The Prince of Inter Milan starts with Brother Xiaosa

Chapter 260 Schalke Goalkeeper

This is not an ordinary league, it is more meaningful than an ordinary Milan derby.

After defeating their arch-enemy "away", Inter Milan successfully defended its title seven rounds ahead of schedule!
  Counting the 05-06 season when the "Calciopoli" broke out, the Nerazzurri have won the Serie A championship for the sixth consecutive season!
  Six consecutive championships!
  Inter Milan has made history again!

They showed their absolute dominance in the Italian arena!
  Last year he led AC Milan to third place in the league and was dismissed. This year he led Inter Milan to win the Serie A championship. Leonardo's mood is a bit complicated at the moment.

"This is a great achievement! I am also surprised to have achieved this in my second year as a coach.

Of course, if I have to say it, my role in winning the championship was insignificant. The players themselves are good enough and Inter Milan already has a mature tactical system.

There isn’t much I have to do, I just help them play every game well and that’s all.

I know there are a lot of people who still question my coaching ability, and I'm thinking about it myself.

No, no, no, this is definitely not revenge against AC Milan. I have no such idea at all.

I worked in Milan for many years and I left probably not very happy, but there was no bitterness either.

The reason why I took over Inter Milan was that Moratti found me at that time. He was very sincere and I happened to be at home without a job.

All in all, I feel very happy working at Inter Milan. I am fighting for titles with the best stars in the world.

I hope the league championship is just the beginning, and there are two more trophies waiting for us to compete for.

Whether I will continue to be the head coach next season, I may have to wait until the end of this season to calm down and think about it carefully. "

At the post-match press conference, Leonardo seemed very low-key when facing reporters' questions.

It stands to reason that he has just won the league championship over his rivals in the same city. As a head coach, he should be more showy.

Leo, who attended the press conference with him, was also puzzled by this.

So the reporters from all the major media present immediately turned their guns and pointed their guns at Leo after ending their interview with Leonardo.

"Yes, I know there is only one goal left and I also hope to break the Serie A season scoring record.

But winning the league early means that we must shift the team's focus to the Champions League.

Therefore, I can't make any guarantees. I can only say that as long as I play in the next league, I will try my best to score goals.

Compared to personal records, I still hope to win more championships with the team. "

Of course, reporters would not let go of the free kick that Leo scored today and asked about the situation at that time.

"Well, there's actually no special reason, it's just that I was disturbed by the Milan fans in the stands, and someone kept pointing a laser pointer at my eyes.

In order not to be disturbed, I could only close my eyes and take the free kick.

As for scoring goals, there is definitely an element of luck involved, but more importantly, my daily hard training provided a solid foundation for it. "

Leo didn't want to say much about that free kick, and he didn't think it was worth discussing.

Although the fans of Inter Milan have long been accustomed to the taste of championships, and the league championship has already been softened, when they defeated AC Milan to win the championship in advance, countless Nerazzurri still poured into the streets cheering.

Who would get tired of winning the championship?

Milan turned into a sea of ​​blue and black for once, and the streets and alleys were filled with die-hard fans wearing Nerazzurri jerseys.

Some people were waving Inter Milan flags from their balconies on the roadside, while others were riding motorcycles in small groups through the streets, with the Nerazzurri and black team flags also standing behind their cars.

It's just that it was already dark after the game, otherwise Inter Milan would have arranged a "float parade" to go around the city.

Lazuli has been happy in the past few years, watching the team win championships every year, especially being able to crush its opponents.

I just don’t know how long this kind of glory can last.

……

2011年4月5日，在10-11赛季欧冠四分之一决赛首回合的一场交锋中，卫冕冠军国际米兰坐镇梅阿查球场迎战黑马沙尔克04队。

Historically, Inter Milan and Schalke have met three times in official matches.

In the UEFA Cup final of the 1996-1997 season, Inter Milan lost the championship - on penalty kicks at San Siro.

Currently, only Zanetti has participated in that game among the players on both sides.

No, it should be said that over the past ten years, there are still people in the Inter Milan team who have experienced that game at that time.

A season later, the two teams met again in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, and Inter Milan eliminated Schalke to advance.

Since losing to Lyon 9- in the first round of the group stage last September, Schalke has gone unbeaten for seven consecutive games with five wins and two draws in the Champions League, setting their longest unbeaten record in the Champions League.

