Chapter 244: Early season
Inter Milan's new lineup needed some time to gel, so they gathered at the end of July and played friendly matches against several Serie B teams, but the results were not entirely satisfactory.
Their defense remained solid, and with added depth to the squad, coach Mancini could rotate the team better. However, the partnership between Ribery and Adriano upfront lacked chemistry, and without Wang Feng, there seemed to be a significant lack of attacking threat.
Fortunately, Wang Feng returned to the team in mid-August just in time. With a complete squad, Inter Milan trained for a few days before facing Juventus in the Italian Super Cup, held in Milan.
As Inter Milan had won both the league and the Italian Cup last year, their opponents were the runners-up of the previous Italian Cup, Juventus.
Before the match, Wang Feng greeted Ibrahimovic, who was making his Serie A debut, in the player tunnel. Ibrahimovic put aside any previous awkwardness and conversed with Wang Feng, acknowledging Wang's status as a veteran in football despite his young age.
However, the friendly atmosphere disappeared as soon as the match started. Juventus was determined to avenge their defeat from the previous season, leading to a heated atmosphere on the pitch. Additionally, the referee, Desantis, appeared to favor Juventus, disallowing two goals by Wang Feng for offside and turning a blind eye to some rough challenges.
In the 67th minute of the second half, when Wang Feng was fouled again by Kaladze and Desantis remained indifferent, Inter Milan players finally reached their limit. They engaged in a fierce confrontation with Juventus players, with players like Zanetti and Civu showing great anger.
Ultimately, Civu was sent off with a red card, and Kaladze received a yellow card. Wang Feng's strong physique was evident, as even malicious fouls couldn't force him off the field.
However, despite their efforts, Inter Milan, playing with ten men, couldn't hold on to their lead and lost the match 1-2, failing to win the Italian Super Cup for the third consecutive time.
A week later, in the UEFA Super Cup, the match was fairer. Their opponents were Valencia from La Liga. With Wang Feng scoring two goals and Adriano adding a header, Inter Milan defeated Valencia 3-1, securing their third consecutive UEFA Super Cup.
This victory made Inter Milan's history in the UEFA Super Cup. While AC Milan had achieved back-to-back victories in 1989 and 1990, they were the first team to win three consecutive titles.
The news spread in Italy, with the media acknowledging that this was Inter Milan's true level, while Juventus' Italian Super Cup victory was seen as somewhat deceptive. However, the Italian Football Federation adopted an indifferent attitude, as the match was already over.
The UEFA Champions League draw and UEFA Awards Ceremony were held before the start of the new season. Wang Feng defeated Deco from Portugal to win the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year once again, becoming the first player to win the award in consecutive years since its establishment in 1998.
Inter Milan's opponents in the Champions League group stage were Werder Bremen from the Bundesliga, Valencia from La Liga, and Genk from the Belgian Pro League, making it a favorable draw, ensuring their passage to the knockout stage.
AC Milan would face the rising Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk, while Juventus would have to deal with Bayern Munich and Ajax. Roma was grouped with Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, and Dynamo Kyiv.
The league's first round began on September 11, with Inter Milan hosting Lazio. Despite Wang Feng scoring two goals against the strong Lazio side, and with the referees seemingly biased, the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
This was the first time since joining Inter Milan four years ago that Wang Feng failed to win the opening match of the league season. What was even more unacceptable was that he was injured and had to leave the field in the 77th minute of the second half.
This incident ignited the anger of Inter Milan fans, who organized protests, and some extreme fans engaged in irrational behavior. The Italian Football Federation had to step in and punish the referees to appease the anger.
In the second round, away against newly promoted Palermo, Wang Feng was not in the starting lineup. The score remained 0-0 until the 70th minute of the second half when coach Mancini unexpectedly substituted Wang Feng onto the field.
"We saw Wang getting ready to come on, which is simply unthinkable. Fans who watched the last round's match could clearly see how serious the foul on Wang by Lazio's defender Siviglia was. Many speculated that Wang would be sidelined for at least three to four rounds, but he's already on the field."
His entrance had an immediate impact. In the 73rd minute, Wang Feng received a pass from Ribery in the center, swiftly evaded Balzaretti's block, creating space between him and the goal, and then unleashed a powerful shot.
"Goooooooal! The ball is in! Wang Feng's world-class goal!"
"This powerful shot seems to tell the whole world that he's absolutely fine! Since his debut, Wang Feng has been almost immune to injuries. Could he be a favorite of the gods, born to dominate football?"
With this goal, Inter Milan defeated their opponents 1-0, securing their first league victory.
The road to defending their title remained incredibly challenging for Inter Milan. Despite no obvious refereeing mistakes due to public pressure, opponents still employed fouls to disrupt Wang Feng's attacks, with referees being lenient and rarely showing cards.
Despite these difficulties, in the first 15 rounds of the league before December, Inter Milan achieved 10 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses, accumulating 33 points. Wang Feng contributed 20 goals and 7 assists, leading the league's top scorer chart.
However, Juventus, who made significant reinforcements in the summer, also performed strongly, leading the league with 11 wins, 3 draws, 1 loss, and 36 points. Under coach Capello's guidance, Ibrahimovic was in excellent form, scoring 7 goals, leading among the newcomers in Serie A.
AC Milan's overall strength might have declined after losing Shevchenko, but Kaka's performance this season was outstanding. They ranked third in the table with 9 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses, and 31 points.
The "Big Three of the North" completely dominated Serie A this season. Udinese, in fourth place, only managed 6 wins, 6 draws, 3 losses, and 24 points, showing a significant gap from the leading group.
Unlike their rocky league performance, Inter Milan's journey in the Champions League was smooth. They defeated Genk twice, won one and drew one against Valencia, and comfortably beat Werder Bremen at home. Since they had already qualified from the group stage early, they fielded a completely different lineup in the final round and lost to the German powerhouse.
With 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, and 13 points, they topped their group. Wang Feng contributed 9 goals and 3 assists in the Champions League matches, still leading the top scorer chart. Their opponent in the round of 16 would be familiar foes, Porto from the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
As for other Italian teams in the Champions League, AC Milan and Juventus also progressed to the knockout stage, with AC Milan facing Manchester United and Juventus facing Real Madrid.
Roma finished bottom of their group and was eliminated. Their performance in the league also couldn't match the heroic efforts of the previous season, as they dropped to 9th place in the standings.
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