Chapter 84 What on earth is going on here?! ...
The difference in strength between the home and away teams in this match was quite large, and it wasn't a crucial game for qualifying from the group stage, so it was destined to be less than exciting.
Milan fans still filled almost the entire San Siro, with only a small area on the second floor of the North Stand reserved for away fans, which accounted for about 5% of the total seating capacity of the San Siro.
Because Fenerbahce fans didn't come with their team to watch the game, that small area was completely covered by the TIFO brought in by Milan fans. The red and black stripes hung down from the third tier of the stands all the way down to the first tier, completely obscuring the empty area for the away team.
The other three stands also displayed giant TIFO banners, featuring the Milan team logo, the red and black devil, and a red and black skull burning with flames. In areas not covered by the TIFO banners, huge flags with different cheering designs were also raised.
The vast majority of Milan fans were wearing Milan's red and black home jerseys, while a small number of fans wearing Milan's white away jerseys were interspersed among them in a regular pattern. The jersey colors formed patterns and words such as "MILAN MILAN," "Rosé Legion," and "We are the champions." When the fans put down the TIFO, the jerseys formed the words.
The fans sang AC Milan's anthem, its solemn and stirring melody resounding throughout the San Siro. Accompanying the song, the fans rhythmically raised and lowered TIFOs, changing the patterns displayed in the stands.
That's absolutely amazing!
Fino looked around. In such a sacred atmosphere, his heart was also surging. He felt his blood boiling and wanted to get on the field as soon as possible to fight for the fans!
In terms of starting lineup, Ancelotti repeated the starting lineup he used at Fenerbahce's home game half a month ago, fielding all his strongest players, determined to win 3 points and secure a spot in the knockout stage in advance.
Fino and Pato played as the two strikers, with Kaká connecting the midfield and attack. Gattuso, Pirlo, and Ambrosini partnered in midfield, while the defense consisted of Zambrotta, Nesta, Maldini, and Jankulovski from right to left, with Abbiati guarding the Milan goal.
Unlike the confident Milan, Fenerbahce has been pushed to the brink. After the first three group matches, Fenerbahce has only accumulated 1 point and is at the bottom of the group.
The remaining three group stage matches are crucial for Fenerbahce. If they continue to lose, they may not even qualify for the UEFA Cup after the group stage and will be eliminated.
As the players lined up to enter the field, Fenerbahce's faces were solemn. Amidst the boos from the San Siro crowd, they exuded a sense of tragic determination, as if they were fighting with their backs against the wall, a stark contrast to the relaxed demeanor of the Milan players.
Before the match began, Maldini guessed the coin toss correctly, and he chose the field, giving Fenerbahce the right to kick off.
Perhaps inspired by Milan's aggressive start in the previous match, Fenerbahce adopted the same tactic after gaining possession.
After Maldonado kicked off, he passed the ball to Boral, who broke free of Ambrosini's defense and made a brilliant pass to Kazim. Kazim then dribbled towards Milan's half, but was cleanly dispossessed by Gattuso, and Milan immediately launched a counter-attack.
As Fino sprinted toward Fenerbahce's attacking third, he pondered the familiar scene, feeling as if it had just happened not long ago.
Many viewers sitting in front of their televisions also had this feeling of déjà vu; it felt so familiar!
The commentator was quick-witted and immediately recognized the familiar spot.
"Fenerbahce launched a quick counter-attack after the kickoff, but just ten seconds later, Gattuso intercepted the ball. Does this scene seem familiar? A week ago, in the 9th round of the league, Siena played the exact same quick counter-attack away at the San Siro, losing possession to Milan and launching a counter-attack. The attacking route was the same, the passing point was similar, and both times Gattuso intercepted the ball. Is Fenerbahce simply reenacting their defeat?" the commentator joked.
"In that match, Milan launched a counter-attack, and the ball was passed through Seedorf, Kaká, and Cabrini before Inzaghi launched the final strike, which was ultimately caught by Siena's goalkeeper. Now the away team's attack has gone according to plan, let's see how the home team's counter-attack performs."
Pirlo passed the ball to Kaká, who dribbled past Fenerbahce's left-back Carlos with a sudden stop, acceleration, and change of direction. He then passed the ball to Pato, who had dropped back to receive it. Pato then crossed the ball into the penalty area, where Cabrini launched the final attack!
"Here it comes, here it comes, Cabrini takes a shot! Oh no, Fenerbahce's goalkeeper Demirel dived in the wrong direction! Milan take a 1-0 lead at the San Siro!"
After the ball crossed the goal line, an excited Fino sprinted towards the stands, clenched his fists, and let out a triumphant roar at the fans. He then ran along the sideline for several dozen meters, spreading his arms behind him and making the "flying chicken" gesture that had made headlines many times during the World Cup qualifiers—yes, he had seen the comments online; the fans loved his gesture to prevent opposing players from sticking to him and hoped he would do it as a celebration after scoring a goal.
