choices could be predicted—what was there to fear?
Their confidence soared.
Once Brian Kidd wrote Chelsea's starting XI on the tactical board,
Yang Cheng turned to address the players.
"This is Chelsea's starting lineup."
"No surprises—Essien will play on the right."
"Hiddink's strategy is clear: let Essien support Ivanović to shut down our left flank."
As Yang Cheng had said many times before, the 4-3-3 is inherently an attacking formation.
The distance between the winger and fullback is greater than in standard formations.
Typically, fullbacks are asked to push up and maintain spacing—
which is why attacking fullbacks are crucial in a 4-3-3, like Ashley Cole.
Ivanović, however, was more defensively minded.
He had some pace, but not enough to match the likes of Di María or Gareth Bale.
If pushed forward, the space behind him would be enormous—
Exactly the kind of area Di María or Bale could exploit.
Yang Cheng believed this was why Hiddink had put Essien on that flank.
"Chelsea's right side won't focus on attacking.
They'll concentrate their counterattacks on the left—
Drogba and Malouda."
He circled both players on the tactics board.
It was a warning: while Chelsea wouldn't attack much on the right,
they'd go all-in on the left.
And in response?
Beisworth Chinese FC would attack Chelsea's left.
Since Hiddink had abandoned his right flank offensively,
Yang Cheng's team would press down their left flank to suppress them.
"Gareth. Eden. Your job is to pin down Ashley Cole!"
Both players responded eagerly.
"Everyone!"
Yang Cheng clapped loudly, snapping all attention to him.
Players stood up and gathered around.
Even Kidd and the rest of the staff moved closer.
This was now tradition: a pre-match ritual—before every game, before every half.
As Yang Cheng always said, a sense of ceremony mattered.
"I said it before!" Yang Cheng raised one finger.
"What we lost last season—we're taking back this year!"
"I'm proud of you. We've built a massive lead in the league—
That gives us the breathing room to throw everything into the FA Cup and Champions League."
"No question—this season is a huge opportunity.
We've got the stamina and resources to fight on all three fronts!"
That league cushion meant they could go all-in on the cups.
"So we're not giving up a single match!
Every game from now on—league or cup—we go all out!"
"And I'm telling you—
I don't just want the league title and FA Cup back.
I want us to go even further—
Let's challenge for the Champions League!"
"I know it's hard."
"But that's exactly why we must do it!
No one's ever defended the title since the Champions League format changed—
So we'll be the first!"
"Because that's who we are—Beisworth Chinese FC!"
The players' emotions ignited.
Heads nodded. Adrenaline surged.
"Chelsea is a huge obstacle,
but I believe in you.
You're good enough to beat them."
"Then we push forward—
All the way to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome!"
"Let's go, warriors of Beisworth Chinese FC!"
Yang Cheng spread his arms.
Everyone—players, coaches, staff—reached in.
Hands on his back, his shoulders, each other's arms.
And together, they shouted:
"Let's go, Beisworth Chinese FC!"
...
"Welcome, viewers around the world, to Wembley Stadium in London!"
"With our broadcast cameras, we can see—not a single seat is empty."
"90,000 fans have packed into this, the grandest and most luxurious football temple in England—
Wembley, built at a cost of nearly £800 million!"
"Tonight's matchup: the first leg of the 2008–09 Champions League quarterfinals—
Beisworth Chinese FC vs. Chelsea!"
"The teams are now walking out of the tunnel, led by tonight's referee:
Klaus Bo Larsen from Denmark."
"This is Beisworth Chinese FC's home ground—
And the fans are singing their club anthem in full force!"
"Let's look at the starting lineups."
Beisworth Chinese FC line up in their signature 4-3-3 formation:
Goalkeeper: Neuer
Defense: Leighton Baines, Thiago Silva, Pepe, Maicon
Midfield: Yaya Touré (holding), Rakitić and Modrić
Forwards: Di María, Džeko, Gareth Bale
"In recent Champions League matches, Yang Cheng has often started Matuidi."
"But tonight, Rakitić gets the nod—
A clear signal that Beisworth Chinese FC are going for midfield control tonight."
"Chelsea, on the other hand, start four central midfielders,
as many expected—Hiddink's strategy is focused on defensive solidity and counterattacks."
"For Beisworth Chinese FC, the key will be whether they can break through Chelsea's wall."
Applause erupts around the stadium.
We now see Beisworth Chinese FC's manager, Yang Cheng,
emerging from the tunnel.
