The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 342 Advance to the quarterfinals

Inter Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti was smiling at the post-match press conference.

"Overall it was a fair result and the better team won the game.

Of course we also respect our opponents. Although they are Derby opponents, their performance today was outstanding.

Especially in the first half, they created many opportunities and scored a goal.

We have to thank Handanovic for his outstanding performance.

After the start of the second half, we gradually took control of the game, and Leo still reassured me as always. "

Balotelli, who scored, was also interviewed by Sky Sports Italy on the sidelines.

"The goal is dedicated to my family, my parents were here to watch the game today.

I want to thank the boss...oh, our captain Leo, today is a great day. "

AC Milan coach Allegri was also very calm after losing the game.

Especially in the first half, we caused a lot of trouble for Inter Milan.

Even though there was a Champions League game to be played in three days, Ancelotti did not choose to make a major rotation and only made "slight" adjustments to the starting lineup.

He sent several threatening passes in succession but his teammates failed to seize the opportunity. Leo was not in a hurry and still organized the attack patiently.

Of course, this mainly refers to dribbling skills. Others such as passing and shooting are actually relatively average.

In the 41st minute, Kolarov received a diagonal pass from Leo on the left, broke through to the bottom line and sent a precise cross!

Catania, playing at home, takes the lead!

Not long after there was a free kick opportunity, Catania midfielder Francesco Lodi took a free kick.

Since Balotelli was suspended from the Champions League, he did not take a rest today and continued to serve as a single arrow.

“Do adjustments need to be made?”

You must know that in the past few seasons, Catania has been in the bottom half of the standings all year round and even hovered on the edge of relegation.

Abbiati made many miraculous saves, but still could not prevent Inter Milan from scoring. "

Ancelotti sat on the sidelines with his chin in his hands. This situation actually surprised him.

"Gazzetta dello Sport": "Milan must be sorry for the final result. They played an almost perfect first half, but only one goal was scored by El Shaarawy.

Lucas Moura surprised the opponent with a diving header that went straight into the bottom right corner of the goal!

Two to two!

Inter Milan equalized the score before the end of the first half!

Lucas is an interesting player. He is just like an ordinary Brazilian offensive player, fast and skilled.

“I’m not angry with the result, I’m happy with the team’s performance.

It was Leo's direct pass again, but Lewandowski failed to shoot due to the interference of Catania center back Spoli.

Therefore, Inter Milan is playing away from home today and does not dare to underestimate the enemy at all.

Leo is the attacking midfielder, Modric and Casemiro are in the midfield.

Indeed, in many people’s minds, a player who is good at heading the ball must be at least 1.8 meters, not just 1.9 meters, right?

Because on the field, you will often see this "little man" who is only 1.7 meters tall and nods his head before the tall defender!

Two to one!

In the 19th minute, Leo quickly organized a counterattack after stealing the ball in the frontcourt!

The ball was distributed to the right. Coutinho broke through a home team defender on the right side of the penalty area and then passed the ball. Balotelli headed the ball in front of the goal and scored!

But if you watch Lucas Moura play, this view will completely change.

In the seventh minute, Bergosio dribbled the ball along the left wing and broke through. Ranocchia made a marking error near the baseline and made a hasty shovel!

Instead, it resulted in an own-goal assist, and Bergosio succeeded with a shot from a small angle on the left side of the penalty area!

However, what everyone did not expect was that the league had entered the second half, and Catania was still firmly ranked seventh in the standings.

Some people may not believe it, "He is only 1.7 meters tall, how can he header the ball?"

This decision of the head coach also directly caused Inter Milan to be at a disadvantage on the field.

Left back Kolarov, right back Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Ranocchia partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Handanovic.

"No, just trust Leo."

Especially compared with his Brazilian compatriots Neymar and Coutinho.

Lucas Moura and Coutinho are flying on both wings.

Well, changing only half of the starting lineup shouldn't be called a full rotation.

In the twenty-seventh round of Serie A, the defending champion played away to Catania at the Massimino Stadium!

When the two teams met for the first time this season, Catania was seventh in the standings.

But Lucas Moura has one characteristic, that is, his header is particularly good.

Leo passed the ball, and Lucas Moura followed up with a volley that went over the crossbar.

Many people didn't care about Catania's ranking at the time. In the eyes of Serie A fans, it won't be long before the Sicilian team returns to its position.

