Chapter 263: Meet once again
In February, in the next four league matches, Inter Milan defeated Chievo 2-0 at home, won 3-2 against Fiorentina away, drew 2-2 with Juventus at home, and won 3-0 against Livorno away.
With a record of 3 wins and 1 draw, they remained in third place on the league table. What's more pleasing is that Mark Lelaye returned to the team in the match against Livorno, and his performance seemed promising, which would be helpful for the upcoming Champions League matches.
On February 23rd, the Champions League reignited, with Inter Milan facing Ajax away in the round of 16. Compared to several years ago, this Ajax team had undergone significant changes in its lineup, with well-known players such as Ibrahimovic, Van der Vaart, and Maxwell having been sold to clubs in the top five leagues.
However, they had a new batch of talented players emerging, helping the team successfully reach the Champions League knockout stage. It was believed that by the end of the season, they would be a target pursued by many teams.
Ajax lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, with goalkeeper Scott Lundberg. The defense consisted of Tetrabelsi, Heitinga, Vermaelen, and Emanuelson. The midfield comprised Maduro, Lindenberg, and Buhari. The forwards were Rosales, Huntelaar, and Rosenberg.
The last time Ajax reached the second stage of the Champions League was in 2002. Therefore, the nearly fifty-one thousand seats at the Johan Cruyff Arena were almost full, with fans clad in red and white singing the team's anthem, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
In the player tunnel, both teams stood under the lead of the main referee. The camera of the live broadcast focused on Wang Feng in the middle of the teams, who was seen chatting with Ribery. The commentator remarked, "Wang Feng seems to be in good spirits. I wonder how he will perform tonight, and what kind of exciting match the players from both sides will bring us?"
Inter Milan kicked off first. As the main referee blew the whistle, Adriano passed the ball to Ribery, who then passed it back to Zanetti. The ball was passed back in defense, and Wang Feng immediately ran towards the front.
Inter Milan quickly organized an attack. The ball reached Ribery's feet in the opponent's half, and the Frenchman dribbled forward forcefully, bypassing the defense of Emanuelson.
After reaching near the goal line, he quickly crossed, and the ball flew across the goalmouth to the far post. Ajax's goalkeeper Scott Lundberg remained calm, not rushing out recklessly. Adriano at the far post attempted a header, but his attempt hit the crossbar and was pushed out by the goalkeeper's palm.
The home fans in the stands exclaimed, "Inter Milan just created a threatening attack right at the beginning of the game, earning the first corner of the match!"
Adriano shook his head apologetically to Ribery nearby. This time his cross was of very high quality, and there was not much tight defense at the far post. Unfortunately, he didn't put in enough power himself, combined with the opponent goalkeeper's focused attention, he couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.
Wang Feng took the corner kick. Inter Milan's tall players entered the penalty area and awaited instructions a few steps back. After raising his left hand, Wang Feng made his run-up and kicked the ball. The ball's height wasn't high, flying straight to the near post. Inter Milan's Materazzi suddenly rushed out from the crowd, leaped forward, and perfectly headed it in.
"Gooooooooooooooooooal! The goal is in! Just 2 minutes into the game, Inter Milan takes the lead with a goal, they seem unstoppable!"
"This corner kick coordination perfectly demonstrates the understanding between the Inter Milan players. Wang Feng's delivery went straight to the near post, where Materazzi was expected to head it in. The Italian did not disappoint."
"At a critical moment, Ajax's defense made a marking error. How could they allow Materazzi to easily sneak out?"
This goal quieted down the Johan Cruyff Arena, with only a small blue flag fluttering in the southwest corner, where the visiting team's fans were cheering.
With the lead, Inter Milan played more confidently. Ajax, on the other hand, had not recovered from the blow, showing a disjointed performance. They wanted to attack to equalize the score but also feared Inter Milan's sharp counterattacks.
In the 19th minute, Inter Milan launched a fast counterattack. Civu intercepted the ball in the midfield and sent a long pass to Wang Feng near the halfway line. With his back to the goal, Wang Feng didn't stop the ball but flicked it backward, evading the defense of Maduro, then turned and chased after the ball.
He accelerated quickly, and Maduro realized something was wrong in a split second. When he wanted to foul, Wang Feng had already shaken off him, leaving him a step behind, unable to catch up.
Running at full speed, Wang Feng collided with Tetrabelsi head-on, the Tunisian being Ajax's last line of defense. Behind him, the goalkeeper couldn't stop him, preferring to foul him to prevent him from breaking through!
But Wang Feng didn't give him the chance. Seeing Tetrabelsi rushing towards him, Wang Feng flicked the ball forward with a big stride, then accelerated past him.
The ball flew over Tetrabelsi's head, and when the Tunisian turned around in a hurry, Wang Feng had already left him far behind and entered the penalty area.
Goalkeeper Scott Lundberg was of no help. After dodging Tetrabelsi's challenge effortlessly, Wang Feng shot into the empty net after a light feint.
2-0! Just twenty minutes into the game, Inter Milan led by two goals!
After scoring, Wang Feng spread his arms and ran to the area where the away team's fans were, accepting their cheers. He enjoyed this unrestrained attacking state, which the current Serie A environment could not provide.
On the coaching bench, Ajax head coach Danny Blind looked at the field with a frown, his thoughts wandering far away. There was no way to win! No matter how he adjusted the lineup, Inter Milan's solid defense and Wang Feng's fierce attacking firepower seemed to make victory impossible.
Ajax's performance in the league this season was also very poor, currently only ranking fourth, almost losing hope of competing for the title. Blind had a premonition that he was not far from losing this job.
After the kickoff again, whether it was the home fans, the staff on the coaching bench, or the players on the field, all fell into a negative mood. Inter Milan easily continued to dominate the game, firmly suppressing the Eredivisie powerhouse.
Time quickly reached 45 minutes, and there were two minutes of injury time in the first half. The referee looked at his watch, ready to blow the whistle to end the game after Inter Milan's attack.
The Ajax players breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, their experience could be described as torture. In order not to suffer a big defeat at home, everyone was mentally prepared to defend.
At this moment, Wang Feng received a pass from Ribery on the sideline, and Heitinga quickly followed to defend. The Chinese made a very convincing shoulder fake, making the Dutch defender think he would go down the line, so his center of gravity involuntarily shifted.
But he actually tapped the ball inward with his left foot, easily evading Heitinga's entanglement, and turned to chase the ball into the penalty area.
Ajax had accumulated a strong defense in the penalty area, with three defenders and two midfielders forming a blockade, waiting for him to break through.
Instead of entering the penalty area, Wang Feng seized the opportunity to shoot on the spot, hitting a low shot that skimmed the grass and flew rapidly between the legs of Ajax defender Vermaelen. By the time he reacted and closed his legs, it was too late.
The dense defense obstructed Scott Lundberg's view and made him somewhat relaxed. When the ball came to him, his reaction was slightly delayed.
"Goooooooooooooooooooal! 3-0! Inter Milan has an absolute advantage at halftime!"
"Wang Feng scores his second goal, a brilliant low shot that pierced through Ajax's defense. Before that, his shoulder fake dribble was also very skillful, successfully deceiving Heitinga."
With a huge advantage, head coach Mancini made some substitutions in the second half, and neither side made any further progress. The score of 3-0 was maintained until the end.
Ajax's fans slumped in the stands like wilted eggplants, unable to imagine any hope of a comeback.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eewebn(o)vel.com