Chapter 79 I absolutely hate Istanbul! ...

After the 7th round of Serie A, Milan quickly faced their third Champions League group stage match, traveling to Turkey to play against Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Gattuso started complaining while they were still on the plane.

"What bad luck! I drew Fenerbahce! I absolutely hate Istanbul!"

Fino twitched his lips; it seemed Gattuso's Istanbul phobia hadn't worn off yet.

Maldini frowned, stopping Gattuso from continuing to complain: "That's enough, Rino, the revenge has been taken, let's not bring it up again."

Nesta, who had just recovered from injury, added: "I don't like playing in Istanbul either. Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, Besiktas, several Turkish teams that are good enough to play in the Champions League are all in Istanbul, and the fans are all crazy. I'm really worried about the personal safety of us Milan fans."

Fenerbahce's home stadium, the Soukro Sáracoglu Stadium, is known for its fervent atmosphere. Like Galatasaray and Besiktas, Fenerbahce's home stadiums are among the most famous "hellish" stadiums in Europe.

Incidents of fans causing trouble are commonplace. Throwing objects onto the field is a regular occurrence, and incidents of arson against the fans' stands, mob attacks on away team fans, and storming onto the field to beat away team players also happen frequently.

To cite a recent example, during last season's Champions League quarter-final match when Chelsea visited Fenerbahce's home ground, Fenerbahce fans posted videos online taunting Chelsea players, threatening to burn them alive. Perhaps influenced by these violent threats, Chelsea, despite leading by one goal in the first half, conceded two goals in the second half and ultimately lost in Istanbul.

"The club has already warned the fans in advance not to come to Istanbul with the team to watch the game. If they must come, they should not wear jerseys or carry any items with the Milan logo. They should pretend to be neutral fans and blend into the crowd," Ancelotti added slowly. "Let's take care of our personal safety first. Listen up, no outrageous celebrations when we score. After the game, we'll get on the plane immediately and go straight back to Milan."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It must be said that Milan's logistical support was excellent.

The team stayed in a high-rise building. Milan booked the top two floors, with players and staff staying on the upper floor and the lower floor left empty, separating the team from other guests and prohibiting unauthorized personnel from going up to the top two floors.

The hotel is shaped like the Chinese character "回" (hui), with all the players' rooms located in the inner circle, their windows opening onto the hotel's atrium. The rooms in the outer circle are also empty to prevent Fenerbahce fans from making noise outside the hotel and disturbing the players' rest.

After a good night's sleep, Milan players spent all their time in the hotel before the match the following night, except for a training session at the stadium, to ensure their safety to the greatest extent possible.

At 9:45 p.m., the match that had the Milan support staff on edge finally began, under the watchful eyes of the Fenerbahce fans.

In terms of overall team strength, Milan has a high chance of winning this match. Nesta has recovered from his injury and is back in action, meaning Milan's starting lineup is at full strength.

Abbiati remained in goal, and the four defenders from right to left were Zambrotta, Nesta, Maldini, and Jankulovski. Gattuso, Pirlo, and Ambrosini partnered in midfield again, with Kaká playing as the lone attacking midfielder, and Fino and Pato leading the attack as a pair of strikers.

Meanwhile, Fenerbahce will be missing captain Emre, key striker Davide, and defender Widson due to injury.

Fenerbahce's advantage lies in the home atmosphere; when personal safety is threatened, it is difficult for the away team to perform normally.

As soon as he entered the stadium, Fino felt the "enthusiasm" of the Fenerbahce fans. Smoke filled the surrounding stands, and red flames could be faintly seen dancing. The unified shouts were delivered at a high decibel level. Although he couldn't understand what the home fans were shouting, the atmosphere was incredibly intense.

Fino and Pato, who were standing at the very back of the team, were both deeply moved.

Fino reached out and hooked his arm around Pato's shoulder, teasingly saying, "The Milan derby has been overshadowed."

Pato grinned, revealing an awkward smile. He was so nervous; he could feel his muscles trembling in the smoke of battle.

Kaka, who was standing in front of him, turned around and joined their conversation.

"How exciting! As expected of the 'home ground of hell,' it really creates the feeling of hell."

Hell? It does have a bit of that feel to it. Fino then thought of a question: "Do you think that if we start setting fires so early, we'll run out of firepower in the second half?"

Hmm, although it's a strange question, it's a good one. Kaka and Pato both pondered for a few seconds, following his train of thought.

"Probably not. Didn't Sandro say this is standard practice for Turkish teams? They should be well-prepared," Kaka replied.

"So, we're going to play the full 90 minutes in this hellish atmosphere?" Pato rubbed his face.

Fino nodded toward the stands: "The police must be very well prepared; there are so many riot police here!"

Pato and Kaka followed his gaze and saw rows of riot police standing in the passageways between different areas, dividing the fans into sections.

Pato finally felt a little more at ease.

