Chapter 215: Hot pursuit
After the team regrouped, the atmosphere in the locker room seemed a bit strange. Adriano, who returned to Inter Milan, found himself in an awkward position. Although Wang Feng welcomed him publicly, everyone maintained surface harmony. However, everyone knew that his competition with Vieri had just begun.
How could the thirty-year-old Vieri be willing to compete with the twenty-one-year-old Adriano? He had already contacted potential new clubs through his agent, hoping to leave Inter Milan this summer.
It is rumored that the Italian has become the target of many teams, including Juventus and AC Milan in Serie A, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Valencia and his former club Atletico Madrid in La Liga, as well as CSKA Moscow, among others, all expressing strong interest.
His contract with Inter Milan runs until 2006, so there are still two years left. Now it depends on the expectations and offers from the Nerazzurri, as well as the salary treatment of the new club.
In the turbulent situation, Inter Milan welcomed their first opponent after the winter break, facing Lecce at home in the 15th round of Serie A. In this match, Mancini indeed relegated Vieri to the bench and let Adriano start.
Both physically and mentally, Inter players didn't adjust well, so they started poorly, with many problems and mistakes on both ends of the field.
Wang Feng's form wasn't great either. He missed two very threatening chances in a row, lacking the stability and efficiency he once had.
Lecce seized the opportunity. In the 27th minute, forward Chevantón broke into the penalty area and shot past Toldo's fingertips.
At halftime, Inter Milan still trailed by one goal. In the locker room, Mancini, rarely seen angry, scolded all the starting players, including Wang Feng.
"Although we are still leading the league table, everyone knows how fierce the final championship race will be. If we can't even beat a newly promoted team, we might as well give up on defending the title early!"
In the second half, the home team gradually regained their form. Wang Feng was determined to score. In the 55th minute, he and newly joined Adriano staged a small-scale two-on-one cooperation in the penalty area. Wang Feng then scored with a poke, equalizing for Inter Milan.
In the 79th minute, Ribery sent a through ball, and Wang Feng, after receiving it, went one-on-one with the goalkeeper, dodged past him, and tapped the ball into the empty net.
With Wang Feng's brace, Inter Milan won 2-1 in a comeback victory.
In the 16th round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced Parma away. The Nerazzurri and Crusaders opened fire, presenting fans with a brilliant offensive battle.
Just 7 minutes into the game, Wang Feng took a corner for Inter Milan, lofting the ball to the back post, where Adriano headed it in to open the scoring for the team.
But just two minutes later, Marquioni sent a through ball from the front, and Gilardino in the penalty area volleyed it in, equalizing for Parma.
Then both sides attacked and defended. Before the end of the first half, Wang Feng suddenly took a long shot from the front, but Parma goalkeeper Frey was very focused and miraculously saved the ball.
At this moment, Adriano, lurking in the penalty area, followed up with a rebound shot and scored, putting Inter Milan ahead again!
Having just played two games for Inter Milan, the Brazilian scored a brace, running wildly around the field in excitement. The Inter Milan fans who traveled from afar were generous with their applause and cheers.
Inter Milan's lead didn't last long. At the beginning of the second half, Parma launched a counterattack. Gilardino scored again, also completing a brace to level the score at 2-2.
The former Parma "Three Musketeers," with Mutu now at Chelsea, Adriano returning to Inter Milan, and only Gilardino staying at Parma, both scored braces, belonging to different camps but simultaneously achieving the same feat.
If the first half of the game was a showdown between Adriano and Gilardino, then the second half was Wang Feng's stage. In the 74th minute, he dribbled past two Parma defenders, Ferari and Junior, and shot to score in the penalty area.
Just four minutes later, Ribery broke through on the wing and passed to the near post, where Wang Feng, facing away from the goal, executed a bicycle kick, sending the ball flying towards the far corner of the goal, brushing against the crossbar and into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!! The ball is in! 4-2! Wang Feng secures victory for Inter Milan!"
"A wonderful bicycle kick! We can see that Wang Feng stayed in the air for a long time, which indicates his strong jumping ability and core strength, allowing him to contribute such a brilliant goal."
"So far, Wang Feng has scored 26 league goals. It was thought that his 40 goals last season were his peak, but this season, he is still aiming to break records!"
After this round, Inter Milan's record reached 13 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, with 41 points, setting a new high for 16 rounds of league history. However, Roma, with 12 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss and 39 points, and AC Milan, with 11 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss and 37 points, were close behind, showing a closely contested situation.
"It turns out that for Inter Milan, the current Adriano is indeed much more effective than Vieri." After the match, Vito Hodson, a commentator on Italian broadcasting, evaluated.
"In the two games that have ended, his role on the front line is much greater than Vieri's previous role. His superb shooting skills and strong physical presence have secured his position as a regular starter."
"I can even assert that he will become the second top scorer in the team after Wang Feng. His playing experience at Fiorentina and Parma has cultivated his instincts and confidence as a striker. I believe if he had stayed at Inter Milan earlier, he would not have grown so quickly."
Another commentator, Donovan Majeski, discussed Vieri's transfer saga. "Many teams have extended an olive branch to Vieri. Is he still competitive?"
Hodson said: "I think he is now suitable for the substitute position in Inter Milan's frontline. Why? Twenty-year-old Wang Feng, twenty-one-year-old Adriano, and twenty-year-old Ribery are all young players capable of taking on major responsibilities on Inter Milan's frontline."
"They are young and talented, and it's time for them to get more playing time. From the club's perspective, there is no problem with Vieri being a substitute."
"But the former Italian striker is clearly dissatisfied with this role, so his departure is inevitable."
Hodson also believes that when Vieri transferred from Lazio to Inter Milan for 50 million euros, his value should have dropped to around 20 million euros now, definitely lower than Adriano's 27 million euros.
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