Chapter 235: Chapter 235

Rewind the time to two minutes earlier.

In the 24th minute of the first half, Inter Milan seized a counterattack opportunity. Tang Long got the ball in the middle, passed Tonali, and continued to move forward with the ball. Center Bonazzoli was running laterally, could they link up...

Serie A Round 38, the final match, another Milan Derby, both Inter Milan and AC Milan played openly and intensely.

After the start, both sides coincidentally played attacking football!

Inter wanted to break through the opponent’s goal as soon as possible to take the lead, as the importance of this match was significant for them.

At the same time, Napoli was at home facing Udinese, who had successfully secured their league position.

Currently, Napoli and Inter Milan were tied, but due to Napoli’s advantages in their head-to-head league encounters,

even with the same points, Napoli was still ahead by one position, ranking third in the league, with Inter Milan ranked fourth.

Inter Milan must defeat AC Milan to advance through the league to qualify for next season’s Champions League, while hoping for Napoli to drop points against Udinese.

And AC Milan had long been out of contention for the next season’s Champions League, only securing a UEFA Europa League qualification.

However, the Red-Black Corps showed no intention of taking it easy in this match!

On the one hand, because the Milan Derby itself was a battle of honor, and after losing the first leg, AC Milan had to turn the tables in the final round;

on the other hand, Milan wanted to act as an intruder in this match—though they couldn’t enter the Champions League, neither should Inter Milan!

Hence, even though the outcome of this match didn’t affect AC Milan’s league standing, the players didn’t relax at all, fiercely competing with Inter Milan, striving for a brilliant victory to end the season perfectly, while also knocking Inter Milan out of next season’s Champions League qualification.

"He’s running! Stick to him!"

AC Milan goalkeeper Diego Lopez shouted loudly, directing center-back Meeks to stick close to Inter’s center Bonazzoli.

Before the match, AC Milan’s coach, their legendary player Inzaghi, had already prepared thoroughly for the connection between Tang Long and Bonazzoli this game.

His tactic was: since Tang Long couldn’t be stopped, focus on Bonazzoli. Cutting off Bonazzoli effectively cuts the link between Inter’s attacking midfield and the center.

Tang Long posed a great threat in the attacking midfield position, but without the center, Inter Milan lost their fortress.

This one-armed black-and-blue giant, in Milan’s penalty area, couldn’t stir up any overwhelming waves.

Bonazzoli and Meeks wrestled together.

He initially wanted to bypass Meeks on the outside, but Meeks saw through his intentions, and the outside position was firmly blocked.

Meanwhile, another center-back, Alex, came to assist, standing in the passing path between Tang Long and Bonazzoli, providing a second layer of protection.

Milan’s defense was systematic, with defensive midfielder De Rong being a tough player, relentless in midfield duels, even though Tang Long had gotten past him, he stuck to Tang Long like glue, employing small actions that hovered between foul and non-foul.

The two tugged and pulled, with the referee’s whistle in his mouth hesitating, never blowing.

On both sides, Shaqiri and Podolski were running.

In this counterattack, Tang Long and Bonazzoli pushed quickly, with the two sides unable to keep up.

For a moment, Inter’s formation was somewhat disconnected in this attack.

"Milan’s defense is very solid, the distance between the three lines is well maintained, everyone on the defensive line is in place!"

"Oh dear, Bonazzoli’s position is somewhat unreasonable, he didn’t pull horizontally into the center of the penalty area, while Alex was one step ahead and cut off the most reasonable passing route!"

"Tang Long is still controlling the ball, but his steps are somewhat unsteady, De Rong is continuously pestering him!"

"Gualin is calling for the ball from Tang Long, it seems a pass back to control the ball might be a more reliable tactic."

"What a pity, if this were Icardi instead of Bonazzoli, perhaps he and Tang Long would have already linked up..."

Seeing this counterattack opportunity slip away due to Bonazzoli’s positional error, Mancini looked regretful.

Perhaps at this moment, he felt a little bit of regret!

If Icardi were not suspended and still on the field, this counterattack would undoubtedly have resulted in a shot.

Having the experience as a forward, Mancini, despite standing on the sidelines, couldn’t see far or clearly, but had already envisioned an excellent running path for Bonazzoli.

