Chapter 179: Cup final, no compromise
The biggest advantage of playing against AC Milan in the cup final is that there is no need for back-and-forth travel. The two teams have already played against each other four times this season, with Inter Milan winning one, drawing two, and losing one, so they don't have a statistical advantage.
However, they have solidly snatched the league title and the Champions League final spot from AC Milan's hands. Therefore, AC Milan is united in their determination to retain the cup championship trophy!
"Beep~~~" With the sound of the whistle from the Italian referee Leon Foxworthy, the players quickly started running, and the game began.
Without cautious probing, the two teams, who had clashed just six days ago, quickly began planning their offensive and defensive strategies, and the pace of the game was fast.
Wang Feng sat on the ground, feeling somewhat frustrated as he looked at the handsome Italian guy in front of him. Nesta reached out his hand to him apologetically, and Wang Feng grabbed it and got up.
Just now, he had received the ball on the right, and after feinting Nesta with a fake move, he wanted to cut inside with the ball. However, before he could accelerate, the Italian made a decisive foul.
It would have been a good opportunity if he could have made it inside. Ah, AC Milan knows him too well. Wang Feng shook his head and sighed. His start was still a bit slow.
It's difficult to directly threaten the goal from this position for a free kick. Wang Feng took the free kick himself, lofting the ball into the penalty area. Without the high point presence of Materazzi and with Vieri not in peak condition, the 1.87-meter-tall Maldini easily cleared the ball.
AC Milan's defense against Wang Feng became even tighter and more proactive, and they resorted to fouls in areas where he couldn't threaten the goal directly with free kicks.
The game entered a stalemate, but the scene was exceptionally intense, with the referee's whistle sounding frequently.
In such an intense situation, Wang Feng still created two very good opportunities. One was a free kick cleverly passed to Ribery at the far post, but his shot was saved by Dida.
The other was taking advantage of his superior acceleration to break through Simic's defense, but his right-footed shot hit the post, missing an excellent chance to open the scoring.
Retreating to the midfield to receive the ball again, Wang Feng dribbled forward himself, with Gattuso unable to tackle him, and decided to foul him, but this time, the referee blew the whistle again without showing a card.
Inter Milan quickly took the free kick, giving it to Di Biagio on the left, but he couldn't break through AC Milan's defense and was tackled by Nesta. Seeing the situation, Wang Feng accelerated to press, wanting to regain possession on the spot.
Nesta was somewhat nervous and directly cleared the ball with a long pass. Inter Milan won the first ball, and Zanetti controlled the ball.
"AC Milan's defense in this game is very tough, making it difficult for Inter Milan to make breakthroughs. Wang Feng needs more support from the midfield, but obviously, Inter Milan also dare not press forward too aggressively and leave their defense vulnerable."
"Look at this time, Zanetti passed the ball to Dalma on the left, and Dalma continued with a long pass. The ball came to the left side of the front court, and Di Biagio judged the landing point and headed it."
As Di Biagio moved forward, Wang Feng had already run beside him to support. Seeing the ball coming, he first controlled it with his chest, then used his left foot to bring it down, immediately shifting it to his right foot. The whole process was seamless, not giving Nesta a chance to tackle him closely.
After securing the ball, Wang Feng poked it sideways with the tip of his right foot, then suddenly accelerated past Nesta and quickly passed it to Ribery, who had rushed to the right.
Ribery pictured the situation in the front court. Di Biagio was on the left, Wang Feng and Vieri were in the middle, making it a perfect time for a cross. So, without hesitation, before the defender Maldini could come to defend, he used his right foot to send a cross into the penalty area.
Ribery didn't disappoint Wang Feng's trust! As the ball was passed to the right, Wang Feng had already started running towards the penalty area. When Ribery made the pass, he had just burst out of AC Milan's defensive line, successfully avoiding the offside.
The cross wasn't very high, only reaching Wang Feng's waist, so he lifted his left foot and, with the ball flying towards him, executed a side volley in mid-air. The ball took a slight deviation and flew towards the left post of the goal, hitting the inside of the post and bouncing into the net.
"Wang Feng!! Goal!! Gooooooooooooooooooal!! In the 41st minute of the first half, Inter Milan took the lead!!"
"Excellent teamwork in the front court, excellent volley!"
"AC Milan is in a disadvantageous position, I wonder if they will recall the bad experience of the Champions League quarter-finals. The players need to adjust their mentality quickly."
As the commentator said, the players of AC Milan were completely shattered mentally. Their attack was ineffective, and instead, Wang Feng seized the opportunity to score one. The pre-match arrangements were in vain, and it was too painful!
Defeat in the Champions League, defeat in the league, and now falling behind in the cup as well, the consecutive blows left them feeling bewildered. Inter Milan then seized this opportunity to launch another attack.
This time, Zanetti intercepted in midfield and organized the attack, passing the ball to Wang Feng. While dribbling forward, Wang Feng observed the situation and suddenly passed the ball to Di Biagio on the left. When the latter entered the penalty area, he didn't have a good chance.
So he decisively passed the ball back to Wang Feng near the top of the arc of the penalty area. At this moment, AC Milan defender Costacurta didn't know what he was thinking and left Wang Feng some distance, only waiting for him to break through inside the penalty area.
Wang Feng didn't hesitate either. He immediately flicked the ball to his right, creating some space between him and the goalkeeper, and then took a shot without hesitation. The shot wasn't very powerful, but the adjustment of the angle for the shot was perfect.
The ball drew a huge arc in the air, and just when the goalkeeper thought it was going out of bounds, it suddenly curved into the top right corner of the goal.
2-0! Inter Milan expanded their lead!
After scoring, Wang Feng excitedly slid on his knees to the sideline, pointing to the sky in celebration. His teammates crowded around him, as his heroic performance this season had already won over everyone.
Costacurta slapped his head in frustration, wondering how he could make such a mistake! Now letting Inter Milan expand the lead was adding insult to injury for the team.
On the coach's bench, Ancelotti rubbed his temples, feeling extremely troubled. Wang Feng had become the striker he least wanted to face. No matter how well the tactics were arranged, it was the players who executed them, and inevitably, some mistakes occurred. But Wang Feng always seized such opportunities until he completely destroyed his opponents.
He even felt somewhat despondent, wondering if his coaching abilities were inadequate. Being handed a mess from Trimmel last year, they barely secured a Champions League spot at the last minute, so he proposed increasing the strength of signings at the beginning of the season.
The club was also very supportive, spending a lot of money to poach many good players from major clubs. With a perfect lineup, they performed well on various stages, but Inter Milan, plagued by injuries, was always trailing behind.
Was his coaching ability lacking? Ancelotti felt somewhat doubtful about life.
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