Chapter 216: Overtime denied
After returning from Parma to Milan, Inter Milan faced the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, and the intense schedule inevitably left the players feeling exhausted. Fortunately, their opponents Roma were in a similar situation, having just finished their league campaign and arrived in Milan.
Both sides opted not to rotate their squads and fielded their strongest lineups. For both clubs, the Coppa Italia was a trophy they did not want to relinquish, especially for Roma, who couldn't participate in European competitions and thus focused more on league and cup matches.
The first leg took place at Inter Milan's home ground, and Roma started the game aggressively, seeking an early goal. They took control of the match for a period during the first half.
In the 21st minute, De Rossi played a brilliant through ball near the midfield line, finding Totti who beat the offside trap, entered the penalty area, and calmly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper to give Roma a valuable lead.
Cordoba, who was marking Totti, made a serious mistake, allowing Roma's prince to capitalize and strike Inter Milan where it hurts.
Throughout the game, Wang Feng was tightly marked as usual. Whenever he pressed high up the field, opponents quickly passed to avoid him, and when Roma transitioned to attack, there were always players vigilant around him.
The deficit continued until the 67th minute of the second half. After a series of passes at the back for Inter Milan, the ball reached Ribery on the right side. The Frenchman dribbled inside, drawing the attention of the right-back Zebe?a, and suddenly cut the ball back to the right.
Wang Feng, who was initially level with Ribery, anticipated the inward movement and started his run as soon as he saw Ribery preparing to pass. He accelerated to shake off the defensive attention and received the ball.
He surged forward, sprinting towards the goal line after entering the penalty area. Before Samuel could close him down, he delivered a right-footed cross. The cross was beautifully arched, with the perfect height just outside the edge of the six-yard box.
Adriano shook off De Rossi's marking, leaped high, and headed the ball into the left side of the goal. Roma's goalkeeper Pelizzoli dived to his side but could only touch the ball, which bounced off his palm and into the net.
1-1! Inter Milan leveled the score!
After Adriano's goal, he pointed to the passing Ribery while running, his inner excitement hard to contain. He hadn't expected to score so many goals just after returning to Inter Milan!
All credit went to Wang Feng, who not only attracted a lot of defensive attention, allowing other forwards more space to operate but also provided many exquisite assists.
Wang Feng and Adriano celebrated the goal together. Although he didn't want Vieri to leave, Wang Feng would never intentionally target Adriano on the field. Victory was his only pursuit!
The match ended in a draw, with the score maintained until the final whistle. Despite Inter Milan regaining control of the game in the closing stages, Roma's defense remained resilient and was not breached again.
Roma held the advantage with an away goal, leaving both teams eagerly anticipating the second leg.
On January 18th, in the 17th round of Serie A, Inter Milan hosted Empoli at home. Facing the second-to-last team in the standings, Mancini made significant rotations, but Wang Feng remained in the starting lineup. The head coach still wanted him to quickly secure victory.
Wang Feng didn't disappoint. In the 7th minute of the match, he capitalized on a set-piece opportunity in the opponent's half, scoring directly to open the scoring for the home team.
Then, in the 27th minute, Wang Feng broke through on the right side and crossed to the far post, where Vieri lifted the ball into the net to extend Inter Milan's lead. After scoring, the Italian ran wildly, venting his emotions. He was still the striker who made opponents' defenses tremble!
Scouts from various clubs in the stands were working diligently. Since the news of Vieri's transfer request came out, many clubs had sent personnel to assess his current situation. Regardless, he was quite attractive in the transfer market.
After establishing a lead, Mancini promptly substituted Wang Feng in the second half to avoid the risk of injury due to the opponent's desperate attempts. The game's pace slowed down significantly, and Empoli's level couldn't truly threaten Inter Milan's defense.
After 80 minutes, Inter Milan scored another goal through a defensive counterattack, with Martins hitting the final blow.
3-0! Inter Milan triumphed over their opponents, with Wang Feng contributing with a goal and an assist.
Snow began to fall at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, marking Wang Feng's first experience of snow in over four years abroad. Due to the Mediterranean climate in most parts of Europe, such extreme snowy weather was rare.
The snowflakes formed a layer of white frost on the grass, causing inconvenience to both sets of players. Any slight misstep could lead to slipping and falling, increasing the rate of mistakes for both teams. Even the sturdy Wang Feng found it somewhat challenging, let alone players like Zanetti, Materazzi, Dalmat, and other mainstays whose physical conditions were pushed to the limit.
The same situation naturally occurred with the Roma players. Although the environment was fair for both sides, entering extra time and penalty shootouts meant that the competition was no longer about technique but about luck.
Wang Feng didn't like it. He stared firmly at the opponent's goal, wanting to make the final gamble.
"Let's see Inter Milan's attack this time. The referee is checking his watch, the final whistle should be blown soon, and both sides will enter extra time."
"Adriano is dribbling near the penalty area, with Samuel defending alongside. Oh, Adriano slipped, and the ball is about to be lost."
"As he fell, he swept the ball to Wang Feng's feet on the side. Let's see how he handles it and takes a shot!"
"Goooooooooooooooooooal!! The ball's in!! Absolutely beautiful!"
"A last-minute goal, Wang Feng scores the winner against Roma, and Inter Milan advances to the Coppa Italia semifinals!"
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