Chapter 254: Battle with Bayern Munich Today is a special day for Inter Milan captain Zanetti. Since joining Inter Milan in 1995, Zanetti has played 499 games for Inter Milan in all competitions. Today is his th official game for Inter Milan. Before the game, Inter Milan's official website specially sent a message to wish Zanetti well and thank him for his outstanding contribution to the team. As for Inter Milan's die-hard fans, they even made a huge tifo with the following words: The eternal captain of the Nerazzurri, Javier Zanetti! The moment the huge tifo was unfolded, the whole audience burst into warm applause, and tens of thousands of Inter Milan fans stood up and applauded Zanetti. Zanetti was very moved. He didn't expect the fans to do this for him. This further strengthened his belief in giving back to the team and the fans! Due to Vieira's suspension and Materazzi's injury, Mancini made some adjustments to the lineup for this game. Summer new signing Maicon started the game, with Zanetti moving up from right back to serve as the team's right winger. Barzali entered the starting lineup, replacing the injured Materazzi and forming a central defender combination with Samuel.
Grosso is still the starting left back. After joining Inter Milan, he has performed very well in this position and won the trust of the team. With the referee's whistle, this battle that has attracted much attention from all over Europe kicked off. After the game started, although the home fans created a huge momentum for Inter Milan, Inter Milan did not rush to attack, but played more conservatively. This kind of strong dialogue is about who makes fewer mistakes and who is better at seizing opportunities. Mancini wanted to test the opponent's strength before launching an attack. Compared to Mancini, who bears too much pressure and tends to be more cautious. Magath has fewer worries! When playing away from home against a giant like Inter Milan, if we win we will make a lot of money, but if we lose it is also normal. Besides, they have already scored three points, unlike Inter Milan which is under so much pressure in terms of points. This also gave them more room for error, so when they saw that Inter Milan did not take the initiative to attack, Magath waved his hand and Bayern took the initiative and started to attack. After the opening, Van Bommel and Salihamidzic tried to cross twice, but Inter Milan's defenders performed very well and their crosses were resolved without creating any threats. But Bayern still threatened Inter Milan's goal with a set piece! In the 5th minute, Bayern Munich took a corner kick to the back of the penalty area. Bayern striker Makaay, who was lying in ambush here, was about to receive the ball and shoot, but Lin Feng, who was involved in the corner kick defense, was quick-eyed and quick-footed and cleared the ball with an unconventional back hook. Ma Kai looked at Lin Feng with some depression. He had spotted the defensive loopholes here, so he ambushed here specially, but he didn't expect to be disrupted by Lin Feng. If Lin Feng hadn't shown up unexpectedly, he felt he had already scored. Although the opponent was attacking, Lin Feng's clearance was so domineering that he won applause from the audience. But Bayern's offensive did not end during this period. In the 8th minute, Bayern Munich's left-back Lahm dribbled the ball from the wing and completed a high-quality cross. This time, Ma Kai successfully received the pass from his teammate and made a shot, but unfortunately, due to the interference of the defensive players, his shot went wide of the goal frame. From the perspective of the first ten minutes, Bayern clearly had the advantage. After all, they had completed two shots, while Inter Milan had not even a single shot. But Mancini, who was sitting on the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the opponent's attacks. After testing Bayern's strengths and weaknesses, Mancini waved his hand and now it was Inter Milan's turn to take action.
