Chapter 181 Is there anything more cost-effective than this in the world...?

After scoring, Fino gestured to his teammates not to rush over to celebrate, as he didn't want to embarrass his parent club, even though it was Real Madrid's home ground.

He always retained a tenderness towards Milan in his heart.

Despite conceding two goals in a short period, Milan's will was not broken. In the following time, the Milan players remained determined and calm.

However, Milan is far inferior to Real Madrid in midfield defense.

Real Madrid's two holding midfielders, Alonso and Khedira, are both excellent at intercepting, while attacking midfielder Fino is very quick to track back. Together, the three form a strong defensive barrier in front of the defense.

As for Milan's three midfielders, Seedorf focuses on the attack and contributes little to the defense, Pirlo is more offensive than defensive and lacks physical strength, and only Gattuso is dedicated to defense, but he is gradually moving away from his peak.

This resulted in Milan's midfield failing to provide effective protection for the defense, allowing Real Madrid to easily penetrate Milan's midfield defense and directly penetrate Milan's backfield when attacking.

Under pressure from Marcelo and Ronaldo, Gattuso could only desperately chase back, joining forces with Zambrotta and Nesta in defense.

The closer the opponent gets to the penalty area, the more dangerous it becomes for your own goal.

Real Madrid's attacking line is very young. At 25, Cristiano Ronaldo is actually the oldest. Striker Higuain is not yet 23. Di Maria on the right wing and Marcelo on the left wing who occasionally makes attacking runs are only 22. Fino will turn 22 in a few days. All five players are incredibly young.

With their aging squad under constant pressure from Real Madrid, Milan's defense was crumbling. Before the first half was even over, Gattuso, who frequently dropped back into the penalty area, and Zambrotta, who often had to make forward runs, were already panting heavily.

When Gattuso needed to focus more on defense, he couldn't pay much attention to Pirlo. Pirlo struggled to hold onto the ball under pressure from Real Madrid's three midfielders, making it difficult for Milan to organize their attacks from midfield.

As a result, after repeatedly thwarting Real Madrid's attacks, Milan's defense could only launch long balls directly into Real Madrid's half, leaving Pato and Ibrahimovic to figure out their own solutions, namely long balls and crosses.

However, Real Madrid's two center-backs, Pepe and Carvalho, are not to be underestimated, and Alonso and Khedira also dropped back very actively, which made it impossible for Milan to launch any counter-attacks.

As the first half drew to a close, Real Madrid launched another attack.

Khedira, Alonso, and Fino combined to break into Milan's half from the left flank. Just before reaching Milan's penalty area, Khedira passed the ball to Ronaldo, who dribbled down the left flank towards the edge of the box before cutting inside.

Gattuso and Ronaldo clashed once again. They had faced off countless times in the first half, with Ronaldo either dominating Gattuso or Gattuso bringing Ronaldo down. The two had grown tired of each other.

At this point, Milan's defenders were mostly positioned near the penalty area line, making it difficult for Ronaldo to get past Gattuso and create a shooting opportunity. Before engaging Gattuso, Ronaldo backheeled the ball, transferring it to Marcelo near the left sideline.

Marcelo dribbled the ball a few steps to the right and passed it to Alonso before passing it to Ronaldo, who had moved back to the left sideline. Ronaldo continued down the wing and, when he faced Gattuso again, was bumped by Gattuso, which affected his dribbling and caused him to kick the ball towards the byline.

A white figure flashed past, sliding in to hook the ball back just as it was about to go out of bounds. The ball curled back into the penalty area near the six-yard box, where Higuain headed it over the crossbar.

Fino got up and rubbed his arm; he had bumped into an advertising board outside the court after saving the ball.

"Fino, are you alright?" Taking advantage of the dead ball situation, Alonso jogged over to ask Fino about his condition.

“No problem.” Fino shook his head, put his arm around Alonso’s waist, and walked towards the midfield.

The first half ended with a score of 2-0. Although Milan's defense was becoming increasingly strained, Real Madrid did not continue to change the score thanks to the veterans' tenacious will and tacit cooperation.

As the second half progressed, Milan's defense, which was characterized by an older average age, became increasingly strained, and their attacking opportunities dwindled.

In the 62nd minute, after Milan's defense once again thwarted Real Madrid's attack, Milan finally launched a quick counter-attack.

Nesta passed the ball forward to Pirlo, who launched a long diagonal pass before Alonso could close in, sending the ball flying towards the right sideline of Real Madrid's half.

At this moment, Marcelo, who was defending this flank, failed to return in time, and Pato, who was unmarked, successfully received Pirlo's pass and dribbled the ball from the left flank towards Real Madrid's penalty area.

Fino and Marcelo immediately chased back, Khedira also moved towards Pato from the middle, while Carvalho waited patiently in the upper right corner of the penalty area.

Just as Pato and Carvalho were about to clash, Marcelo, who was chasing back at high speed, finally retreated to his position, ready to double-team Pato with Carvalho, but was knocked down by inertia.

