Chapter 98: A resounding victory over Udinese

Just four minutes into the game, Milan were already leading 1-0.

"Gooooal! Cabrini makes a long run and passes the ball to the left wing from the edge of the penalty area. Pato receives the ball and shoots under the cover of Jankulovski! Milan continues their high efficiency from the last round of the league. I wonder if they can produce another shocking score in this round, after all, Udinese's recent performance is far worse than Juventus'."

Next, Udinese had an attacking opportunity. The three Italian internationals, Pepe, Quagliarella, and Di Natale, cooperated very well, breaking through Milan's midfield defense with short passes and dribbling into Milan's backfield.

The defense, led by Maldini, is ready for action.

At this moment, Quagliarella was in possession of the ball in the middle. Maldini directed Antonini and Favalli to cut off the connection between Quagliarella and Di Natale and Pepe respectively, while he and Nesta double-teamed Quagliarella.

Quagliarella gradually lost possession of the ball under pressure from Maldini and Pepe. At this point, Di Natale and Pepe were no longer able to support him, and D'Agostino, who came from midfield, was too far away to provide immediate relief.

Quagliarella gritted his teeth and casually swung a shot at the goal, even if the chance was slim, it was better than having the ball stolen.

"Maldini and Nesta made a double interception, and Quagliarella made a rash tackle before losing possession, which Nesta headed away. It was a really reckless tackle, but in that situation, Quagliarella didn't have many options."

Before the commentators could offer any further analysis, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

"Wait a minute, Udinese's attack isn't over yet! D'Agostino has rushed over from midfield and gotten the ball before Gattuso could reach it. D'Agostino takes a shot! It's a long-range effort from over 25 meters out! Oh no! Abbiati makes a brilliant save, denying that powerful shot!"

In the 15th minute of the match, Milan had another attacking opportunity. Kaká and Fino combined to dribble the ball towards Udinese's backfield, attracting four Udinese defenders to follow them and try to intercept the ball.

When the attacking line advanced to a distance of about 35 meters from the Udinese goal, Pato dropped back from the front to join Fino and Kaká in their combination play, and the three continued to advance forward with short passes.

Milan's front three were all very fast and their passing was very agile. Although Udinese had more defenders in their half, the three Fino players kept changing possession and running forward when they were off the ball. For a time, Udinese's defense was helpless against the three Fino players.

Every short pass kept the Udinese defenders on edge. The three players formed a triangle, with Pato and Kaká positioned one behind the other on the left, and Fino positioned between them on the right.

Each player, once in possession of the ball, would quickly pass it to one of the other two players without holding onto it for too long. Fino would then pass the ball directly to Kaká, who would receive it with his foot and immediately pass it back to him. Fino would then pass it diagonally to Pato on the left front, and Pato would pass it back to Kaká. The three players would then repeat this process, passing the ball back and forth.

While Udinese's defense focused on Milan's three forwards, they failed to notice that Pirlo was making a run down the left flank.

After receiving a pass back from Pato, Fino suddenly passed the ball diagonally to Pirlo on the left rear, and Pirlo dribbled the ball down the wing.

Kaká moved to the left flank to receive Pirlo's pass, while Fino and Pato both made runs into the Udinese penalty area.

This change caught Udinese's defense off guard, causing some mistakes in player coordination. Several players rushed towards Pirlo on the wing, leaving space in the middle.

Pirlo dribbled forward a few steps, and before the nearest Ferronetti could pounce, he swung his right leg and launched a long diagonal pass.

The ball was lobbed into the Udinese penalty area from near the left sideline. Fino won the aerial duel with Domizzi and headed the ball down hard with his forehead. The ball bounced in front of Udinese goalkeeper Handanovic and grazed the top of Handanovic's head before going into the net.

Milan lead 2-0.

"Gooooal! Cabrini scores another goal for Milan! Cabrini's performance in the attacking midfield position is beyond expectations. Whether it's organizing the attack, dribbling, passing the ball, or making forward runs to score, Cabrini does it all very well."

The commentator shouted to get the fans excited, and then began to analyze Ancelotti's lineup.

"We're not sure yet whether placing Cabrini in the attacking midfield position was a stroke of genius by Ancelotti or a desperate measure due to a lack of options. The former is more likely, especially since there haven't been any reports of Ronaldinho being injured. Regardless of the reason, Ancelotti's adjustment has been successful. Cabrini not only fits perfectly into the attacking midfield position but also enriches Milan's attacking tactics. That goal was a truly beautiful combination!"

After the goal was scored, the cheers at the San Siro were deafening, with fans chanting Fino's name to pay tribute to the goal scorer.

Fino raised his hands above his head and clapped in thanks to the surrounding stands. Before he could lower his arms, he saw Kaka rushing towards him like a cannonball.

Kaka wants to climb the tree! This thought popped into Fino's mind.

