Chapter 128: Tenacious
French referee Ballardini awarded Dortmund a severe penalty: a red card and a penalty kick. For the already trailing Dortmund, this was like adding insult to injury. Even though he knew it was an intentional foul, Vorns kept explaining to the referee, hoping he would retract such a severe penalty and instead issue a yellow card.
The Inter Milan fans in the stands booed Vorns, and when Wang Feng's mother saw him being tackled, her heart clenched, while Lu Yao covered her mouth in shock.
That last tackle was too aggressive; there was no question about the red card. Fortunately, Wang Feng was wearing shin guards and had a sturdy physique, so he wasn't injured, just feeling a bit of pain in his leg. He rubbed his shin, adjusted his shin guards, and stood up with the help of Zanetti.
In the end, the 30-year-old German veteran had to leave the field prematurely, ending his imperfect farewell performance.
Wang Feng handed the penalty kick to Vieri to take. He had missed many opportunities in this game and needed a goal to regain his confidence.
Vieri did not disappoint Wang Feng and his teammates, scoring easily and helping Inter Milan increase their lead.
The first half ended with Inter Milan leading Dortmund 2-0.
During halftime, the atmosphere in the Inter Milan locker room was jubilant. Leading by two goals and having an extra man on the field, even the usually cautious Wang Feng felt confident of victory.
Konczykao excitedly discussed where he should go for vacation this summer. Although the entire month of June would be occupied by the World Cup, where he would represent Portugal in Asia, the next season wouldn't start until September, leaving plenty of time in between.
"Korea and Japan should have many fun places to visit. I can stay a bit longer and maybe visit China as well. Wang, are you going home this summer?"
Wang Feng shrugged and said, "I'm not going back. I'll stay in Europe this summer." He felt somewhat annoyed that he hadn't been called up for the World Cup and subconsciously didn't want to hear anything about it.
It seemed like his family could sense his mood. His mother suggested spending the summer in Italy with Wang Feng, and his sister said she wanted to tour Europe while Wang Feng showed her around.
Upon hearing this, Konczykao expressed regret, saying, "It's a shame. Wang's sister is super cute. I wanted to invite her to China to be my tour guide."
Wang Feng grabbed him by the throat and jokingly scolded him, "You brat, don't you dare have any ideas about my sister, or I won't let you breathe." Konczykao begged for mercy, patting the table and saying, "I was wrong, I was wrong."
Everyone burst into laughter, and the locker room was filled with laughter and joy.
Soon, halftime was over, and both teams returned to the field.
Despite being a man down, Dortmund did not give up on the game. On the contrary, they launched a direct attack right from the kickoff, causing chaos in Inter Milan's defense.
In the 49th minute, Rossi dribbled down the left flank and crossed into the box. Materazzi headed the ball away, but it fell to Koller outside the box. Without stopping the ball, Koller volleyed it into the top left corner, leaving Toldo helpless as Dortmund pulled one back.
Just five minutes later, Rossi struck again. His cross into the box was headed on by Koller to Amoruso at the far post. Amoruso was battling with Cordoba, and the physical contact caused Amoruso to fall.
The referee stopped the game and, after consulting with the linesman, awarded Dortmund a penalty!
"Oh, giving Dortmund a penalty at this point is very unfavorable for Inter Milan."
"Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. The contact between Cordoba and Amoruso seems normal, with both engaging in some minor physicality. Shouldn't that be enough for a penalty?"
"We can see that the referee has shown a yellow card to Cordoba, who was chasing after him the whole time. It seems like this penalty is set in stone and won't be changed."
Amoruso took the penalty himself and scored, equalizing the score for Dortmund!
Watching the ecstatic Dortmund players celebrating, the faces of the Inter Milan players showed disbelief and frustration. They had thought victory was in their grasp, but now they had become overconfident.
They subconsciously looked towards Wang Feng. This season, due to Wang Feng's continuous outstanding performances, they had unwittingly come to see him as their backbone.
From Wang Feng's demeanor, they didn't see any despondency or regret, only a firm gaze revealing a desire for victory.
The uneasy feeling gradually subsided. Even though both teams were back on level terms, Inter Milan still had the numerical advantage, so there was nothing to worry about.
As the game resumed, Dortmund, despite being a man down, continued their offensive. However, facing the well-prepared Inter Milan defense, they ultimately fell short, and control of the game gradually shifted in favor of Inter Milan.
In the 79th minute, Wang Feng dribbled into the attacking half. He suddenly accelerated towards Koller, who stretched out his foot to try to steal the ball. Wang Feng deftly flicked the ball past his leg but was tripped in the process.
Struggling to stay on his feet, Wang Feng managed to maintain his balance and caught up with the ball, charging towards the edge of the box.
Dede stepped in to intercept, but Wang Feng's lateral acceleration left him trailing behind. Faced with Evanilson in the center, Wang Feng pushed the ball forward, threading it between Evanilson's legs and directly into the box.
Wang Feng then sprinted into the box, received the ball, and faced the goalkeeper, who dived to block. Wang Feng calmly sidestepped the goalkeeper's outstretched arms and slotted the ball into the empty net from a tight angle.
"Goooooooooooooal!! Wang Feng scores his second goal of the game!! He helps Inter Milan take the lead once again."
"This game has been a rollercoaster. With Dortmund trailing 0-2 and a man down, nobody expected them to score two goals in the second half."
"Just when everyone thought the Yellow Jackets were about to stage a comeback, Wang Feng stepped up and said No!"
"This is Wang Feng's 19th goal in the Europa League this season, putting him far ahead in the top scorer standings. If Inter Milan ultimately lifts the trophy, he is very likely to win the Player of the Season award and create a new historical record!"
"I'm getting more and more excited for next season. When Wang Feng steps onto the Champions League stage, what surprises will he bring us?"
After scoring, Wang Feng slid on his knees towards the corner flag, raising his arms in celebration. Then he was swarmed by his teammates, with Materazzi shouting in his ear, "Is there anything you can't do, Wang? This is all too crazy!"
In the stands, watching Wang Feng acknowledging the fans, Lu Yao's eyes welled up with tears. She knew how difficult it had been for Wang Feng to come this far.
In her mind, she remembered a year ago when Wang Feng had come to her specifically to talk about whether or not to join Inter Milan. Back then, he looked lost and confused, like a seventeen-year-old boy. Thinking about it now made her laugh through her tears.
Lu Yao's mother shook her head as she watched her daughter, crying and laughing. It seemed she was deeply immersed in it all.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