Because the collision occurred outside the penalty area and Marcelo had no intention of injuring anyone, the referee only awarded Milan a free kick and did not give Marcelo a card.

Pirlo took the free kick, and Pepe, who was defending at the near post, headed the ball out of the penalty area, denying the Milan players behind him a chance to combine with a free kick.

The ball flew out of the penalty area, bounced on the ground, and flew straight towards Seedorf. Seedorf received the ball and chipped it back into the penalty area, where Pirlo cut inside and headed it to Pato in front of the goal.

Pirlo's pass was well-placed, but lacked power, allowing Alonso to intercept it and kick it out of bounds.

In the 70th minute, during a dead ball situation, Fino passed Zambrotta, who was hunched over, panting heavily, with his hands on his thighs.

Zambrotta had a heavy workload in this match. Most of Real Madrid's attacks originated from the left flank, with Marcelo and Ronaldo taking turns making runs, putting immense pressure on Milan's right side defense. Meanwhile, Antonini's left flank was virtually ineffective in their attacks, with Milan's few attempts coming from the right.

The back-and-forth struggle between offense and defense required the 33-year-old Zambrotta to make repeated sprints, resulting in significant physical exertion.

As Fino passed by, he gently patted Zambrotta on the shoulder; Zambrotta had it tough.

Before Fino could finish his internal monologue, he passed by Di Maria, who was breathing even harder than Zambrotta and looked like she was about to faint.

Fino could hardly believe his eyes.

Seriously, man? We played down the left flank for most of the day, and Marcelo and Ronaldo weren't this out of breath, but you're?

What's wrong? Afraid your teammates will say you're slacking off?

Mourinho, who was off the field, clearly noticed Di Maria's situation and somewhat speechlessly told Benzema to get up and warm up. A few minutes later, he substituted Di Maria with Benzema.

Mourinho turned to look at the fitness coach in the analyst's seat. The fitness coach nodded expressionlessly, already mentally designing a fitness enhancement plan for Di Maria.

As the match ticked away, the fatigue of the Milan players was clearly visible, but they still did not give up the fight.

With only a few minutes remaining in the game, Allegri on the sidelines had no choice but to accept the fact that they would leave empty-handed, and instructed his team to completely tighten their formation. Even if a loss was inevitable, they couldn't allow Real Madrid to extend their lead.

When the referee blew the final whistle, the score was set at 2-0, and Real Madrid won at the Bernabéu.

This was not an unexpected result. Although there were still many familiar players on the field, Milan is no longer the Milan that dominated European football a few years ago, while Real Madrid, which has restarted its journey, is in full swing.

In the presidential box, Florentino rose and shook hands with Galliani, exchanging a few insincere pleasantries.

For just €50 million plus Huntelaar, AC Milan took home the most valuable jewel in their crown. Is there any better deal in the world?

Fino is only 22 years old, and he can play as a starter at the Bernabéu for another 8 years without any problem. Not to mention the commercial value and prestige boost he brings to Real Madrid. All of this is thanks to Galliani!

Galliani had no idea what Florentino was thinking, and even if he did, he would only scoff.

He never regretted selling Fino.

No team can remain dominant forever; after the peak comes the trough, followed by a period of rebuilding before returning to the top. Milan is simply in this cycle.

Selling Fino only hastened Milan's decline, but they will eventually return to their peak.

His own position must be secure; he must eliminate all potential threats.

After the match, Fino didn't join his teammates on the sidelines to interact with the fans; instead, he went to the Milan players. He hugged Nesta and Gattuso, then walked over to Pirlo.

In this match, Pirlo was heavily shut down in midfield by Fino, Alonso, and Khedira, making his game very difficult.

Fino knew Pirlo wouldn't be angry with him, but he still wanted to coax him, since he had knocked Pirlo down several times.

Pirlo was leaning down, supporting himself on his thighs, breathing heavily, when a pair of calves encased in white soccer socks came into his view.

He knew it must be Fino, and as he straightened his back, he opened his arms.

They exchanged a hug.

Pirlo suddenly remembered the time when Fino was first selected for the national team, when they went to watch a charity match between Fiorentina and AC Milan to raise money for Bogonovo's medical expenses.

Seeing Baggio's gray hair, he was saddened by the cruelty of time. He was nine years older than Fino, and he feared that one day Fino would look at him the way he looked at Baggio.

And that day seems to have arrived.

Pirlo didn't speak, but Fino noticed the sadness in his eyes.

Fino assumed that Pirlo was reminded of his own lack of success in Allegri's lineup because of the loss, so he covered his mouth and whispered to comfort him, "Andrea, your greatness is beyond doubt, and I look forward to you creating miracles again!"

Pirlo knew Fino had misunderstood, but he didn't explain; he just smiled and nodded.

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Author's note: Thank you everyone for your support~ [hugs]