April 16, 2008, Stadio Olimpico, Rome.
It was Lazio's home game against Inter Milan. It was the first leg of the 20072008 Coppa Italia semi-final.
"Lazio has only won one away game in the last 20 rounds, which was a 1-0 victory over Livorno on October 21 last year. The other 19 games have a record of 11 draws and 9 losses. Ranieri has deployed all of his current main lineup. Only the main substitute striker, Lkunta, is still missing. " The commentator, Ferrari, said, "This game is very important for Lazio. They are now ranked 12th in Serie A, 12 points away from the European zone. With only five rounds left in the league, Lazio can only enter the European competition next season through the Coppa Italia."
"However, it will not be easy for Lazio to eliminate Inter Milan and enter the Coppa Italia final," Rossi continued. "The strength gap between the two sides is not small. The only advantage for Lazio is that Inter Milan is fighting on three fronts. Of course, Inter Milan has already won the Serie A title, so it is more appropriate to say that they are fighting on two fronts."
The camera panned to the sidelines. Li Ang was sitting in the technical area, writing in his notebook with his head down.
"It seems that Manager Li Ang is also very cautious about this game," Ferrari said with a smile when he saw this scene.
If he knew what Li Ang was writing in his notebook, he would definitely not say that.
In fact, there was nothing in the notebook. The ballpoint pen in his hand was not pressed at all. The Inter Milan manager was just a little bored.
Li Ang had enough confidence in this game.
Although it could not be said that Inter Milan was now invincible in Europe, in Italian football, there was really no team that could threaten Inter Milan for the time being. Juventus could not do it, AC Milan could not do it, Roma was far behind, and Lazio was even more unfortunate.
In this game, Li Ang's task for the players was not only to win, but also to win as much as possible and strive to establish a huge advantage in the first leg of the game to advance to the final.
*****
Not long after the match started, Inter Milan got a chance. Arshavin's pass and Decaux's sudden cold shot from about 30 meters away from the goal gave Inter Milan a chance for a corner kick.
Mata sent the corner kick out and Adriano headed the ball to the goal, but the ball went wide.
Lazio's subsequent shot was intercepted by Inter Milan in the midfield. Inter Milan quickly launched an attack. Cassano's pass tore apart Lazio's defense. Then, Mata's shot in the penalty area was blocked by Lazio's goalkeeper, Balotta. Arshavin's follow-up shot was slightly higher.
"Arshavin, you're higher!"
"What a pity!"
"Inter Milan's offensive momentum at the start of the match tells everyone their attitude towards this match!"
"Lazio is very passive. This match will be a big test for their manager, Ranieri," Rossi said. "Since the beginning of the La Liga, Ranieri and Li Ang have played against each other many times. So far, they have all lost. This is a very bad record!"
Ranieri appeared in the camera as he stood on the sidelines with a very dignified expression.
Ranieri knew that this match would be difficult, but he did not expect his team to be so passive. Almost from the first second of the match, Lazio was completely suppressed by Inter Milan.
The match had only been going on for less than ten minutes, but Inter Milan had already shot three times.
Although they had not conceded a goal yet, looking at the current situation, Lazio could lose the goal at any time.
*****
Inter Milan's away game against Lazio in this Coppa Italia semi-final match. Inter Milan's boss, Massimo Moratti, did not attend the match live.
At this moment, in Alave, Spain.
Mourinho shook the coffee spoon in his hand and gently blew on it. He glanced at the watch on his wrist from the corner of his eye.
Then he saw the figure of Inter Milan's boss, Massimo Moratti, appear at the entrance of the cafe, about five minutes before the appointed time. Moratti came alone, without his entourage. Of course, Mourinho also came alone. His agent, Jorge Mendes, did not come. This was a private meeting between him and Moratti.
Moratti stopped at the door and looked around. Then, he saw Mourinho. Although the two of them did not know each other, they knew each other from nodding at each other.
The waiter came up and politely asked the gentleman what drink he wanted.
Moratti casually asked for a cup of ordinary coffee. He was here to discuss matters. What kind of coffee he drank was not important.
This was a very ordinary cafe. In Alave, in Spain, such ordinary cafes could be found all over the streets and alleys. They would not attract the attention of others. This was the place Mourinho chose for the meeting. It was also in line with Moratti's wishes. Before everything was achieved, or more precisely, before the end of the season, he did not want any news to spread.
It was also interesting to say that after Mourinho was dismissed from Chelsea, the media speculated about Mourinho's possible next club. They guessed almost all the powerhouses in the four major leagues. Even the possibility of him returning to Chelsea was discussed by the media. However, the media did not discuss the possibility of Mourinho going to Inter Milan because no one thought that Li Ang would leave Inter Milan. This was not to say that Li Ang would spend the rest of his life in Inter Milan, but there was no indication that the young coach would choose to leave Inter Milan at this time …
After the waiter served the coffee. The meeting between the two officially began.
*****
Inter Milan's first goal came quickly.
Adriano's sudden long shot forced Lazio's goalkeeper, Balotta, to make a wonderful save. Inter Milan got a chance for a corner kick.
Arshavin kicked a corner kick from the right. It was a tactical corner kick. After two passes, the football returned to Arshavin's feet again. He lifted his left foot and kicked an arc.
The football flew into the penalty area!
Adriano jumped at the front point. He headed the ball at the right angle. The football was blocked by Balotta and caused chaos in front of the goal. In the chaos, Samuels squeezed aside Cribali and headed the football into the net.
“Goooooaaaaal！”
"Samuels! He broke the deadlock on the field for Inter Milan! "
"One-nil! Inter Milan leads one-nil in the away game. The goal is Samuels! "
Li Ang got up on the sidelines and cheered for his player's goal.
Now, he especially cherished the few days left at Inter Milan. These players and this team could be said to be completely built by him. He poured all his heart and soul into this team and had deep feelings for it.
Take Samuels, who had just scored, as an example. The Argentine defender was also brought in by Li Ang. The whole transfer process went smoothly because Samuels heard that Li Ang was the Inter Milan manager and took a fancy to him. He immediately nodded and agreed to the transfer.
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