Chapter 71 Milan Derby

On September 28th, the first Milan derby of the season, part of the fifth round of the league, arrived amidst much anticipation.

This was the 269th Milan derby in history, Maldini's 55th appearance in the Milan derby, and Mourinho's first time facing the test of the Milan derby since his arrival.

Unlike AC Milan, who suffered two consecutive defeats at the beginning of the season, Inter Milan has continued its strong performance from last season, winning three and drawing one in the first four rounds of the league, and taking a commanding 10 points to top the standings.

Newly appointed Mourinho was brimming with confidence, and Inter Milan was at its peak, while Milan's midfield maestro Pirlo and defensive stalwart Nesta were both sidelined with injuries. The match date was perfectly timed; it was the perfect opportunity to strike while they were weakened.

Ancelotti, however, wasn't worried. He's always been good at making the best of what he has. As long as Berlusconi doesn't interfere with the squad, what does he have to fear? Besides, Milan has secured three points in the last two league matches and one Champions League game, and they're on a roll.

Even before the match started, the atmosphere at San Siro was already incredibly exciting.

The Milan derby is already incredibly exciting, but now that "the special one" has arrived, tickets for this match are even harder to come by.

This match was AC Milan's home game, and Milan fans wearing red and black striped jerseys almost filled the entire stadium. Fans in the south stand held up cardboard cutouts of different colors, forming a giant red and black devil.

Inter Milan fans were outnumbered, but a giant TIFO was still displayed in the North Stand to cheer on Mourinho and his players.

A strong fighting spirit permeated the entire San Siro, and a major battle was about to break out.

The players entered the field to the strains of "Milan Milan".

AC Milan once again used the Christmas tree formation, with Zambrotta, Kaladze, Maldini, and Jankulovski lined up in front of Abbiati, while Seedorf dropped back to replace Pirlo in the defensive midfield position to organize and distribute the ball, with Gattuso and Ambrosini protecting him on the flanks.

Kaka and Ronaldinho connect the midfield and forward lines, forming an attacking triangle with Fino, who is positioned as the arrowhead. What's even better is that the three can flexibly switch positions, all of them have the ability to make long runs, and all of them are good at passing and shooting. Anyone can be the one to finish the goal.

Mourinho fielded his preferred 4-3-3 formation for Inter Milan.

Ibrahimovic, who missed the second Milan derby of last season, appeared in the starting lineup this time, still looking as unruly as ever.

While queuing to enter the stadium, Fino and Ibrahimovic were positioned very close together, and while other players exchanged perfunctory pleasantries, the two completely ignored each other.

Fino didn't dislike Ibrahimovic, but he found this Nesta fanatic a bit strange. Fanaticism is contagious, so it's better to keep your distance. Besides, he doesn't have the habit of trying to win someone over.

After the kickoff, Inter Milan immediately bared their fangs at Milan, with Ibrahimovic, Quaresma, and Mancini forming a trident to attack Milan's defense from both flanks.

Just three minutes into the game, Inter Milan gave AC Milan a rude awakening.

Mancini broke through Gattuso's interception on the right wing and passed the ball diagonally to Ibrahimovic on the left side of the penalty area before Maldini could catch up. Ibrahimovic received the ball and took a low shot from a tight angle, which was blocked by Abbiati's outstretched leg.

Milan immediately retaliated.

Maldini controlled the ball that Abbiati had blocked, dribbled forward a few steps, and then passed it to Gattuso, who had come back to receive it. Gattuso immediately made a short pass to Seedorf.

Unlike Inter Milan, who rely on wing attacks, Milan's tactics focus on penetrating through the middle, making Seedorf's role particularly important.

Ancelotti was watching Seedorf closely from the sidelines. As long as Seedorf could organize and orchestrate the game well, Ancelotti could relax a bit.

Under the protection of Gattuso and Ambrosini, Seedorf advanced calmly into Inter's half. Kaká and Ronaldinho did not press forward too much, but waited to receive the pass not far in front of Seedorf. They moved towards Inter's half together with Seedorf's footsteps.

Inter's players naturally wouldn't let them advance unchecked, but Vieira and Zanetti were tied up by Gattuso and Ambrosini respectively, unable to pose a threat to Seedorf. Chivu and Materazzi immediately rushed to help from the back.

Before Inter's two defenders could arrive, Seedorf passed the ball to Ronaldinho on the left wing, who then dribbled forward to continue his breakthrough.

Upon seeing Ronaldinho with the ball, Fino dropped back to receive it, forming a triangle with Kaká and Ronaldinho to facilitate Ronaldinho passing the ball forward or to the right.

Seedorf remained close behind Ronaldinho, drawing Zanetti's attention while creating opportunities for Ronaldinho to pass back.

Finally catching up, Chivu and Materazzi met Ronaldinho and Fino respectively, while Cambiasso was responsible for marking Kaká.

While keeping an eye on Ronaldinho's movements, Fino glanced at Materazzi, who was to his right, and their eyes met. Fino's mind flashed back to last season's Milan derby, to the time Materazzi pulled at him and then pinned him down.

This made him unable to resist a slight smirk. It's human nature to enjoy watching others have fun.