But at the same time, due to distractions from the Champions League, the lineup is not deep enough to support two-front operations. Schalke 04 has a poor record in the Bundesliga this season and was once on the verge of the relegation zone.

Last season they ranked second behind Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Magath, who led the team with outstanding results last season, was also sacked last month.

The famous German coach Rangnick, who created the miracle of Hoffenheim, has just taken over the team not long ago.

No matter which aspect you look at, everyone is still more optimistic that the defending champion can easily win at home.

Before the game started, Leo noticed that someone seemed to be staring at him.

Looking over, it turned out to be Hao Junmin, a Chinese player from the Schalke team.

I still have a good impression of the Chinese player Li Ao who is working hard alone in the five major leagues.

That's right, Hao Jun and Min Shuoguo seem to be the only remaining Chinese players still playing in the five major leagues.

It is laughable to say that a huge country cannot handle football.

Previously, Leo wanted to cooperate with the officials when he returned, and the matter of establishing a youth training system ended up disappearing.

However, football schools named after him, Leo, have been initially established in several cities with a strong football atmosphere.

It is really not easy to do something practical. That is to say, Leo is famous, rich and also a foreigner, so he can barely do it.

"Hello, I noticed you were looking at me just now?"

Leo's greeting made Hao Junmin a little at a loss. He didn't expect that Mr. Golden Ball would take the initiative to talk to him.

"Ah? No..."

"Hahaha, I have watched your game. Your passing and free kicks are very good, no worse than European players."

"Ah, thank you. You speak Mandarin very well."

This time, Leo was stunned. He didn't expect to be praised for his Mandarin words.

"My parents are both Chinese. In fact, my mother tongue is Mandarin."

Leo still explained, and then he asked:

"I see you're warming up here alone. Don't you get along well with your teammates?"

Hao Junmin shook his head and said with a bitter smile:
  "I'm just a marginal substitute. If we don't get along with each other, the only Japanese player on the team, Uchida Atsushi, has a better relationship with me."

Today's game is actually the first time Hao Junmin has been selected for the team's roster since Rangnick took office.

"Any chance of playing?"

"Who knows, it depends on what the head coach has planned."

As he spoke, Hao Junmin looked at Li Ao again, hesitated for a moment and then said:

"Would you like to exchange jerseys with me after the game is over?"

"Okay, no problem."

Leo agreed to such a trivial matter immediately.

After Leo walked away, Atsushi Uchida walked over with admiration and patted Hao Junmin on the back.

"Okay, do you know this big star? Why haven't I heard from you?"

Schalke head coach Rangnick on the sidelines also looked thoughtfully at the Chinese player he had never paid attention to.

Today, Inter Milan arranged a starting lineup of 4312. On the striker, Eto'o partnered with Milito who returned from injury, and Pandev was on standby.

Leo is the attacking midfielder, and the three behind him are Cambiasso, Thiago Motta and Zanetti.

On the back line, Bonucci and Ranocchia partnered as central defenders, Kolarov and Maicon were on the left and right, and Cesar was still the goalkeeper.

On the visiting team Schalke 04, Klug and Gavranovic were injured and absent, and Edu and Jurado got the chance to play.

Teenager Matip replaced Metzelder, whose nose injury worsened, as a central defender to partner with Hwedes.

Former Real Madrid captain Raul leads the front line.

More than 80,000 spectators filled the Meazza stadium to capacity, which shows everyone's enthusiasm for this game.

Amid the cheers of the fans, the referee Atkinson from England blew the whistle and the game officially started.

Schalke kicked off first in the first half.

Less than thirty seconds into the game, a dramatic scene occurred on the court.

Farfan dribbled the ball up front and was intercepted by Nerazzurri captain Zanetti!
  After Zanetti intercepted the ball, he immediately handed it to a teammate not far in front of him. Cambiasso directly passed the ball behind the visiting team's defense!

Schalke goalkeeper Neuer rushed out of the penalty area and jumped in front of Milito to head the ball to clear the ball!
  Leo appeared in the center circle at this time, and he took his position before Bayern's defensive players were in place.

The judgment of the landing point was quite accurate. Leo did not wait for the ball to hit the ground, and directly took advantage of the trend from a position close to the center line with his right foot to volley past Neuer and into the net!

The ball is in!
  Inter Milan leads 1-0!

