Chapter 25 Inzaghi: What makes Buffon so special?! ...
The subsequent match was really not very interesting.
Juventus' attack was completely unable to break through Milan's defense. Before Dida could even make a move, Maldini directed several defenders to defuse the crisis.
Milan's players were mostly clustered in their own half, leaving only Fino and Kaká in the attacking third to tie down Juventus' defense.
After gaining possession, Milan would launch long balls into Juventus' half, leaving Fino and Kaká to fight for the ball themselves, while the rest of the team didn't push forward to coordinate, as if they were letting Fino and Kaká "fend for themselves."
Even under these circumstances, Fino and Kaká managed to create several scoring opportunities through coordinated attacks, but their shots were either blocked by the defenders or saved by Buffon and went out of bounds.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Milan had one last attacking opportunity.
Fino received another long pass from Pirlo. At this moment, Kaká was facing a double defense from Zebina and Legrottaglie, and could not cooperate with Fino. Fino had no choice but to dribble past them on his own.
Upon seeing Fino receive the ball, Chiellini and Molinaro immediately moved up to cut off Fino's shooting route, while Nocerino also dropped back from midfield to pressure Fino from behind.
Fino struggled to keep up with the ball, but he was still pushed to the sideline by the Juventus trio and was about to be pushed out of bounds.
At this moment, Kaka finally broke free of the two defenders' defense. Fino used a turning motion to push one of them aside with his back and barely passed the ball over. Then, he shook off the three-man encirclement and sprinted towards the center of the field.
The three players behind him couldn't keep up with Fino's speed at all. The current situation was two against three, with Fino and Kaká facing Buffon and two defenders.
Zebina and Lerottaglie came up again to double-team Kaká. Before the two could arrive, Kaká made a shooting motion towards the lower right corner, tricking Zebina into blocking to the right. He then passed the ball to Fino, who was coming from the sideline.
Without hesitation, Fino volleyed the ball directly into the air. At this moment, Legrottaglie, who was still in front of Kaká, was too late to block Fino.
The ball flew straight toward the goal, fast and accurate.
The fans in the stadium held their breath, waiting for the goal to be scored.
On the sidelines, Ancelotti clenched his fists. Whether this game would be a 3-point or 1-point game depended on whether Fino could score this goal.
The Milan players in the other half were also on tiptoe, waiting for their boots to land.
Just as the ball was about to cross the goal line, a pair of large hands appeared in the ball's path and firmly controlled it.
It's Buffon.
After succeeding, Buffon looked up at Fino and grinned.
Fino stomped her feet twice in frustration.
He rarely makes such childish moves, but today he was almost completely outmaneuvered by Buffon. With virtually no support from his teammates, every shot he and Kaká took was hard-fought, only to be thwarted by Buffon!
If he were still a goalkeeper, he would admire Buffon's brilliant performance, but now that he's a striker, he finally understands how those young strikers cried as they left the field.
At that moment, the final whistle blew, and AC Milan and Juventus were tied 0-0.
Buffon tossed the ball aside, opened his arms, and walked over with a smile, wanting to hug Fino.
He actually had the nerve to laugh!
Fino was a little angry. He turned and walked off the field, not wanting to talk to Buffon.
Buffon quickened his pace, pulled Fino into a tight embrace from behind, and then leaned forward to look at Fino, smiling as he said, "Are you really angry?"
Fino really hates these overly familiar people. They don't even know each other, yet they come up to each other and start hugging and cuddling. What kind of behavior is that!
He tried to break free from Buffon, but underestimated the strength of the Juventus goalkeeper's arms and couldn't break free at all.
Fino, her face cold and filled with anger, whispered, "Let go!"
Buffon wasn't intimidated by his cold demeanor. He still held him tightly with both arms, tilted his head, and said with a grin, "Don't be angry. We just have different positions. My job is to guard the goal for Juventus. I can't let him win, can I? I like you a lot. Don't you like me? We'll be teammates on the national team!"
Fino knew that his behavior was a bit childish. What had Buffon done wrong? He had just performed better. He shouldn't be angry with Buffon.
"You're right, let go first, let me turn around and talk."
Although he was still a little embarrassed, Fino's tone had softened considerably.
Noticing that Fino had stopped struggling and his tone had softened, Buffon immediately gave Fino a few quick kisses on the neck before releasing his arms, placing his hands on Fino's shoulders, and turning him around.
Buffon didn't just whisper "pop" sounds near her neck; he actually kissed her, and Fino could even feel the dampness on her neck.
Because his arms were restrained, Fino was unable to stop Buffon's actions. After breaking free, it seemed a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill to dwell on what had already happened, since kissing is a way of expressing friendliness, and Buffon was just a bit too friendly.
And all of this happened on camera. His behavior of turning away just now was already very rude. He can't possibly get angry because of a few kisses on the neck.