This 29-year-old Chinese head coach has, in just a few years,
taken Beisworth Chinese FC from the lower tiers of English football
to the pinnacle of Europe.
"Beisworth Chinese FC has now become a powerhouse in European football."
"And because of that, Yang Cheng is deeply beloved and supported by the home fans."
...
After walking out of the tunnel, Yang Cheng went straight to the away dugout to shake hands with Hiddink.
The two had a considerable age gap and didn't know each other well, so the interaction was brief.
After the handshake, Yang Cheng turned and headed back to the home bench.
On the pitch, the two captains—Modrić and Terry—were flipping the coin.
Modrić lost the toss.
"I've noticed our captain has no luck with coin tosses. Never wins possession," Yang Cheng muttered with a helpless shake of his head.
Brian Kidd and the rest of the staff laughed.
To be fair, it was true. Modrić always let the opponent call it—and lost more often than not.
Sometimes, it really came down to personality.
Not that losing the toss meant much.
Still, while waiting for kickoff, Yang Cheng noticed something:
Chelsea had Lampard and Drogba standing over the ball in the center circle.
Malouda was on the left, Essien on the right.
"They're trying to start fast!" Yang Cheng said with a smile.
A common approach when teams face Beisworth Chinese FC.
The whistle blew. Lampard passed to Drogba.
Malouda immediately cut diagonally into the left half-space instead of charging down the wing.
But Bale tracked back, Maicon stepped up, and Modrić rotated wide.
When Drogba passed to Malouda, the French winger's first touch was heavy—
Bale poked it away from behind.
Possession lost!
Cheers erupted from the home crowd.
Chelsea didn't retreat, though. They counter-pressed aggressively.
That was expected.
No team charges forward only to retreat without testing the waters.
The two sides battled fiercely in Beisworth Chinese FC's half.
The home team tried to pass their way through with sharp, one-touch combinations.
Chelsea had six players pressing high—
and came close to winning the ball several times.
The most dangerous moment came when the ball was played back to Neuer.
Unable to use his hands, he had to trap it with his foot—Malouda nearly pounced.
Only one minute had passed, but both teams were already in high gear.
The pace was absolutely relentless.
1:09 — Pepe played a long ball from deep, aiming for Bale on the right wing.
Bale rose near the halfway line, unchallenged by Ashley Cole, but couldn't control it—
The ball bounced out for a Chelsea throw.
Chelsea took the throw quickly and passed back to Čech,
who booted it forward before Bale could press.
Beisworth Chinese FC regained possession.
The crowd roared with approval.
After the cheer came the chants.
Since leasing Wembley in 2006, this was now their third year.
Over that time, the club had worked hard to build a real home atmosphere.
While not yet as intimidating as Anfield, Dortmund, or the Bernabéu,
Wembley had become a formidable place.
Every match now drew 80,000+ fans, and Champions League nights were always packed to the brim.
And with 90,000 fans singing, Beisworth Chinese FC launched another attack—again down the right flank, targeting Chelsea's left.
Maicon pushed up to initiate the play.
He passed to Modrić, then to Yaya Touré, Pepe, and back to Maicon.
Bale, Modrić, Pepe—it cycled back to Maicon again.
The team moved the ball up the right with fluid one-touch passes,
so quick that Chelsea couldn't even get a foot in.
2:34 — Maicon had the ball on the right near the halfway line.
Instead of pushing forward, he cut inside diagonally.
Reaching the half-space, he suddenly delivered a straight pass.
Bale beat Ashley Cole to the ball, turned to face the right wing, and used the inside of his left foot to trap it into his right—
completely shutting out Cole.
Bale turned and faced the defense.
Džeko popped up in the right half-space.
He had initially dropped deep to support Maicon,
but seeing Bale in control, he spun and sprinted forward.
Ashley Cole kept position, marking Bale.
Džeko pointed to the space in front of him and accelerated into the gap behind Cole.
Bale understood immediately and sent a through ball.
The ball flew into the right side of Chelsea's box.
Alex chased Džeko, while Terry stepped up to intercept.
Džeko got to the ball first.
He faked a move to the byline, then used the outside of his right foot to cut inside.
Terry stayed tight. Ashley Cole had recovered position.
They double-teamed him, trapping him outside the box.
Bale now cut diagonally into the right side of the penalty area.
Alex dropped deeper to mark him.
Mikel followed Modrić back into the box.
