Chapter 226: Chapter 226

"Let go of your hand, I can walk myself." Ronaldo yelled furiously.

Under the escort of two tall and strong black security guards, Ronaldo was led away from the match scene.

No matter how much Ronaldo struggled along the way, the two guards politely held his shoulders, preventing him from moving.

The three of them walked through the player tunnel, heading towards the stands via the internal stadium stairs.

Halfway through, a thunderous sound of foot stomping suddenly erupted in the stadium!

Having played football for years, Ronaldo knew that it must be the fans in the stands jumping up, causing a loud crashing sound when their feet hit the ground!

"Ah! Did Juventus score?"

Ronaldo was startled, and his eyes almost burst into flames.

In that moment, a surge of energy exploded, and he shook his hands, breaking free from the two security guards!

In a flash, he dashed up several flights of stairs, quickly returning to the media commentary level of the stands.

His heart was pounding, eager to find out what had happened.

Given the current situation, he suspected it was highly likely that Juventus had finally broken the deadlock.

If that were the case, at the current pace, it would practically spell doom for Inter Milan...

Thinking of Trezeget’s smug face, Ronaldo felt like punching him to smithereens but was helpless.

At the Sky Sports commentary box.

Dilata and Trezeget stood there dumbfounded, staring at the stunned Juventus penalty area.

Then, with a "bang," Ronaldo pulled out a chair and plopped down onto it.

"What’s going on? What’s going on? My God, good thing they didn’t score, it’s still 0:0, haha, I see the scorecard is still 0:0!"

Ronaldo was overjoyed upon seeing the scoreboard, rambling incoherently, ignoring the reactions of the two beside him.

But within a few seconds, he noticed something was amiss.

Tang Long actually picked up the football and silently walked toward the penalty area, placing the ball on the penalty spot!

"Ah, a penalty for Inter, when did that happen? Ah ah ah ah?"

Ronaldo grabbed Dilata’s hand next to him.

Being pinched like that, Dilata cried out in pain, then quickly explained to Ronaldo what had happened while he was away.

After hearing, Ronaldo immediately burst into laughter, clapping his hands!

He leaned back strategically, putting his legs up on the commentary table.

This result was unexpected, yet reasonable.

"Hahaha, Dilata, if it’s really as you say, then it proves that my shout was spot on!"

"Given this situation, holding the ball too much will only slow down Inter Milan’s attack, Inter can’t always rely on him."

"He rushed forward, let his teammates hold the ball, and passed it to him when he reached the front line, that’s how it should be done!!"

After laughing, Ronaldo casually glanced over at the sullen Trezeget.

"Oh, whether Bonazzoli is my successor or not, I don’t know," Ronaldo began to sarcastically comment on the French star, "but during my years at Inter facing Juventus, I never drew a penalty from Buffon. In this respect, this Italian kid is much stronger than me!"

Seeing Ronaldo finally back, with both commentary guests by his side, the host Dilata steadied himself.

"Alright, viewers, there was an unexpected incident just now. Mr. Ronaldo had to step out for a bit, but he’s back now. Let’s keep our focus on the match."

"In the 72nd minute of the second half, Inter Milan unexpectedly got a penalty chance, from a one-on-one pass from Tang Long to Bonazzoli, taken down by Buffon!"

"Tang picked up the ball, it seems he will take the penalty."

"Can Inter Milan take the lead? Let’s wait and see!"

Tang Long walked to the penalty spot with the football.

In the short seven or eight meters, the boos in his ears never ceased.

The boos came from all sides of the Olympic Stadium, resounding like tides beside his ears!

In this match, 60,000 fans came to the Olympic Stadium, of which at least 40,000 were Juventus fans.

They eagerly hoped the team would win the Coppa Italia, as it was a solid step toward the European Treble.

Juventus fans tried to disturb Tang Long’s mindset with boos.

Tang Long’s heartbeat was also rapidly increasing, already reaching 120 beats per minute, pounding like a drum.

In this match, he was the undisputed primary penalty kicker, with no other teammate daring to take on the responsibility at this moment.

When Tang Long put the ball down, adjusted it, and aligned the valve stem mark, Buffon suddenly rushed in front of him.

"Hey, kid, this is the Coppa Italia final, are you sure you can score this penalty?"

"Tell me, are you 100% certain? Give me an answer."

The experienced Buffon grinned, using his words to mess with Tang Long’s head.

He stood 1.91 meters tall, weighed 92 kilograms, and was bigger than Tang Long.

Looking down at Tang Long was also a way to impose pressure on him.

Tang Long gently pushed him aside, signaling him to move away.

Then, Inter captain Ranocchia also rushed back, unhesitatingly pulling him, as an older brother on the national team, back to the goal line.

"Hey, hey, hey, why so nervous? It’s just the Coppa Italia Final, if it doesn’t go in, it doesn’t go in, what’s the big deal?"

