Chapter 80 It seems like we're running for our lives!

The ball traced a not-so-wide arc and nestled into the net from the center of the goal, slightly near the corner.

When the whistle blew to signal the goal, Demirel pounded the ground in frustration.

Just fifteen minutes into the game, Milan had already taken a two-goal lead away from home.

The boos from the stands were deafening, the red smoke grew thicker, and Fino even heard what sounded like firecrackers exploding.

He looked up and surveyed the stands. A sea of ​​black heads was hidden in the red smoke, making it impossible to see anything clearly. He even began to wonder how the fans could see the game situation on the field.

Amid boos, fans began throwing objects onto the field: water bottles, lighters, half-eaten fruit...

Fino carefully moved away from the sideline and ran towards the center circle to wait for the kickoff. When he stood next to Pirlo, in order not to provoke the home fans, he didn't even hug the assist provider who had given him the assist. He just hooked his finger with Pirlo's under his shorts.

Pirlo couldn't help but think to himself, "This situation really looks like having an affair in front of everyone! Istanbul is definitely not a respectable place; look how scared the kids are."

In the 30th minute, Fenerbahce pulled one back, with the goal scored by Guiza, who transferred from La Liga to the Turkish Super League this season.

Guiza is only 28 years old, in his prime. Last season, he topped the La Liga scoring charts and won the European Championship with Spain in the summer. It was expected that he would be signed by a top club in one of the top five leagues this season, but unexpectedly, he followed in the footsteps of his mentor Aragonés and joined the Turkish Super League.

Guiza received a pass from midfield on the right side of the penalty area and volleyed the ball into Milan's goal. Abbiati couldn't react in time, and the ball grazed Abbiati's fingertips.

Before Fenerbahce fans could even celebrate for long, just two minutes later, Milan extended their lead.

Gattuso successfully intercepted the ball from Selkuk in a one-on-one situation and passed it directly to Fino, who had dropped back into midfield.

After receiving the ball, Fino displayed his impressive speed and superb skills amidst the boos of the home fans, dribbling the ball at high speed towards Fenerbahce's half. He used changes of speed and turns to get past Maldonado and Carlos's interceptions, and carried the ball all the way to the outside of the penalty area.

Fenerbahce's two center-backs, Lugano and Edu, came up from in front of the goal, carefully blocking Fino's shot and gradually closing in on him to prepare for a double interception.

Fino did not choose to continue his breakthrough. Before Lugano and Edu acted, he had secretly made a gesture, which was a tacit understanding between him and Pato.

Upon seeing this, Pato immediately retreated from the left side of the penalty area near the goal, leaving Gokhan, who was closely marking him, two body lengths away.

Fino kicked the ball towards Pato, and after Pato made his run, the ball was passed to him perfectly. Pato comfortably swung his right foot, ready to volley.

Fearing another goal conceded, Gokhan acted impulsively and tackled Pato from behind with his shoulder.

At this moment, Pato had already kicked the ball, but his right foot had not yet landed. He was only supporting his body with his left leg when he was caught off guard and knocked to the ground by Gekhan.

The ball went into the net the instant Pato fell.

Milan are leading Fenerbahce 3-1 away from home.

Seeing Pato fall to the ground, Fino immediately ran over and knelt down to check on him: "Pato, how are you feeling? Are you hurt?"

Pato sat up and shook his head at Fino to indicate that he was not injured.

Fino breathed a sigh of relief, got up and walked toward the referee who had just blown the whistle to signal that the goal was valid, and complained to the referee that Gökhan had fouled Pato.

The referee hesitated. Gokhan's tackle from behind was inside the penalty area, which was technically a penalty and a red card, but only a third of the game had passed and Milan was already leading 3-1. If he dared to make that call, he might not be able to leave the Sukrug-Sarakoglu Stadium today.

In the end, he only called a foul on Gerkhan, did not issue a card, and then signaled that it was time to restart the game.

Fino wanted to argue further, but the referee shook his head at him helplessly, then turned and ran to the midfield to kick off the game.

Fino fell silent; he understood the referee's meaning. He glanced around the stands and finally shook his head helplessly.

After taking a 3-1 lead, Ancelotti, amidst boos from the stadium, gestured to his players, indicating that they should focus on defense and stop attacking, and simply maintain the current score.

Milan immediately switched from attack to defense, leaving only Pato in the attacking third for counter-attacks, while Kaká and Fino dropped back to midfield to join the defense.

Fenerbahce already struggled to break through Milan's defense, and when an Italian team focused solely on defense, they had even fewer chances.

The game quickly dragged on to halftime, and the players carefully avoided objects thrown from above and crawled into the players' tunnel. Inzaghi was left on the field by Ancelotti to warm up.

“We did very well in the first half and established the lead early on. In the second half, we continued to focus on defense. With the three points already in our hands, there was no need to keep padding our stats in such a dangerous place. If we didn't have enough fun, we can continue when we get back to the San Siro.”

Ancelotti stood in the middle of the locker room with his arms crossed, and said with a serious expression.