The whole audience was stunned for a moment, and then Nerazzurri in the stands stood up uncontrollably and cheered excitedly, shouting Leo's name.

The wonderful midfield lob skills shocked everyone!
  The game has just begun, thanks to Leo's feet feeling so hot.

An attack from such a long distance can still be accurately guided straight into the goal.

Hao Junmin, who was sitting on the bench of the away team, was stunned. He thought that he would be satisfied if he could compete with such high-level players.

Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick seemed unfazed by Inter Milan's miracle goal. He was quietly discussing something with the assistant coach next to him with a nonchalant expression.

Atsuhito Uchida broke through from the right and passed in. Raul cleverly got rid of the defense in the penalty area and grabbed a header. The ball slightly missed the right post.

A minute later, this time it was Farfan's cross. Raul headed the ball again, but the angle was too right and the ball was confiscated by Inter goalkeeper Cesar.

The visiting team, which fell behind at the start, did not seem to have any fluctuations, and patiently organized the attack according to the head coach's deployment before the game.

Inter Milan would not let Schalke continue to attack so unscrupulously. Thiago Motta stole the ball from Baumjohn's feet, and the home team quickly counterattacked!
  Leo distributed the ball to the left. Milito and Kolarov hit the wall and cooperated, then used a fake move to pass the defender and break through to the left side of the penalty area to cross! Eto'o's header from the back of the penalty area went high.

Sarpe took the ball from the left into the penalty area, and Edu's header in front of the goal was caught by Cesar.

Cambiaso's long shot from outside the penalty area was picked off by Neuer!
  Jurado stopped the ball at the top of the arc and shot a long shot with his right foot. The ball was slightly higher than the crossbar.

Both teams intensified their competition in the midfield, and the game reached a deadlock. Both teams could only try some long-range shots from the outside.

Zanetti kicked Baumjohn down with a foul in the backcourt, and England referee Atkinson showed the first yellow card of the game.

Soon the time came to the seventeenth minute of the game, and Schalke got a corner kick on the left.

Farfan took a corner kick and passed it directly into the penalty area. The young Greek defender Papadopoulos headed the goal without being marked at the back point!

Cesar flew to save the ball and bravely saved the opponent's header, and then Matip hit another shot in the chaos!
  One to one!

Schalke 04 tied the score at one to one!
  "Ugh!"

Leo didn't show any emotion, just sighed silently in his heart.

He had expected this to be the case before the game started.

Affected by the outside world, teammates underestimated the enemy very seriously.

As the saying goes, arrogance leads to defeat. Inter Milan, which just defended its league title, is in a state of "arrogance".

If Schalke is really a weak team, forget it, but the opponent's strength cannot be underestimated.

Although Leo used a shocking lob at the beginning to help the Nerazzurri get a dream start, the lead could not be maintained for long.

Fortunately, the opponent's goal came in time. I hope it can wake up the Inter Milan players on the field.

The game continued, Leo made a pass from the front, and Milito went straight into the penalty area and was pushed down from behind by Uchida Atsuhito as soon as he stopped the ball!
  However, referee Atkinson did not interrupt the game and refused to award a penalty kick.

This also caused the Englishman to be immediately booed by the audience.

As one of the "Four Magic Blinds of the Premier League", the penalty of "Atkinson the Punisher" may not have any black whistle or bias, it is simply blind.

Leo really wanted to applaud this disabled referee, but unfortunately he could only keep it in his heart for fear of being given a warning.

It doesn't matter if there is a controversial penalty, Inter Milan players don't take it to heart.

Comeback two minutes later, Leo made a diagonal pass, Maicon made a pass from the right, and Eto'o pushed the ball into the net!

However, the assistant referee on the sidelines indicated that it was offside, so the goal was invalid.

Why does this happen again and again? Leo couldn't bear it anymore.

In the 28th minute, Raul's low shot from the edge of the penalty area was saved by Cesar while falling to the ground, giving Inter Milan a chance to counterattack.

Leo and Motta's passing and receiving cooperation in the middle quickly passed through the midfield, leaving Schalke's defensive players behind one by one.

After another change of direction and acceleration, he passed by Hewedes. Apart from the goalkeeper, only Matip was left in front of Leo.

Cameroonian teenager Matip saw that he had to face Mr. Ballon d'Or alone. He was a little nervous but not panicked.

