Chapter 312: Chapter 311: Deng Kai Under a Tide of Bad Reviews (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Then another tactical corner kick to waste time.
The entire process went on intermittently for six minutes.
It was also labeled by Inter Milan players as the disgrace of football.
But from a neutral perspective, Deng Kai’s actions exacerbated Inter Milan players’ longing for time, pushing them into a tense rhythm.
This led to the following minutes, where Inter Milan players, upon having the opportunity to control the ball and look for chances, resorted to long balls towards the forward instead.
It appeared more direct, but in reality, it actually took them further from scoring.
Crucially, these time-chasing long passes were almost all thwarted by Pepe, Feng Te, Barzagli, and Terry.
The young defense of Sporting Lisbon might falter in key moments when defending ground-breaking through balls.
But against aerial balls... young players definitely have good jumping abilities, especially the other three besides Feng Te, who could really leap.
In the end, the main referee blew the whistle three times, and beyond the five minutes of added time, he didn’t give Inter Milan any more time.
The entire stadium erupted in boos instantaneously!
If Inter Milan and Juventus represent the Italian derby, and AC Milan is the city derby—both teams they most despise.
Then now, they have someone they despise even more.
Yes, not a team, but a person.
That is... the shameless Deng Kai!
After the match, Inter Milan players, coaches, fans, and media vehemently criticized Deng Kai.
They held him in the highest contempt!
Italian Republic Newspaper: "A disgrace to football! Deng Kai has truly hit a new low for football! This is so disappointing!"
Milan Sport Newspaper: "We witnessed a regression in football! Sporting Lisbon is not a problematic team, but the football style of Deng Kai is so disappointing! His choice is not one of a true footballer!"
Inter Milan Official Website: "We seldom welcome a player so unwelcomingly, but from now on, Milan will never welcome the footsteps of Deng Kai! He is a disgrace to football!"
Vieri: "I can’t judge everyone based on one person. But you have to admit, after playing with such young players, I am truly disappointed in the new generation of footballers."
Sukur: "Deng Kai is wrong, he has made a grave mistake, and he will forever lose the respect of Inter Milan! Football shouldn’t be played like this, every minute on the field should be for scoring, not for wasting time!"
Sammorano: "It’s sad to see the younger generation of players turn out this way, I’m really sorry for the world of football!"
Seedorf: "I admit that Viana indeed has talent, but compared to others, I’d rather talk about Deng Kai. His choice shames me as a fellow midfielder, he let down seventy-four thousand fans at the San Siro!"
Too many accusations came flooding in like the tide.
Inter Milan’s president Moratti, however, had a rather unique perspective: "Of course, Deng Kai should be in the wrong, but we should see how a boy not even sixteen could have such vile behavior?"
"I think someone directed him to do this, or someone has been coaching him like this on a regular basis. Today they can teach him to delay time by any means necessary for victory, tomorrow they can teach him to break a player’s leg, and the day after, even to lose a game deliberately for certain purposes..."
"I have to say, AC Milan and Juventus should get Deng Kai, don’t ask me why, because Inter Milan has suffered too much injustice in their presence!"
"I believe there is an issue with the education at Sporting Lisbon, and coincidentally, the head coach of this team is Trigella, who excels at coaching young players. Therefore, it’s hard for me to have a good opinion about Trigella."
"Deng Kai is wrong, but he is also a victim at the same time, and Trigella is the instigator of it all. Trigella will give rise to thousands and thousands of Deng Kais, which will destroy the entire European football system, alienating fans from football; this is just too dark!"
"Now I know why Maxa, such an outstanding coach, could only work as an assistant in this kind of team! It’s because he refuses to stoop to their level, because he can’t stand the filthy tactics of Trigella and Deng Kai!"
"I now extend a formal invitation to Mr. Maxa, Inter Milan awaits your leadership! We might not have genius players like Viana or Quaresma right now, but we have the healthiest, most luminous, and fairest football environment!"
"At the same time, we also hope Viana will join Inter, where you will find the true path of football!"
Moratti’s speech could be described as a piece of oratory, of an exceptionally high standard.
He knew that Deng Kai alone couldn’t quell all the fury of Inter’s fans, and that their dissatisfaction with the team would still need to be vented, so he brought up Trigella for the fans to lambaste.
He also took the opportunity to subtly criticize AC Milan and Juventus. Those who understood his points got them; those who didn’t would eventually come around.
In the end, he also recruited Maxa and Viana, preparing the team well for their assault on the Champions League next season... It was only at this moment that Inter hadn’t considered the possibility that they might not qualify for the Champions League next season.
They didn’t believe they would fall out of the top four in Serie A, after all, they had a squad built for the title run.
But in reality, they had only managed a fifth-place finish in Serie A this season and would have to continue playing in the Europa League next season.
This wave of outrage was incredibly intense.
European football is the center of the football world.
Serie A is at the center of European football.
Inter Milan is one of the hearts of Serie A.
Inter Milan’s Europa League campaign ended in humiliation at the hands of Sporting Lisbon, conceding seven goals over two legs.
This was certainly major news.
Looking forward, it would be akin to Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, or Bayern being eliminated by a team from the Portuguese league—an upset of the highest order.
And if it’s more acceptable for an upset to happen in the semi-finals, where even the weakest qualifying teams have a rightful chance to win, this was the last 16 of the Europa League.
If after the first leg, Viana’s explosion of popularity was notable.
Then after the second leg, Deng Kai was vilified, blackened to the point of purpleness, an impact even greater than Viana’s fame!
Almost everyone knew of the disgraceful act committed by Deng Kai in the football world.
Many football stars familiar with Deng Kai were concerned for him.
Likes of Guardiola and Beckham, for instance.
The latter especially had experienced even crazier national excoriation and he knew it could drive a player mad.
They even considered calling Deng Kai.
But then they saw Deng Kai’s post-match interviews.
Deng Kai: "Everyone can rest assured, I will absolutely not harbor any resentment towards the fans for the insults from Inter fans after this match or during the upcoming period."
"Fans are the foundation of football, and I respect them completely."
"Moreover, I understand that aside from praying, this is their only way to try and stop me from winning. To me, it is no different than praying... completely useless other than making them accept defeat once more!"
[PS: Aside from a cough, I’m basically okay now. Peach is slowly getting back into the groove, so please bear with me.]