"When running, try to control the ball in the middle or on the flanks. Avoid going close to the sideline unless necessary, and be careful not to get hit by debris. Andrea, if you have a corner kick opportunity, be wary of debris thrown from the stands and avoid getting injured."

Pirlo nodded, looking tired.

Ancelotti twitched his lips; he always felt sleepy whenever he saw Pirlo's face.

"Finnie, you're coming off for a rest in the second half. Let Pippo come on and stretch his legs."

Fino nodded in agreement.

"Let me emphasize again, we already have the 3 points. From now on, we just need to control the ball until the end of the game. Keep a low profile and don't anger the home fans. This isn't about being cowardly or afraid of trouble; it's about protecting ourselves. We don't need to argue with a bunch of lunatics, understand?"

The players all nodded seriously, indicating that they understood.

Violence on the pitch is commonplace in the Turkish Super League, and everyone has heard about it; no one wants to be the next victim.

Seeing everyone's expressions, Ancelotti nodded in satisfaction, indicating that they could rest on their own. As for tactics, there wasn't much to arrange; just defend.

After the start of the second half, Ancelotti suddenly realized that he had overlooked something. He instructed everyone in the locker room, but Inzaghi was warming up outside and didn't hear him.

Inzaghi frantically gestured to his teammates in Fenerbahce's half as they passed the ball around in midfield, seemingly very dissatisfied with their failure to pass it forward.

The fans in the stands behind him booed him, mixed with a string of profanities, most of which he couldn't understand, but he could understand one English swear word that started with F.

Inzaghi didn't care at all; he even left the penalty area and retreated a distance to wait for his teammates to pass the ball to him.

Pirlo was somewhat helpless. When the ball reached his feet, he still made a long pass, sending the ball to Pato on the left flank, who then dribbled towards the penalty area.

Upon seeing this, Inzaghi immediately ran back into the penalty area to wait for a pass.

Because the ball was contested in midfield from the start, with a large number of players from both sides clustered in the midfield area, Fenerbahce's defense in the second half was not very strong, and Pato broke through easily.

After Pato dribbled into the penalty area, only the two center-backs and the goalkeeper remained inside.

The two center-backs exchanged glances. Lugano stayed behind to mark Inzaghi, while Edu moved forward to intercept Pato.

Edu was determined to stop the ball, even if it meant getting a card, and not let Milan score again.

However, Pato did not give him a chance to get a card. It was as if he had anticipated Edu's move. The moment Edu grabbed his shirt, he had already chipped the ball toward the goal, causing Edu's outstretched foot to miss.

Fenerbahce's goalkeeper Demirel immediately rushed out to save the ball, but a white figure rushed out first and headed the ball into the bottom right corner of the goal.

"Gooooal! Pato crosses from the left, Inzaghi heads the ball into the net, and the game is just 52 minutes in. Milan are leading 4-1 away from home."

"After strengthening their squad this season, Milan's attacking power is terrifying. Only three rounds into the group stage, Milan has already scored 11 goals while conceding only 1. Of course, this is partly due to the significant difference in strength between the three group stage opponents, but this scoring efficiency is already amazing. We look forward to Milan's performance when they face other strong teams in the knockout stage."

After scoring, Inzaghi couldn't contain his joy and roared on the spot with a ferocious expression, before Pato covered his mouth.

“Bear with it, Pippo, let’s celebrate back in Milan,” Pato whispered in Inzaghi’s ear.

Before Inzaghi could calm down, the fans in the stands erupted in chaos.

Numerous mineral water bottles and burning firecrackers were thrown onto the field, causing a commotion among the fans, with some even attempting to rush onto the field.

The referee signaled for the players to move to the center circle area and wait for the fans to calm down. If the situation escalated further, he would declare the match a 4-1 victory.

Riot police began to maintain order, and the defensive line formed by police and stadium security personnel was on the verge of collapse under the onslaught of fans.

Fino and the other players and staff sitting on the bench have returned to the players' tunnel at the request of the fourth official, waiting for this farce to end.

Fortunately, the situation was eventually brought under control, and the game resumed a dozen minutes later.

After the start of the match, Milan completely switched to a defensive strategy, with all the players clustered in their own half, no longer attacking to provoke the fans, but also not giving Fenerbahce players any opportunities.

The score remained 4-1 until the end of the match, and Milan won their third Champions League group stage game.

In Group G, AC Milan leads the group with 9 points from three wins, Dynamo Kyiv is second with 4 points from one win and one draw, Porto is third with 3 points from one win and two losses, and Fenerbahce is at the bottom of the group with 1 point from one draw and two losses.

After the match, Milan didn't linger at all. Under police escort, they went straight to the airport and waited until the plane officially took off before the logistics team could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The belated cheers echoed in the cabin, and the joy of the great victory was finally released.

Looking at the staff who had relaxed and slumped in their seats, Fino stroked his chin, turned to Pirlo and Nesta on the other side of the aisle, and said, "It looks like we're running for our lives!"

Kaka, who was sitting next to Fino, burst into laughter: "A race against time! Luckily, we escaped!"