That was when Meeks had just come close, feigning an outside run to pull him away, then one step back, cutting towards the center line!

This way, Bonazzoli could rely on speed and nimbleness to outmaneuver veteran Meeks, escaping from the center-back and gaining a chance to score.

But now it’s too late!

Alex had already come to assist, and even if Bonazzoli got the idea now and ran according to Mancini’s plan, he would still fall into a double-team trap.

At this moment, even if Tang Long had the most precise passing techniques or imaginative passing ideas, it would be in vain!

However, just as Mancini sighed, his hands in his pockets, ready to turn back—

A crisp "pop" of a ball being struck made him suddenly turn his head.

In that instant, the situation on the field startled Mancini, and he quickly pulled his hands out of his pockets.

One-on-one with the goalkeeper!

Bonaventura unexpectedly won a one-on-one opportunity!

Mancini’s hand, pulled out from his pocket, hadn’t yet had time to wave in the air, when another loud "bang" was heard!

Only to see Bonaventura unleash a powerful shot near the six-yard box!

With full exertion, his 185CM tall frame soared with the swing of his leg!

The football shot towards the near corner of the goal!

It soared over the head of goalkeeper Diego Lopez and into the net.

Tang Long stood at the top of the penalty arc, spreading his arms wide, unleashing a deafening roar towards Bonaventura, who had just sent the ball into the net.

Behind the Milan goal, opposite the die-hard Inter fans in the north stand, was now a sea of frenzy!

The fans’ enthusiasm exploded like a volcanic eruption, unstoppable!

In this Milan Derby, every goal was enough to ignite the fans’ fiery passion, plunging them into a whirlpool of madness.

But this particular goal just now made them nearly hysterical with joy, an unexpected miracle falling from the sky, a surprise that veteran fans wouldn’t even dare dream of!

Bonaventura, who was clearly shadowed by Meeks, marked as closely as a shadow, trapped by invisible chains;

And another Milan center-back, Alex, like an impenetrable wall, cutting off all connections between Tang Long and Bonaventura.

However, in those fraction of a second moments, everything underwent a dramatic change—

Tang Long’s pass seemed to have magical power, breaking through the spatial constraints, while Bonaventura transformed into the king of poaching, performing a jaw-dropping serpentine run.

What an elusive strike through the frontline!

He first dazzled with move bewildering move to bypass Meeks, then went east and attacked west, ghosting silently past Alex.

After receiving the ball, he unleashed a thunderous shot in front of the six-yard box, the ball rocketed like lightning straight into the goal’s corner, leaving everyone aghast!

The fans in the north stand, who were about to regret the collapse of this attack, suddenly leapt up, singing and dancing.

"Bonaventura, Bonaventura, Bonaventura!!!"

Deafening roars surged from the north stand, sweeping across the entire stadium like a storm.

And Bonaventura, standing by the goalpost, wore a bewildered expression, awakened from a dream by the fans’ cheers!

His mind was a mess, unable to believe everything he’d just done.

In that instant, he knew he made the right choice, but this choice transcended his understanding of soccer!

He had not followed his original intention to move, but instead ran an incredulous serpentine course, winning a one-on-one opportunity.

This mysterious thought from nowhere turned the impossible into a goal at the last moment!

But regardless, he had scored, and the crisp sound of the final touch brought a touch-feel that was so real.

Bonaventura knew it wasn’t a dream, and he immediately turned, sprinting towards the assisting Tang Long, and hugged him tightly.

"What just happened? I feel like my movements have evolved, Tang, I’ve evolved!" Bonaventura exclaimed excitedly, somewhat incoherent.

"Wonderful serpentine run, Bonaventura, well done!" Tang Long gave Bonaventura a solid thump on the back of the head.

In fact, at that moment, seeing that Bonaventura couldn’t make the right move on his own, Tang Long decisively activated the synergy choice, the two becoming one, capable of consistent pass and movement.

Bonaventura, while sprinting at high speed, was also confronting the robust center-back Meeks, his brain in an oxygen-deprived state.

A fleeting thought flashed through his mind—yes, run ! His body instinctively began its elusive movement.

Inter Milan, in the last round of the Serie A Milan Derby, opened the scoring!

The scorer was Bonaventura, with Tang Long assisting!

The two 18-year-old youngsters set off a storm of youth for Inter Milan!