Chapter 487: Chapter 487

Note: Apologies for the earlier mistake about the score. Thanks to @Uggar and @Irving14209 for the correction

Richard jumped from his chair as the ball hit the net, eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched in a mix of disbelief and exhilaration.

Giuseppe Meazza seemed to roar in unison, every cheer vibrating through the air, as if the entire crowd could feel the momentum shift.

The course of the game revealed much about both teams’ strategies. Italy’s Inter moved aggressively through the middle, while City relied heavily on the wings, stretching the pitch and testing Inter’s defensive discipline.

The focus, as always, was on the star performers. Inter’s attacking quartet combined skill, speed, and cunning, carving spaces through the central channels, yet City’s frontline was no less impressive.

Admittedly, for the City defense, this was the first time Richard had seen Cannavaro and Thuram concede three goals so quickly since they joined Manchester City. Though this wasn’t the compactness he had most wanted to see, it was the reality he had to accept. Follow current novᴇls on novel-fire.ɴet

Still, this is good. Defense is forged through experience. Faced with top-tier attackers like Ventola, Zamorano, and Baggio, they had two choices: strengthen their defense at the expense of attack, or boldly go toe-to-toe with their opponents and see who could score more.

Defending deeply offers little in terms of real development, since it’s easy to hold off weaker opponents. Conceding goals shouldn’t be a concern—top defenses grow stronger by allowing goals, learning from them, and gradually reducing that number, making it increasingly difficult for opponents to score.

In the second half, City clearly stepped up compared to the first.

Two quick goals lifted their morale dramatically, and the players looked like starving beasts, hungry for more.

When a team is chasing the score, motivation and focus naturally spike—they have a clear goal: catch up. The adrenaline and "must come back" mindset push them to perform under pressure. Meanwhile, teams in the lead can grow too comfortable or complacent, worrying about losing their advantage. That anxiety can sap morale and affect performance, even though they should theoretically feel confident.

O’Neill also refrained from making any adjustments. This might have conveyed the wrong message, leading the team to think that the coach was just looking to hold onto a draw. As long as they remained focused, there shouldn’t be any major issues

Richard also tried to convince himself that everything would be fine, but the next moment he suddenly saw Pires walking onto the sidelines, giving a signal to O’Neill and the City bench.

His heart skipped a beat.

When players signal to their bench, it usually means one of two things: 50% of the time they are asking for water, 50% of the time it’s a sign of injury.

Judging by the way Pires limped as he walked, it seemed they were facing an injury. Earlier, he had indeed been affected when he was knocked out on by Gallante.

The referee ruled it was not a foul, and Inter quickly launched a counterattack.

Gallante found Baggio, who cleverly passed the ball through City’s final third. Zamorano seemed ready to score, but Buffon reacted quickly, rushing to the penalty spot to secure the ball. Afterward, the clever Buffon held onto the ball to stall for time, giving Pires a chance to recover before returning to the field.

Richard then saw O’Neill begin warming up Deco as a precaution.

Richard sighed but also appreciated Pires. He didn’t blame him; instead, he valued the player’s honesty for not trying to tough it out. For technical players, pushing through injuries can have severe consequences. Worsening an injury could affect their careers, especially since technical players are generally physically weaker than their stronger counterparts.

This is hard to change through training. Although physical training can make technical players stronger, there are limits. Excessive weight gain, for example, can slow down their technical movements. Many agile and explosive players show little change in physique from age 20 to 30—not because they don’t want to be stronger, but because they must maintain their current form to perform at their best.

This is why, as head of high performance, Richard wanted players to immediately report any discomfort instead of hiding it.

O’Neill gently patted his shoulder, praised him for his performance that day, and then let the medical staff take over, while signaling for Deco to be ready after warm-up.

The new season hadn’t even reached half a season, yet City had already added another name to their injury list. However, judging by Pires’s condition, it didn’t seem serious—at least, that was his optimistic interpretation.

Mourinho assigned on-field tasks to Deco, while O’Neill watched closely, taking mental notes.

Deco nodded frequently, signaling his understanding. Once he stepped onto the pitch, he immediately took Pires’ position.

Within five minutes of the substitution, City launched a sharp counterattack, but it was Buffon’s brilliant performance that stole the show.

Earlier, he had already thwarted Zamorano’s one-on-one attempt and saved near-certain goals from Baggio and Djorkaeff. He even managed to deflect a close-range header in the box.

Thanks to Buffon’s composure in goal during that intense attacking spell, City managed to calm down and launched another incisive assault almost immediately.

Ronaldinho received the ball in midfield and, with perfect timing, sent a brilliant diagonal pass to Deco on the opposite flank.

The switch was flawless—one moment Inter’s forwards were pressing high, crowding Ronaldinho, and the next, they were scrambling back as Deco received the ball in space.

From a tele broadcast view, the transformation was immediate: Inter went from attacking to retreating in an instant.

The switch was flawless, and Deco immediately made his presence felt. His touch was clean and precise, but instead of stopping with the ball, he instantly played it into the middle, where Zidane was already calling for it.

Zidane received the ball and, with a quick flick and a clever feint, fooled Djorkaeff behind him. But when he saw Simeone charging toward him like a mad dog, he quickly made a sharp turn and sent a diagonal pass to the left flank.

That was the instruction Zidane had been given for this match.

The ball found Ronaldinho, who had now pushed deep into the attacking zone.

He made a crazy zigzag cut inside. This time, West deliberately blocked the penalty area to prevent a penetrating pass, but Ronaldinho quickly changed direction, ran back toward the outside line, and began his cross.

He got the better of West this time.

Reaching the byline, Ronaldinho executed a brilliant improvised cross: a trivela, sending the ball slicing across the penalty area.

West froze for a split second, misreading the movement and expecting a left-footed cross. But Ronaldinho was one step ahead—he planted his weight on his left foot and delivered the ball with his right, whipping it across the box with pinpoint precision. West lunged to intercept, but he was already a step too slow, his leg slicing through empty space as the ball curved past him.

Trezeguet darted to the near post, his run perfectly timed for a header. The moment the ball arrived, it seemed destined for danger—but Pagliuca reacted like lightning, stretching every sinew in a desperate attempt to keep it out.

The ball cannoned off the post, spinning back into the heart of the penalty area, and Zidane was in the right place at the right time.

With Bergomi frozen in disbelief, Zidane met the rebound with a precise header aimed for the far side of the net.

Every eye in the stadium followed the ball’s flight as if time had slowed.

Šimić, in a frantic last-ditch effort, lunged toward the ball to clear it off the line, but his timing was slightly off. The collision sent both him and the ball crashing into the net together.

Milan’s Meazza fell silent in an instant.