Buffon was incessantly muttering.

Tang Long stood at the penalty spot, lowered his head, and glanced at the football on the ground.

The football lay quietly on the ground, with some grass sticking to the seams, like a sleeping baby, motionless.

He slowly raised his head again, looking at Buffon standing on the goal line.

Buffon was waving his hands at this moment, flapping like a bat.

At this moment, outside the penalty area. View the correct content at .

Players from Juventus and Inter had already crowded near the penalty line and the top of the arc.

Many players were already in a sprint start position!

As soon as Tang Long kicked the ball, they’d rush towards the penalty area.

Whether to clear the ball or make a follow-up shot, it was something they should have prepared for in advance.

However, only one diminutive Inter player stood with his back to the goal, afraid to watch Tang Long take the penalty...

This person was the Japanese right-back Yuto Nagatomo.

Even though he had his back to the goal, he felt more nervous than Tang Long, who was taking the penalty.

So anxious that he couldn’t bring himself to look at the goal.

His legs trembled uncontrollably, repeatedly touching his heart with his hand.

"Please, make the shot, Tang, don’t scare me..." Yuto Nagatomo silently kept repeating to himself.

Yuto Nagatomo’s tense demeanor made Japanese viewers watching the Coppa Italia final on TV equally restless and uneasy!

If there ever was a moment in the history of Asian football where millions of Japanese fans eagerly awaited a Chinese player to score a penalty—if there was such a moment, it would be now!

Many Japanese fans already had their hands clasped in prayer at their chests, praying for Tang Long.

These Japanese fans began to follow Inter Milan because of Yuto Nagatomo.

Because of his presence, Inter Milan leapfrogged Barça and Manchester United this year to become the most beloved and followed European team among Japanese fans.

Initially, they felt an immense pride and honor for Japanese football to have such a player in a Serie A powerhouse!

But Tang Long’s sudden rise had blown away that pride while also earning their admiration!

This season, Yuto Nagatomo had so far delivered 2 goals and 5 assists.

In these 7 goal-involved moments, Tang Long played a crucial role!

Japanese fans knew that Yuto Nagatomo managed to secure a semi-regular starting position in Inter, not because of Mancini, but solely due to Tang Long.

"Come on, dear Tang, whether Mr. Nagatomo can continue to play at Inter depends on your performance!"

"Thanks, Chinese Tang! Lead Inter to win the match, let Mr. Nagatomo win an Italian Cup!"

"I can’t believe that at this moment, I am eagerly anticipating a Chinese player to score. Am I crazy?"

"Please score this penalty, if you do, you will be my Chinese daddy!"

At this moment, an unsettling scene occurred on the field.

Tang Long’s face was suddenly illuminated by three or four green fluorescent dots.

Clearly, Juventus fans in the stands at the Olympic Stadium, from hundreds of meters away, were using fluorescent pens to interfere with Tang Long’s vision.

At the same time, the overwhelming booing continued, pressing against Tang Long’s eardrums.

His visual, auditory, and tactile senses were all under siege.

The referee’s whistle blew, and everyone held their breath!

All eyes were fixed on Tang Long.

As he took the first step, his heartbeat suddenly dropped from 120 to 90, his entire body quickly calming down, isolating all sound.

Tang Long glanced up at Buffon, who was intently staring back at him, not moving an inch.

The second step, heartbeat down from 90 to 80.

Their eyes still locked in a gaze, Buffon remained motionless.

The third step, heartbeat down from 80 to 70, with each step Tang Long became more composed, Ronaldo’s words suddenly flashed in his ear: "Tang, finish Buffon off for me!"

A startling thought surged in Tang Long’s mind—he knew what he wanted to do, not only to score the penalty but to completely break the psychological defenses of the Juventus players.

When he took the fourth step, his heartbeat dropped from 70 to 60, Buffon made an early prediction and lunged to the left!

The bottom of the football was lightly scooped by the tip of Tang Long’s shoe, soaring through the air in a rainbow-like arc, wobbling towards the center of the goal—a panenka penalty!

Buffon, having already dived to the ground, was taken aback!

Another panenka, this kid again!

His center of gravity lost, even though the ball arrived slowly, there was nothing more he could do.

However, Buffon, being Buffon, grasped the weakness of Tang Long’s shot, the panenka was a bit slow!

Despite being on the ground, Buffon swiftly twisted his body with the strength of his waist, forcibly pulling himself up from the ground.

He managed to scoop out the ball with his palm that was already half a meter inside the net~

By this time, Tang Long had turned around, ready to celebrate with his teammates.

Buffon, knowing the ball was in, quickly got up and with the ball in hand, tossed it towards Vidal, pretending like nothing had happened, he shouted:

"Counterattack, hurry up to counterattack!"