Chapter 151: Carrying Inter Milan forward
After the derby against AC Milan, Inter Milan flew overnight to Newcastle to prepare for the Champions League match three days later.
The Magpies have performed remarkably well this season, not only advancing from the Champions League group stage but also trailing only behind Manchester United and Arsenal on the league table.
Before the match, the coaching staff of Inter Milan carefully studied the recent league and Champions League matches of Newcastle by watching video recordings.
"Their attacking ability and resilience are really strong. Despite losing the first three rounds, they managed to win three consecutive games to advance," assistant coach Dono exclaimed.
Cooper frowned as he watched the footage of the tall English striker, "That Shearer is their captain, right? His ball-holding and confrontational abilities are top-notch. We definitely need to focus on defending against him."
"Let's analyze the characteristics of other players and see how to deploy our defense. Our defensive line is already very tired, so we must arrange tactics properly!"
The starting lineup and formation of Newcastle were basically the same as predicted by the coaching staff of Inter Milan, with Given in goal.
The defenders were Griffin, Bramble, O'Brien, and Bernard.
In midfield were Laurent Robert, Speed, Jenas, and Solano.
The forwards were Bellamy and Shearer.
On Inter Milan's side, Bati and Wang Feng formed the forward line, with Mo Fiao substituting for Recoba's absence. Zambrotta replaced the underperforming Cannavaro in the defense, while the rest remained unchanged.
Cooper dared not make major changes in this match, as Bayer Leverkusen and Barcelona, both in the same group, were lurking, and they had to win the two matches against Newcastle.
After the match started, Newcastle United launched a fierce attack against Inter Milan amidst the cheers of their home fans. The defense line consisting of Cordoba, Coco, Zambrotta, and Materazzi was severely tested.
In the 17th minute, after a breakthrough on the right, Laurent Robert crossed from the baseline. Materazzi in the middle failed to head the ball, and Shearer, unmarked at the far post, chested the ball down and shot into the far corner, bypassing the out-of-form Coco.
The situation that Cooper feared had occurred! The consecutive high-intensity battles had greatly reduced the combat effectiveness of the Inter Milan players, putting them at a disadvantage against the towering English Premier League players.
To compensate for this disadvantage, the forward line led by Wang Feng had to step up. In the 7th minute after conceding a goal, Di Biagio sent a diagonal pass from the left, and Wang Feng quickly latched onto it. Facing Bramble's block, he used a feint to get past his opponent and then blasted the ball with his right foot to equalize for the away team.
At halftime, Wang Feng's perseverance was crucial! Towards the end of the first half, he was fouled and fell in the penalty area.
Inter Milan won a perfect free-kick opportunity, and Wang Feng personally took it. The ball curved in the air, bypassing the wall and flying into Newcastle's net.
In the second half, despite dragging his tired body, Wang Feng continued to move in the opponent's half, preventing them from launching full-scale attacks.
In the 71st minute, Wang Feng initiated another quick counterattack, dribbling past the midfield, continuously bypassing Griffin and O'Brien, and entering the opponent's half.
But the Newcastle United defense was very fast in retreating. Wang Feng awkwardly found that there were four waiting defenders in front of him, with no support from his teammates.
Helplessly, Wang Feng could only protect the ball and retreat, turning the fast counterattack into a positional play, a situation that happened more than once.
In the 71st minute, when Wang Feng faced the dense defense again, he bravely charged forward! He first used consecutive feints and dribbles to break through Griffin and O'Brien's encirclement.
Then he passed the ball sideways in front of the penalty area, creating distance from Bramble, but Bernard's tackle followed closely. After catching up with the ball, Wang Feng stopped abruptly and dodged his leg.
His knee and ankle were slightly aching due to the sudden stop, but Wang Feng couldn't care less. He turned around on the spot and took a powerful shot, the ball flying straight into the top corner, unstoppable by the goalkeeper!
"Goal!! Goal!! Goooooal!! Wang Feng scored!!"
"He scored 1v4, breaking through the entire Newcastle United defense! Amazing, this goal toyed with Newcastle United's entire defense!"
"Let's review the process of this goal again. Hmm, no matter from which angle you look at it, it's so thrilling, as if we were about to concede a goal the next moment, but the ball was always firmly under Wang Feng's control."
"He seemed like a graceful dancer amidst knives, this goal is full of artistic flavor!"
As Wang Feng took the shot, the cameras on the sidelines didn't stop flashing. The Newcastle United defense in disarray and Wang Feng's resolute strike were captured forever, becoming the headline of major news the next day, and an eternal classic!
In the final stages of the game, the frantic Newcastle United bombarded Inter Milan's defense, with Cordoba and Coco even suffering from cramps due to fatigue.
But they persevered until the end, and Inter Milan reversed Newcastle 2-1, securing their first victory in the Champions League group stage!
After the battle with Newcastle, Inter Milan couldn't rest. They flew overnight to Brescia, preparing for the 12th round of Serie A matches.
This time, Cooper finally made extensive changes, resting almost all of the starters except Wang Feng. He specifically found the coach, "Mr. Cooper, although I'm tired too, can I play?"
"My physical condition is completely fine. Brescia is a team we must take points from, isn't it? Right now, we're only four points ahead of AC Milan. If we lose this advantage again, it will be very dangerous."
Cooper looked worriedly at Wang Feng, "Are you really okay? Traveling through three cities in eight days, playing three consecutive matches, I'm very worried you might suffer from fatigue or injury."
Wang Feng patted his chest. His physique did play a role to some extent. After the team doctor's repeated confirmation, Cooper put him on the starting lineup.
Indeed, Wang Feng's worries were justified. Even against teams like Brescia, in the middle and lower ranks, Inter Milan's substitute lineup still appeared very weak. The passive situation continued until the 25th minute when veteran Baggio opened the scoring for Brescia.
But with Wang Feng persisting on the field, he played a crucial role! Towards the end of the first half, when he was fouled and fell in the penalty area.
Inter Milan won an excellent free-kick opportunity, and Wang Feng took it himself. The ball flew over the wall and into Brescia's net.
In the final stages of the game, the frantic Brescia attacked Inter Milan's defense, but they persevered until the end, and Inter Milan reversed Brescia 2-1, securing another victory!
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