Chapter 91: Cruel fate
After the game resumed, AC Milan launched wave after wave of fierce attacks on Inter Milan's defense. Terim continuously directed his players to advance, unwilling to accept a defeat.
However, this also provided Inter Milan with opportunities for defensive counterattacks. In the 71st minute, after Santetti intercepted the ball in the backcourt, he sent a long pass to Wang Feng in the frontcourt.
Despite the interference from defensive players, Wang Feng pushed the ball forward, relying on his explosive strength to break free from the entanglement and sprinted towards the right side.
As Wang Feng advanced towards the byline, he saw Ronaldo waiting near the edge of the penalty area. So, he played the ball back to Ronaldo and entered the penalty area, waiting for an opportunity.
Ronaldo calmly controlled the ball, facing the defensive players. He used a series of smooth feints to deceive his opponents, then penetrated into the penalty area.
Wang Feng watched closely from nearby, observing Ronaldo's every move. Each action seemed casual but was precisely executed, without any sense of excess.
While Wang Feng relied on his senses to adjust his movements and strength meticulously when handling the ball, for Ronaldo, making the best moves with perfect force had become an ingrained habit, requiring no deliberate adjustment. Subconscious handling was often the quickest and deadliest.
This was the difference between oneself and a superstar!
Instead of directly shooting, Ronaldo, after penetrating the penalty area, elegantly lofted a ball towards Wang Feng, who only needed a gentle touch to guide it past Rossi before he could react, into AC Milan's net.
"Gooooooooooooal! The ball is in, it's Wang Feng again, scoring another goal for Inter Milan!"
"A delicate cooperation between Ronaldo and Wang Feng, with Ronaldo shaking off the defense of Helvigue at the edge of the penalty area, then lofting the ball to Wang Feng at the far post. He just needed a slight push to send the ball into the net."
"The familiar Ronaldo is back, dazzling the opponent's defense with his samba-like skills, and assisting Wang Feng with precise passes."
"Now we can be sure, the combination of Wang Feng + Ronaldo will definitely have a synergistic effect, greater than the sum of its parts!"
After scoring, Wang Feng rushed to Ronaldo's side, embracing him, and then they both saluted the fans in the stands together.
Many Inter Milan fans were choked with emotion. They saw the unstoppable Ronaldo and witnessed the brilliant performance of the new player Wang Feng. This was a spirit of inheritance, from which the future of the Nerazzurri was derived!
But fate was often absurd. When the game reached the 85th minute, Ronaldo received the ball at the edge of the penalty area. He attempted to dribble forward but suddenly felt a severe pain in his thigh, then collapsed in agony.
The whole stadium erupted in commotion. The referee immediately stopped the game, and the team doctor rushed onto the field to provide treatment. Wang Feng also came to Ronaldo's side, squatting down to inquire about his condition.
Ronaldo, in pain, said, "I feel terrible. The muscles in my thigh are hurting like they're tearing apart. Wang, it seems I can't accompany you to face the Old Lady. You must keep fighting with the same determination as I do."
Carried off the field, Ronaldo was taken directly to the hospital. At this point, Cooper had already used all his substitutions, and he didn't expect Ronaldo to get injured again just 22 minutes after coming on. Thus, Inter Milan had to play with ten men for the remaining time.
AC Milan then launched a fierce offensive. The entire Inter Milan team retreated to defend within the 30-meter area of their penalty area, including Wang Feng. He successfully intercepted the opponent's passes several times but couldn't mount effective counterattacks due to numerical disadvantage.
In the 90th minute, AC Milan's efforts finally paid off, as Inzaghi scored a goal for the club. But it was too late.
Ultimately, Inter Milan won 2-1 against their city rivals, climbing to the top of the Serie A standings with 20 points, tied with Juventus. However, Inter Milan led the table due to a better goal difference.
In the post-match press conference, the media's focus was on Ronaldo's injury once again. Cooper had to regretfully announce that Ronaldo had a thigh strain and would be sidelined for at least two months.
This news shocked the journalists present. After being away from the pitch for a year and five months, Ronaldo had only played for 22 minutes before getting injured again.
Milan Sports Daily journalist asked bluntly, "Was there a misjudgment in Inter Milan's assessment of Ronaldo's injury? Was this injury caused by the club's insistence on fielding him?"
Cooper responded, "This is absolutely groundless. Our professional medical team thoroughly assessed Ronaldo's previous patellar tendon injury, and the results showed that he had fully recovered. Moreover, to gradually acclimatize him to the field, we only planned for him to come on as a substitute."
"Ronaldo was looking forward to playing in this game. He communicated with me more than once, hoping for more playing time, but I refused. This injury was an accident. The cruel fate has not spared this stunning superstar."
The next day, all major Italian media outlets reported on the game and Ronaldo's injury once again. Although Inter Milan vehemently denied forcing Ronaldo to play while injured, Milan Sports Daily still wrote, "Inter Milan's medical team is obviously incompetent. They are a bunch of quacks who have harmed the alien, causing him to suffer from injuries repeatedly. I wonder if the future star Wang Feng will also fall victim to them."
The headline of Roma Sports Daily read, "The Wang-Ronaldo Connection Is Fleeting, Inter Milan Triumphs Over Arch-Rivals." The article analyzed that from Inter Milan's second goal, it could be seen how terrifying it would be when Wang Feng and Ronaldo worked together.
"Wang Feng, like Ronaldo, has superb dribbling skills and finishing abilities. If the two of them continue to cooperate, all Serie A defenses will be like paper, because fully containing one of them would require deploying all defensive forces, leaving the other one in space."
"Just thinking about this scenario is chilling."
Of course, Italian media marveled at Wang Feng's terrifying goal-scoring ability. In just 8 rounds of the league, Wang Feng scored 11 goals, leading the league's top scorers by a wide margin, with Juventus' Trezeguet's 5 goals trailing far behind.
"Keep in mind, it has been 42 years since a Serie A top scorer exceeded 30 goals in a single season, and Wang Feng can definitely challenge this historic moment." Turin Sports Daily's guest commentator Darryl Lowe wrote.
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