The stands of the Arenal Stadium of the Amsterdam Arena, which can accommodate 52,000 people, are basically full.
These fans are singing the Amsterdam Athletic team anthem.
As they sang, Hulay and his teammates stood there, waiting for the players from Atlético Amsterdam to come up and shake hands with them one after another.
When Danny Drew shook hands with Hu Lai, he couldn't help but look at the other person a few more times.
This is not the first time he met Hulay. The last time he met Hulay was at the UEFA Awards Ceremony in 2026. At that time, Hulay won the Best Young Player Award in Europe last season, and Drew was also a member of the candidate list.
He went, but he just went to be a green leaf.
At that award ceremony, he greeted Hu Lai and exchanged a few pleasantries.
In fact, it has only been less than two years, but Drew feels like a world away, as if a long time has passed. Otherwise, why would the kid in front of him have improved so much? He can already fight Merry back and forth.
?
Oh no, it’s not like there’s a back and forth, it seems like Meili hasn’t defeated Hu Lai yet…
Drew sighed in his heart.
Damn it!
The gap is getting bigger and bigger!
Drew, who was having a lot of inner drama, had a calm expression on his face and didn't say anything. He just shook hands with Hu Lai briefly and left - he still remembered what the head coach Mr. Munster said before the game.
Never talk to Hu Lai!
Let’s wait until the game is over to chat and make small talk.
However, when Hu Lai saw Drew, he greeted him with a smile on his face: "Hi, we meet again."
He and Drew had met at the previous award ceremony, and they were one of the few people on this team that he was familiar with.
However, Hu Lai did not get a response from Drew. The other party seemed to have not heard and walked away.
This made Hu Lai a little strange, but he didn't think much about it because Chen Xingyi came right after him.
When Chen Xingyi came up, Hu Lai smiled at him and said, "Long time no see, little Xingxing."
It's been a long time since they last saw each other - the last time they saw each other was in the top 40 game in mid-October last year, three months ago.
What surprised Hu Lai was that after hearing his greeting, Chen Xingyi originally planned to respond, but closed his mouth again the moment he was about to speak.
He has a very obvious "hold it in" movement.
Then he pursed his lips and pretended nothing happened. After lightly touching Hu Lai's outstretched hand, he continued to walk forward and shook hands with other Pirates players.
Hu Lai frowned and turned to look at Chen Xingyi.
First it was Danny Drew, then Chen Xingyi...
At first, when Drew didn't respond to his greeting, he thought it was because the other party didn't hear him in the noisy environment, but now he clearly saw Chen Xingyi reacting to his words, and he wanted to respond but couldn't.
Suffocated.
So maybe Drew didn't hear it?
What are they doing?
※※ ※
"I think you almost talked to him just now?"
After finishing the handshake ceremony and walking back to his own half, Danny Drew confirmed to Chen Xingyi.
Chen Xingyi nodded: "Conditional reflex... almost, but fortunately I held it in!"
Drew: "Danxing, I just said hello before the game. Doesn't this count as talking to him? After all, the game hasn't even started yet..."
Chen Xingyi shook his head: "Don't think so, Danny. If you don't take things to an extreme, you won't be vigilant enough. The rest of our team is fine, but we are the most dangerous. Because
They are not familiar with Hu Lai, and they will not take the initiative to talk to Hu Lai."
Drew remembered that he almost said hello to Hu Lai just now, and sighed: "We are indeed in danger."
"Concentrate on the game, Danny. Once the game starts, you may not have time to think about talking to him. Remember not to be merciful and use your physical advantage to deal with him. As a central defender, you are enough
It's agile and fast enough, so it's perfect for dealing with him."
After saying that, Chen Xingyi stood near the center line and stopped walking back.
After Drew agreed, he continued to run back until he reached the penalty area and stood at his center back position before stopping. Then he looked at the center circle in front of him.
Hu Lai was standing there with a football under his feet.
He took a deep breath.
He was finally going to fight against this man. This was a match that he had been looking forward to for a long time.
You should really, like Xing said, concentrate on the game and have a good fight with this person!
He breathed in the air and slowly exhaled it.
Along with this action, his eyes gradually became calm.
At the same time, a clear and loud whistle sounded, and the cheers in the stands suddenly increased.
Hu Lai, who was in the center circle, turned around and kicked the football back, crossing the center line himself.
Chen Xingyi and Amsterdam forward Mario Ings rushed towards the Pirates' half at the same time.
The game begins!
※※ ※
The Pirates' first wave of offense after kick-off failed to threaten Athletic Amsterdam's goal, and the Pirates did not attack with all their strength in this attack.
