Chapter 86: Pendulum trick reappears in Serie A
The splendid performances in two consecutive matches have further convinced the Italian media that Wang Feng is not just a flash in the pan but rather intends to thoroughly shake up Serie A.
After two rounds of matches, Juventus emerged the strongest. They first swept aside Venice with a 4-0 victory, then defeated Atalanta 2-0, securing the top spot in the league with a superior goal difference.
Juventus' Trezeguet has been particularly impressive. Like Wang Feng, he contributed three goals in two rounds and currently shares the top spot in the goal-scoring chart with Wang Feng.
In second place in the league are Inter Milan, who have also won their first two matches. Following them are Roma, Lazio, Parma, and Fiorentina. Among the new "Big Seven" of Serie A, only AC Milan seems to have fallen behind.
AC Milan, with one draw and one loss in two rounds, is ranked thirteenth. They first drew 2-2 with Brescia in the opening round, then suffered a 1-3 defeat against Fiorentina. The Rossoneri, reinforced with the signings of Rui Costa and Inzaghi during the summer, evidently need some time to adapt to the new lineup.
Italian media have mocked AC Milan, with Milan Sports Newspaper reporting: "Wang Feng, valued at 20 million euros, leads Inter Milan to two consecutive wins, while Rui Costa is valued at 42 million euros and Inzaghi at 36.2 million euros, yet they lead AC Milan straight into the relegation zone. The editor seems a bit bad at math."
After this match, Wang Feng once again won the Best Player of the Match award with his attacking planning and a goal. According to the terms of his contract with Inter Milan, he receives an additional bonus whenever he is named the best player of the match, although not much, it still comes as a pleasant surprise.
Midweek saw the third round of the Coppa Italia matches, with Inter Milan facing Serie B team Pescara. Wang Feng was not included in the squad list, and several key players were also rotated.
However, Inter Milan's bench strength was still stronger compared to the Serie B team, so they won 3-0 and smoothly advanced to the next round.
Back at home for the third round of Serie A, Inter Milan faced a challenge from Venice. When the match reached the 81st minute, the score was tied 1-1.
In the 17th minute, Venice took advantage of a quick counterattack to catch Inter Milan off guard, breaking the deadlock first. Then, in the 67th minute, Wang Feng broke through on the right and crossed, with Vieri's shot saved by the goalkeeper, Wang Feng was first to the rebound and equalized.
Subsequently, neither side scored again. As the match approached its end, Venice launched an attack into Inter Milan's half. When the ball entered the penalty area, it was successfully intercepted by Zanetti, who then quickly advanced forward.
Seeing Wang Feng and Vieri rapidly advancing in the frontcourt, Zanetti made a long pass, and the ball reached behind Venice's defensive line.
Wang Feng quickly darted out from beside the full-back, chasing after the ball, and the linesman did not raise the flag. He successfully beat the offside trap!
Near the top of the penalty area arc, Wang Feng caught up with the ball, dribbled into the penalty area, with Dimitri Kamer, Venice's defender, already waiting inside the penalty area, and another center-back rushing to join.
If they were to surround him, Wang Feng would face being double-teamed, with Venice's goalkeeper also eyeing the opportunity.
At this moment, Wang Feng suddenly made a quick stop, feinting to cut inside with his left foot to shoot, which made Kamer quickly stop and move forward to block, and the center-back rushed to provide cover defense.
However, at this moment, Wang Feng suddenly flicked the ball with his left foot, causing Kamer to feel a blur in front of him, and Wang Feng passed by him.
Pendulum dribble! Wang Feng quickly broke through from his side, tearing open Venice's defense in a very short time.
After getting past Kamer, he spotted the gap between the goalkeeper and the right post, and with a direct shot with his right foot, pierced through Venice's goal.
2-1! Inter Milan reversed their opponents! With two consecutive rounds of comebacks, Inter Milan achieved three consecutive wins in the league.
Ronaldo was also present in the stands today. When he saw Wang Feng using the pendulum dribble, he showed a face full of disbelief, and this scene was recorded by the camera.
At this moment, Ronaldo's heart was filled with a mixture of emotions. A large part was joy; Inter Milan could introduce such an outstanding forward. Yet, there was also some worry because he knew that the pendulum dribble puts a lot of strain on the knees, something he suffered from due to his negligence in his youth, leading to his fragile physique now.
"It seems that Wang Feng's dribbling is even more exaggerated than mine. In that case, the strain on the knees would be even greater. I should remind him sometime not to use this move too often."
Of course, there was still a hint of envy in Ronaldo's heart, purely envying Wang Feng's ability to gallop on the field, while he himself has been away from this stage for a long time.
At this moment, he had already begun to entertain the idea of leaving. He had won many honors at Inter Milan and even won the FIFA World Player award. It seems it's time to move on.
After Inter Milan secured three consecutive wins in the league, Wang Feng ranked first in the top scorers' chart with an impressive record of five goals in three rounds, prompting Italian media to hype him once again.
Milan Sports Newspaper described Wang Feng as a "born marksman," stating, "At the age of eighteen, he is already heading for the Serie A Golden Boot, a phenomenon never seen before. We don't know how to explain this, we can only say that Wang may be a born marksman."
The Rome Sports Newspaper published a photo of Ronaldo's surprised expression in the stands, then reported, "Wang Feng performed his signature pendulum dribble in front of Ronnie, as if to say that Inter Milan has a successor, but it remains to be seen whether he will suffer the tragic fate of injury."
In the dressing room after the match, Ronaldo found Wang Feng and said to him, "Wang, your pendulum dribble is truly wonderful. It can be said that the student surpasses the master, but this move imposes a heavy toll on the knees. You should refrain from using it lightly."
Wang Feng nodded, "I understand. Actually, I feel uncomfortable in my knees when using it. I won't use this move frequently."
Although Wang Feng has super self-healing abilities, he cannot avoid injuries. According to his estimate, if he uses the pendulum dribble more than four times in a match, the knee's tolerance will reach its limit, and he will likely be injured during the game.
After three rounds of matches, Serie A ushered in two weeks of international break. With no national team duties, Wang Feng could only intensify his training to maintain his competitive form. It's worth mentioning that the Chinese team achieved two wins and one draw in the final round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers Group A, making it highly likely to advance to the World Cup.
This delighted the relevant officials. Not calling up Wang Feng didn't result in any loss of benefits or a drop in performance, boosting their confidence.
As the national team matches concluded, players gradually returned to the club, but the long journey had left them in poor condition. Team doctor Brian Harte complained, "Every time I check on the returning national team players, I feel anxious. Did they work like slaves in the national team, or what happened to make them look so miserable?"
National team training and matches often cannot match the level of organization and scientific approach of club training, so players often get injured during national team training.
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