Chapter 136: Opening successively
On September 14, 2002, at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, Inter Milan would welcome the opening match of the new season. Their opponent was Torino, a team from the same city as Juventus.
For the home coaching staff, this was a must-win game. Since Cooper mentioned the "great goals," the Italian media had not stopped mocking Inter Milan. They would be delighted to see Inter Milan stumble at the beginning.
Shortly after the game started, the home team's coaching staff stood in a row, anxiously watching the situation on the field. Cooper stood in the middle with his hands in his pockets, appearing calm on the surface, but the sweat on his forehead exposed his nervousness.
Inter Milan did not have the upper hand at the beginning of the game. French midfielder Dalma's performance was worrying, with frequent low-level mistakes, causing anxiety among the spectators. Meanwhile, Torino's Uruguayan forward Magallanes was exceptionally active, putting great pressure on Inter Milan's defense.
Cooper's greatest hope now was for Wang Feng to continue his previous performances. As long as his offensive role was demonstrated, it would deal a fatal blow to Torino.
In the 10th minute, the suppressed Inter Milan finally launched a strong attack. Di Biagio dribbled on the left, forcefully broke into the penalty area with his technical skills, and then delivered a cross.
The ball went directly to the right, where Wang Feng pushed aside Torino defender Fattori, received the ball, and took a shot.
The shot was fast and urgent, heading straight for the bottom right corner of the goal, but Torino goalkeeper Bucci made a miraculous save, using one hand to push the ball out of bounds.
Wang Feng, frustrated by not scoring, scratched his hair, while Inter Milan fans in the stands applauded, applauding both Wang Feng's attack and Bucci's miraculous save.
"Wang Feng made Inter Milan's first shot of the game, and this shot was perfect in both angle and strength, but unfortunately, Bucci managed to keep the goal safe."
"After Di Biagio's breakthrough, he found Wang Feng on the right, and the two still maintained their understanding from last season."
Three minutes later, Recoba passed the ball to Wang Feng outside the penalty area, Wang Feng held the ball with his back to the goal, and, feigning to turn to break through, attracted Torino's Fattori to come for a double-team.
However, he suddenly sent the ball backward with his right foot, directly to the feet of the advancing Vieri. Unfortunately, the Italian striker's shot was too strong, and the ball flew over the crossbar.
In the following game, Inter Milan gradually took control of the game, and their midfield became more organized. Torino gradually retreated to defend, and their threat in the front line became minimal.
"Let's take a look at this attack. Wang Feng received the ball in the frontcourt, and Torino's defense is quite dense. He passed the ball to Recoba on the right."
"Recoba received the ball, with Galante making a pulling motion, but Recoba didn't fall and still passed the ball to the frontcourt, where Vieri received the ball at the edge of the penalty area."
"Beautiful, he hooked the ball into the penalty area, Wang Feng made a run, Wang Feng! He shoots! Goal! Gooooooooooooooal!"
"In the 31st minute of the first half, Inter Milan finally scored the first goal!"
"Wang Feng, number ten, opened the scoring for Inter Milan. This is his first league goal of the season and Inter Milan's first league goal. Wang Feng is proving with his actions that his form is as hot as last season!"
"Let's take a look at the slow-motion replay. Vieri's hook pass at the edge of the penalty area was very thoughtful. He retreated to the best receiving position, touched the ball with his right foot, and hooked it into the penalty area."
"Wang Feng, relying on his speed, got to the ball before the Torino defenders and poked it with his foot, sending the ball through the goalkeeper's hands into the net."
After Wang Feng scored, both the Inter Milan players on the field and the coaching staff off the field breathed a sigh of relief. Although they controlled the game, not being able to take the lead always brought great pressure, and now all the pressure had been released, making their performance on the field more relaxed.
Just five minutes later, Inter Milan struck again. Wang Feng dribbled on the right, cleverly turned with a Cruyff turn to shake off the defensive players, and crossed.
The ball hit Vieri's head accurately at the near post, and then deflected into the net, 2-0! Inter Milan scored another goal!
When Vieri celebrated the goal, he said to Wang Feng who came afterwards, "Wang, I feel like this goal was completely aimed at my head. I didn't even use much force, and the ball was headed into the net."
He joked, "My head is still spinning from the impact." The surrounding teammates burst into laughter, and Wang Feng felt proud. It seemed like his passing accuracy had become even more precise, which was the result of his usual diligent training.
The first half ended with Inter Milan leading by two goals, but at halftime, head coach Cooper was still not satisfied with the team's performance. "We wasted a lot of opportunities in the first half. You must know that Torino is not a strong team."
"Dalma, you haven't fully entered the game yet. I hope you can play a more important role in both attack and defense in the second half."
The Frenchman, who transferred from Paris Saint-Germain to Inter Milan in 2000, had just obtained a starting position in this season, but unexpectedly performed poorly in his debut and was criticized by the head coach. He felt quite depressed and could only lower his head to tie his shoelaces.
Seeing this, Wang Feng sat down beside him and whispered, "Stéphane, Mr. Cooper is usually quite strict. It's your first start, and you're sure to feel a bit uncomfortable. We can all understand."
"When I made my first start in the Belgian Pro League, I was so nervous that I couldn't figure out what to do."
Dalma was surprised and said, "With your talent as a young genius, weren't you outstanding in your first start? Were you still nervous?"
Wang Feng did indeed make a stunning debut in the cup, but to comfort Dalma, he only focused on his own feelings of nervousness and confusion in the first few moments on the field.
This made Dalma somewhat empathetic, and gradually his uneasy mood was relieved. Even Wang Feng had such feelings; he felt that he could do it!
As the second half began, Inter Milan still maintained the level of the first half. In the 67th minute, a quick counterattack saw Inter Milan form a three-on-three situation in the frontcourt. Wang Feng dribbled on the right, bypassed the defending players, and sent a straight pass into the penalty area.
Recoba took the ball and scored into Torino's goal, sealing the victory for Inter Milan.
The three most potent attackers for Inter Milan last season, Wang Feng, Vieri, and Recoba, all opened their accounts in the first league game of the new season, which could be considered a good omen.
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