Chapter 137 Milan Derby
The Milan derby is one of the most prestigious derby feasts in Italy and even in the whole of Europe. It is a game between two teams with deep historical grievances, playing in the same city and sharing the same stadium.
Every collision between Inter Milan and AC Milan can produce brilliant sparks and create an effect like Mars hitting the Earth.
Therefore, before the game even started, it attracted a lot of attention from the outside world.
Reports and discussions on the Milan derby began a week before the game.
"Gazzetta dello Sport": Milan derby - Inter Milan's midterm exam!
The upcoming Milan derby will be a crucial test for Mancini and his team.
After losing to Juventus in the national derby, Mancini cannot mess up this game again. He needs a victory to continue the Nerazzurri's current winning streak.
As for AC Milan, since losing to PSV Eindhoven away, Milan's form has been up and down, and the team has been slightly sluggish in recent games.
Whether they can complete the adjustments before the Milan derby and face Inter Milan in the best condition is the key to their victory.
"Tuttosport": Juventus competes for the championship, and the two Milan giants compete for second place!
Compared to Juventus which had early secured its lead in the league standings, the performance of the two Milan giants was like an electrocardiogram, up and down.
Inter Milan once dropped to sixth place in the league, and Milan even dropped to eleventh place in the league.
The two teams may have strong lineups, but when fighting on multiple fronts, how to maintain the stability of the team's record may be a problem they need to solve urgently.
"Sports Daily": An audio-visual feast for all Italian fans!
Although this is not a top-of-the-table battle, no one doubts the value of this Milan derby.
Whether Inter Milan can defend their home court, whether Milan can capture Meazza again, and who will become Juventus' main opponent for the championship in the second half of the season will all be revealed in the 263rd Milan derby.
……
Both Inter Milan and AC Milan attach great importance to this game.
But before the league starts, both teams have a Champions League group match to play.
On December 12, the last round of the Champions League group stage kicked off.
Since Inter Milan had already qualified for the group stage one round in advance, and this game would be played away from home.
So Mancini tactically gave up the game and only arranged some substitute players to play.
Glasgow Rangers, playing at home, are very motivated and want to firmly grasp the initiative of qualifying in their own hands by defeating Inter Milan.
But haste makes waste. Their fierce attack not only failed to achieve any results, but also allowed Inter Milan to seize their mistakes and score the first goal.
In the 24th minute of the first half, Inter Milan's substitute winger Martins took advantage of a counterattack opportunity to score the first goal, breaking the deadlock on the field.
Mancini was very satisfied with Martins' performance and was even considering whether to put him in the starting lineup in the next Milan derby?
Inter Milan's goal put Glasgow Rangers in a very bad situation.
They currently have only 6 points. If they lose, then unless Porto and Artemedia draw in the other game.
Otherwise, no matter who wins, they will be eliminated.
As a result, Glasgow Rangers launched a massive counterattack.
But Inter Milan's substitutes defended very tenaciously and persisted until the 80th minute of the second half, when one of their players was sent off with a red card and the opponent equalized the score.
In the end, the ten-man Inter Milan drew 1:1 with the home team away from home.
Glasgow Rangers also advanced to the knockout stage with a one-point advantage over Artmedia thanks to this draw.
As for Artemidea and former Champions League champions Porto, both were eliminated. Porto was at the bottom of the group and didn't even make it to the Europa League.
The draw had no impact on Inter Milan's advancement, and the team paid almost no price because they did not send out their main players.
But AC Milan on the other side is different!
Due to the loss to PSV Eindhoven in the fourth round of the group stage, AC Milan's qualifying situation became confusing.
At this time, in Group E where AC Milan is located, AC Milan has 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, with 8 points, temporarily ranking first in the group.
Their main competitor, ranked second, is Schalke 04 where Hao Junmin is located.
Their current record is 2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss, also with 8 points, but their goal difference is one less than AC Milan, so they are in second place.
In the last round, AC Milan's opponent is none other than Schalke 04. Whoever wins will get first place in the group.
But whoever loses will most likely face elimination.
Because PSV currently has 7 points, as long as they beat Fenerbahce in the last round, they will be able to overtake the loser of the two teams in points.
So for AC Milan and Schalke 04, this game is their life-and-death battle, and no one dares to lose.
Milan was not in good shape in this game, seemingly affected by the loss to Chievo in the previous round of the league. After the start of the game, AC Milan was in a slump and the players made several mistakes on the field.
