The Italians had always been proud of their Serie A, but deep down, they looked down on the La Liga. The Italian media did not really pay attention to Sporting de Gijón, a newly promoted team. Even though Sporting de Gijón was currently ranked third in La Liga, in their view, this only showed that the competitiveness of La Liga had dropped, and that a newly promoted team was allowed to be fierce.
However, at this moment, after more than half an hour of the game, Lazio was in a 0-3 deficit. All the Italians who were paying attention to the game were silent.
They could not understand. They could not understand why the game was like this. They could not understand why the former Serie A champions, Lazio, could be so easily scored three times by Sporting de Gijón.
After Sporting de Gijón took a three-goal lead, they did not stop there. Instead, they became more and more energetic. Wave after wave of attacks forced Lazio to withdraw and defend. The Serie A powerhouse was suppressed to the point that they had no way to fight back.
Every time Sporting de Gijón attacked, the Sporting de Gijón fans would cheer. The hearts of the Lazio fans were always on tenterhooks. They were afraid that their team would be pierced again in the next second.
At the end of the first half, the score did not change again. Sporting de Gijón shot six more times in the ten minutes after they scored the third goal. However, in the end, they did not score again.
When the referee blew the whistle to end the first half, the Sporting de Gijón players were still not satisfied. They were a little unhappy and regretful that they could not increase the score again. All the Italians who were on tenterhooks breathed a sigh of relief. At least for the next fifteen minutes, they were safe.
*****
Sporting de Gijón's players entered the players' tunnel amidst the cheers and singing in the El Molinon Stadium.
The entire stadium was filled with an atmosphere of excitement and joy.
In the VIP box of the El Molinon Stadium, Manuel Arango, the president of Sporting de Gijón, proudly said to the VIP in the box, "Signing Coach Li Ang is the proudest signing of my life."
As he said this, his daughter, Miss Venita Arongo, looked at the man who had disappeared into the tunnel with twinkling eyes. She tried to forget the man, but she found that she could not do it. The strong repressed emotions made her feel even worse. Li Ang's loyalty made Venita both love and hate him. She could feel that Li Ang had feelings for her, and she was confident in her beauty. However, Li Ang was still able to restrain himself under such circumstances. This made Venita even more infatuated with Li Ang. A man like him deserved respect and was even more worthy of being cherished.
"Well done!" In the home team's locker room at the El Molinon Stadium, Li Ang waved his fist fiercely and said to the players.
He was such a passionate and passionate manager. When the players performed well, he was not stingy with his praise. He was willing to pass on his excitement and confidence to the players.
"In the second half, we'll play like we did in the first half!"
"The most important characteristic of the Italian team is defense. When they have to press to score, it's a good thing for us."
"Attack, guys. Lazio is a seeded player in the group. This game is the time for us to show our strength to the European football world!"
Li Ang showed excitement throughout the halftime interval. He used this way to tell the players to maintain their passion, to maintain their enthusiasm, to maintain their state, and to carry out their hot-bloodedness and attack to the end.
*****
In the visitors' locker room at the El Molinon Stadium.
"Disgrace! This game is a disgrace to Lazio's team! A disgrace to Roma! A disgrace to Italy! "A voice roared.
"Our opponent is just a newly promoted team! We lost by three goals in the first half of the game! What kind of sh * t are we playing?! We've shamed the city of Rome! We've shamed the great city! "
"Everyone needs to reflect on whether or not we deserve to wear this jersey!"
"Damn it! In the second half of the game, everyone must go all out! The sacred and proud Lazio cannot be humiliated! "
At this moment, the person roaring in the locker room was not Lazio's manager, Casso, but Lazio's captain, Di Canio!
Someone once commented that Di Canio was a born captain. He was unruly and would never give in! When the team was in adversity, the team would rejoice because of the existence of such a captain. This was a player with the dual combination of extraordinary football talent and a devilish character!
