In the last few minutes, neither side made any progress.
In the end, Inter managed a 2-1 coback against Bologna on the road.
Not only did they secure their first victory after the winter break, but they also extended their winning streak to four in the league!
When the referee blew the final whistle, Tang Long leaned back and collapsed on the ground.
He was truly exhausted!
Even though his stamina data had improved to 80 after the winter break, reaching the average level of Serie A players.
But it was his first ti playing a full 90 minutes as a starter in Serie A; before, he was always a substitute.
Moreover, it was against a fiercely pressing team like Bologna!
This sudden wave of fatigue made Tang Long’s legs feel like they were filled with lead, heavy and cumberso.
Icardi ran over from afar, bent down, and cupped Tang Long’s head in his hands.
"Get up, Tang! You used to assist , and now I’ve assisted you. Congratulations on scoring your first Serie A goal!"
Yuto Nagatomo approached Tang Long and gave him a respectful 90-degree bow.
"Arigato! Thank you, Tang, your decisive goal made you the best player on the field!"
The two lifted Tang Long up and together acknowledged the traveling fans.
"Boom boom boom——"
"Tang——"
The two thousand strong Inter fans gave the loudest cheers and applause to Tang Long alone.
...
Post-match press conference.
Bologna’s coach Lopez looked very despondent!
He didn’t bring any players and appeared alone at the tense press conference.
"You all witnessed it; the match was evenly contested. Our tactics effectively limited Inter’s midfield. They fell into our ga rhythm, and being narrowly defeated is clearly unfair to us!"
Lopez specifically ntioned the first conceded goal.
"I believe Icardi was offside; you can tell from our players’ intense reactions. Our players are very honest and never lie. Of course, I hold no intention of criticizing the referee as it would cause trouble."
Lopez was even more disgruntled about the second goal.
"I don’t want to bla Davis for missing that header. I intended to substitute him, but he is a fighter. He insisted on defending that set piece before going off.
However, Ranocchia’s rough elbow clearly injured Davis, which led to his mistake!
Ranocchia’s action warranted a red card; he should have been sent off early!
As for Tang? Well, I didn’t know him before, but his performance was... alright, I’ll leave it at that."
On the other side.
Inter Milan’s post-match press conference was full of laughter and joy!
Tang Long, nad man of the match, received a high rating of 9 points!
It was no surprise that Mancini brought him to the press conference.
"Lopez said he’s unsatisfied with losing? Co on, I have known him for ten years; he’s been a coach for many years. Doesn’t he understand soccer? It’s not about satisfaction; it’s about whether you win or lose in the end." Mancini seed utterly composed.
All the journalists turned their attention to Tang Long.
"Tang, why did you first pass to Icardi for the opening assist?"
"The opposing defense was quite aggressive, but Davis’ actions didn’t seem to affect your performance much. Can you talk about the reason for that?"
"Hello, Tang, I’m particularly curious about why you were at the far post for the final goal?"
The journalists kept asking persistently.
They were surprised to find that after the winter break, Tang Long’s playing condition had transford dramatically!
Before this, Tang was a substitute in three Serie A matches.
In that run, he provided an assist and was involved in offensive plays.
But no matter how you looked at it, those passes seed like happy accidents, or even obviously off-target shots that luckily turned into assists.
At that ti, the dia jokingly called Tang Long the mascot and lucky star of Inter.
However, from this match’s processes, it’s clear that Tang Long’s every move was disciplined and precise.
In this match, a volley assist and a far-post header were not results of re luck but evidently from ticulous strategy and pre-planning.
Tang Long provided focused responses about the header goal, which drew the most attention from the reporters.
Instead of explicitly revealing his foresight secret, he chose to complint his coach Mancini, sothing that Uncle Berni specifically advised Tang Long to do right after the match.
"My sudden insertion from the top of the box wasn’t a spur-of-the-mont action; it’s a tactic our team specifically practiced during training. We’ve practiced it many tis; Mr. Mancini guides us well. He is a tactical master, with his mind full of various tactical storms. Under his guidance, I’ve made significant progress..."
The on-site reporters listened intently, casting admiration-filled glances toward Mancini next to Tang Long.
A hint of curiosity flashed across Mancini’s expression.
But he quickly touched his brow to cover his doubt and then added smoothly:
"Hmm, that’s the unpredictability we played for."
...
At eight o’clock the next morning, bright sunlight bathed the oak woods of the training base in golden rays.
More than an hour remained before the usual training session, yet the head coach’s office at Inter’s training base was already filled with people.
This was a habit of Mancini’s.
The morning after each match, he would convene the coaching staff eting in advance to review the previous ga.
The physical analyst was the first to speak.
"Clearly, after the rest of the winter break, the players’ playing condition only recovered to about 80%. According to my statistics, the average running distance in this match was 9.12KM, 900 ters less than before the break. Only Brozovic and Tang t the standards, running 12.2KM and 10.9KM respectively."
Assistant coach Herrera continued his analysis:
"Our opening strategy was sowhat off; Ranocchia should have been marking Bornerelli earlier. By cutting off this high point, the team wouldn’t have fallen into the predicant of conceding first, but, this was due to Gualin’s absence, leading to our midfield lacking hardness."
Chiwo, who also served as a tactical analyst, had stayed up late to complete an analysis video of the whole match, which he now projected on the eting room’s big screen.
"This match was difficult, and we almost couldn’t win it. The final success was entirely because Tang induced two critical changes, breaking the deadlock."
Chiwo stood at the podium, clicking the remote in his hand.
The shot showed Tang Long’s volley assist to Icardi.
"A direct pass without trapping the ball, both the idea and execution were spot on."
After a lengthy analysis, the footage switched to Tang Long’s far-post header.
"This was a very sudden advance in a set-piece tactic! His judgnt of the drop point surpassed all of Bologna’s defenders, which is worth praising!"
Chiwo’s tone was full of pride as he spoke.
This kid was his personally grood key player; with the disciple achieving results, the master naturally felt proud!
Mancini rely nodded slightly, lit a cigar, and stayed silent for a long ti, neither confirming nor denying.
He suddenly turned his head, looking at soone he’d seldom spoken to...
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