Chapter 77 Fino is truly an angel.
After conceding a goal to Italy, Montenegro's defense intensified, with Pirlo being specifically marked, and Fino and Di Natale also constantly under pressure. Even when Fino was not in the penalty area and had moved to the sideline, the Montenegrin players remained close by, determined not to repeat the mistake they made when they conceded the goal.
The Montenegrin players coordinated very well, compressing the space to the extreme, and the Italian team missed several opportunities to extend their lead.
Fino couldn't help but admire the Montenegrin team's tenacity and execution.
In the 41st minute, Italy had another attacking opportunity. Gattuso, De Rossi, Pirlo, and Di Natale gradually penetrated the Montenegrin half through short passes.
When Gattuso passed the ball to De Rossi, there was a slight miscommunication between the two players, and the ball was intercepted by Vukcevic of Montenegro, who then launched a counter-attack.
Jovetic and Boskovic both surged forward, receiving a pass from Vukocevich and sprinting towards the Italian half. After crossing the center circle, Jovetic launched a long pass to Vucinic, who was waiting for a counter-attack opportunity on the left flank.
Vucinic won the challenge with Zambrotta, got to the ball, and dribbled into the Italian penalty area. He bypassed Chiellini's block and faced the Italian goalkeeper Amelia.
After a one-on-one opportunity, Vucinic calmly raised his foot and fired a low shot. Amelia couldn't make the save, and the ball rolled under Amelia into the far corner.
"Gooooal! Montenegro capitalized on Italy's overly high defensive line, launching a counter-attack behind their defense and equalizing just before halftime. The goal was scored by captain Vucinic. After lying in wait for half the game, they struck decisively. This fast counter-attack was absolutely brilliant."
During halftime, Lippi reassigned tasks to everyone.
"Forget the first half score; we're back to square one. In the second half, we still need to combine short passing and wide-ranging transitions, and be smarter in our timing." Lippi tapped the tactics board.
"When you're playing short passes and penetrating the defense, watch the timing of your passes carefully, and don't give Montenegro the chance to launch quick counter-attacks like you did in the first half."
Gattuso and De Rossi nodded solemnly after their miscommunication in the first half led to the goal.
"Rino, Dani, you two need to strengthen the protection of Andrea, and if necessary, help Andrea clear space for long passes. If you don't know what to do, just listen to Andrea's instructions; he will tell you what to do."
Pirlo, who had just folded Fino's jersey and stuffed it into his backpack, nodded in agreement.
"Antonio, Alberto, Fino, if Montenegro keeps marking you like they did in the latter part of the first half, make more positional runs in the midfield and attacking thirds, move closer to the sidelines and byline, disrupt their passing game, break down their defense, and relieve pressure on your midfield. But be careful, long passes from midfield can come at any time, so don't be in an offside position."
Di Natale, Gilardino, and Fino seemed lost in thought.
Finally, Lippi turned his attention to the defense.
"Stand in your positions and don't give Montenegro any more opportunities to attack from behind. As long as we don't let our guard down, their counterattacks will be ineffective."
Seeing the serious expressions on everyone's faces, Lippi nodded in satisfaction.
"Montenegro is not a team of our caliber. As long as we play our own game well in the second half, victory will come to us on its own."
After Lippi finished giving his instructions, halftime was almost over. Cannavaro adjusted his captain's armband and was the first to leave the locker room.
The players behind him filed out and headed to their respective battlefields.
As the second half began, Montenegro's tight defense continued, with four defenders and five midfielders compressed into their own half. The players cooperated well, maintained good tactical discipline, and worked in a coordinated manner, achieving a balance in both lateral and vertical distances.
Seeing their penetration through the middle blocked, Fino and Di Natale exchanged a glance, nodded, and began to run quickly horizontally or vertically as Lippi instructed. The Montenegrin defenders immediately followed.
However, this was precisely the purpose of Fino and Di Natale: to disrupt Montenegro's well-organized defensive formation through their unpredictable runs.
A few minutes later, as Fino dropped back into midfield, Jovanovic, who was closely following him, blocked Delincic's view, and Pirlo took the opportunity to pass the ball straight into the penalty area.
Montenegrin center-back Tanasijevic cleared the ball before Gilardino could receive it, but Pirlo's pass was too sudden, and his clearance was not clean enough, failing to coordinate well with his teammates. The ball was instead won by Di Natale on the left wing.
At this moment, two Montenegrin defenders simultaneously closed in on Di Natale. Di Natale's shooting path was completely blocked by Pavečević, who volleyed the ball from the left wing into the middle.
The ball was lobbed a bit too high, and Gilardino failed to head it from the center, causing it to drop towards the right side of the penalty area.
Fino accurately predicted the ball's trajectory and challenged a Montenegrin defender for it.