Ballack guarded the edge of the area.
In the middle, Di María and Ivanović jostled near the six-yard line.
The Serbian defender stood between Di María and the rest of the attack, cutting off his support.
With Džeko now facing the goal, he had more options.
He feinted inside—Maicon was storming forward toward the top right corner of the box.
Ashley Cole moved to intercept Maicon,
Terry stayed on Džeko.
No space.
Suddenly, Džeko changed direction—
He cut the ball to the byline with his left foot, turned, and sprinted after it.
Before Terry could react, Džeko used his right foot to chip the ball over Terry and Alex.
At the edge of the six-yard box, Bale took one step back, leapt, and headed the ball toward the far post.
Čech, fully focused, saw it all the way—
The header wasn't perfectly placed.
He reached out with one hand and pushed it wide.
Only then did the entire stadium exhale—
A collective gasp of disappointment.
Then came thunderous applause.
"Now at 2 minutes and 46 seconds, Beisworth Chinese FC have registered the first shot of the match."
"A header from Gareth Bale!"
"Čech did well to tip it away—now Beisworth Chinese FC have a corner."
"Look, Gianni Vio is back on the sideline."
"Beisworth fans are cheering for him!"
"Let's see this corner."
"Rakitić delivers, into the center—Pepe!"
"There's a chance!"
"Header on goal!"
"Čech tips it over again!"
"Another corner."
"The atmosphere is extremely tense."
"This West London derby turned into a knife fight from the very first minute."
"Now Modrić steps up to take it."
"Let's see where this one lands."
"Not into the box—short corner."
"Passed to Di María—he returns it."
"Modrić's onside—sends it into the box."
"Pepe heads it down—Yaya Touré at the back post!"
"Čech again!"
"The Czech keeper saves it off the line!"
"Yaya Touré's header was well-placed—aiming for the bottom right."
"But against Čech, it wasn't enough."
"Another corner for Beisworth Chinese FC—already their third since kickoff!"
"This match has gone red-hot already!"
"Both teams clearly came prepared, and both are fighting hard from the start."
"Beisworth want the opener—Chelsea are defending with everything they have."
"Rakitić again with the delivery."
"Near post—Džeko heads it... just over!"
"Beisworth's pressure is relentless and threatening."
"Applause echoes through Wembley."
"Fans have been holding their breath since the whistle—this is intense, this is thrilling!"
...
Chelsea restart with a goal kick.
Čech launches it long.
Drogba wins the first aerial duel—
But Beisworth Chinese FC control the second ball.
They quickly reorganize and begin another attack.
Yaya Touré sends a diagonal switch to the open left flank—
A deliberate strategy.
They'd overloaded the right flank early, knowing Chelsea would prepare for it.
Now, they switched to the under-defended left.
Di María controlled the pass and looked to burst past Ivanović.
The Serbian defender lunged in—not touching the ball, but catching Di María's leg.
Foul.
A free-kick on the left wing, though the angle was poor.
Chelsea didn't even bother setting up a wall.
Bale gestured to Leighton Baines to take it instead.
Without waiting, Baines fired the ball toward the center.
Yaya Touré controlled it—but Lampard closed quickly.
So he turned and spread it wide to the unmarked right flank.
Chelsea's defensive organization was known for its speed and precision.
By the time the ball reached Maicon, both Malouda and Ashley Cole had recovered.
Maicon passed to Modrić, who returned it to Pepe.
Pepe stood near the right sideline in Beisworth's half.
Confident on the ball, the Brazilian-born defender trapped it and pushed it into Chelsea's half,
Looking to bait pressure.
But only Drogba pressed—Chelsea's midfield and defense had already fallen back into two tight lines.
Thiago Silva called out from the back, signaling Pepe not to go forward.
His primary task was to mark Drogba—
If he pushed too high and lost the ball, Silva alone wouldn't stop the counter.
Yaya Touré tracked back to cover—that was part of Yang Cheng's plan.
Pepe looked forward, saw Džeko signaling, and lofted a long ball toward the edge of the box.
Džeko and Terry both went for it.
Center-forward and center-back collided hard.
Both touched it, but neither controlled it.
The ball bounced loose into the box.
Alex ran in from the side and headed it clear toward the right edge of the area.
Modrić hustled back, reaching it just before Mikel.
His sublime technique showed—he deadened the ball perfectly.
Feinting a turn toward the middle, he froze Mikel,
Then with the outside of his left boot, slid the ball to the top right corner of the box.