The Nerazzurri regained a victory!

The defending champion sounded the clarion call for counterattack!

Before the second leg of the Champions League against Valencia, Inter Milan traveled to Sicily in southern Italy as a guest.

Italian left-back Marchese jumped up high and shook his head to attack the goal, and the ball flew into the lower right corner of the goal!

Two to zero!

Inter Milan trailed 0-2 in away game!

Catania supporters sang and danced in the stands of the Massimino Stadium, cheering for the team's outstanding performance.

Since the beginning of 2013, they have successively defeated strong teams such as Roma and Fiorentina.

So I hope the team can maintain this form and keep moving forward. "

One to zero!

Not once or twice did he score a header from a defender who was twenty centimeters taller than him.

Leo watched Lucas Moura's training, and sometimes he even thought that this kid's header shot would be more accurate than his shot with his feet, right?

No, little Lucas showed off his header skills today. He just rose up from the ground and scored with a header, nothing special.

The Brazilian didn't celebrate too much after scoring. Instead, he ran into the goal and fished the ball out.

Because now Inter Milan has just equalized the score, what the hell is it if they don't seize the time and think about overtaking the score to celebrate.

His move made the Catania fans at the scene very unhappy. What do you mean?

Thinking of a draw is not enough, we must win our home team at our home court, right?

At the end of the first half, Inter Milan temporarily tied with Catania at 2-2 in the away game.

After the start of the second half, Inter Milan continued to attack.

In the 52nd minute of the game, the combined pressing of Modric and Leo caused Biajandi's mistake.

After Leo got the ball, he immediately made a sharp diagonal pass into the right side of the penalty area!

Coutinho dribbled the ball past Marchese and curled the ball into the far corner of the goal!

Three to two!

The Nerazzurri finally reversed the score!

Ancelotti felt really relieved now. He was lying when he said he wasn't panicking before.

If he really loses points in Catania because of his rotation in this game, I don’t know how he will be criticized by the media and fans after the game.

The home team didn't want to give up just like that, after all, they were only one point behind.

Catania's head coach Rolando Malan took the lead in making substitution adjustments. Albanian forward Cani and former Juventus player Almiron came on as substitutes. But their appearance did not change the situation of the game.

In the 72nd minute, Ancelotti replaced Leo and Modric, with Pirlo and Verratti coming on as substitutes.

This is also Pirlo's first appearance after returning from injury. An Pang hopes that he can play to find the state of the game.

After that, neither team created any good scoring opportunities. In the end, Inter Milan reversed the away game and won 3-2!

"We got off to a very bad start and I have to admit it was due to a mistake on my part.

We didn't expect Catania to be in such good form and they posed quite a threat to us at home.

I don't know how many people would have believed we could come back when we were down 2-0 in the first half.

We came from two goals down and played to our full potential to win an unbelievable victory.

Okay, now I can turn my focus to the next Champions League game. "

Three days later, the second leg of the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League round of continued.

Inter Milan once again launched a fierce duel with Valencia at the Meazza Stadium.

In the first round, Inter Milan defeated their opponents 2-1 on the road and won the initiative to advance.

Returning to home court today, even if we only draw with our opponents, we can still eliminate Valencia and advance to the next round.

So they are not stressed at all.

Ancelotti did not hold back and responded with the full lineup.

Lewandowski replaced Balotelli, who was suspended due to a red card, as the single arrow, with Bale and Neymar flying on both wings.

Leo is the attacking midfielder, Pirlo and De Rossi are in the midfield.

Left back David Thornton, right back Srna, Bonucci and Ranocchia partnered as central defender and goalkeeper Handanovic.

As for Valencia, the team's main central defenders Costa and Rami are both absent due to injuries, and left back Mathieu temporarily plays the central defender position.

Although they were behind in the total score, the Bats did not dare to act rashly in the away game. After the start, they only made two tentative attacks and then recovered their defense.

In the fifth minute, Leo made a diagonal pass to the left side of the penalty area. After Bale unloaded the ball lightly, his left-footed volley was blocked by the Valencia defender!

Pirlo passed the ball into the penalty area, Lewandowski stopped the ball with his right foot, and Barragan cleared the ball out of the baseline before the opponent took a shot.

