Chapter 227: Champions league upset
On the last day of March, the second round of the World Cup qualifiers for the top 32 teams was held in Hong Kong. Facing the amateur team from Hong Kong, the Chinese team still showed signs of weakness in the frontline. Despite dominating the game, they struggled to convert their advantage into goals.
It wasn't until the final stages of the match that a long shot from Shao Jia Yi helped the team secure a narrow 1-0 victory over their opponents.
After the match, the national team's performance naturally faced criticism from the fans. Everyone couldn't help but wonder, why is it so difficult to score? Will they need the World Footballer, Wang Feng, to deal with the upcoming match against Malaysia?
Head coach Alihan took the initiative to shoulder most of the responsibility, explaining to the media that it was due to insufficient tactical coordination and assured that they would perform better in the next game.
Meanwhile, Wang Feng was preparing for the clash against Juventus. He also took the time to watch the national team's game and noticed the same problem: the lack of fundamental skills. Even the simplest shots were missing the target by a wide margin.
Old habits die hard, and Wang Feng could only hope that the young players he supports in China would focus on mastering the basics, which are more important than anything else.
On April 5th, in the 28th round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced Juventus away. In the previous encounter, due to Wang Feng's poor form, the Bianconeri gained a significant advantage in the cup final. Therefore, Inter Milan was determined to avenge their defeat.
Juventus also needed a victory to secure fourth place in the league and ensure qualification for the Champions League next season. With their rich heritage, they rallied in the second half of the season, overtaking fifth-placed Parma by two points to reach fourth position.
The leading group formed by AC Milan, Roma, and Inter Milan had already pulled away from the rest, making it difficult for Juventus to advance further. Thus, they could only compete with Parma and Lazio for the last Champions League spot.
The match began with Juventus launching attacks cheered on by their home fans. Tachinardi dribbled through the midfield, took a few steps to the right, and then made a horizontal pass to Tudor on the left.
Tudor didn't hold onto the ball but instead immediately sent a through pass to Trezeguet in front of the penalty area. The previous wide movement of Inter Milan's defensive line allowed the ball to penetrate successfully.
Trezeguet resisted Materazzi's pressure, forcibly turned, and took a shot. The ball flew towards the goal, but fortunately, goalkeeper Toldo was extra focused and managed to block it.
Trezeguet shook his head in frustration. He felt a bit anxious and thought he should have coordinated with nearby Miccoli before attacking, which might have been more effective.
The Juventus fans in the stands still applauded the Frenchman warmly. He had contributed a brilliant shot early in the game, lifting everyone's spirits.
Trezeguet's peak was in the 2001-2002 season when his league attendance rate reached 100%, and he scored 24 goals. If not for Wang Feng's remarkable performance with 34 goals, he would have been the Serie A top scorer that year.
In the following seasons, he was plagued by injuries and couldn't maintain his peak form. What's worse, with Inter Milan rising, Juventus was almost devoid of honors.
Although he was still the team's top scorer, Trezeguet felt self-blame. He believed he hadn't performed well as an attacking focal point, and his pressure increased day by day.
Juventus launched fierce attacks, while Inter Milan temporarily avoided their edge, retreating to defend and waiting for opportunities. They were not weak in fast counterattacks because they had Wang Feng!
During one of Juventus's attacks, Appiah was forced to make a mistake on the wing by Zanetti, causing the ball to roll out of bounds. It was Inter Milan's throw-in.
Zanetti chose to quickly throw the ball to Civu, who had already started running towards the front field when he threw the ball. With excellent understanding, Civu directly sent a lob pass to find Wang Feng's forward run.
Unfortunately, the ball landed near the defending Bilindelli and Leroi. Wang Feng managed to protect the ball from the double-team but couldn't break free.
At this moment, Ribéry arrived to support. Wang Feng immediately passed the ball back to him and suddenly turned to sprint forward. Bilindelli was tightly marking Wang Feng to prevent him from turning, but without the ball at his feet, Wang Feng exerted all his strength and easily pushed aside the 1.76-meter-tall Italian defender.
Ribéry had excellent football intelligence. Without wasting any time, he quickly made a through pass behind Juventus's defense line, creating a one-on-one opportunity for Wang Feng inside the penalty area!
Juventus goalkeeper Buffon could only choose to rush out. Wang Feng used a fake shot to deceive him, sending the ball to the left side and leaving the goal wide open. He calmly slotted the ball home with his left foot.
"Goal! Inter Milan takes the lead!"
"Wang Feng and Ribéry's brilliant combination! Wang Feng's power combined with Ribéry's pass created this successful fast counterattack. Juventus paid the price for their impetuous attack!"
"Now Wang Feng has increased his league goals to 42. Each of his goals from now on will create a brand new legend!"
This goal became the only one in the entire match, and Inter Milan won 1-0 against Juventus, sending them out of the top four in the standings.
Midweek, Inter Milan visited the Riazor Stadium to challenge Deportivo La Coru?a.
Super Depor was clearly intimidated by Wang Feng's performance in the last round, adopting a strict defensive posture against him. This was a reactive measure; any new opponent who suffered a heavy defeat to Wang Feng would instinctively adopt this tactic.
This allowed other Inter Milan attacking players a lot of space. Adriano, Ribéry, and others were not to be underestimated. After Wang Feng pulled the defense apart, they could also cause damage.
In the 37th minute, Wang Feng dribbled on the right side of the penalty area with continuous small steps, dribbling past two defenders in succession. This forced nearby defending players to come over for support, and he took advantage of the opportunity to pass the ball out.
Adriano, unmarked at the far post, easily scored, further extending Inter Milan's lead!
In the second half, with victory already secured, Mancini successively replaced the main players to rest, as playing two games in a week had put a considerable burden on them.
Deportivo La Coru?a seized this opportunity to pull one goal back. In the end, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, but with Inter Milan winning the first leg 3-1, they advanced to the semifinals with a 4-2 aggregate score!
This season's Champions League quarterfinals were full of upsets. Firstly, Monaco surprisingly eliminated Real Madrid to reach the semifinals. In the first leg, Real Madrid won 4-2 at home, but suffered a 1-3 defeat away, resulting in a 5-5 aggregate score, with Monaco advancing due to more away goals.
Secondly, Porto defeated Lyon to reach the semifinals. Lyon had won the French league title for two consecutive seasons and was also performing well this season, aiming for a third consecutive title. They hoped to make a historic breakthrough in European competitions but fell to the hands of the Portuguese powerhouse.
Finally, Chelsea eliminated Arsenal to reach the semifinals. This English derby attracted widespread attention in the UK. The financially strong Chelsea defeated the traditional powerhouse Arsenal, sparking considerable controversy.
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