Chapter 47 Cute
On April 5th, the 32nd round of Serie A kicked off, with Milan hosting Cagliari. Inzaghi finally recovered from his injury and returned to the field, but Milan still only had one player available in attack, as Pato was also injured...
After both Fino and Inzaghi were injured, 18-year-old Pato started five consecutive league matches, partnering with the younger academy player Paloschi in two-striker formations and playing as the lone striker, completing the full 90 minutes in every game. He eventually suffered a muscle strain during training due to fatigue and will miss two more league matches.
Some unscrupulous fans have already taken to the forums to mock Pato's tragic fate: "My name is Pato, I'm 18 years old, and I'm a donkey in Milan. I started 5 rounds, and we lost 5. I put in the effort, I got the blame, and I'm the one who got hurt..."
Milan fans and Pato's supporters were completely taken aback.
In this match, Milan finally assembled their Champions League final lineup from last season in midfield and attack. Gattuso, Pirlo, and Ambrosini controlled the midfield, while Kaká and Seedorf linked up the midfield and attack, with Inzaghi leading the attack as the lone striker.
The defense has undergone significant changes, with Maldini and Kaladze partnering at center-back, Bonera and Favalli playing on the left and right flanks, and Kalac, whose recent form has not been great, guarding the goal.
This season, due to Dida's injuries and poor form, Kalac once had the upper hand in the competition for the starting goalkeeper position.
He made some brilliant saves at crucial moments, rescuing Milan from dire straits, but his technical deficiencies and unpredictable nature also cost Milan victories.
Especially after conceding a goal against Arsenal, Kalac seemed to lose heart, and his poor form was undoubtedly related to the five-game winless streak in the league.
Based on his current performance, it is almost impossible for him to retain his first-choice goalkeeper position next season.
Fino appeared in the VIP box at the San Siro, next to Nesta, who was suspended for this round.
Once the camera caught Fino's image, the commentator immediately alerted the audience.
"Cabrini was spotted in Milan's family box, sitting with the suspended Nesta. The two seemed relaxed, discussing something and appearing very confident about the upcoming match. Cabrini has missed five league games since his injury against Arsenal, all of which Milan lost. It's unclear what Cabrini's thoughts are on that. According to *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, Cabrini has begun rehabilitation training at Milanello, and we believe we will see him back in the game soon."
It's been so long since I've seen Cabrini! Sigh! It's only been a month, but it feels like an eternity.
Losing days always seem to drag on endlessly; this month has been a complete disaster.
Will we lose this game again? I've completely lost confidence.
Cagliari are a relegation team! A relegation team! A relegation team! Have some confidence, will you? Look at our midfield and attack – a Champions League-winning squad!
The relegation-threatened team is on a four-game unbeaten streak, while we've suffered five consecutive defeats...
I was speechless...
[Cabrini is so beautiful! Especially sitting next to Nesta, both with long black hair, equally stunning.]
They're a perfect match!
[A perfect match +1]
[Perfect match +10086]
[Get everyone upstairs out! What kind of time is this to be trying to matchmake people?!]
...
Nesta was very uncomfortable with the cameras pointing at him from time to time. The game hadn't started yet, and he couldn't find anything to distract him. He was either looking around or fidgeting with his hands, his eyes darting in eight hundred directions every second.
Fino could tell at a glance that his camera phobia had flared up again, so she quickly tried to find a topic to ease his anxiety. What kind of behavior was it for a handsome guy to act like a thief in front of the camera?
"Sandro, didn't you bring any food? It's been over two hours, you'll probably be hungry soon."
Nesta's face fell, and he covered his mouth, saying, "Carlo specifically told me not to eat anything. If the fans see that I have an appetite while I'm suspended and can't play, they'll think I'm not serious, not dedicated, and not responsible for the results."
Fino nodded knowingly: "The coach is right. The main problem is that the results aren't very good right now, so the fans are quite sensitive. It's right to be careful."
Nesta was somewhat indignant: "Carlo himself is chewing gum on the sidelines, but he won't let me eat in the VIP box."
"That's why he's being verbally abused like a dog now!"
Nesta felt that this wasn't the case, but Fino's words seemed to make a lot of sense. He didn't know how to refute them for a moment, so he lowered his head to think.
Fino's lips curled up slightly. Ancelotti was scolded for his poor grades, not for eating, but Sandro, who was confused, was kind of cute.
This was a pointless topic to begin with; Fino was just trying to distract Nesta, and once he saw that Nesta was no longer fidgeting, he felt relieved.
As the match was about to start, a woman entered the box with her child and sat down on the other side of Fino.
This is Maldini's wife, Adriana, and the child next to her is their second son, Daniel.
Nesta was familiar with Maldini's family, and he immediately stood up to greet Adriana and Daniel, and introduced Fino to Adriana.
Fino exchanged a few pleasantries with Adriana, then looked down at the little boy peeking from behind Adriana.