Although Magath was full of confidence in his talk before the game, he was actually not sure of winning. After all, Inter Milan was in the top four of the Champions League last season and is definitely not a weakling. Moreover, their lineup has been further strengthened this season, and their strength will only get stronger. So after seeing Mancini's actions, he couldn't help but start to worry. Although Magath doesn't care much about historical records of confrontations, Inter Milan has always had a good home record in the history of the Champions League. In the past 12 games they played at home, Inter Milan achieved a record of 9 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. This result is definitely outstanding even in the Champions League where many top teams gather. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that Inter Milan’s home stadium is a devil’s field. Inter Milan has just withstood Bayern's three-pronged attack, and now it is Bayern's turn to withstand the opponent's three-pronged attack. If we can get through it, then we can still play, but if we can't, then this game is probably over. Just as Magath was thinking this, Inter Milan's attack began. In the 11th minute, Inter Milan launched a quick counterattack from the backcourt. Lin Feng made a wonderful pass near the center circle and passed the ball behind Torres. After successfully avoiding offside, Torres broke into the penalty area at high speed. Unfortunately, German goalkeeper Kahn chose to attack early, blocking most of his shooting angles. Facing Kahn's fierce attack, Torres seemed to be intimidated. He forced a shot but was successfully blocked by Kahn. Torres, who missed a one-on-one opportunity, held his head and knelt down in the Bayern penalty area in frustration. Kahn roared, glanced at him, turned around and celebrated with several teammates by high-fiving and chest bumping. Lin Feng just glanced at Kahn, but stayed on Bayern defender Lucio for a second longer. It was this guy who suddenly moved forward when Lin Feng passed the ball, almost causing Torres to be offside. And when Torres started, he used his body to block his rhythm by half a beat, which gave Kahn the opportunity to block. I've heard that Lucio is very strong before, and now I see that his reputation is well-deserved! Mancini had also set his sights on him before and wanted to bring him to Inter Milan, but unfortunately the Brazilian did not want to leave Bayern, and Bayern was unwilling to agree on the transfer, so the matter came to nothing. If Lucio comes and partners with Samuel, Inter Milan's defense can rest assured. Inter Milan's corner kick, without big players like Materazzi and Vieira, Lin Feng did not plan to directly lift the ball into the penalty area. Instead, he chose to make a tactical cooperation with Figo. He kicked the ball to Figo, and Figo half turned around to pass the ball and provide him with a screen similar to a pick-and-roll, and then returned the ball to Lin Feng. The Bayern players in the penalty area rushed out frantically, trying to spread the formation and restore the flexibility of the defense. Although there are always fans joking about parking the bus in the penalty area, in actual games, this practice is tantamount to seeking death. Without depth and flexibility in defense, the opponent's attack will make them very passive, and losing the ball is only a matter of time. Lin Feng dribbled the ball all the way, avoiding the players who rushed to steal the ball, and came to the front of the penalty area along the edge of the penalty area. After cutting horizontally and changing direction to dribble past Schweinsteiger, he decisively shot. With the help of the cover provided by Xiaozhu, Lin Feng's shot was quite sudden. Kahn's vision was blocked and he was unable to observe his shooting action at the first time. However, the 37-year-old Kahn relied on his super explosive power, leaped up, and lifted Lin Feng's shot over the crossbar with one hand. Kahn's save this time was more difficult than the last time, because the opponent's shot was too sudden, and Lin Feng's shooting angle was also very tricky and the speed of the ball was not slow, which did not give him much time to react. But even so, he still completed this difficult save.
