Chapter 51: Does Hate Last Longer Than Love?
In the 28th minute, Gattuso's unexpected injury gave Ancelotti another scare.
It was Livorno's attacking opportunity. Tavano's shot was cleared by Nesta, and the ball flew out of the penalty area. Filipini, who was not far from where the ball was about to land, immediately ran to the spot. On Milan's side, Gattuso and Bonera rushed from the midfield and the backfield to clear the ball. During the struggle for control of the ball, Gattuso and Bonera collided, and Gattuso fell to the ground injured.
Fortunately, Gattuso's injury was not serious, and he returned to the field after receiving treatment.
Ancelotti observed Gattuso's condition for a while and only breathed a sigh of relief after finding no problems. He was truly frightened by the wave of injuries that had struck recently.
Under Livorno's tight defense, the score remained unchanged in the first half, with Milan going into halftime with a one-goal lead.
After the start of the second half, Milan continued their offensive onslaught.
As Kaká dribbled forward from midfield, he was double-teamed by Bergwald and Pasquale. Instead of forcing his way through as usual, he dribbled the ball to the wing.
During the exchange, Bergwald and Pasquale kept trying to work together to dispossess Kaká, but Kaká precisely avoided their attempts. The ball seemed to be glued to Kaká's feet, as if it were magnetized, and Kaká drew both of them away from the center.
Approaching the sideline, Pasquale, growing increasingly impatient with his inability to intercept the ball, made a desperate attempt to force Kaká out of bounds, but Kaká didn't give him the chance. Kaká passed the ball through the narrow gap between Pasquale and Bergvold, sending it back from the wing to the center, where Fino was already waiting.
After receiving the ball, Fino had a wide-open view. Kaká lured away two players, Ambrosini blocked Melara, and Livorno's three center-backs were blocking the goal, still far from Fino.
With a clear path ahead, Fino dribbled the ball forward comfortably, covering more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, heading straight for Livorno's penalty area.
Fino didn't keep his eyes glued to the ball at his feet, only occasionally glancing down to check its position. Most of the time, his eyes were on observing the positions of his opponents and teammates in front of him and to his left and right.
He knew that Livorno players would be following him, but he didn't look back because he was certain that no one behind him would catch up before Livorno's center-backs pressed forward.
And that was indeed the case. After Kaká passed the ball and Fino started his run, Pasquale immediately abandoned Kaká and chased back.
However, Fino dribbled very fast and headed straight into the penalty area from the center. Pasquale, who had to run diagonally in from the sideline, was far behind Fino and could not pose a threat to him for the time being.
Grandoni and Knezevic exchanged a glance and stepped forward to intercept, while another defender, Galant, kept a close eye on Inzaghi.
About two meters from the Livorno penalty area, Grandoni came up to intercept first, but Fino didn't give him any chance to fight. In a high-speed dribble, he changed direction and left Grandoni behind.
After Fino entered the penalty area, Knezevic decisively chose to slide tackle from the side. Fino remained calm, gently flicked the ball forward, and then turned sideways to avoid Knezevic's tackle, easily defusing the danger.
After getting past Knezevic, Fino was only a dozen meters away from the goal. The last defender in front of the goal, Galant, was marking Inzaghi. Fino had a one-on-one opportunity and was facing Livorno's goalkeeper, De Lucia.
Fino didn't stop the ball and dribble, but instead unleashed a powerful volley.
De Lucia couldn't make the save, and the ball flew straight into the top right corner of the goal.
Milan lead 2-0.
"Beautiful goal! Cabrini scores again for Milan!"
"Cabrini's dribbling breakthroughs are becoming increasingly impressive. In this breakthrough, we can still see the influence of Kaká, but he is not completely imitating Kaká. Their stride frequencies are different. Cabrini has his own rhythm. Even at extremely high speeds, Cabrini's steps remain agile and graceful. Whether it's changing direction to break past Grandoni or dribbling past Knezevic's sliding tackle, Cabrini's movements are elegant, as if he has practiced them a hundred times in advance. There is not a trace of hesitation; he is completely at ease and free. The timing and power of his final volley were just right, so violent and unstoppable."
"In the Champions League match against Arsenal at home, Cabrini's performance on both ends of the pitch was already remarkable. For a 19-year-old to achieve such a level was astounding. After being eliminated from the Champions League, Cabrini suffered a serious injury for a month and a half. Upon his return, he scored in two consecutive matches. His technique has become increasingly mature, and his attacking instincts have become even sharper. That home defeat seemed to have given him a breakthrough, transforming him completely. Cabrini should no longer be treated as a rookie."
The match continued amidst the commentator's exclamations.
Ten minutes later, Inzaghi received a cross from Bonera on the right wing and headed the ball into the goal, giving Milan a 3-0 lead away from home!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ancelotti used two substitutions, replacing Nesta and Favalli with the recovered Oddo and Jankulovski, and moving Bonera to center-back.
