Chapter 111: It is glorious to lose
Florentino and Ronaldo talked for a long time, and only they knew the specifics of their conversation. After their conversation, Ronaldo's determination to leave was strengthened.
With that in mind, there was no need to clash with Cooper. Before leaving, he hoped to secure a league championship for Inter Milan, not to disappoint the years he spent there!
In the 23rd round of Serie A, Inter Milan hosted Verona at home. In preparation for the second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, coach Cooper put Wang Feng on the bench and started Ronaldo.
Before this, Roma unexpectedly drew 0-0 away against Brescia, so as long as Inter Milan won this match, they could reclaim second place on the standings.
Verona put up a strong fight in the match. They were currently ranked fifth from the bottom, just one step away from the relegation zone, so every game from now on was crucial for them.
Inter Milan struggled to break the deadlock. In the 60th minute, Cooper replaced Gresko with Wang Feng.
Five minutes later, Inter Milan launched a quick counterattack from the back. Dibaggio passed the ball to Wang Feng on the right side, who advanced with the ball.
His speed was fast, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the top of the penalty area. At this moment, the two Verona defenders focused entirely on Wang Feng, converging on him from left and right.
When Wang Feng started dribbling, he glanced at the positioning of other Inter Milan players. He estimated that Ronaldo was not far behind him.
So he decisively flicked the ball with his heel behind him, directly to Ronaldo's feet.
Since Wang Feng attracted all the defensive attention, Ronaldo easily received the ball and broke into the penalty area, then scored with an outside-of-the-foot shot.
This was Ronaldo's third league goal of the season. With this goal, Inter Milan defeated Verona 1-0 and reclaimed second place on the standings.
After finishing the league, Inter Milan directly flew to Paris, France, preparing for the second leg of the knockout match against Paris Saint-Germain.
They stayed at a local five-star hotel. Coach Cooper announced a rule that until the end of the match, no player was allowed to leave the hotel.
After all, this was the luxurious Paris, and before departure, Rekoba and Konchesky privately discussed where to play, but their conversation reached the coaching staff's ears.
However, to boost morale, Cooper promised that if they won the game, the club could stay in Paris for an extra day, which made the players cheer again.
On the day of the match, the Prince's Park Stadium with a capacity of 46,000 was full. Despite Paris Saint-Germain's not-so-impressive performance, their fan base was still fervent.
In this match, the trident combination of Wang Feng, Vieri, and Ronaldo continued to start. Although Inter Milan had the advantage of a home victory, they did not intend to adopt a conservative strategy but started with an aggressive approach.
In the 11th minute, Dibaggio slowly dribbled the ball past the midfield, observing the situation on the field and looking for the right passing opportunity. Just then, Wang Feng, lurking in the frontcourt, suddenly ran forward.
Dibaggio understood, he kicked a lob pass with the toe of his foot. The ball drew a parabolic curve in the air and fell directly into the penalty area.
Wang Feng, who had made a high-speed run, still managed to reach the ball despite the defensive interference and volleyed it into the net, piercing through Paris Saint-Germain's defense.
"The goal is in! In the 11th minute of the first half, Wang Feng gave Inter Milan the lead. They are already halfway into the round of 16!"
"Relying on Dibaggio's broad vision and accurate passing, as well as Wang Feng's speed advantage and finishing ability, Inter Milan launched an unstoppable offensive combination. Paris Saint-Germain's defenders and goalkeeper could only stand by helplessly."
Paris Saint-Germain's nightmare was not over yet. In the first half, in the 41st minute, Inter Milan launched an attack from the left, and Rekoba's cross was blocked by the defender but did not fly too far, falling into the 30-meter area of the penalty area.
Dibaggio stopped the ball and passed it to Wang Feng near the top of the penalty area. Without stopping the ball, Wang Feng lofted a pass to Ronaldo, who was making a run.
Ronaldo, under pressure from the defenders, stumbled a bit as he ran past the ball's landing spot. He had a sudden inspiration, lifted his right foot, and flicked the falling ball with his heel toward the goal.
The ball arced in the air like a spoon penalty, landing in the net. The goalkeeper stood near the small penalty area, his eyes following the ball's trajectory, but he couldn't react.
2-0! Inter Milan led Paris Saint-Germain with a total score of 4-1 over two legs, with Ronaldo scoring his first goal in the Europa League this season.
The home fans booed, and many of them left the stands angrily. They didn't want to witness a slaughter.
In the second half, with only about a third of the original audience left in the stands, in dire straits, Ronaldinho erupted.
In the 57th minute, Paris Saint-Germain launched an attack from the left. Central defender Vince Cord passed the ball into the penalty area, where Ronaldinho, at the edge of the small penalty area, executed a brilliant bicycle kick to pull one back for the home team.
In the 71st minute, Ronaldinho received the ball in the frontcourt again. He dribbled to the right, constantly adjusting his footing, evading the tackles of Sandetti and Cordoba, and broke into the penalty area.
After entering the penalty area, he flicked the ball to the left, quickly changed direction to the left, avoiding Matrazi's block, and then left-footed shot to equalize the score for Paris Saint-Germain.
It wasn't enough! Ronaldinho entered the goal and grabbed the ball, running towards the center circle.
The remaining spectators in the stands were impressed by Ronaldo's brilliant performance, and they stood up one after another, cheering for the home team again, showing a strong presence for a moment.
Football is round, and anything can happen.
In the 80th minute, Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Jacobs received a back pass from his teammate under Vieiri's pressing and hastily kicked the ball out, but the force was small, and the ball rolled slowly towards defender Alton Dural's direction.
Wang Feng quickly approached at this time, seized the ball before Dural, and then dribbled into the penalty area.
Facing the only defending player in the penalty area, he stopped abruptly, used his right foot to control the ball, then turned around and used his left foot to flick the ball backward, performing a standard Marseille turn to pass the opponent.
The goalkeeper also rushed out of the small penalty area to block Wang Feng, but he only lightly pushed the ball forward, evading Jacobs' save, and then scored into the empty net.
Jacobs, who made a fatal mistake, fell to the ground in pain, grabbing his hair tightly with both hands. How much he wished time could go back two minutes, or even one minute, so that he could make up for this mistake.
Football matches are sometimes so cruel. With Wang Feng's two shots and one assist, Inter Milan eliminated Paris Saint-Germain with a total score of 5-3 over two legs.
But whether it was the tenacious fight of Paris Saint-Germain's players in the first leg or the flash of brilliance from Ronaldinho in the second leg, it was enough to show that this was an exciting contest.
Paris Saint-Germain and Ronaldinho can still hold their heads high despite the defeat!
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