Seeing Fino's upturned lips, Materazzi looked gloomy. He immediately understood what Fino was laughing at. He also remembered that match he didn't want to talk about. He was clearly being crushed half to death and even received a yellow card from the referee.

He glared fiercely at Fino.

At this moment, Fino had already noticed that Ronaldinho was about to pass the ball. Taking advantage of Materazzi's momentary lapse in concentration, he took a step forward in front of Materazzi. Materazzi immediately panicked and, before he could even figure out what was happening, his body had already moved to the right.

After Ronaldinho passed the ball to him, Fino controlled it with his right foot, then flicked it from in front of him to his left rear, and then used his left foot to support his body to complete the turn, before dribbling the ball toward Inter Milan's penalty area.

By the time Materazzi reacted and turned around, Fino was already two meters away from him.

"Cunning Milan brat," Materazzi cursed inwardly, and took off chasing after him.

At that moment, another red and black figure swept past him—it was Kaká making a run forward. Kaká and Fino both sprinted toward Inter's penalty area, followed by Cambiasso and Materazzi, with Ronaldinho, Chivu, and Zanetti a little further away.

Cesar immediately tensed up in front of the goal, directing the only remaining defender, Burdisso, to take his position, while he himself bent his knees slightly, lowered his center of gravity, and kept his eyes fixed on the ball, ready to make a save at any moment.

After dribbling the ball into Inter Milan's penalty area, Fino immediately swung his right leg and unleashed a powerful shot towards the bottom right corner of the goal.

The entire stadium held its breath, waiting for the dust to settle on the shot.

Burdisso reacted quickly, sliding in immediately, but he was too late; the ball flew past his toes just ten centimeters away.

Before the Milan fans could even cheer, Cesar quickly got to the ground and used both hands to press the ball outside the goal line.

At this point, the ball was only one ball length away from the goal line.

A huge sigh echoed in the San Siro, while the North Stand immediately erupted in cheers for Cesar's brilliant performance.

Fino was somewhat disappointed; it was a golden opportunity, and he had done everything he could—with power, speed, and the right angle. But Cesar's performance was equally superb.

Fino shook his head. It was alright, there was still plenty of time. He and Kaka retreated together.

In the ensuing period, both sides traded attacks and had numerous shooting opportunities, but both goalkeepers were clearly excited, channeling Yashin's spirit and combining with their defense to save every shot.

In the back-and-forth battle, Milan's midfield operation became increasingly smooth. Seedorf showed great adaptability in the defensive midfield position, gradually taking control of the midfield along with Gattuso and Ambrosini, and also firmly gaining the upper hand in several one-on-one matchups against Cambiasso.

Ancelotti was very satisfied; his positional adjustments were very effective. Seedorf not only suppressed Cambiasso's forward runs in this match but also revitalized Milan's attack.

At halftime, neither Ancelotti nor Mourinho made any changes to the lineup.

In the second half, Milan's advantage became even more obvious.

The trio of Seedorf, Gattuso, and Ambrosini dominated the midfield, while the ball-controlling triangle of Seedorf, Ronaldinho, and Kaká flowed smoothly through the middle, delivering long balls. The attacking triangle of Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Fino was flexible in their positional interchanges, launching attacks on Inter's defense from time to time.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan's wing attacks became increasingly ineffective. Zambrotta and Jankulovski effectively contained Quaresma and Mancini's speed, while Ibrahimovic was isolated in the middle, unable to pass the ball into the penalty area, and was also closely marked by Maldini and Kaladze.

Although the score is still 0-0, judging from the situation on the field, it's only a matter of time before Milan scores.

Inter Milan's players became increasingly agitated and began using fouls to disrupt Milan's attack.

Milan's players refused to tolerate this and immediately retaliated. The two sides gradually heated up, and the referee began to issue cards frequently.

Vieira and Burdisso both received yellow cards, as did Gattuso and Jankulovski for their tackles on Quaresma. Quaresma, not one to tolerate being tackled, chose to tackle Seedorf instead, also receiving a yellow card...

Despite their attacking rhythm being frequently disrupted, Milan continued their offensive onslaught.

In the 62nd minute, Milan continued their short passing penetration from midfield, with Seedorf, Ambrosini, Gattuso, and Fino exchanging passes and advancing towards Inter's penalty area.

Inter Milan's midfield was already at a disadvantage in terms of ball control, and with an extra player, Milan's attacking speed was extremely fast.

Burdisso and Chivu rushed over from the backfield to help, and the two of them lunged at Fino, who was in control of the ball at the time.

Fino glanced around out of the corner of his eye and saw that Vieira, Cambiasso, and Zanetti were right next to his three teammates. Once Burdisso and Chivu arrived, the four-on-three situation would turn into a four-on-five one, and the numerical advantage would immediately disappear.

Inside the penalty area, Kaká and Ronaldinho were being closely marked one-on-one by Materazzi and Maicon, respectively.

Fino chose to stay put and wait for Burdisso and Chivu to approach, using his foot to adjust the ball to the most suitable position for a shot, ready to take it.

10 meters, 5 meters, 4 meters...

When Burdisso and his companion were only two or three meters away from Fino, Fino finally made his move. He used his right foot to deliver a powerful, lobbed shot that flew through the air towards Inter Milan's penalty area.