But there is one person who is in very hot form, he is Milan’s son of God - Kaka!
In the 42nd minute, when the first half was about to end, Kaka took advantage of the opponent's slackness and drove straight into the midfield with the ball.
Although he was tripped by the opponent's defender in frustration when he reached the penalty area, he was unable to make a shot.
But his sudden dribbling won AC Milan a free kick in a good position in the frontcourt.
Pirlo stood on the swing and took the free kick with his golden right foot. The ball drew a perfect arc in the air, passed the wall and flew into the near corner. AC Milan finally took the lead.
However, before the Milanese could be happy for too long, Schalke 04 equalized the score with a quick attack at the beginning of the second half.
When Schalke 04 equalized the score, it was Kaka who stood up for AC Milan.
In the 52nd minute, Kaka successfully intercepted the ball in the frontcourt and completed a wonderful combination with Shevchenko.
The latter passed the ball to Kaka who was at the right corner of the penalty area at the front of the penalty area. After receiving the ball, Kaka calmly pushed the ball into the far corner of the goal, helping the team to take the lead again.
This goal that put AC Milan ahead again greatly boosted the morale of the team, but Kaka did not stop attacking.
In the 60th minute, Kaka got the ball and passed it directly to the left rib. Inzaghi broke into the penalty area from the left and passed it low to Shevchenko on the other side.
Facing the goal so close, the Ukrainian nuclear warhead made a mistake when shooting.
He wanted to score with his left foot from 7 meters in front of the goal, but unexpectedly his shot hit his right heel and bounced out of the penalty area.
The Milan fans in the stands were so shocked when they saw his mistake that they all held their heads in their hands.
However, a red figure rushed out from the crowd behind, received the ball with his left foot, and made a quick move to avoid the two central defenders who were rushing over, and then used his right foot to push the ball into the far corner to score.
The score became 3:1, and the goal was scored by AC Milan’s No. 22 - Kaka!
Although Schalke 04 tenaciously scored another goal in injury time, it still could not change their fate of failure.
In the end, after a tough battle, AC Milan defeated Schalke 3 2:04 at home and advanced to the knockout stage as the group leader.
After the game, major Italian media started to praise Kaka and sang praises for him.
Italy's La Repubblica even described the game as "Kaka's Magic Night."
……
Kaka's hot form makes the outside world more excited about the upcoming Milan derby.
In this Milan derby, apart from the grudges between the two teams, the other major highlight is the competition between Kaka and Lin Feng.
One is Kaka, who just turned the tide in the Champions League and helped the team advance.
One is the league's best newcomer, Lin Feng, who has performed steadily in both the Champions League and the league. What kind of performance will these two present to the fans in this crucial Milan derby?
October 12th, 11:18.
Milan, Meazza Stadium.
In the 15th round of Serie A, the focus battle between Inter Milan and AC Milan is about to begin.
"CCTV, CCTV!"
"Dear viewers, you are now watching the live broadcast of the 2005th round of the 2006-15 Serie A match between Inter Milan and AC Milan!"
"I am the commentator Huang Jianxiang!"
"I'm He Wei!"
CCTV attached great importance to this game and specially arranged two gold medal commentators to comment on the game.
After the two introduced the starting lineups of the two teams, they started chatting in the studio before the game started.
Huang Jianxiang: "He Wei, who do you think will have the last laugh in this game?"
He Wei answered without hesitation: "Of course it's Inter Milan. They are playing at home and have not experienced the consumption of the Champions League. In addition, the team is now on a five-game winning streak, so the overall momentum and state will definitely be better!"
Huang Jianxiang seemed to have expected the other party to say this. After He Wei finished speaking, he smiled and said:
"I can see that you are very confident in Inter Milan, but according to the information I have collected, in the Milan derby in the past six seasons, Inter Milan has never defeated AC Milan at home!"
Huang Jianxiang is a fan of AC Milan. Although he has not clearly stated his position, his attitude towards AC Milan is very obvious.
"History is meant to be broken. Inter Milan has made major adjustments to its personnel this season. The addition of Figo, Lin Feng, Samuel and others has further strengthened Inter Milan's strength.
Cruz's outbreak has further enhanced Inter Milan's firepower on the front line. The power of Inter Milan's front trident has been proven in the past few games.
I think we should not look at them with an old perspective, we should put aside the past records and analyze and judge the combat effectiveness of the two teams based on objective facts. "
He Wei’s favorite team is not Inter Milan, but Real Madrid of La Liga.
