Chapter 235: Overtime, desperate situation !
In the second half, Mancini made adjustments to the lineup. He substituted Dalmat with Recoba in an attempt to strengthen the attack, but it didn't yield much improvement.
In the 60th minute, Ribery dropped back to the midfield to receive the ball, with Recoba lurking nearby for support. The Frenchman decisively passed the ball to Recoba, who, upon receiving it, immediately passed it back to Ribery along the sprinting route.
Ribery then broke through from the wing, utilizing his speed to create space near the goal line. He chipped the ball into the penalty area, flying over Valente's head and landing near the penalty spot.
Adriano was unable to threaten the goal under the pressure from Ferreira and Costa. Unable to control the ball, he extended his leg to redirect the ball, changing its direction towards the top of the penalty area.
Wang Feng rushed to meet the ball directly, but Carvalho timely arrived and blocked it, causing the ball to rebound outside the penalty area. Wang Feng attempted to chase it down again, but Mendes had already disrupted the play by knocking it out for a corner.
It's a pity! At the moment of the shot, Wang Feng felt that both the power and angle were excellent. If it had pierced through the defense, he was confident that Baia wouldn't have been able to save it. However, it was ultimately blocked by Carvalho.
Porto's defense was incredibly tough! He thought angrily.
As time passed, the hearts of Inter Milan's players sank gradually. They looked at Wang Feng, hoping this miracle player could shine once again.
In the 85th minute, Porto's counterattack failed. Cordoba passed the ball to Makalele in the backfield, who then sent a through pass to Ribery. Ribery dribbled forward with Maniche closely marking him.
As they approached the penalty area, Ribery seized the opportunity, suddenly flicking the ball towards the goal line before accelerating to catch up. Maniche tried to block him, but Ribery skillfully evaded him.
Ribery caught up with the ball near the goal line, executed a quick stop-and-go move, leaving Maniche behind, and then swiftly dribbled towards the penalty area. He then passed the ball across the middle.
Wang Feng received the ball with Carvalho on his back. With Ferreira and Costa quickly closing in, in a split second, Wang Feng shifted his weight to the left, appearing to prepare for a left-footed shot.
Carvalho wouldn't let Wang Feng have it his way. He also shifted his weight to the left and exerted force to push Wang Feng. Knowing Wang Feng's strong resistance, he put all his strength into the challenge.
As soon as he made contact with Carvalho, Wang Feng felt something was off—why was there so little force? Before Carvalho could react, Wang Feng quickly changed direction, turning from the right side to shoot with his left foot.
Baia's view was obstructed by Carvalho, and Wang Feng's sudden shot startled him. He hurriedly dived to block it, but with Wang Feng's current strength, even without a run-up, the shot was still powerful. Baia was a split second too late.
"Goal! Gooooooooooooooooooal! As the match nears its end, Inter Milan finally equalizes the score!"
"Wang Feng! Wang Feng! Yes, it's Wang Feng once again saving the Nerazzurri!"
After scoring, Wang Feng roared to the sky, relieving the frustration that had built up throughout the match. It was not easy at all!
He quickly retrieved the ball from the goal and ran towards the midfield, signaling everyone not to celebrate but to continue attacking until victory!
On the sidelines, Mourinho's heart was in his throat as Wang Feng received the ball in the penalty area. He muttered to himself, "We must defend, we must defend!"
But in the end, his shot pierced through Porto's goal. As the ball went in, the Portuguese coach squatted down in frustration, pounding the turf. Leading for almost the entire match, he didn't expect to be defeated by Wang Feng in the final moments.
Porto's morale was in disarray. It's just a shame that there's too little time left. If given another ten minutes, Wang Feng is confident he could once again score the winning goal. The score remains 1-1 at the end of regular time.
Extra time will decide the outcome! This result surprised many who expected either Inter Milan to dominate or Porto to stage a comeback. Few predicted that the match would be so evenly matched and go into extra time.
"Extra time is a serious test for both teams, not only in terms of technique but also in terms of physical and mental strength," the commentator continued. "According to our data, this is Wang Feng's first experience of extra time in his career. It's unbelievable!"
"He has been in the football world for over four years, participating in domestic cups, Europa League, and Champions League, yet he has never managed to defeat an opponent within regular time. To some extent, it demonstrates Wang Feng's and Inter Milan's strength."
"Of course, it also shows that Mourinho's Porto is stronger than many people imagined."
"On the other hand, the lack of experience in extra time or even penalty shootouts puts Inter Milan at a disadvantage, especially Wang Feng, their key player."
There is little time left for both teams to rest; they will soon be back on the field. Mancini made no changes, as he needs to keep one substitution slot open just in case.
Except for Wang Feng, the other players' condition isn't great. The whole match has taken a toll on their stamina, especially veterans like Zanetti, who are nearing exhaustion.
Although they have practiced penalty shootouts, Mancini is unsure because he never expected Inter Milan to be pushed this far—it's a miscalculation!
When the match resumed, both teams' pace slowed down involuntarily. It seems that everything is heading towards the final stroke of luck, but fate played a joke on Inter Milan once again!
It happened in the 101st minute, the 11th minute of the first half of extra time. Zanetti had the ball in the backfield, with Deco pressing forward to challenge him. He intended to pass it out directly but unexpectedly, his leg suddenly twitched, and he couldn't make the move.
The Brazilian wouldn't miss this opportunity. He quickly intercepted the ball, then proceeded to charge into the penalty area and shoot into the far corner of the goal!
The stadium and the commentary booth fell into a moment of silence. After a while, the voice of the commentator resounded, "Goooooooooooal! The ball's in!"
"It's a frontcourt interception and assault by Deco, helping Porto reverse the score."
"Zanetti's mistake, what happened to him? He stood still as if short-circuited before Deco easily took the ball away. The Inter Milan defense didn't react at all."
"Then he directly entered the penalty area and scored. It's too easy. Does the Inter Milan defense look vulnerable because of fatigue or lack of concentration?"
"Now, Inter Milan has little time left, only four minutes to go!"
"They should perhaps thank FIFA for changing the rules last year, replacing the golden goal rule in the Champions League with the silver goal rule. If not for that, they would have lost their last chance to defend their title!"
"The so-called silver goal rule means that if one team leads at the end of the first half of extra time, there's no need to play the second half; they win directly!"
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