Chapter 206: One more defeat
Inter Milan, who gained the advantage, responded more calmly to Juventus' attacks. In the 33rd minute, after Toldo collected Trezeguet's long shot, Inter Milan quickly launched a counterattack.
Toldo kicked the ball long to the midfield, Ribery received the ball near the center line, with Wang Feng positioned on the right and Vieri in the middle, creating a wide attacking formation for Inter Milan.
This put immense pressure on the Juventus defense, forcing them to split their defense to mark these three players. When Ribery received the ball, Wang Feng saw Thuram rushing over to press, while Birindelli remained close by.
Meanwhile, Vieri had already crossed the midfield and was making a forward run, ready to receive Ribery's pass at any moment. This alerted the Argentine midfielder Camoranesi, who had to closely defend Vieri on his side.
Juventus' high press created significant gaps in their defensive line! The three defenders couldn't cover for each other, and Wang Feng quickly started his run into the forward area. Birindelli was surprised and hurried to defend, but couldn't match his speed.
Ribery sent a lofted pass, the ball swiftly crossed Juventus' defensive line into the forward area, where Wang Feng charged forward, lifting the ball with his right foot in the air, feeling no obstruction whatsoever.
At that moment, Birindelli bit his teeth, using all his strength to charge at Wang Feng, trying to push him away. However, Wang Feng just stumbled slightly and quickly regained his balance.
He saw Juventus goalkeeper Buffon coming out, and if he adjusted and shot again, Buffon would block the angle completely. So, after barely stabilizing himself, Wang Feng directly took the shot with his right foot.
In the eyes of the audience, everything happened in a flash. They only saw Wang Feng stopping the ball and then, after sidestepping Birindelli, shooting directly with his right foot.
The ball flew out from the tip of Wang Feng's right foot, Buffon dived sideways to save, but the angle was too small. The ball grazed past his right side and went straight into the net behind him.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal!! Wang Feng scores again, Inter Milan leads by two goals!"
"The first half is not over yet, and Inter Milan's lead has been further extended! Although Juventus planned numerous attacks, their efficiency is far lower than the Nerazzurri's!"
"This is a brilliant defensive counterattack, the three players in the front line posing a huge threat to the Juventus defense. Before they fully settled, Juventus had to split their defense."
"Ribery's lofted pass, in terms of timing and strength, is impeccable. After nearly a season of training, the Frenchman's dribbling and confrontation skills are rapidly improving. Don't forget, he's just a twenty-year-old youth player!"
"We won't talk much about Wang Feng's ball control; it's as stable and beautiful as ever. More importantly, he blocked Birindelli's attack from behind, seized the fleeting opportunity, and decisively shot. This is the instinct of a top striker."
Birindelli sat on the ground, full of frustration and despair. The confrontation with Wang Feng just now made him doubt life. At the moment of collision, it felt like he had crashed into a giant rock. The intense pain and the huge reactive force almost made him fall.
But Wang Feng just stumbled slightly, then shot and scored as if nothing had happened. It was terrifying; his lower body stability could only be described as inhuman.
During halftime in the Juventus dressing room, there was silence. Coach Lippi sat there despondently, feeling tired. Where did things go wrong?
Losing to Inter Milan, he was prepared for it long ago. This Inter Milan is only scarier than last season! The only things left to defeat them are injuries and some unexpected tactics.
His mind flashed back to three years ago. If he had been more assertive about needing Wang Feng back then, the club probably wouldn't have let go of such a big headache.
But what Lippi couldn't bear was that Juventus had suffered several defeats this season, especially losing to AC Milan, Roma, and even Bologna!
His tactics were clear, but the players' execution on the field was always lackluster. So when Van de Meijde challenged his authority, the "Silver Fox" decisively shut him down.
Captain Del Piero looked at the old man with a complex expression. He didn't have any complaints about Lippi. Although Lippi's coaching since 2001 hadn't brought Juventus any honors, it was more because of Inter Milan's strong rise.
So the Italian had always tried his best to help the coach balance the dressing room, allowing the Bianconeri to pass through two seasons steadily. But this season's consecutive setbacks had made many players question the coach's level.
The trust between coach and players had been lost, and this kind of problem could destroy any team!
Returning to the field, Inter Milan was surprised to find that Juventus' first-half dominance seemed to have completely disappeared. Both their attack and defense looked particularly weak.
In the 51st minute, Wang Feng easily broke through the defense of Thuram and Lerota, entered the penalty area, and passed to Ribery, who had no one to mark him, for an easy tap-in.
3-0! Inter Milan's complete victory!
Seeing Juventus seemingly giving up resistance, Mancini gradually substituted key players in stages. They needed to conserve energy for the upcoming matches.
The score didn't change further, and Inter Milan continued their unbeaten record.
In the post-match press conference, Juventus coach Lippi announced his decision. He had formally submitted his resignation to the club's management, and Juventus had agreed to his request.
This news stunned the reporters present. They couldn't believe Lippi would choose to leave at this time. After a moment of silence, the venue suddenly became noisy, with a flurry of questions.
"Mr. Lippi, was the decision to resign your own or pressured by the club's management?"
"Mr. Lippi, why did you choose to resign? Is it because of Juventus' poor performance this season, or is it related to conflicts with players within the club? Please explain in detail."
"Mr. Lippi, is your resignation related to Inter Milan's multiple victories over Juventus?"
Lippi didn't answer these questions but directly left the scene, leaving the reporters feeling regretful. However, they quickly contacted their respective newspapers to convey this explosive news.
The reporter from Milan Sports even had a headline ready: "Lippi sacked by Juventus, Wang Feng defeats another one!" Since AC Milan's Terim was sacked after losing to Inter Milan, this was the second top coach to be sacked after losing to Inter Milan.
The reporter from Rome Sports didn't harbor good intentions and wondered if Ancelotti would be the third. The 22nd round of Serie A would be another Milan Derby, likely to affect the title race, so there would be a lot to watch.
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