Forget it, let it all end. Fino is already numb to the Italians' tendency to kiss and hug all the time.
"Shall we exchange jerseys?" Buffon asked Fino with a grin.
Buffon's blue eyes are very beautiful, like a lake under the bright sunlight—clean and clear. His eyes convey sincerity and friendliness, making them hard to refuse.
Fino nodded, grabbed the hem of his jersey with both hands, took it off, and handed it to Buffon.
Buffon also took off his own jersey and handed it over, then draped Fino's jersey over his own shoulder and hooked his arm around Fino's shoulder as they led him toward the Milan locker room.
“I know you used to be a goalkeeper too, and I think we'll have a lot in common, but Juventus is heading back to Turin tonight, so we won't have time to talk properly. How about we exchange contact information? Next time you come to Turin for a match, I'll treat you to dinner…”
Fino could only agree; he had no reason to refuse friendship, nor could he resist someone who was overly friendly.
After watching Fino type his number into his phone and then dial it, Buffon was finally satisfied.
He lowered his head to kiss Fino's cheek to say goodbye, but the sudden shadow that loomed over her startled her. Fino turned her head to look, and coincidentally, Buffon's kiss landed right on her lips, though it was just a fleeting touch.
Fino subconsciously reached up and wiped her lips.
Since he had only quickly wiped his lips, Fino didn't feel any discomfort; after all, it was just an accident, and it was nothing serious. His bigger worry was that his teammates, especially Pirlo, would see it, as Pirlo would definitely make fun of him.
Fortunately, the teammates hadn't returned to the locker room yet, so if no one saw it, it was as if nothing had happened.
He shoved Buffon away, urging him to leave: "Go on, Buffon."
"Just call me Gigi!"
“Okay, Gigi, aren’t you guys supposed to be heading back to Turin tonight? Hurry up!” Fino continued to urge them on.
"Okay, okay, I understand, please stop pushing me."
Buffon walked out with a smug look on his face. He bumped into Inzaghi at the entrance to the Milan dressing room, unaware of how long the other man had been standing there.
"Ciao, Pippo." Buffon greeted him cheerfully and walked back to the away locker room. He took out his phone from the locker and saved Fino's number in the unanswered call section.
He licked his lips, savoring the fraction of a second their lips had just touched, and then sent Fino a text message: It was a pleasure to meet you, my little beauty.
Fino did not reply to Buffon; he was in an awkward position.
Oh no, Inzaghi saw everything.
Inzaghi stared at Fino without saying a word, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
Fino felt a little flustered under his gaze, but she managed to suppress her embarrassment and pretended to be nonchalant as she said to him, "Pippo, it was just an unlucky coincidence. Please don't tell anyone, Andrea will definitely make fun of me."
A huge silence hung between the two of them. Fino felt the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward, and he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and disappear into it.
“I know, don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret for you.” Inzaghi finally broke the silence. “Gigi is an overly enthusiastic person. He’s kissed at least eighty, if not a hundred, men. Compared to his usual behavior, this kind of accident is nothing. So don’t worry about it too much, it’s just a coincidence, nothing serious.”
Upon hearing Inzaghi's words, Fino breathed a sigh of relief, took his toiletries from the cabinet, and turned to enter the shower room.
Concealed by the sound of flowing water, Fino sighed softly. He should have been happy about Inzaghi's understanding, but he felt a vague sense of unhappiness.
After their brief encounter on the terrace swing that night, Fino had a vague and inexplicable feeling towards Inzaghi.
Inzaghi seemed shrouded in a mist, impossible to see or understand. His reason had already realized the danger involved, but this mist was mysterious and alluring, drawing him to explore the truth.
Inzaghi was furious in the locker room.
He had been watching Buffon hug Fino and kiss his neck on the pitch, then watching them exchange jerseys, walk arm in arm back to the Milan locker room, exchange phone numbers, and that unexpected kiss.
Inzaghi knows Buffon well. Buffon is the kind of person who can't take his eyes off beautiful women and feels restless if he doesn't kiss and hug them. That unexpected kiss only made him feel like he had gotten a good deal, and he would happily savor it over and over again. He wouldn't have any other complicated thoughts.
Inzaghi knows Fino well. Fino is a little resistant to intimate gestures from others, but once it happens, he is very calm and will find a thousand reasons to justify the intimate gesture, and then forget about it. He will never have thoughts like "Does he love me?"
So, that unexpected kiss was just an accident and wouldn't leave any ripples in Fino's heart. What he was more worried about was being ridiculed by his teammates.
Inzaghi was still angry. Why did Buffon get the nerve?!
On the evening of the match between Milan and Juventus, Kaká flew to Paris, France, on a private jet. The Ballon d'Or ceremony was scheduled for the following day. His family and styling team were already waiting for him in Paris, and he wanted to be in his most perfect state for his moment of glory.
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