Chapter 133 The Destroyed Farewell Moment
Fino let out a heavy sigh of relief. He had been running for more than 80 minutes, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't tired.
But the game has already progressed this far, and in the last five minutes, they must fight tooth and nail to score a goal, secure 3 points, win the league title this season, and ensure Maldini's farewell match leaves no regrets.
The teammates felt the same way; they looked at each other and clapped to encourage one another.
"There's still time, let's have another shot!"
"come on!"
Maldini retrieved the ball from the goal and handed it to Fino, who had retreated to Milan's half, patting him on the shoulder.
Go ahead, I believe in you!
Fino, clutching the ball, returned to the center circle and urged the referee to quickly end Roma's celebration, as they were about to kick off.
The ball was taken by Pirlo.
Pirlo gently pushed the ball to the left, and Fino stepped into Roma's half, then passed the ball back to Gattuso in Milan's half.
Then, Fino and Kaká sprinted from the left and right flanks toward Roma's half, while Seedorf made a run down the middle, causing Roma's defense to drop back simultaneously.
Pirlo and Gattuso exchanged two passes back and forth, pulling Roma's midfield into disorganized movement.
Then, Pirlo delivered a precise long diagonal pass, lobbing the ball towards the right side of Roma's penalty area. The moment the ball hit the ground, Kaká had already made a run into position, receiving the ball and immediately passing it into the penalty area.
At this moment, Seedorf and Fino had entered the Roma penalty area from the center and left flank, respectively, creating two receiving points. This caused Roma's goalkeeper Arthur to hesitate for a moment, unsure whether to focus on marking Seedorf or Fino.
Diamutene and Mexes chased after Seedorf and Fino, but Seedorf, interfered with by Diamutene at the near post, failed to receive the ball, which flew towards the far post.
Fino used his speed to get past Mexes, jumped high to meet the ball, and headed it into the far corner of the goal.
3-2. In the 88th minute, just two minutes after Roma equalized, Milan took the lead again.
The San Siro erupted in the loudest cheers of the match, as Milan came incredibly close to winning the league title this season!
After being overtaken, Roma's fighting spirit waned. They were already in a state of apathy, and their physical exhaustion made it difficult for them to regain their enthusiasm.
After their attack was disrupted by Milan after the kickoff, Roma's players began to work together with Milan to run down the remaining time in the game.
In stoppage time, Ancelotti used his last substitution, replacing Fino with Shevchenko.
This match was not only Maldini's farewell game, but also Shevchenko's farewell game for Milan. Milan did not buy out or extend the loan, and Shevchenko will return to Chelsea after the end of the season.
At today's post-match press conference, Ancelotti will announce his departure from the position of AC Milan head coach, and the announcement of his move to Chelsea will be released tomorrow.
Although his relationship with Shevchenko was once strained, and he would have gotten rid of Shevchenko as soon as he took over at Chelsea, at this moment, he was willing to give this Milan legend some dignity.
Amidst applause, Fino walked off the field and embraced Shevchenko, who was waiting outside.
The name "Shevchenko" rang out in the stands as fans bid farewell to Shevchenko in their own way.
Shevchenko raised his hands to greet the stands in all directions, and his passing teammates gave him high-fives. Maldini even ran over from the backfield to hug Shevchenko.
The referee and the Roma players were understanding and didn't rush to resume the game. The outcome of the match was already decided, and it was understandable to let things end peacefully.
When the game restarted, Gattuso tackled the ball away from Totti, and the referee blew the final whistle.
The 2008/09 Serie A season has finally come to a close. AC Milan, with 82 points, won the league title this season, just one point ahead of Inter Milan!
This is AC Milan's 18th Serie A title, a full five years after their victory in the 2003/04 season.
Following the "Calciopoli" scandal, Inter Milan rose to prominence, winning three consecutive Serie A titles and overshadowing AC Milan.
This season, AC Milan finally turned the tide, announcing their triumphant return with a double title.
Players rushed up to embrace the retiring Maldini, including Roma players. Maldini is not only a legend of AC Milan, but also a legend of the entire Serie A.
While waiting for the podium to be set up, Maldini walked around the field alone to say goodbye to the San Siro, receiving cheers and applause from the fans.
This was supposed to be a heartwarming moment. The cameras captured the fans in the stands chanting "Paolo Maldini" at the top of their lungs, waving banners of blessing, and Maldini with tears in his eyes, raising his hands and blowing kisses to express his gratitude to the fans.
But when he went around to the south stand, something unbelievable happened to all the spectators.
The extreme fan group in the South Stand displayed an insulting banner during Maldini's farewell, casting a shadow over his perfect finale.
"You're a great star on the field, but you lack respect for the people who made you rich."