Is this the power of a legendary goalkeeper? Lin Feng couldn't help but look at Kahn a few more times. As if he had noticed Lin Feng's gaze, Kahn also looked over. The two looked at each other from a distance, and there was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air. It is said that few people can endure a stare-down with Kahn, because his eyes are extremely sharp and his aura is very intimidating. But Lin Feng already knew this, so he didn't look into Kahn's eyes, but stared at the other's nose bridge, so he would naturally not be affected. Seeing that the other party did not avoid his gaze, Kahn was quite surprised. "Interesting! He is indeed the guy who can break through the German team's goal!" Kahn still remembers clearly the match a year ago when the German team lost 1:3 to the Chinese team at home. …… Although Inter Milan did not score any goals, these two attacks really scared Magath. Compared with Bayern's previous attack, Inter Milan's attack is more threatening. As expected of last season’s Champions League semi-finalists, Inter Milan really has something. But even so, he had no intention of changing his tactics. German teams have never been good at defense, and defensive counterattacks do not even exist in their dictionary. Controlling the ball, controlling the tempo of the game, and destroying the opponent with high-pressure offense are the ways they are good at winning. What's more, Bayern, visiting the Meazza, is trying to break the embarrassing record of not winning against Italian teams in away games. So they played very actively and proactively away from home, with the two wingers and full-backs frequently launching attacks on the flanks, posing a great threat to Inter Milan's defenders. Especially the left-back Lahm, he is simply the most handsome guy on the field during this period. He can be seen on both the offensive and defensive ends, as if he is everywhere. In the 20th minute, Lahm assisted again, cutting inside and sending a cross. Oter received the ball outside the penalty area and shot, but unfortunately he touched the ball in the wrong place and his long shot went wide of the goal. Inter immediately launched a counterattack, and Figo responded with a beautiful pass on the wing. Lin Feng received the ball at the flank and passed it to the front of the penalty area. Stankovic followed up and passed the ball into the penalty area. Torres suddenly rushed out from the left side, entered the penalty area and shot decisively, leaving Kahn no chance to attack. But Kahn's goal line technique is also quite solid. Although Torres' shot was of good quality, it was still blocked by Kahn. Torres shook his head helplessly. It seemed that he had to find another way to break through the goal guarded by the Lion King. Seeing Inter Milan's attack so fierce, Bayern's defenders turned on the mad dog mode, fighting for the offensive players separately. If they couldn't get the ball, they would decisively tackle. They would rather commit fouls than give Inter Milan a chance to shoot. But this is not a wise choice, because Inter Milan has free kick experts. In the 27th minute, Inter Milan's attack on the left caused the opponent to commit a foul. Due to the bad position, Lin Feng still chose to make a tactical cooperation with his teammates. Figo took the penalty kick, but did not shoot directly. Instead, he gently kicked the ball to the middle. Lin Feng, who was already prepared, rushed up and kicked it. Although Kahn was prepared and his vision was not blocked, Lin Feng's shot was made using Ballack's explosive shot, which was very powerful and fast. Kahn flew to save the ball and while still in the air he saw the ball pass through his fingers and head straight for the goal.
He was shocked and thought to himself that he was in trouble, but at this moment he suddenly heard a loud 'bang' and the football hit the crossbar and bounced out of bounds. Kahn let out a long sigh and wanted to hug the door frame and kiss it twice. Lin Feng was also a little helpless! He did kick the ball higher just now, mainly because Kahn, like Inter Milan's goalkeeper Cesar, is not a particularly tall player. Therefore, using high balls to deal with them may be a better option. Facts proved that his judgment was correct, but the ball was a little too high. Although it passed Kahn's fingers, it was stuck on the goal frame, leaving people helpless! For fans of both teams, this period of time has been like a roller coaster ride. When they see their team launch an attack or even score a goal, they are often excited and cheer loudly. But when they saw that their team's shot missed and the opponent launched a counterattack, they became extremely nervous and their hearts almost beat out of their throats. Especially Lin Feng's shots made Bayern fans break out in cold sweats. "This guy is so awesome! I should have snatched him away last summer!" "He is a talent cultivated by German football and should play for the German team. It is a pity that he is stranded abroad!" "But considering his price, I'm afraid only Bayern in the entire Bundesliga can afford him, but Bayern doesn't seem to be short of players in the midfield!" "How come we are not short of people? Apart from Schweinsteiger, can Hargreaves, Van Bommel, Ort, Salihamidzic and others compare to Lin Feng? And you have to know that Lin Feng is only 18 years old this year. He has such strength at the age of 18. If we buy him, as long as his level does not decline, Bayern can rest assured about the attacking midfielder and central midfielder positions for at least 15 years!" After hearing what he said, the Bayern fans who originally opposed this matter began to look at Lin Feng eagerly. Because Lin Feng performed so well on the field and his playing style was so steady, everyone subconsciously ignored Lin Feng's age. But when you think about the fact that he is only eighteen years old, combined with his age and the strength he has shown so far, his appeal will suddenly increase, and I am afraid that no team will not be tempted. Even Barcelona had tentatively proposed to Inter Milan the possibility of taking Lin Feng away, but was rejected by Inter Milan. (End of this chapter)