But this does not prevent him from supporting Inter Milan, because his favorite domestic player is on the Inter Milan team!
It can be said that He Wei supports Inter Milan entirely because of Lin Feng.
"Well, what you said makes sense, but based on the lineups of the two teams, I think AC Milan has a better chance of winning!"
Huang Jianxiang said this with confidence. The last time Inter Milan and AC Milan met in a regular season match was in the Champions League quarter-finals in April this year.
In those two games, AC Milan defeated Inter Milan 2:0 and 3:0 respectively.
He Wei did not argue with the other party, but smiled and said to Huang Jianxiang:
"Then let's make a bet. The bet is tonight's midnight snack. Whoever loses gets to pay!"
"Okay!"
Huang Jianxiang agreed without hesitation. It was just a midnight snack and wouldn't cost much.
The CCTV director saw the rising ratings numbers backstage and couldn't help but give a thumbs up to the two.
He is worthy of being a gold medal commentator, he is really good at creating gimmicks!
A small bet between the two people increased the ratings a lot, almost catching up with the ratings of those prime-time TV programs.
You know, when this game started, it was already early morning in China!
Who could have thought before the game that there would be so many night owls staying up late to watch the game?
Fans at home and abroad are eagerly waiting.
The staff responsible for the security of this game were facing a severe enemy.
For this game, the entire Meazza Stadium was packed with almost all seats filled.
Fans of both teams occupied the north and south stands respectively. The north side was the diehard fans of Nerazzurri, and the south was the base of Milan's hardcore fans.
Fans of both sides tried desperately to create momentum, trying to overwhelm the other side in order to declare their sovereignty over the stadium.
The battle between the fans of both sides reminded people of the famous scenes in last season's Champions League.
The match between the two teams in the knockout stage of the Champions League last season was almost a literal "Mars-Earth collision".
In that game, due to the referee's several unfair and controversial penalties against Inter Milan, and Inter Milan's lagging behind in the total score, Inter Milan fans were very dissatisfied and threw incendiary objects to attack AC Milan's goalkeeper Dida.
This move ignited a powder keg, with fans from both sides throwing fireworks and incendiary objects onto the field, forcing the game to be suspended.
During the break in the game, Materazzi put his arm on Rui Costa's shoulder and watched the fireworks together. The scene was recorded by reporters with cameras and became a classic scene of the game.
Although the two looked very harmonious from behind as they watched the fireworks together, the commotion caused by the game still made the Italian Football Association and Serie A officials very nervous.
Before the game, Serie A officials specially upgraded the security standards for this game and dispatched a large number of security personnel to the stadium to isolate the fans of both sides and prevent conflicts between the fans of both sides.
Not only that, they also prepared 2 ambulances and 3 fire trucks in advance, ready to deal with various emergencies at any time.
When the players of both teams entered the field, they saw the equipment parked beside the field and couldn't help but complain:
Are they here to play football or to fight?
Although the referee had already reminded the captains of both teams before the game to let their players pay attention to controlling their emotions and actions and not let the game become unwinnable.
During the last Milan derby, Inter Milan was criticized by UEFA because of the riots among their home fans, which led to the entire Serie A team being bullied in this season's Champions League.
Although this game is an internal Serie A event, it cannot be elevated to the national level.
But this game has attracted a lot of attention overseas, second only to the La Liga national derby in popularity.
Therefore, a large number of overseas viewers watched the game through TV and the Internet. On such an important occasion, it would be embarrassing for both sides to engage in a big fight.
The Italian Football Association and Serie A officials will have to take strong measures and severely punish the two teams.
Captains Zanetti and Maldini nodded repeatedly in response to the referee's instructions, looking like good children.
However, as soon as the game started, the two men tore off their disguises and their faces became hideous.
Damn AC Milan/Inter Milan, die!
The competition between the two sides on the court was extremely fierce and fouls occurred frequently.
Less than two minutes into the game, AC Milan defender Kaladze was hit on the head and bleeding by Inter Milan winger Martins during a scramble for the ball, and the game had to be temporarily stopped.
This scene made the atmosphere among the fans of both sides in the stands begin to feel a little strange.
Inter Milan fans were cheering loudly for Martins, while AC Milan fans were cursing the other side as murderers.
Fortunately, Kaladze's injury was not serious. After treatment by the team doctor, Kaladze quickly returned to the court.
Milan fans in the south stand and some neutral fans were applauding him.
(End of this chapter)