"After a 25-year career, please accept the gratitude of those you called 'beggars' and 'vagrants'."
"Milan has only one captain – Baresi."
...
Some extreme fans waved Baresi's number 6 jersey and chanted "We only have one captain."
Maldini's expression of emotion vanished quickly, and he raised his middle finger toward the south stand.
This scene was captured by sharp-eyed media and quickly spread widely online, making headlines on the front page of many sports newspapers the following day.
The Milan players' expressions changed drastically, and they rushed towards Maldini, leading him away from that area.
Maldini's mood was clearly affected by the actions of the South Stand. He later refused his teammates' suggestion to throw him into the air, showed little interest in the awards ceremony, and even canceled his retirement press conference.
This was supposed to be a grand celebration, but the awards ceremony was abruptly ended due to the disruption caused by the South Stand, leaving everyone feeling disappointed.
The players quickly returned to the locker room, and apart from hugging and comforting Maldini, there was only silence. They showered in silence, changed clothes in silence, and no one wanted to speak.
From the moment the insulting banner was unfurled in the south stand, Fino's anger had been building up, and even during the awards ceremony, his smile was strained.
Those bastards in the South Stand! They ruined Maldini's final curtain call, they ruined this sacred moment.
Ancelotti considerately didn't invite Maldini to the post-match press conference; his eyes swept around the locker room and finally settled on Fino.
Fino performed exceptionally well in this match and was adept at dealing with reporters, readily spouting polite remarks, much like the ancient Greek god of decorum.
Who else could you bring if not Fino?
Fino nodded, put down the towel he was using to dry his hair, casually ran his fingers through his hair a few times, and got up to follow Ancelotti to the media interview room.
Inzaghi, who was just coming out of the shower, saw Ancelotti and Fino's backs. He opened his mouth, wanting to stop them, but he didn't know how to say it. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the two left.
Inzaghi already had a bad feeling; he knew how much Fino idolized Maldini.
The social media account "Red and Black Faith-3" was already quite well-known among Milan fans. Thanks to the algorithm's push notifications, Inzaghi also came across it. He casually scrolled down a few posts and immediately sensed a strong Fino flavor in the text.
The phrase, "1500 years after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Milan welcomed a new emperor," once made him extremely jealous for a long time.
He dug down the account, spending the entire rest day digging, and finally found the earliest fan forum account that Fino had registered in the fan comments. Sure enough, he found that beautiful picture of Maldini with simple artistic lettering that had impressed him so much.
He also fully understood that Fino's liking for Maldini was simply an admiration for the father figure, although this admiration was shockingly fanatical.
Fino concealed his admiration very well. If he hadn't accidentally seen the photo, no one would have discovered the secret, not even Maldini himself.
Given Maldini's experience today, Inzaghi could easily guess that Fino must be furious, and now Ancelotti has brought that bombshell to the post-match press conference.
He can only hope that Fino can remain rational, though he himself doesn't believe it.
Despite the disapproving expressions of Beckham, Ambrosini, and others, he turned on the TV in the dressing room and waited for the press conference to begin. At this point, he no longer cared about Maldini's feelings.
The sound of the television was particularly jarring in the quiet locker room, quickly attracting everyone's attention. Many people felt it was inappropriate, fearing that the post-match press conference might upset Maldini, but turning off the television at this point seemed too deliberate.
Maldini, however, remained calm. He even went over and turned up the volume a little before returning to his seat to watch quietly.
So everyone silently watched the post-match press conference with Maldini.
Unsurprisingly, after congratulating Milan on winning the league title, the media focused entirely on the insulting banner in the South Stand and Maldini's raised middle finger.
Even Ancelotti's announcement that he would leave AC Milan didn't generate much interest from the media – they already knew, and they knew his next destination was Chelsea, so the news wasn't exciting at all.
Ancelotti was well aware that Galliani had played a significant role in the actions of the extreme fan groups in the South Stand, and he subtly remarked, "Those oppositions are merely a drop in the ocean of love."
Roma coach Spalletti, who also attended the post-match press conference, completely disregarded the sordid undertones, stating bluntly: "Those who insulted Maldini have crossed the line. They'd better stay home and not come to the stadium because they don't genuinely love football; they just want to vent."
Fino listened to the two head coaches answer reporters' questions with a blank expression, his left index finger unconsciously tapping lightly on the table, suppressing the anger in his heart.
Fino was not the main focus of the press conference and was not questioned by reporters until the very end, when a reporter only asked Fino for his opinion on the matter perfunctorily.
The reporter who asked the question had no expectations. Fino was notoriously difficult to deal with in the Italian media circle, always polite and courteous, and never said anything sensational.
But today, the usually dignified Fino dropped a nuclear bomb.
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for your support! [cat paw emoji]
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