Fino was somewhat alarmed. Kaka seemed to have gotten even stronger lately, and his waistline was becoming less defined. Fino wasn't sure he could withstand Kaka's impact.

When Kaka sprinted over and jumped, Fino immediately stepped back to avoid him, leaving Kaka with no choice but to land freely after jumping.

Kaka: Where's my tree??

Once Kaka was on his feet, Fino began to jump up the tree and climb up to Kaka.

Kaka: I turned into a tree???

In the 30th minute, Udinese finally pulled one back, with the attack initiated by left-back Lukovic from the left flank.

Lukovic was very active in this match, and Udinese launched several attacks down the left flank.

Lukovic and Isla bypassed Gattuso and Antonini with a one-two pass, breaking into Milan's half. Before Maldini could intercept, Lukovic crossed from the left. Quagliarella, receiving the ball, didn't hold onto it but instead cleverly backheeled it to Di Natale on the right, avoiding Nesta's tackle.

Di Natale took a shot from a tight angle about 10 meters in front of the goal, and the ball flew straight into the top corner of the net, leaving Abbiati helpless to stop it.

Di Natale's wild celebration in front of the Milan goal drew boos from the San Siro. Fino and Kaká returned to midfield side by side to wait for the kickoff, and the sight was also very jarring.

Fino and Kaka exchanged a glance, then nodded to each other.

Let's get him!

Just two minutes later, Kaká extended Milan's lead.

Pirlo launched a long diagonal pass from the middle, and Fino received the ball on the left side of the penalty area and crossed it again. At this time, Pato was offside in the penalty area and missed the pass. The ball was received by Kaká, who was lurking at the far post.

Kaka volleyed the ball into the near corner and scored.

"Gooooal! Kaká's volley extends Milan's lead. In just over 30 minutes, Milan and Udinese have combined for four goals. Will this be a repeat of the Juventus vs. Milan match in the last round of the league?"

After the ball went in, neither team changed their playing style and continued to engage in a fast-paced attack.

Attack, counterattack, and counter-counterattack; the two sides went back and forth, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. A moment's distraction could cause them to lose track of the pace of the attack.

In the first half stoppage time, Milan had another chance to change the score.

Milan were awarded a free kick after Domizzi fouled Kaká, which Pirlo took from 27 meters out.

Pirlo placed the ball, put his hands on his hips, took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and began his run-up.

The ball went around the wall from the right, but the alert Handanovic guessed the right direction and quickly lunged to the left to block it.

Before he could even celebrate, Pato intercepted the ball and immediately shot. The ball passed between Sala and Domizzi, who were still caught off guard, and he slotted it into the empty net.

4-1, Pato scored twice, Milan had almost secured the victory in the first half.

After taking a 3-0 lead in the first half, Ancelotti, following his usual practice this season, will tighten his defense in the second half to maintain the lead while rotating players to avoid excessively exhausting the key players.

But Ancelotti glanced at the bench, sighed, and seemed to feel a sense of despair that there was no one left to substitute.

Fortunately, the winter break is coming, and Kaladze and Borriello are almost back from injury, while Seedorf and Inzaghi are also in good condition.

In the end, he only asked Shevchenko to stay on the field to warm up.

At the start of the second half, Ancelotti substituted Fino with Shevchenko for a rest. Pato dropped back to the attacking midfield position, while Shevchenko moved up front.

According to Ancelotti's instructions at halftime, Milan's attacking enthusiasm decreased significantly, but their defensive intensity increased dramatically, giving Udinese no chance to capitalize.

Udinese's several attacks failed to produce a goal, and Milan seized the opportunity to score again.

In the 62nd minute, Udinese substitute striker Flores headed the ball, but the angle was too straight, and Abbiati easily caught it, and Milan immediately launched a counter-attack.

Maldini launched a long pass from the backfield, Pirlo controlled the ball and launched another long pass, and through the relay of two long passes, Milan attacked into Udinese's backfield in a very short time.

The ball always moves faster than people. Before Udinese's players could retreat and return to their positions, Milan had already attacked Udinese from behind.

Kaka unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from 22 meters out. According to post-match statistics, the shot reached a speed of 88 kilometers per hour and flew straight into the top right corner of the goal, creating a white splash of netting.

Kaka scored twice, giving Milan a commanding 5-1 lead over Udinese.

"Gooooal! Kaka scores twice, extending Milan's lead once again. Milan have now scored over 5 goals in two consecutive league matches. Despite being plagued by injuries, their firepower is truly astonishing."

After scoring, Milan did not press their advantage. Ancelotti signaled to tighten their defense further and maintain the 5-1 score until the end of the match.

Ten minutes later, Ancelotti substituted Damian for Antonini and Strasser for Nesta, allowing the two young academy players, both under 19, to experience the atmosphere of Serie A.

Amidst the continuous chants at the San Siro and the fans' fervent enthusiasm, the match came to an end, and Serie A entered its winter break.

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Author's Note: Thank you all for your support! [Let me see...]