He was truly overwhelmed by the fans' support today, and he was happy to fulfill their wishes and make them happy. Although he was puzzled as to why the fans called the move "Flying Chicken"—it seemed so lacking in spirit…
The fans were chanting Fino's name in unison, and as soon as this gesture was made, the fans immediately roared and made the same gesture in response to Fino.
"Milan did not repeat their failed attack against Siena, but continued their good fortune from two weeks ago at Fenerbahce's home ground, striking decisively. Demirel once again guessed the wrong way, repeating the same mistake." The commentator continued.
"Cabrini was quite excited after scoring, making a flying chick gesture along the sideline to celebrate, which once again prompted a collective imitation from the fans. This is a rare passionate celebration from Cabrini, and of course, he can celebrate as he pleases, because this isn't Istanbul, it's Milan, it's the San Siro!" The commentator sarcastically remarked to the Fenerbahce fans.
Fenerbahce's head coach Aragonés sighed, "We conceded a goal right at the start of the game, and it's clear how difficult this match will be."
But there's no reason to surrender just because you've conceded a goal. He gestured to his players to move towards Milan's half, signaling them not to be afraid of losing the ball, to be more aggressive in attack, and to go toe-to-toe with Milan.
Conceding one goal is the same as conceding more goals; only by attacking can we have a chance to win.
In the following match, both sides launched aggressive attacks, resulting in a very exciting back-and-forth battle.
Milan quickly scored again.
Another counter-attack opportunity following an interception: Ambrosini launched a long pass from the left wing, targeting Jankulovski, who was making a run into Fenerbahce's penalty area from the backfield.
Jankulovski received the ball and began to cross from the wing. Gunur, his marker, made a pulling motion, causing Jankulovski to slightly misplace his pass. Although the ball reached the center, its height was somewhat awkward, ending up at Fino's neck.
At this moment, Fenerbahce's two center-backs, Edu and Lugano, were blocking Fino and the goal, preventing Fino from shooting directly and making it easy for him to interfere with his ball control and adjustments.
"Gunur interfered with Jankulovski's cross, which was destined to cause Cabrini a lot of trouble... Oh my god! No trouble at all, Cabrini made a beautiful spinning back kick and passed the ball to Pato, Pato shot, and the ball went in!"
The live broadcast began to show Fino's handling of the ball in slow motion. He faced the direction from which the ball came, took a step back with his left foot, lunged forward slightly with his right leg, then kicked the ball in the air with his left foot off the ground, shifting his weight to his right leg. His right foot spun as he powered through his hips, and his left foot struck the ball hard.
The ball flew toward the right side of the goal to Edu and Lugano's disbelief, where Pato, lurking there, headed it into the net.
"What a beautiful pass! That move is so imaginative! This spinning kick reminds me of Ibrahimovic. As a Taekwondo master, Ibrahimovic loves to incorporate Taekwondo moves into his games, contributing many spectacular goals to our team," the commentator exclaimed. "I didn't expect Cabrini to be such a master as well. I have a feeling this pass will go viral online and dominate tomorrow's sports news headlines."
Inter Milan had just finished their fourth Champions League group stage match the day before. Ibrahimovic was watching AC Milan's game from his sofa at home, not because he was particularly interested in their city derby rivals, but mainly because Nesta was starting in this match...
When the commentator mentioned his name, Ibrahimovic raised his eyebrows, a hint of pride in his expression.
He had to admit that his impression of Fino had changed somewhat. Although this pretty boy was a bit short, looked a bit flashy, and was a bit cunning, he was quite good at football, scoring goals frequently and also enjoyed assisting. He had a rich imagination and would be a very good teammate.
More importantly, he realized he was wrong. Fino and Nesta might not really be anything, but the overall atmosphere in Milan was gay, and people got used to it after seeing it so many times.
In that case, Zlatan should be magnanimous and greet this little dwarf during the next Milan derby!
Fino had no idea what Ibrahimovic was thinking, nor did he want to know. He was being shaken back and forth by Pato, who had a red mark on his head.
"You're such a genius, Finney! A genius, a genius, a genius!"
As Fino was being shaken back and forth, he thought to himself, "Pato's vocabulary is so limited. He probably didn't go to school properly when he was a child!"
After Pato finally calmed down, he had another problem: "But that ball was too powerful, my head hurts!"
Fino gently rubbed the red marks on his skin and casually asked, "Do you feel dizzy or anything like that?"
"A little bit, and a little nauseous. Did I shake your shoulders too hard just now?"
Fino, who had been nonchalant, immediately realized the seriousness of the situation: "Silly child, you might have a concussion..."
Fino immediately waved to the sidelines, pointed to Pato's head, and signaled for the team doctor to come onto the field.
After an examination by the team doctor, Pato was indeed diagnosed with a mild concussion.
Ancelotti looked helpless and substituted Shevchenko for him. What a mess!
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