After conceding three goals at home, Livorno's players seemed lost, unable to attack or defend effectively, while Milan were clearly playing with great enthusiasm. What should they do in the remaining 20 minutes?
Many home fans even started leaving the stadium, unwilling to watch their beloved team being slaughtered by Milan.
Regardless of the feelings of Livorno's players and fans, Milan's performance is far from over.
In the 75th minute, Pirlo delivered a long ball from the center, Kaká dribbled forward, Inzaghi held off Livorno's defenders in the penalty area, and Fino created space for Kaká to make a run by combining with Kaká's movement.
Fino and Kaká cooperated very well, and the two of them held their own against Livorno's three defenders, pressing all the way towards the penalty area.
Whether it's Fino or Kaká, Livorno's defenders struggle to gain an advantage in one-on-one situations. They only feel confident in two-on-one situations. Despite having an extra player, they feel powerless as if they are one player short.
As Pasquale approached the penalty area, he finally came out to help, leaving Inzaghi to be marked by Galante alone. At the start of the second half, Galante was also marking Inzaghi alone, which gave him confidence. He firmly believed that as long as he didn't miss, he could keep the fox in check.
But before Pasquale could get there, Kaká took a shot. At that moment, Melara was behind Fino. Grandoni was fooled by Kaká's fake pass and shot, thinking that Kaká was going to pass the ball to Fino. He turned around and took two steps in Fino's direction, which made way for Kaká to shoot.
Kaka held off Knezevic and took a shot. The ball flew towards the right side of the goal, and De Lucia quickly dived to make a save, but the ball hit the right post and bounced back into the penalty area.
Fino intercepted the ball before Grandoni could clear it, and with a lobbed pass, he flicked the ball to his left rear. Inzaghi jumped to meet the ball and headed it into Livorno's goal.
4-0, Inzaghi completes a hat trick.
Galante did not restrain his fox-like legs; in the penalty area, Inzaghi was invincible.
"Goooooal! Inzaghi scores a header, completing his hat-trick! In the last round of the league, Juventus' Del Piero also achieved a hat-trick, and in this round, Inzaghi immediately followed suit. The Juventus duo from 10 years ago are still able to score hat-tricks one after another. Del Piero has had outstanding statistics this season, and Inzaghi, who has recovered from injury, has also been extremely courageous, scoring eight goals in four games. Even though they are no longer on the same team, and even though they are both gradually approaching the end of their careers, they are still secretly competing against each other. Does this prove that hatred lasts longer than love?"
The commentator couldn't help but make a few jokes.
This is Inzaghi's 16th hat-trick in his career; the last time he scored a hat-trick was two years ago when Milan played Reggina away.
Inzaghi was ecstatic, roaring as he ran along the sideline, leaving the Livorno home fans too exhausted to even boo him.
Forget it, let it all end...
With only 10 minutes left in the game, Livorno had no chance of turning the tide, so the referee didn't interfere too much with Inzaghi's celebration, turning a blind eye and letting the veteran enjoy himself a little longer.
After Inzaghi finished celebrating, the Milan players retreated to midfield to wait for Livorno to kick off.
Ancelotti has given instructions to focus on defense for the next ten minutes and simply run out of time.
Inzaghi walked beside Fino, hesitated for a moment, but did not hug her. He simply thanked Fino in a low voice.
Fino smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Near the end of the match, Livorno pulled one back when Tristan received a pass from Diamanti and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.
This goal couldn't secure Milan's victory, but it did at least salvage some pride for Livorno.
After the 35th round of the league, the rankings of the top six teams remained unchanged. Inter Milan, Roma, Juventus, and AC Milan all won with 3 points, while Fiorentina and Sampdoria both only got 1 point due to draws.
Milan's lead over fifth-placed Fiorentina has widened to 3 points, and their lead over sixth-placed Sampdoria has widened to 5 points.
Even with three points from this round of league play and a widening gap with the two teams chasing behind, Ancelotti was still somewhat unhappy. Livorno's goal was entirely a result of Milan's defensive errors; without Maldini and Nesta, Milan's defense was practically a sieve.
Fiorentina's next league opponent is Cagliari, a lower-ranked team, and the Viola has a very high probability of winning.
Milan's next league opponent is Inter Milan, who are currently at the top of the table. It will be a tough battle.
Ancelotti substituted Nesta in the 70th minute to prevent him from receiving another yellow card and missing the Milan derby. However, after Nesta left the field, the defense couldn't hold on for even 20 minutes.
How could Ancelotti be happy with such a performance from the defense?
If Fiorentina wins and Milan loses, the two teams will be on equal footing. Moreover, Fiorentina's opponents in the last two rounds are not particularly strong, unlike Milan, whose opponents in the last two rounds are both top-tier teams.
Ancelotti sighed, wondering if the club would be willing to spend money to buy players during the summer break.
He can only silently pray that Maldini's injury recovers well and that he can get a year-long contract extension.
Paul, please, let me continue living off my parents!
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