Chapter 262: Incredible record
January 22nd, in the 21st round of Serie A, Inter Milan hosted Palermo. Although the away team lost their top star Toni, they still had Fabio, Barzagli, and Zaccardo, three Italian internationals.
Inter Milan's consecutive victories had left their players somewhat complacent, especially with Mancini absent and Maxwell appearing somewhat inexperienced. In the first half, Palermo seized an opportunity to break the deadlock and later earned a penalty in the box, which Gasbarroni converted to expand their lead.
Fortunately, Coach Mancini scolded the players during halftime and substituted the out-of-form Materazzi with Mihajlovic to stabilize the defense. In the second half, the game returned to Inter Milan's control.
In the 51st minute, Wang Feng received a pass from Santi at the edge of the penalty area, turned, and fired a powerful shot towards the bottom corner. Despite Palermo's goalkeeper Guadal diving quickly to save, he was a fraction too slow, and the ball crossed the goal line before he could reach it.
1-2! Inter Milan pulled one back.
Afterwards, the away team defended deeply, while the Nerazzurri intensified their attacks. Despite Mancini bringing on Recoba and Martins to bolster the offense, they failed to score again.
Inter Milan suffered a defeat, their third in the league this season.
While Inter Milan faltered, Juventus achieved a shocking record: 17 wins, 4 draws, 55 points, remaining unbeaten for 21 rounds! It's worth noting that even during Inter Milan's strongest season, they only remained unbeaten for 12 rounds, making it extremely difficult to maintain an unbeaten streak for multiple rounds in the high-intensity Serie A due to factors such as rotation and injuries.
Indeed, players like Trezeguet and Nedved have been sidelined due to injuries, and Coach Capello has rotated the squad in some matches, yet the team miraculously persevered.
The Turin-based sports newspaper "Tuttosport" described Juventus' resurgence as "the return of the kings." They emphasized Juventus as the most prestigious club in Serie A history and the only team to achieve five consecutive league titles.
"Under the leadership of Coach Capello, they are advancing towards the goal of defending their title. Players like Nedved, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Ibrahimovic, and others will bring this team back to its former glory."
"It's not just Inter Milan that can be revived!"
This report resonated with many old fans. Since 1935, no team has been able to dominate Serie A for five seasons, and Juventus, with the most championship titles, desires nothing more than a resurgence.
However, "La Gazzetta dello Sport" disagrees. "Inter Milan during their peak was more imposing. Juventus nowadays seems to rely more on luck."
The report cited Juventus' match against Fiorentina in the 18th round as an example. "Fiorentina led Juventus 2-1 with five minutes remaining. No one expected Fiorentina's defense to make consecutive mistakes, gifting two goals to the opponent, resulting in Juventus' comeback."
"These lucky incidents have occurred more than once. It's hard to believe they have the ability to dominate Serie A."
Juventus' performance further solidified the ideas of Inter Milan's senior management and coaching staff: to focus on the Champions League matches and, if possible, also prioritize cup competitions.
On January 25th, they faced Lazio in the first leg of the Italian Cup quarter-finals, away from home.
Just 2 minutes into the game, Wang Feng received a pass from Santi on the left side, dribbled into the penalty area, then passed to Adriano in the middle. Adriano, in a perfect position, lofted the ball with his right foot, and before it touched the ground, Wang Feng instinctively toe-poked it into the net.
The home fans were stunned. How could they concede so early? Angry, they booed both the celebrating Inter Milan players and their own underperforming Lazio players.
Fortunately, the home team quickly adjusted their mentality and didn't allow Inter Milan to score again. The two sides entered a period of stalemate until the 43rd minute.
Inter Milan launched a quick counterattack. Civu's long pass found Wang Feng in the attacking third. His superb control amazed the fans, drawing the attention of the defense.
As the defenders shifted their focus, Wang Feng seized the opportunity to pass across the box. Adriano, making a well-timed run, easily slotted the ball into the net, further extending Inter Milan's lead.
Although Lazio pulled one back in the second half, they still lost 1-2 to Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri secured a victory away from home, taking the initiative in advancing to the next round.
On January 30th, in the 22nd round of Serie A, Inter Milan challenged Lecce away. Despite the efforts of Recoba, Cruz, and Martins, they couldn't break through the opponent's defense. Finally, in the 75th minute, Mancini substituted Wang Feng.
His impact was immediate. Three minutes later, a nervous Lecce defender fouled Wang Feng in the box, resulting in a penalty for Inter Milan.
Wang Feng confidently stepped up and converted the penalty, making it 1-0! Inter Milan secured the victory with this goal. After the penalty, Mancini immediately substituted Martins for Wang Feng.
Jokingly, if Wang Feng had gotten injured at that moment, Moratti would have killed him!
With ten men, Lecce couldn't mount a comeback, and they were eventually defeated 1-0. With a 3-1 aggregate score, Inter Milan advanced to the semi-finals of the cup competition.
Their opponent was Udinese, as AC Milan and Juventus seemed to have focused their energy on the league and the Champions League, respectively, exiting the cup competition in the quarter-finals.
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