Milan had possession at the start, with Pirlo passing the ball to Kaká, who then carried it forward. Fino and Pato, on the other hand, were like two sharp knives piercing Fenerbahce's half.

Fino was incredibly fast. He sprinted towards Fenerbahce's penalty area while observing the positions of the Fenerbahce players, stopping only at the edge of the penalty area to wait for Pato and Kaká to catch up.

Unlike Fino, Pato didn't rush straight into the penalty area. Instead, he waited to receive the pass three or four meters to Kaká's left front. Ambrosini followed behind Kaká to prevent him from having to pass back if his attack was thwarted.

After dribbling the ball for more than ten meters, Kaka passed it to Pato. Pato didn't hold onto the ball for long; after a slight adjustment, he immediately passed it to Fino, who was waiting outside the penalty area.

Without hesitation, Fino received the ball and immediately took a shot.

Just a few dozen seconds into the game, Milan began their assault on Fenerbahce's goal, catching the Fenerbahce players off guard.

Before Fenerbahce's two center-backs could react, the ball darted between them, and goalkeeper Demirel panicked and dived in the wrong direction, sending the ball flying into the far corner of the goal.

1-0, Milan take the lead away from home.

The cheers paused for a second, then a huge chorus of boos erupted, and the fans stirred again.

"Gooooal! Unbelievable! Just 34 seconds later, Milan scored at Fenerbahce's 'hellish home ground'! The goal was scored by AC Milan's super striker Fino Cabrini, who has recently become a sensation in Italy!" the commentator exclaimed.

"This must have been a meticulously designed early tactic. Pirlo kicked off, Kaká dribbled past his marker, Pato served as a midfielder, and Cabrini, cutting straight into Fenerbahce's penalty area, was ready to shoot. The whole process was fast and efficient, catching Fenerbahce completely off guard. I must say, the Milan players' execution was superb."

After scoring, Fino followed Ancelotti's instructions and did not celebrate. He only gave a light high-five to Pato, Kaká, Ambrosini, and others who were passing by when he returned to midfield to wait for the kickoff.

Ancelotti, standing on the sidelines, was also somewhat surprised. He hadn't arranged this tactic. It was either a tactic that Fino and the others discussed privately, or it was a natural understanding between Milan's midfield and forward lines.

Either way, it's a good thing.

The opening play was Fino's idea, not a particularly elaborate one; it was just a quick discussion with Pirlo and the others during the line-up phase, and no one expected it to go so smoothly. Maldini easily gained possession, Kaká and Pato smoothly passed the ball forward, and Fino's shot found the back of the net.

It went so smoothly that it seemed as if destiny was on Milan's side.

Fino had a feeling that they would achieve a very good score in this match.

After Milan scored, Fenerbahce immediately launched a counterattack.

Teams in the top five leagues all hate Fenerbahce's intimidating home ground, as if they can only win by threatening away players with their fans, a victory that is dishonorable and laughable.

In reality, they also face pressure from the home fans during the match. Their fans aren't just targeting the away team; the boos are directed at both. If they don't play well, they might even be attacked by their own fans.

After receiving a pass from Serkuk, Maldonado dribbled the ball toward Milan's half, but after only a few steps, he was intercepted by Gattuso and Nesta coming up from the backfield, instantly losing possession.

"Nesta's back injury recurred during the summer break, and he has just returned from injury. This is his first appearance of the season. We can see that Nesta's defensive ability is still at a top level. His movements are clean and crisp, and his tackles are quick, accurate, and stable. He took possession of Fenerbahce in an instant."

The ball quickly came to Pirlo's feet. Pirlo stepped on the ball and looked around at the positions of the players from both sides.

Fino was waving to him from the right flank of Fenerbahce, near the penalty area.

Fino had great confidence in Pirlo's long passes. Despite the nearly 30-meter distance between them, Pirlo had the ability to hit exactly where he wanted to, with a precision as if he had satellite positioning.

Pirlo certainly saw Fino's gesture and the Fenerbahce defender closely marking him, but without hesitation, he passed the ball directly to him. Their trust was mutual; Pirlo was equally convinced that if Fino wanted the ball, he must be capable of winning.

Pirlo didn't pass the ball directly to Fino's feet, but instead passed it about three meters in front of him, giving Fino just enough space to get past the opposing defender.

The pass was exactly what Fino was thinking. He mentally praised Pirlo again, then used his excellent explosiveness to get to the ball first. With a graceful turn, he left the defender marking him behind and immediately unleashed a powerful shot.

Having learned their lesson at the start of the game, Fenerbahce's goalkeeper Demirel was extremely focused this time. From the moment Fino received the ball, he kept his eyes glued to it, slightly bent over, ready to make a save at any moment.

Once the ball was actually shot, he immediately lunged towards the far corner of the goal, only to be horrified to find that he had lunged in the wrong direction again.