Chapter 170: Attack
Returning to Milan, Wang Feng still felt somewhat downcast. During training, Ribery was surprised and asked, "Boss, you didn't go out partying these past two days, did you?"
Wang Feng rolled his eyes at him. "Stay away from that old man, Conciocao. Even though he's leaving, he's still corrupting the new guys." Ribery scratched his head. "How did you know Conciocao talked to me about these things?"
"Do I need to explain? You were still laying floor tiles six months ago. Besides Conciocao, who else would be bored enough to give you this kind of knowledge? Let me tell you, stay away from gambling and drugs to make your career last longer."
Ribery nodded. Though he was older than Wang Feng by a few months, in his heart, Wang Feng was his senior, the person he respected most after his parents.
Sometimes Ribery even felt he had Chinese ancestry. Otherwise, why would Wang Feng have helped him? He felt particularly close to Wang Feng. He realized he needed to ask his father about it when he got back.
On April 7th, Serie A resumed its battles. This time, Inter Milan hosted Roma.
This season, Roma could truly be described as pitiful. Once a powerhouse in Serie A, they currently ranked only eighth in the league, with little chance of European competition next season.
In this season's Champions League, they narrowly advanced from the group stage under Real Madrid's shadow in the first round, only to face Ajax, Arsenal, and Valencia in the second round.
After six rounds of bloody battles, Roma became a punching bag. Everyone wanted to take points from them. In the end, the young Ajax and Valencia advanced, leaving Arsenal regretful.
Inter Milan's opponent in the quarterfinals was Valencia, which could be seen as a revenge match for Serie A teams against their Spanish counterparts.
To accommodate players who had gone to national teams, coach Cooper didn't field the full starting lineup in this match. However, Wang Feng started, crucial for Inter Milan's quest for points.
In the 31st minute, Inter Milan's defense made a mistake. Pasquale, under Cassano's pressure, chose to dribble into his own penalty area. Cassano intercepted and shot, scoring.
On the sideline, Cooper roared angrily, "What are you doing? Can't you clear the ball?"
Ultimately, this 21-year-old defender was still too nervous. Not being regularly used made him a bit jittery, leading to bizarre mistakes.
Wang Feng wouldn't blame players for making mistakes as long as their attitudes were correct. After all, who could avoid making mistakes all the time? He would step up when the team needed him.
In the 43rd minute, Inter Milan attacked. Zanetti passed the ball to Wang Feng in the middle after receiving it on the right. He first stopped the ball, then took a long-range shot.
The ball flew like a bullet towards Roma's goal, and despite Pelizzoli's full effort to save it, he was a step too late.
"Gooooooooooooooooooal!! Wang Feng's long-range shot from the edge of the penalty area, goal!!"
"Inter Milan equalizes! A brilliant set-piece shot. From this shot, you can see Wang Feng's amazing explosive power, shooting directly without a run-up."
"The rapid ball was impossible to save. Roma's defense also didn't react in time, seemingly finding this shot unbelievable."
After scoring, Wang Feng hugged his teammates one by one, especially comforting Pasquale who had made a mistake earlier, making the Italian feel warm. Wang Feng demonstrated his personality charm in these details, making the young players in Inter Milan admire and believe in him even more.
At the end of the first half, both sides shook hands, and as they returned for the second half, Inter Milan's defense became more solid while Roma began to show signs of decline.
In the 67th minute, Wang Feng returned to midfield to defend. He successfully intercepted the ball from Emerson's feet, then knocked it to Dalma, who quickly started dribbling.
After crossing the midfield, Dalma passed the ball to Wang Feng on the side. At this time, three Roma defenders faced three Inter Milan attackers. Wang Feng glanced to his left, seeing Ribery speeding up ahead.
So he decisively sent a curved pass, the ball rolling on the grass in a new moon trajectory, finding Ribery at the edge of the penalty area.
At the same time, Wang Feng also rushed into the penalty area with his speed. Ribery didn't hesitate and passed the ball to Wang Feng, who, under the interference of Zebe, didn't stop the ball and shot directly.
The ball flew into the net, grazing the underside of the crossbar, as Pelizzoli judged that Wang Feng's shot would be a low one, choosing to dive. He didn't expect Wang Feng to chip the ball so high with his toe.
"Goal!! Inter Milan overtakes Roma! In the 67th minute, Wang Feng scores his second goal!!"
"Inter Milan executed an exceptionally brilliant defensive counterattack. From Wang Feng's knock in midfield to the pass to Ribery on the left and the subsequent pass and shot, the whole process was seamless."
"Wang Feng played a crucial role in organizing the attack, immediately passing to an open player after the interception and displaying outstanding attacking vision, precise passing, and a perfect final shot."
"In this attack, Wang Feng showcased his comprehensive technical skills and superb football intelligence!"
At the end of the match, the score remained unchanged. Inter Milan won 2-1 against Roma, keeping the pressure on AC Milan behind them.
In the Champions League quarterfinals, Serie A occupied three spots: Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan. La Liga also occupied three spots: Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia. The remaining two spots were held by the Premier League's lone representative Manchester United and the dark horse Ajax.
The distribution of seats showed that Serie A and La Liga were currently in a league of their own in European football, with other leagues struggling to keep up.
Valencia's coach was the young Benitez, whose career had a legendary hue. In 2000, he was coaching newly-promoted Tenerife. In 2001, after taking over Valencia, he won the league title, beating out powerhouses like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Deportivo La Coruna.
If Cooper, taking over from Ranieri, led Valencia to two Champions League runner-up finishes, it was like "picking peaches." Benitez taking over from Cooper and winning La Liga would be "enjoying the shade."
Of course, such sayings didn't hold water. Each coach had their own characteristics and tactical arrangements, and achieving good results depended on the coach's command ability.
But Cooper indeed knew this Valencia team very well. When interviewed, Benitez said, "Inter Milan's coach knows the technical characteristics of every Valencia player, which is very disadvantageous for us."
This usually serious Spaniard showed a hint of worry when talking about Wang Feng. "Wang is one of the best forwards in European football. How to restrict him will be the ultimate test for our defense."
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