And there—
a flash of red tore through the screen.
Maicon sprinted forward, having already shaken off Malouda.
He got to the ball first.
If we paused the game at this moment,
Chelsea's entire back line was inside the penalty box.
As Maicon touched the ball, the defense instinctively retreated toward the six-yard box.
If Maicon beat them to the byline and fired in a low cross—
It would be lethal.
Mikel, one of Chelsea's best at reading danger, had followed Modrić and was out of position.
Ballack stood near the edge of the box—
But when Chelsea's defense dropped, Ballack didn't retreat fast enough.
The result?
Chelsea's defenders were lined up on the six-yard box—
And a huge empty zone opened between them and Ballack.
In that vacuum stood three red shirts:
Di María on the left, Bale more central, and Džeko near the penalty spot.
No matter where Maicon crossed—he had options.
Maicon, recognizing the defense had collapsed,
didn't try to beat his man.
He cut the ball across immediately.
To be fair, the pass was rushed and not particularly sharp—
But it was in the right area.
Džeko, standing near the spot, stepped into it.
He planted his left, twisted his hips, and smashed a right-footed shot.
The ball flew between Alex and Terry,
screaming into the bottom right corner.
Čech reacted fast.
But it was just a fraction too late.
GOAL!!!!
8th minute — Beisworth Chinese FC take the lead against Chelsea!
A cross from Maicon. A beautiful turn-and-shoot from Džeko!
1–0!
Wembley exploded in a storm of noise.
90,000 fans roared Džeko's name in unison.
They'd finally broken through!
It had taken eight full minutes of all-out assault.
Yang Cheng leapt into the air, fist clenched in celebration.
His assistants poured out of the dugout.
Everyone was visibly thrilled and excited.
This was one of the meticulously crafted set plays they had prepared!
If Chelsea's back line didn't retreat, Maicon would go to the byline.
And even then, he had several different crossing options—
Near post to Džeko, a high ball for Gareth Bale, or a cutback to Di María.
In total, Beisworth Chinese FC had spent two full weeks preparing for this opening phase.
And now, they had finally reaped the rewards with a precious goal!
Yang Cheng clenched both fists and let out a roar of release.
Then, he waved his arms wildly, signaling the fans to raise the volume.
The crowd responded, chanting even louder!
"Once again, it's the trademark opening blitz from Beisworth Chinese FC!"
"You have to say, Yang Cheng's early attacks are razor sharp."
"Many thought Chelsea would park the bus tonight."
"Which means whoever scores first could completely shift the momentum of the game."
...
On the away bench, Hiddink sat beside Ray Wilkins in his black down jacket.
"We couldn't hold it," Wilkins said, disappointed.
Chelsea had prepared thoroughly for this match—
especially for Beisworth Chinese FC's opening attacks.
Yet they still conceded.
"Our starting tactic must've been predicted by Yang Cheng," Hiddink said calmly.
After decades in management, nothing surprised him anymore.
In fact, even if they lost 0–1 tonight, he wouldn't be shocked.
That's how football works—
especially in the Champions League knockout stage.
You try to outthink the opponent… but they're doing the same.
"You think someone in the staff leaked it?" Wilkins asked nervously.
Hiddink shook his head. "No, I don't think it was a leak. I think he really figured it out."
He pointed to the pitch.
The match had restarted, and Beisworth Chinese FC continued to avoid Chelsea's right side and attack Ashley Cole's left.
Yang Cheng stood on the sideline, constantly motioning to push forward and press harder.
Clearly, he wanted to take advantage of the early momentum to bury the game quickly.
"He's completely ignoring the left and only attacking the right—that must've been rehearsed," Hiddink muttered.
"And his players are executing it with familiarity."
Any experienced coach could tell—
This wasn't improvised.
This was planned and trained.
Now into the 10th minute, and Chelsea hadn't managed a single shot.
In fact, they hadn't even entered Beisworth Chinese FC's penalty area.
They were being completely pinned back.
And already one goal down.
Hiddink turned and looked at the man at the other technical area—
That always sharply dressed, short-haired young manager commanding from the sidelines.
In football, even at 40 you were still called a "young coach."
But Yang Cheng was only 29.
There was hardly a term to describe him.
And yet, his record was astonishing.
If Yang Cheng really had predicted Hiddink's starting tactics—
then Hiddink had to admit: he was stumped.