Of course, Di Canio's fiery personality also caused him a lot of trouble. On September 26, 1998, Di Canio played against Arsenal at Highbury Stadium and the opponent's legendary defender, Martin Keown. Both were sent off by the referee, Paul Alcock, for a boxing match. Dissatisfied with the decision, Di Canio pushed Alcock to the ground. As a result, he was suspended for 11 games and fined 10,000 pounds.
Later, this player caused a great uproar when he saluted after scoring a goal in the Derby de Rome. Of course, according to the course of history, that happened three months later.
With regards to Di Canio, there were three things that were self-evident: his talent that never ceased to shine, his inexhaustible source of passion, and his desire to gain an advantage in every contest. These three characteristics existed in the most glorious moments of his career, and also existed in those absurd moments that belonged to him. His talent, passion, and desire to win filled his controversial career. People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. At least with Di Canio, we could read his heart from his eyes.
*****
Such a player left behind a legend in every team he played for. In 2003, when Di Canio left West Ham United, he and the fans there shed tears of deep emotion. Upton Park's "Di Canio Lounge" and the tattoos on Di Canio's body were proof of this relationship. Di Canio was, and would always be, a legend of West Ham United.
Di Canio was born in the Quatticilio district of Rome, where the fans were fanatical Roma supporters. Perhaps because of his rebellious personality, Di Canio became a supporter of the Blue Eagle Lazio, and the most extreme kind. A teenager with a rebellious spirit was united with a football team that strongly attracted him. Di Canio found that Lazio was a perfect target. Suppressed by the city's arch-rival, Roma, he could struggle, resist, and fight unyieldingly with a group of people. He enjoyed all of this.
After Di Canio returned to Lazio, he was regarded as the true leader of the team by the Lazio fans. He also had a very close relationship with Lazio's extreme fans. The composition of Lazio's fans was more complex, and the extreme fans among them were also regarded as having a belief in God. For Di Canio, these beliefs were secondary, like something left behind after breaking up with an old lover, trivial details. Although Di Canio had been accused of racism many times by the news media, he was still willing to "shamelessly" sit together with Lazio's extreme right-wing fan group and happily sing racist songs for 90 minutes on Sundays. Because in Di Canio's eyes, they were first and foremost Lazio fans.
Regarding Mussolini, Di Canio had once written in his autobiography: "I was deeply attracted to Mussolini. I have many copies of his autobiography. He was a deeply misunderstood person. He deceived the people, and his behavior was despicable, but it was all in pursuit of a higher goal. Mussolini was very principled, and he was a moral person. But he reversed his view of right and wrong, and his morality was compromised. "
From Di Canio's point of view, the higher goal was to do the best he could and then win the game on the football field.
This was a person who would do anything for the goal, for the sake of victory!
However, such a player actually won FIFA's Fair Play Award with his own sportsmanship. Everton and West Ham United met at Goodison Park. Di Canio gave up on shooting when faced with a good chance to score. He held the ball in his arms so that Everton's goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard, could receive treatment from the team doctor. Perhaps in the eyes of this unruly striker, such a chance to score was an unearned gain. It was bullying the weak, and he disdained it.
Such a player was born for adversity.
*****
At this moment, Sporting de Gijón, whom they looked down on, was leading by three goals in the first half. Lazio's leader was furious. He was furious for himself, furious for his ineffectiveness in the first half, and furious for his teammates' weak performance!
Di Canio's roar could be heard throughout the entire locker room.
"In the second half of the game, I want to see a different Lazio, a Lazio with a bayonet in his mouth that rushes to any enemy!" Di Canio's expression was ferocious. He gritted his teeth, his eyes were cold, and his mouth spewed out hot air. "Glory belongs to the great city of Rome!"
Men's roars came from the visiting team's locker room like wild beasts.
PS: Update 3. Continue to write. Oh oh oh oh oh! Seven more chapters. Ahhhhhh!
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