Daniel is six years old this year and is no longer the chubby little dumpling he used to be, but he's still very cute. With chestnut blonde hair and light blue eyes, he perfectly inherited the Maldini family genes in his appearance.
In a few years, he will follow in his father's footsteps, just like his brother Christian, and join Milan's youth academy, allowing the Maldini name to continue to write its glorious chapter in Milan's history.
Fino bent down and extended his hand to him: "Ciao, Daniel, I'm Fino, your future teammate."
A few seconds later, a small hand hesitantly reached out and gently placed itself on Fino's palm.
AC Milan took an early lead after the start of the match. Favalli made a run down the left flank, received a pass from Pirlo, and immediately crossed the ball. Inzaghi received the ball and shot, but it was blocked by Cagliari defender Canini.
Cagliari's players were unfazed and immediately retaliated. In their eyes, Milan, after five consecutive defeats, was just a toothless tiger, all show and no substance, and they certainly wanted to hand Milan another loss.
Lopez, Conte, and Biondini combined well to pass the ball into the Milan penalty area, where Cossu took a low shot from 28 meters out, but unfortunately the ball went wide of the left post.
In the 8th minute, Kaká dribbled the ball at high speed through the middle, with Biondini and Ferri closing in from both sides. Biondini came up first, but Kaká easily dribbled past him with a simple deceleration and acceleration. Next was Ferri, whom Kaká then used the same trick to get past.
The instant Kaká dribbled past his opponent, Ferry immediately reached out to pull Kaká's jersey, attempting to foul him. However, Kaká had already seen Ferry's action out of the corner of his eye, and he accelerated again to avoid Ferry's hand, dribbling the ball towards the penalty area.
Goalkeeper Storari and center-back Canini were already on high alert in front of the goal, while another center-back, Lopez, kept a close eye on Inzaghi in the penalty area.
However, Kaka did not enter the penalty area at all. When he was 20 meters away from the goal, he took a powerful shot with his right foot. The ball passed by Canini and went straight into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Storari couldn't make the save, and Milan took a 1-0 lead.
Fino and Nesta joined the fans in applauding, marveling at Kaká's long run and brilliant goal.
That's the skill of a Ballon d'Or winner!
Immediately afterwards, Kaká created two more threats. First, he intercepted the ball on the right wing and cut into the penalty area before making a low pass to Inzaghi. Then, he broke into the penalty area from the left wing and made a brilliant pass to Ambrosini, but both attempts were thwarted by Cagliari's defenders.
The two sides traded attacks and defenses rapidly, their fighting spirit running high, and the intense tackling led to frequent accidents. Gattuso injured his right leg and went to the sidelines for treatment, while Foggia suffered a nosebleed from a collision and also went to the sidelines for emergency treatment.
In the 31st minute, Milan won a corner kick.
Pirlo took the corner kick from the right, and Inzaghi jumped high 8 meters in front of the goal, heading the ball powerfully. The ball bounced off the ground in front of the goal line and deflected, going under Storari's arm and into the far corner.
Milan lead 2-0.
Immediately afterwards, Milan executed another brilliant combination play.
Favalli crossed from the left flank, and the ball was passed to Kaká by Seedorf. Kaká, facing the block of two Cagliari center-backs, passed the ball to Gattuso on the right, but unfortunately Gattuso's shot was blocked by Agostini.
Gattuso injured his leg again during his match against Agostini, but he persevered.
Milan's attacks came wave after wave, and they kept Cagliari firmly under pressure for the remainder of the first half.
In the 36th minute, Kaká broke through and passed the ball into the penalty area, but Inzaghi's goal was ruled offside.
In the 42nd minute, Pirlo passed the ball diagonally from midfield to the left wing, where Kaká took a shot from outside the penalty area, but Storari tipped the ball over the bar.
In the 44th minute, Inzaghi received a pass from Kaká and passed it back to Kaká, who curled a shot with his left foot, but it went wide of the post.
Milan went into halftime with a two-goal lead.
To withstand Milan's attack, Cagliari paid the price with three yellow cards, with defenders Lopez, Canini, and Agostini each receiving one, forcing them to play more cautiously in the second half.
During halftime, Fino and Nesta began discussing the first half of the game. Milan played very well and it seemed like they would have no problem taking 3 points.
At that moment, two little hands rested on Fino's knees.
Fino looked down and saw a pair of light blue, round eyes staring at him curiously.
It was Daniel walking over.
Fino smiled, patted his head, and took a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to him.
The child picked up the candy, ran shyly back to his mother, and then snuggled against her shoulder, peeking at her.
How adorable! Fino's smile deepened; he had very little resistance to cute things.
Nesta nudged Fino's arm a few times with his elbow.
Fino turned his head and looked over; Nesta was looking at him expectantly.
Fino twitched his lips, understanding Nesta's meaning, and pulled out another candy from under his seat and handed it over.
Nesta immediately peeled it open, bent down, blocked the camera with one hand, and stuffed the candy into his mouth with the other.
Yes, he hasn't forgotten Ancelotti's advice.
"Well, she's cute too," Fino thought.
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