Leo's corner kick was sent to the center of the penalty area again. This pass was quite accurate, but Neymar's volley shot missed it.

Two minutes later, Neymar dribbled continuously on the right side of the penalty area past Mathieu, who served as the temporary central defender. After breaking into the opponent's hinterland, his shot missed the far post.

The game lasted ten minutes, and Valencia didn't even have a decent shot.

It's not a problem if this continues, unless the visiting team completely gives up hope of promotion, they must strengthen their offense.

Sure enough, after Valverde made a gesture to press the attack, the Valencia players on the field launched an offensive.

Parejo made a direct pass, and Soldado and Jonas completed a wonderful collision against the wall!

The bat captain's low shot from the right side of the penalty area was thrown to the ground by Handanovic.

In the 23rd minute, Barragan broke through Bell's defense and sent a through ball from the wing.

Soldado went down from the right to an inverted triangle near the baseline and hit the center. Jonas's low shot with his right foot from the top of the penalty area missed.

After all, 50,000 to 60,000 fans came today to support the team. We cannot let them down.

In the 35th minute, the 36-year-old Spanish veteran Albelda controlled the ball in the backcourt.

Leo actively stepped forward to press for the ball, and when he saw the right opportunity, he went up and stole the ball with his toes!

Valencia lost the ball in the backcourt, Inter Milan had an excellent chance to counterattack!

Leo intercepted the ball and immediately passed it diagonally. Neymar crossed outside the penalty area and fired an angry shot with his right foot!

The ball hit the visiting team's defensive player, slightly changed direction, and went directly into the blind corner of the goal!

Valencia goalkeeper Guaita has nothing to do!

One to zero!

The total score in the two rounds was rewritten to three to one. Valencia must score at least two goals at San Siro if they want to advance.

At this moment, Leo could see the confusion and confusion on the faces of the visiting team players on the court.

The bat army, which was fighting against the odds, had no choice but to attack with all its strength.

Soldado dribbled the ball across from the right, but Feguli's follow-up shot still missed.

Jonas pulled the ball out of the penalty area and deflected the angle of his right-footed shot, which was punched out by the well-prepared Handanovic!

Before halftime, Soldado responded, and Alberto Costa's powerful long-range shot flew into the stands.

Even if Inter Milan lets them attack, they can't score a goal. What else is there to say?

At the beginning of the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again.

Valencia made adjustments, and Banega came off the bench to replace veteran Albelda.

But the two teams were full of attacking rhythm, and the scene was a bit dull.

In the fifty-fifth minute, Jonas suddenly fired a powerful volley from the front of the penalty area!

Inter Milan goalkeeper Handanovic was very focused and made a flying save to block the ball from the baseline!

Valencia's corner kick was taken, and Thiago Silva held down Soldado, who was trying to compete for the top, with a header to clear the ball!

Valverde continued to make substitutions, and Piatti and Nelson were replaced one after another.

However, Inter Milan's defense was solid and did not give the opponent any good scoring opportunities.

Srna made a curved pass from the right, and Lewandowski didn't stop the ball and directly took off the ball and shot in the air!

Unfortunately, the angle was too positive and was confiscated by Valencia goalkeeper Guaita.

Pirlo had just recovered from injury, and Ancelotti did not dare to let him play for too long.

In the 75th minute, Casemiro replaced Pirlo.

Inter Milan further strengthened the defense in the midfield and backfield.

Valencia was very anxious, but to no avail.

In the 81st minute, Leo stole the ball in the middle circle and drove straight in!

The captain of Inter Milan passed through the gap between Ruiz and Mathieu, the two central defenders of the visiting team, and Valencia's defense collapsed instantly!

After receiving the ball, Bell's left-footed low shot was blocked by Guaita with his body, and the ball rebounded in front of Bell!

The Welsh winger didn't miss the second opportunity and scored with his left foot to score an empty goal!

Two to zero!

Inter Milan sealed the victory!

In the end, the Nerazzurri defeated their opponents at home and away, eliminating Valencia with an absolute advantage of four to one in total and advancing to the Champions League quarterfinals!

After the game, Leo, as captain, led the team to wave to the fans.

"Gareth, I suspect you did it on purpose!

Did you play like that because you didn’t want to give me an assist? "

Bell knew that Leo was joking, so he smiled and shook his head.

(End of this chapter)