He had thought putting Essien on the right would be a masterstroke—
But in doing so, he sacrificed all attacking threat down that flank.
Now, Beisworth Chinese FC were hammering Ashley Cole's side and completely dismantling Chelsea's offense.
Was this tactical plan truly crafted by a 29-year-old?
"What do we do now?" Wilkins asked, concerned.
He glanced up at the stands.
He didn't know where exactly,
but owner Roman Abramovich had said he would attend in person.
If Chelsea lost badly again to Beisworth, there'd be hell to pay.
Hiddink wasn't worried—he was close with Abramovich.
But the players and staff?
They'd be the ones catching fire.
"We wait it out," Hiddink said helplessly.
From the kickoff, Beisworth Chinese FC had never let Chelsea breathe.
Wave after wave of attack.
Chelsea could barely cope—never mind fight back.
All they could do now was hold on,
ride out the storm,
and hope to regroup when Beisworth slowed down.
But just as they were talking, Chelsea managed a turnover and tried to launch an attack.
Beisworth Chinese FC retreated quickly.
...
By the time Chelsea advanced the ball to midfield,
Beisworth Chinese FC had already dropped deep into their own half.
Chelsea passed side to side at the halfway line,
but couldn't find a forward lane.
They switched play from left to right.
Essien dropped deep to receive, but Baines pressured him into a back pass to Ivanović.
Di María rushed up, forcing the Serbian to play it to Alex.
Džeko pressed the gap between Alex and Terry, keeping them uncomfortable.
Terry then passed it wide to Ashley Cole.
Cole received the ball near the touchline—
but he was a bit too far from Terry.
Terry's pass was also a bit soft.
Gareth Bale exploded forward,
sprinting straight at Ashley Cole like a mad bull.
Cole was startled and ran to meet the pass.
Terry shifted left, with Džeko lingering nearby.
Mikel came to offer support,
but Modrić was right there shadowing him.
Cole had no clear passing lane and was too far from Čech.
He switched the ball to his right foot to shield it.
That's when Bale struck.
The Welshman, 1.85 meters tall and 81 kilos,
slammed his right shoulder into Cole—who was only 1.76 meters and 64 kilos.
Outmuscled, off-balance—
Cole stumbled and lost control of the ball.
He could feel it:
It was over.
He collapsed.
It happened in a blink.
To everyone, it looked like Bale had bullied Cole off the ball.
But the assistant ref was right there.
The head ref had a clear view.
No whistle. No foul.
This was the Premier League—no time for softness.
Hiddink and Wilkins were on their feet, shouting for a foul.
But Bale had already taken off,
chasing the loose ball diagonally into the box.
Terry held position at the top of the penalty area.
Bale squared it left-footed to Džeko at the top of the arc.
The Bosnian striker trapped with his left, stepped into the box,
and rifled it with his right.
Čech had come out to the edge of the six-yard box.
He couldn't stop it.
GOAL!
11th minute.
As Yang Cheng raised both arms in celebration,
he glanced toward the away bench.
Hiddink was staring blankly at the pitch.
If the first goal still left Chelsea hope—
the second felt like a hammer to the skull.
...
With a 2–0 lead, Beisworth Chinese FC eased their pressure slightly.
But Chelsea, deflated from conceding twice, couldn't recover.
More importantly, they couldn't threaten Beisworth's goal at all.
From the 15th minute on,
Chelsea tried to muster an attack—
but nothing stuck.
Chelsea did create a few chances.
In the 18th minute, Drogba made another sharp run into the box and chested the ball down to shoot,
but the assistant referee raised the flag—offside.
In the 22nd minute, Drogba sent a through ball,
but Malouda, marked tightly by Maicon, could only get off a rushed shot that went miles over the bar.
On the other hand, Beisworth Chinese FC continued winning the ball high up the pitch.
Gareth Bale attempted a chip from 20 meters out on the left—
it skimmed the top of the crossbar.
Their most threatening chance in the first half came in the 39th minute.
Di María whipped in a diagonal pass from the left flank toward the top of the arc.
Alex, Terry, and Džeko all converged on the ball and collapsed in a tangle.
Terry managed to get a foot in and poke the ball out to the left, finding Ashley Cole.
But when Cole tried to control it, Bale came from behind with blistering acceleration,
cut him off on the inside, and burst into Chelsea's box from the right.
Faced with Čech charging out, Bale used a clever feint to create an angle,
and calmly placed a left-footed shot to the far corner.