Because this is just a tentative attack.
The last time Pirates of Madrid and Atlético Amsterdam faced each other in the Champions League was seven seasons ago. Atlético then had only one person in common with the current team, and that was their captain, goalkeeper Manovan Dus.
Berg.
The former main goalkeeper of the Dutch national team is now almost thirty-seven years old, but due to his rich experience, he is still the main goalkeeper of Sporting Amsterdam.
Seven seasons ago, he was the main force of this team.
At that time, Atlético Amsterdam and Pirates were placed in the same group, with two games at home and away, with Atlético Amsterdam and Pirates of Madrid winning one game each.
However, after the group stage, Atlético Amsterdam was eliminated, while Madrid Pirates advanced to the knockout rounds.
The only Atletico Amsterdam player who participated in the two games at that time was Duesberg, and the Madrid Pirates only had captain Juan Ramirez and 35-year-old center back Kepa Armantegui.
So in fact, the two teams are no longer what they were before. The player lineup has changed, the head coach has changed, and the tactics and methods have also changed.
Past combat experience is completely useless.
Before this game, the media didn't mention much about the history of the two teams' confrontation, because it was meaningless.
Now the competition has to start with testing each other.
※※ ※
With his recent improvement in form, Chen Xingyi has become an important member of Sporting Amsterdam's offense.
In the Eredivisie this season, Chen Xingyi scored five goals and assisted four times. He assisted twice in the Champions League and scored one goal in the Dutch Cup.
A total of six goals and six assists were scored in all competitions.
This kind of performance is indeed worthy of securing the main position of Atlético Amsterdam.
He is becoming more and more popular in this team. For example, when Chen Xingyi catches the ball, the fans of Atlético Amsterdam in the stands can’t wait to cheer, cheer for him, and look forward to what he will do next.
wonderful perfomance.
Chen Xingyi, who took the ball on the left wing, faced Madrid Pirates' right midfielder Silverio.
He didn't stop the ball and stand still, but poked the football away while catching the ball.
This is also the way Chen Xingyi is used to playing now.
If you want to be fast, you have to get up fast from the moment you catch the ball.
Such a sudden catch, coupled with his excellent starting speed, often makes it difficult for opponents to guard against him.
The three musketeers who used to be the front line of the Chinese national team have now embarked on different development paths.
Not to mention Hu Lai, a forward who specializes in scoring goals and the ultimate killer.
Luo Kai is fast, but a little slow to start. But his physical condition is the best among the three, and his skills are more comprehensive. He can not only break through and send out passes from the wing to complete assists, but also play as a guest center in the middle, whether it is to provide
It can be done by teammates or by yourself. He has higher tactical adaptability.
Chen Xingyi focused all his skill points on "agility". He has fast start-up speed, flexible movements, and fast foot speed. These advantages make him like a loach on the wing, fast and slippery, with a little space.
, he can get in and turn the opponent's defense upside down.
Now the Pirates' Portuguese international player Silvilio is a little slow in his movements and thinking. When Chen Xingyi pokes the football out and speeds up to overtake, he suddenly reacts - the head coach said this person
It starts up quickly!
But it was too late to remember at this time...
Apart from turning around and staring at Chen Xingyi's back with a sigh, he could no longer catch up with him.
Fortunately, he can always trust the captain.
Juan Ramirez ran over from the center when Chen Xingyi passed Silverio, and then directly tackled Chen Xingyi before he had control of the ball!
He made a steady tackle and passed the football directly to the full-back Irazusta on the wing.
Chen Xingyi was afraid of being injured. After seeing that he could no longer catch up with the football, he jumped up and passed over Ramirez's body.
After landing, he looked up to the sky and sighed, very upset - he almost broke through just now!
Ramirez of the Pirates is indeed one of the top three defensive midfielders in world football!
Ramirez got up from the ground, pointed at Silverio and shouted: "Focus! You are distracted, Silverio!"
The Portuguese quickly apologized to the captain.
"The game had just started six minutes ago, and Chen Xingyi almost created a chance! The way he suddenly started to pass Silverio when receiving the ball was really beautiful! I think this is a good sign for Chen Xing
Yi is in very good shape for today’s game! This is a ‘China Derby’ with a real strong dialogue!”
"That's right, He Feng! You don't have to worry too much about Hu Lai's performance. As long as Chen Xingyi is in good condition, today's 'Chinese Derby' will definitely be good!"
The two Chinese commentators were very excited.
They seemed to have seen that beautiful scene.
No matter who wins or loses in this game, Chinese fans are not losers!