Chapter 307: Chapter 306: Grassroots Players Have Limitations
Before the match began, players from both sides had gone through numerous interviews, exchanging barbs in their comments, which served as an excellent pre-match warm-up.
As a result, on the day of the match, Meazza Stadium was packed to capacity.
All 76,000 seats were filled, every single one occupied by fans of Inter Milan.
The venue was adorned not just with Inter’s flags waving in the wind, but also with large posters of players like Vieri, Recoba, and Zanetti.
There were even posters of Ronaldo.
It should be noted that Ronaldo had made a comeback last April or May, only to play for fifteen minutes before suffering another serious injury, which had sidelined him for a year, and he still hadn’t made his comeback.
The fans of Inter Milan would have to wait at least two more months if they wanted to see him play here.
The current group of Inter players, compared to Ronaldo, were even more familiar with their opposite number Viana, whom they had known for less than ten days.
They could recite Viana’s physical and match statistics off the top of their heads but were almost forgetting what Ronaldo looked like.
Just as Trigella had predicted, Inter Milan had indeed changed formations for this match.
Vieri, Recoba
Farinos, Pirlo, Seedorf, Di Biagio
Cordoba, Blanco, Ferrari, Zanetti
Frei
At a glance, it seemed like a 4-4-2, but Seedorf and Pirlo might drop back, with Recoba playing as the playmaker or shadow striker. The formation resembled a 4-2-3-1 more closely, with Vieri as the lone striker.
On the other hand, Sporting Lisbon lined up in a traditional format, with Drogba starting.
Once the match started, the roar from the stadium was incredibly loud, which seemed to daze many of the young players from Sporting Lisbon.
The advantage of playing at the devilish home ground of the football giants became apparent.
Just three minutes after kick-off.
Feng Te hesitated to pass to Barzagli on the right wing when pressured by Vieri, opting instead to send the ball towards the seemingly more open space in the direction of Deschamps.
However, lurking nearby, Recoba ran sideways, positioned himself between Deschamps and the ball, and completed the interception.
Recoba received the ball at the edge of the large penalty area, unguarded, and with a simple move, he breached the box.
Inside the box Vieri was tugging and running, preventing Schmeichel from coming out.
Bang!
Recoba took a curling shot.
The ball glided effortlessly into the net.
"Goal! Recoba! The most loyal player of Inter Milan has scored!"
"That was quick! Just three minutes after the opening! This goal came with an assist from Feng Te!"
"It seems Feng Te really wants to join Inter Milan, huh? Is this his overture?"
"Hahaha, just kidding, Feng Te must be too nervous!"
"Mainly, Feng Te probably didn’t expect even a big star like Vieri to join in on the press, he clearly panicked!"
"With that being the case, Inter Milan has leveled the second leg at 1-0, and with an aggregate score of 4-4, they retain the advantage with three away goals. So now, the ones who have qualified for the next round are them!"
The fans of Inter Milan were ecstatic.
After all the twists and turns, even though they lost the first leg, in the end, it was still them who advanced.
They were completely fine with this outcome.
They had never considered how they would take it if they were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League, as with their squad’s caliber, only reaching the semi-finals would have been regrettable.
We absolutely must make it to the finals!
With Internazionale’s goal, the atmosphere at the stadium surged ever higher.
The decibel level on the pitch exploded, almost reaching a new high for the season at this stadium.
In fact, Inter fans had been depressed for most of the season.
Being knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League was a disgrace.
In the league, they had lost almost all the major matchups, leaving Inter fans unable to hold their heads high.
A week earlier, they had been defeated by a minor Portuguese team; if they didn’t bounce back now, the fans would really start taking their grievances out on the players and management.
The ninth minute.
Feng Te made a lateral pass to Barzagli, who faced Farinos’s pressure and faltered, his attempt to chip the ball to Deschamps was far too frivolous.
The problem was that it was overhit, going straight to Pirlo’s feet.
Pirlo immediately played a through ball.
If Recoba got the ball, he’d be one-on-one with the goalie.
At the crucial moment, Matthaus hurled himself forward and cleared the football to the byline.
Sporting Lisbon gave away a corner kick to the opposition.
"Barzagli is nervous," Maxa knew exactly how Barzagli was feeling at that moment, "In Italy, there’s no doubt Barzagli is seen as a failure. Even though he’s had a rebirth in Lisbon, deep down, he still doubts his own abilities."
"He lacks confidence, at least when he steps back onto Italian soil, his confidence is gone."
"And the opponents he’s facing are Italy’s top tier players, he’s still not used to the mix of excitement and anxiety that comes with playing against these opponents."
This was where grassroots players fell short compared to younger, more accomplished players.
Under the same circumstances, players like Ibrahimovic and Quaresma wouldn’t react this way.
But Barzagli, Feng Te, and even the forwards like Drogba would.
In the eleventh minute, Feng Te, who could have cleared the football, chose to play it safe and knocked it out for a corner.
That action directly led to applause from the fans in the stadium.
Because there was no one around him, he could have easily brought the football down.
Feng Te was clearly still too nervous, afraid of making mistakes, and felt as if the football was burning his feet.
Pirlo then took the corner kick.
Inter’s central defender Blanco rose high and headed the ball into the net.
"Nicely done! Blanco! That’s the strength of a defender from the Euro All-Star team!"
"Two-nil! Inter now lead by two goals! With an aggregate score of five to four over two legs, they’ve found their groove and are playing with the strength of a Serie A powerhouse!"
"Sporting Lisbon looks weak and pitiable in front of them; these young players are completely flustered!"
On Sporting Lisbon’s end, Deng Kai immediately started directing, "Feng Te, if you miss another man, you’re off the pitch! Pepe is a thousand times better than you!"
"Barzagli, have you already signed with Inter? Are you afraid of hurting their players? Make your moves bigger! If you can’t outmuscle Farinos with your size, that’s criminal, you know?"
"That’s only Farinos, don’t treat him like he’s Vieri!"
"Terry, keep your eyes on Recoba, he’s had too many opportunities, you know what I mean!"
"Matthaus, keep moving, it’s not time for you to rest yet, the back line needs your help; this is the time to show what sets a Golden Ball winner apart from other players!"
"Deschamps, drop back; you’ve become their main target. Try to get rid of the ball in one touch if possible; their midfield is pressing hard, and if we slow down, we will suffer."
While the other team celebrated, Deng Kai was constantly adjusting his teammates, finally turning to Viana, "Viana, I’ll move back to help with playing the ball out from the back, from now on, the team’s offensive play will rely entirely on you."