But the shot lacked power—
Alex, rushing back, cleared it off the line.
"Yang Cheng's strategy of overwhelming Chelsea's left flank is working perfectly!"
"The Blues have barely created any chances in this half, while their defense is visibly shaky."
"But the key was that opening blitz—those two early goals completely shifted the dynamic."
"Hiddink's team no longer has the luxury of sitting back now."
"Yang Cheng's opening assault has given Beisworth Chinese FC a decisive strategic advantage!"
...
After switching sides for the second half,
Yang Cheng, seeing that Chelsea hadn't made any changes,
instructed his players to launch another attacking wave.
But this one only lasted about ten minutes.
With no goal to show for it, Beisworth Chinese FC eased off.
Chelsea's left remained under pressure.
Bale still had a noticeable advantage over Ashley Cole.
In the 60th minute, Yang Cheng made his first substitution—
Matuidi for Rakitić, to beef up midfield interception and physicality.
Chelsea responded in the 65th with their first change:
Anelka on for Mikel.
From a tactical standpoint, the first goal really had little to do with Mikel.
In a double pivot, one player presses while the other holds.
That's just how the roles are divided.
But Ballack was never a natural defensive midfielder—
He wasn't the kind of screen who could sit in front of the backline and protect it consistently.
His strength was late runs.
So asking him to play a holding role was always risky.
Still, when goals are conceded, defensive midfielders take the blame.
With Mikel off, Anelka moved to the right wing,
Essien dropped into the sole holding role.
Chelsea shifted into a 4-3-3.
But before this tactical change had any impact,
Beisworth Chinese FC struck again.
Di María found himself in a one-on-one with Ivanović on the left.
The Argentine danced on the ball, swaying like a strand of pasta,
eventually creating a small window and slipping a through ball with his left foot.
Džeko darted into the left channel,
met the pass without breaking stride,
and fired a left-footed shot.
Čech once again made a clutch save.
"Chelsea's best player tonight, without a doubt, is Petr Čech."
"If not for his series of world-class saves, this could've been an all-out massacre."
"Čech's heroics are the only reason Chelsea still have any hope for the second leg."
In the 75th minute, Yang Cheng made his second change:
Walcott for Bale.
Ashley Cole must've been at his breaking point.
He had endured an entire match of Bale's pressure,
stood his ground as best he could.
Just when Bale's energy had begun to dip,
Yang Cheng sent on a fresh and fiery Walcott.
It was ruthless.
If Bale was a brutal, straight-edged broadsword, Walcott was a swift, elegant rapier.
Different styles, same danger level.
Hiddink clearly saw Ashley Cole was nearing collapse.
Though he didn't sub him off, he had Chelsea compact defensively,
closing spaces and minimizing Beisworth's room to attack.
Chelsea made no more changes.
Final score: 2–0.
Džeko scored twice.
Beisworth Chinese FC defeated Chelsea and won the first leg of the quarterfinal!
...
When Danish referee Klaus Bo Larsen blew the final whistle,
Wembley exploded in a sea of cheers.
Every Beisworth Chinese FC fan was on their feet,
celebrating the team's dominant performance.
Yang Cheng raised both hands above his head, applauding the players.
Then, as protocol dictated, he walked toward the away dugout—
Time to shake hands with Hiddink.
"Great match," Yang Cheng said politely.
Hiddink shook hands, then suddenly asked,
"You figured out I'd use Essien on the right, didn't you?"
Yang Cheng blinked, then smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, but it was just one of our guesses."
"What do you mean?"
"We prepared dozens of opening attack routines targeting your Chelsea team.
We also ran simulations on different versions of your starting XI—
and prepped responses to each."
Hiddink was stunned.
He realized this wasn't a battle on the same level.
He had come alone to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea gave him Wilkins as support.
But Yang Cheng?
He had a full army.
A coordinated, cutting-edge machine.
Just as he'd said—dozens of specialized attacking routines.
Even if Hiddink wracked his brain,
he couldn't come up with that many.
Let alone run simulations on every scenario.
Just the thought was overwhelming.
"I've heard that Beisworth Chinese FC is ahead of most of Europe in many aspects.
Seems it's true," Hiddink said with a wry smile.
"In that case, I'd love to visit your Brent training facility someday."
Yang Cheng nodded.
"Of course. You're welcome anytime."
He even gave Hiddink his direct number.
These kinds of exchanges were quite common in European football—
no secret at all.
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