Chapter 138: Rain and injuries
On the evening of September 18th, at the Lekendal Stadium in Trondheim, Norway, the first round of the UEFA Champions League group stage match between Rosenborg and Inter Milan is underway.
Inter Milan has completely dominated the game since the start. In the 3rd minute, Dharma organized an attack in midfield and passed to Rekoba, who was making a run down the flank. The Uruguayan sent a cross into the penalty area.
The ball smoothly passed between two defenders and found Wang Feng at the far post, who didn't hesitate to shoot, opening the scoring for Inter Milan.
Five minutes later, Wang Feng received a long pass from Zanetti at the edge of the penalty area. He controlled the ball with his back to the goal, then turned and broke through without any fancy footwork, simply overpowering the opposing defender. Their abilities were clearly mismatched.
Once inside the penalty area, Wang Feng didn't miss the opportunity, dribbling past the last defender and slotting the ball home to extend Inter Milan's lead.
In the 21st minute, Inter Milan launched another attack. Di Biaggio passed from the left to Rekoba inside the penalty area, who chipped the ball to the side where Vieri was positioned.
Despite defensive pressure, Vieri headed the ball to the penalty spot, where Wang Feng executed a bicycle kick to score his third goal of the match!
In just 21 minutes, Wang Feng completed a hat-trick! Afterwards, Inter Milan slowed down their pace and began to control the game, while Rosenborg's defensive gaps were too wide. In the 34th minute, Wang Feng received the ball on the right and casually passed it into the penalty area.
Vieri, who made a run into the box, volleyed the ball fiercely, once again piercing through the home team's defense.
4-0! Rosenborg began to feel anxious. To avoid further embarrassment, they started defending more aggressively. In order to avoid conflicts, Inter Milan completely gave up on attacking and relaxed their defense a bit, but Rosenborg still couldn't score.
At halftime, Inter Milan replaced key players Wang Feng and Vieri with new signing Batistuta, a 33-year-old veteran with strong attacking abilities. In the second half, Batistuta further extended Inter Milan's lead with a powerful long-range shot.
As the game neared its end, Inter Milan was awarded a free kick in the opponent's half. Zanetti's direct shot once again breached Rosenborg's defense.
The final score was 6-0, with Inter Milan convincingly defeating Rosenborg.
While Inter Milan enjoyed a big win over Rosenborg, Juventus drew 1-1 with Feyenoord, AC Milan beat Crotone 2-1, and Roma suffered a 0-3 defeat against Real Madrid. It's a mixed bag for the top four teams in Serie A.
Even against weaker opponents, Wang Feng's Champions League debut hat-trick and one assist performance shocked European football. The German newspaper "Bild" described: "In the two UEFA Cup appearances Wang Feng made, he contributed 22 goals and 19 goals respectively, astonishing the world."
"Now on the Champions League stage, can he continue to lead the top scorer list? Let's wait and see."
On the evening of September 22nd, in the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, it was raining heavily at the Granillo Stadium. Inter Milan, dressed in white, was facing Reggina, dressed in red, in the second round of Serie A.
Rainwater dripped into Wang Feng's eyes, blurring his vision. He wiped the water droplets away with his hands, running tirelessly in search of opportunities.
He had experienced rainy battles before, but playing in such heavy rain was a first for him. It was almost impossible to see the opponent's goal, and if the rain got any heavier, the game might have been postponed.
The heavy rain severely hindered both teams' performances, especially Inter Milan's. Compared to newly promoted Reggina, they were more adept at possession play and would have normally dominated.
However, the soaked pitch made it difficult to pass and control the ball properly. Both teams made numerous mistakes, and in the first thirty minutes of the game, neither managed to create a shot on goal.
In the 35th minute, Vieri received the ball in the middle and prepared to dribble forward, but suddenly slipped and fell to the ground without any challenge.
Seeing Vieri in obvious pain on the ground, Reggina defender Morabito kindly kicked the ball out of play. Then Inter Milan's team doctor entered the field for a simple examination.
"Muscle strain!" Doctor Hert gave a grim diagnosis. He shook his head and signaled to coach Cooper for a substitution. Cooper thought it was just a minor injury from slipping in the rain, but it turned out to be more serious. He had no choice but to bring on Batistuta to replace Vieri.
At halftime, Inter Milan players inquired about Vieri's condition with the staff. They were told that he would miss at least the next two months of matches.
The atmosphere in the dressing room was heavy. Matarazzi said gloomily, "Vieri told me before that he was very lucky last season, not to have suffered any injuries. I didn't expect him to get injured right at the start of this season."
Injuries are unavoidable for professional players, especially for Inter Milan, who have experienced many such precedents. Just as everyone's spirits were sinking, Wang Feng stood up and said, "Guys, it's not time to despair yet. If you believe in me, please pass me the ball."
Matarazzi continued, "Yes, of course we believe in you, magical kid. Is your body made of iron? Last season, you only rested for two matches after such a serious foul."
Everyone couldn't help but smile, and the heavy feeling gradually dissipated. Yes, things were different now. They had the "Iron Man" Wang Feng, who was undoubtedly a goal-scoring machine!
When coach Cooper returned to the dressing room, he found that the players' morale had returned. This puzzled him a bit, but he also breathed a sigh of relief.
He tapped the tactics board and said, "With such heavy rain, we need to change our tactics. Try to minimize short passes and instead use long passes to tear apart the opponent's defense."
"After winning the ball in the back and midfield, we can directly kick it to the forwards. Wang Feng and Batistuta, you two wait up front for the ball."
"Sanetti, you lead the backline to closely mark the opponent. I estimate Reggina will also use this long-pass tactic. We can't let them take advantage of it."
After carefully arranging the tactics, the second half of the game began amidst the pouring rain.
In the 71st minute, Inter Milan's Dharma sent a long pass to the front, while Wang Feng quickly sprinted to find the ball's landing spot.
Despite being closely chased by defender Ramaki, Wang Feng had the advantage in speed and was the first to reach the ball's destination. He then pushed the ball forward and continued chasing after it.
The rain made it difficult to advance with the ball, and Ramaki quickly caught up. However, relying on his instincts, Wang Feng managed to control the ball, dodge a tackle with a quick turn, and then, with a powerful left-footed shot, scored from long range.
The goal was sudden, and the Reggina goalkeeper couldn't react in time. He made an attempt to save it, but it was too late.
With this unexpected attack, Inter Milan won 1-0 against their opponents, securing three valuable points.
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