The defender was physically strong, and Fino estimated that he might not have an advantage in the duel. So he used his speed to nimbly block the ball, and when it dropped to his chest, he used his chest to stop the ball and absorb the force. Then he spread his arms back to prevent the player behind him from getting close and making small moves in his blind spot.
As the ball obediently fell from his chest, Fino raised his right leg and used his thigh to adjust his position. Then, as the ball fell again, he volleyed it into the net.
"Gooooal! Cabrini scores twice, helping Italy take the lead again and delivering a perfect performance in his national team debut." The commentator added a personal touch, "The goal is being replayed on the big screen. I have to say, Cabrini's gesture of spreading his arms back is super cute, like a chick learning to fly. But in reality, he has already taken flight."
This time, Fino didn't give his teammates a chance to form a human pyramid. He went straight up the tree to Gilardino, wrapped one arm around Gilardino's neck, and raised the other arm high towards the fans' stands, waving it back and forth.
The screen cut to the Milan stars in the stands, such as Maldini, Nesta, and Inzaghi, smiling and clapping. When Maldini saw his own face on the screen, he immediately became playful, spread his arms behind him and made a flying chicken gesture just like Fino, and then burst into laughter.
Seeing this, the fans at the scene joined in the fun, making flying chick gestures. This amusing scene was captured by the camera and became one of the most unforgettable moments of the game years later.
The score remained 2-1 until the end of the match. In the four qualifying matches that have been completed, the Italian team has three wins and one draw, accumulating 10 points and ranking first in the group.
The players put their arms around each other's shoulders, circled the field to thank the fans for their support, and accepted their cheers and praise.
As the song "Azzurro" played, current players and legends who came to watch the game entered the stadium to greet the Blue Warriors.
"Fino, a perfect debut, you were fantastic!" Maldini happily kissed Fino's forehead.
Fino high-fived Nesta and Inzaghi, then greeted Simone Inzaghi, "Simone, long time no see!"
Inzaghi also reached out and gave him a high five.
“Finnie, a fantastic performance. You’re the kind of player every coach dreams of having. If I were a coach, I would be pursuing you relentlessly.”
That compliment was so sweet that Fino was momentarily dazed when he saw that face that resembled Inzaghi's.
He unconsciously raised his hand to touch the other person's face, but then suddenly stopped halfway and patted Inzaghi's shoulder instead, laughing and saying, "That's too much, Simone."
Both Inzaghi and Pirlo felt a pang in their hearts at his action; Inzaghi clenched his fists, while Pirlo grabbed his sleeve.
Fortunately, Fino came to her senses on her own.
Fino and Inzaghi have actually had very little contact in private anymore.
They are all very good at acting. In the locker room, during training, and during matches, they act very naturally, just like usual, without letting their teammates notice any flaws.
But performing itself is a form of deception, deceiving others and deceiving oneself.
Fino knew in his heart that even if he had comforted himself and stopped being tossing and turning over Inzaghi, he and Inzaghi could never go back to being just friends.
Perhaps Inzaghi could, but he can't.
That river of love flows ceaselessly through time. Once you cross it, everything has already changed. Even if you cross back to the same spot, you can never return to the original point in time.
As his performances became increasingly skillful, he would occasionally feel a sense of disorientation, wondering if that period of time had actually existed. He himself became increasingly uncertain about it.
"Fino, give me the jersey. It's your national team debut jersey; I want to keep it as a souvenir." Nesta reached out and poked Fino on the shoulder.
“No, Sandro, I want to keep it as a souvenir too.” Fino shook his head at Nesta.
Nesta put his arm around Fino's shoulder: "Aren't there two? One for you and one for me, that'll be perfect."
"But the one from the first half has already been given to Andrea."
Nesta immediately turned to Pirlo: "Andrea, let me have this. You two will have many more opportunities to play together. I've already retired from the national team, so give me this one!"
Pirlo hesitated. That bastard Sanchez even learned to play the victim. He voluntarily withdrew from the national team, but it sounds so painful to hear.
Before Pirlo could make a decision, Fino had already taken action. He thought of Nesta's repeated injuries in the national team, and immediately and decisively took off his jersey and handed it to Nesta.
Nesta hesitated when it came to substitutions.
He could certainly understand that Fino wanted to keep his national team debut jersey as a memento. He wanted the one that Pirlo had, and now that Fino had given him his, he hesitated whether he should accept it.
Fino handed the jersey to Nesta and said sincerely, "Sandro, this jersey brings good luck in scoring goals. Take it, and I hope this good luck will keep you healthy forever."
Nesta embraced Fino with emotion, kissing his hair, forehead, and cheeks repeatedly.
Everyone present was deeply moved; Fino truly was an angel.
Inzaghi's clenched fists remained tightly closed.
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