The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 170 Take Viola lightly

Just finished playing Juventus, followed by Fiorentina.

There was originally a Serie A game in the middle, but it was postponed due to a local snowstorm in Parma.

Leo also breathed a long sigh of relief, almost playing a ninety-minute league game in the "romantic" scenery of heavy snow.

Generally speaking, the weather in Italy is not so bad, especially in the south. Even in winter, the sun is shining after noon and it is very warm.

Wear a down jacket in the morning, then take it off and wear short-sleeves in the afternoon.

The north is relatively worse, but except for the coldest winter, other seasons are pretty good.

Leo, who lived in London for a year, knows this very well.

But being able to persist and accept it is one thing, and there are really a few people who would like to play football in the cold winter.

The Coppa Italia is a very interesting game. Only the semi-finals are divided into two rounds, home and away.

On February 2010, 2, Inter Milan's first game in February, the first leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals, the Nerazzurri faced Viola at home.

This is the 300th Coppa Italia match in Florence's history.

Viola met Inter Milan in the semi-finals twice before, successfully eliminating their opponents and eventually winning the championship trophy.

It's just that this time it may be different. Since January 2007, the two teams have met five times, and Fiorentina has struggled to win.

Today Mourinho did not use the lineup that defeated Juventus in the last round, and changed back to 433.

Pandev, Milito and Balotelli partnered in the striker, while Leo teamed up with Zanetti and Cambiasso in the midfield.

Left back David Thornton, right back Maicon, the center back combination is Materazzi and Lucio, and Toldo continues to be the goalkeeper.

Eto'o is still resting and recovering and has not been included in the squad. Samuel, Cesar and other main players have taken turns.

Youth team players Chris Settig and Kershin entered the bench.

For Florence, Mutu was suspended, and Jovetic, Felipe, Marchionne and other main players appeared on the bench.

Viola coach Prandelli arranged a four-three-three formation without an attacking midfielder, with Gilardino serving as a single arrow, supplemented by Santana and Vargas on the wings.

Considering the weekend league, both teams did not give their best in this game.

After the game started, Fiorentina's defense was very tight, with Boratti guarding Inter Milan's playmaker Leo full-time.

It can be said that wherever Leo goes, Boratti follows.

Leo seemed to be used to this kind of treatment. If any team did not defend him in a targeted manner, he might not be used to it.

There is no rush to seek a breakthrough. Inter Milan's choice is to stabilize the defense first and not give the opponent a chance to steal the chicken.

Leo had no choice but to retreat to his own half to organize the offense through long passes.

Two consecutive long passes from the backcourt to Milito resulted in a semi-single chance!
  But I don’t know if it was because of the weather that Milito did not enter the state. Both shots were easily obtained by Florence goalkeeper Frei.

This also made the first few minutes of the game very dull, and Mourinho even yawned.

Of course, this situation was what he expected, or it was what he asked for.

It was cold and freezing, and there was a Serie A game in three days. Before the game, Mourinho told the Inter Milan players to maintain their physical strength and be careful not to get injured.

Leo and the others did the same thing after the game started.

Except... Balotelli.

In the eighth minute, Bashen was accidentally elbowed in the face by Fiorentina defender Gobi during a desperate header.

Balotelli was instantly "beaten" with a bloody head. He was bandaged briefly and returned to the game.

"It doesn't matter, right? Don't be brave if you can't insist!"

Leo looked at Balotelli's miserable appearance with some worry, which was both pitiful and funny.

Bashen shook his head firmly, "I'm fine!"

Leo didn't say anything more, just patted Balotelli on the back.

The game continued, and amid the cheers of nearly 20,000 Lazuli from Meazza, the home team finally started their attack in earnest.

These fans are really extraordinary. They insist on coming to watch the game in such cold weather to support the team.

Apart from anything else, at least we can't live up to their expectations!
  Leo speeded up!

Accelerating and changing direction, he easily passed Boratti, and Leo blocked the left side!
  After getting the ball, Pandev quickly cut inside to the left side of the penalty area and volleyed from a small angle and missed the far corner of the goal!

Just one point away, the Nerazzurri broke the deadlock.

The die-hard Inter fans in the stands still applauded and cheered enthusiastically for the team's wonderful attack.

A minute later, Thornton received a direct pass from Leo and broke through to the edge of the penalty area and missed the long shot.

Fiorentina, playing away from home, could only retaliate with long-range shots, but the two long-range shots from Vargas and Gobi missed the goal.

The rhythm of the game has picked up, and the scene is much better.

The Inter Milan fans cheered loudly and cheered for the home team.

The Nerazzurri's offensive has become increasingly fierce. Balotelli broke through and passed from the right. Maicon crossed into the penalty area and volleyed with his right foot from the front point, but Frey hit the baseline!

In the 29th minute, Leo made a direct pass. Milito successfully countered offside and took the ball and cut inside to the edge of the penalty area. His low shot with his left foot was confiscated by Viola goalkeeper Frey.

The Argentinian shook his head speechlessly and walked back.

He actually performed pretty well today. He already had four or five shots before half the game was over.

But not a single goal was scored. Either the opponent's goalkeeper made a brave save or he failed to control it well and missed the goal.

In the 33rd minute, Vargas hit the goal with a powerful curve ball with his left foot outside the penalty area, but Toldo held it firmly in his arms.

A minute later, Leo launched a counterattack!

Thornton passed the ball over the top to the left side of the penalty area, and Florence defender Natalie made a major mistake in stopping the ball!
  The ball was stopped by him at the feet of his opponent Balotelli!
  Afterwards, Natalie did not follow Balotelli and stood there stupidly.

Balotelli quickly dribbled the ball to the middle of the line near the baseline, and Milito shot with his right foot from the front point into the near corner of the goal!
  One to zero!

Milito finally scored, continuing his excellent form this season!
  Inter Milan broke through the door of Viola through a wonderful combination!
  From Leo's initiative to Milito's goal, a total of four Inter Milan players participated in the scoring.

Tacit and efficient offensive cooperation is what Mourinho is very happy to see.

However, after taking the lead, Leo saw the coach's gesture, curled his lips and followed the Portuguese's instructions to slow down the rhythm again.

Gilardino stopped the ball, turned around and quickly distributed it to the left side of the penalty area. Vargas' left-footed diagonal shot in front of the goal slid out of the far post.

Fiorentina missed an excellent opportunity to equalize the score.

Inter Milan then took control of the situation steadily, and Mourinho looked drowsy from the sidelines.

As the first half came to an end, Leo slowly wandered to the outside of the opponent's penalty area.

Maicon made a pass from the right, and Leo's powerful long-range shot was blocked by Frey!
  Entering stoppage time, Leo took a corner kick into the penalty area.

Balotelli beat Gamberini in front of the goal with a header!
  Goalkeeper Frey was powerless, but Pascual made a volley with his left foot in front of the goal line!

At the end of the first half, the home team temporarily led 1-0.

Back in the dressing room, Mourinho once again emphasized the basic principles of the game.

That is to use the minimum effort to win the game and avoid unnecessary consumption and injuries as much as possible.

So at the beginning of the second half, he replaced Pandev with the returning Muntari.

Inter Milan's formation changed to 4312 to strengthen midfield control.

At the beginning of the second half, the visiting team took the lead in attacking.

Vargas and Pascual cooperated on the left side of the penalty area, and the latter turned and passed low!
  Santana's left-footed shot in front of the far post turned into a lob, and Toldo easily picked it up.

In the 48th minute, Leo passed the ball in the frontcourt, and Balotelli broke into the penalty area from the left and shot high.

Three minutes later, Milito pressed forward and stole the ball at Natali's feet. His lob shot across the edge of the penalty area was blocked by Pascual and bounced into the air!
  Fiorentina goalkeeper Frei made a diving save to confiscate the ball.

The advantage of one goal is still not safe. Leo feels that it is safer to score another one.

In the 54th minute, Maicon sent a through ball from the right rib, and Balotelli successfully broke into the right side of the penalty area and deflected the defense in response to offside!

Then Bashen's left-footed low shot in front of the goal was blocked by Frey! Milito's right-footed follow-up shot from the penalty spot missed slightly!
  With his back to the goal at the far point, Leo used a clever tap of his heel to change the route and knock the ball in!

Frey, who fell to the ground to save the ball, threw himself in the opposite direction and hit the goal line twice helplessly.

Two to zero!
  Inter Milan expands its lead!

After falling behind by two goals, there was no chance if he didn't adjust. Purlander used Jovetic to replace Gobi.

A forward was replaced by a defender and Viola tried to counterattack.

Leo passed the ball to the right, Balotelli cut inside with the ball and was tackled to the ground by Pascual.

The referee Tagliavento showed Pascual the first yellow card of the game.

Originally injured in the first half, Mourinho also replaced Balotelli with Thiago Motta.

Now Inter Milan is the only forward on the field, Milito.

Jovetic's long-range shot was easily caught by Toldo.

One minute later, Pascual hit back with an inverted triangle from the left, and Vargas' left-footed shot from the front of the penalty area passed the crossbar.

Fiorentina could still only threaten Inter Milan's goal through some long shots, which did not cause Toldo much trouble.

Prandelli replaced Marchionne and Ljajic one after another, trying to change the situation on the field.

It's a pity that the effect is not very obvious.

Regular time is coming to an end, the score on the field is still 2-0, and Inter Milan has basically secured the victory.

Mourinho also used up the last substitution place. Wang Dong came on as a substitute and replaced Leo.

Then Thornton counterattacked with a long pass from the backcourt, and Milito cut into the penalty area at high speed and passed with his right foot!
  King Dong controlled the ball from the front point and swung his left foot shot slightly wide of the goal!
  The Nerazzurri finally defeated Fiorentina 2-0 at home, taking the upper hand in the two-round contest.

As for the second leg of the Italian Cup semi-finals, that will have to wait until two months later.

(End of this chapter)