"Oh, not bad."

Leo noticed that Matip always maintained his position and did not make reckless moves in front of him, and couldn't help but nodded to express his approval.

Recognition is recognition, it is impossible for Leo to be merciful.

Although the continuous shaking of the upper body did not deceive the opponent, it still had the effect of disturbing him.

Leo took advantage of his unpreparedness and once again used his unique skill Rainbow Strike!
  I saw him adjusting the rhythm of dribbling the ball, flicking his heel flexibly, and the ball immediately drew a rainbow-like arc above Matip's head.

Immediately afterwards, Leo accelerated violently and forced a breakthrough from the last Schalke defender.

Matip turned around immediately and tried to catch up again but it was still too late. Leo took three steps and two steps at a time to throw him away several positions.

Dribbling the ball all the way to the top of the penalty area, Leo faced the attacking goalkeeper!
  Neuer lowered his center of gravity and prepared to steal from Leo's feet.

"I heard you are going to Bayern?"

"Um what?"

Leo deliberately said something to disrupt the other party's attention, but Neuer quickly adjusted.

However, at this critical moment, even a moment's distraction can be extremely fatal.

He moved the ball forward with his left foot to get out of the way of the defense, took a step forward and volleyed with his right foot into the empty goal!
  Two to one!
  Leo scored the second goal of the game to help the home team take the lead again!
  After grabbing the ball from the goal for the second time, Schalke goalkeeper Neuer was a little silent and depressed.

The German national goalkeeper, whose contract with the team expires this year, has semi-publicly stated that he will not renew his contract with Schalke.

The native of Gelsenkirchen has been playing in Schalke's ranks since he was five years old.

It can be said that Neuer has pure "royal blue blood" flowing in his body, and he is also a member of the local extreme fan organization.

No matter what the outside world said before, Schalke fans always believed that Neuer would stay with the team forever.

It is a pity that as Neuer continues to show his strength as a world-class goalkeeper, Schalke's "small team" seems to be unable to keep him.

Neuer is not stupid at all. He knows very well what consequences will occur if he chooses to join Bayern, which is regarded as a mortal enemy by Schalke.

More salary and more championships are what he hopes for, but at what cost?

Schalke fans who originally regarded him as proud, how would his relatives, friends and neighbors view him?
  I'm afraid how deep the love was once, how intense the hatred will be then.

This is an unquestionable betrayal and something they absolutely cannot accept.

That's why Neuer was briefly distracted just now, and Leo hit his "seven inches" very accurately.

In comparison, it seems like being scored is nothing.

"What's wrong, are you okay?"

Raul is a veteran after all. He saw that Neuer was feeling a little wrong and asked with concern.

Neuer, who had the captain's armband tied on his arm, calmed down, shook his head and forced a smile.

"I am fine."

As the game continues, Neuer has already thought about it. Even if he chooses to leave, he will do his best in his last period at Schalke so as not to leave any regrets!

Baumjohn passed through the middle, Edu quickly broke through with the ball, got rid of the Inter Milan defender and shot!
  The ball hit the leg of Kolarov who returned to the penalty area and the line changed slightly. Although Cesar, who had lost his center of gravity, blocked the ball, he did not control the ball. The crisis was not resolved!
  Then Edu followed up with a close shot that fell to the ground!

At the critical moment, Ranocchia struggled to make a hook on the penalty area line!

Leo launched a counterattack, Thiago Motta tried a long shot from outside the penalty area, and the ball was easily picked off by Neuer.

Maybe no one can know what kind of turmoil Neuer went through just now, but in short, he has quickly sorted out his mood and regained his composure!

The game reached a deadlock again, and it was difficult for both Inter Milan and Schalke to create threatening offensive opportunities.

In the stoppage time of the first half, Farfan received a yellow card for a foul. He will miss the next game back at Schalke's home court due to the accumulation of yellow cards.

At halftime, Inter Milan, playing at home, temporarily led its opponent 2-1.

In the second half, the sides changed sides to fight again, and neither side was in a hurry to make substitutions.

Just one minute after the game restarted, Inter Milan had a great opportunity!

Leo stole the ball in the frontcourt and sent a decisive diagonal pass in the middle. Milito broke into the penalty area and dunked the defender's left-footed shot!
  Unfortunately, Neuer made a brave save and the ball hit the goal post and rolled out of the bottom line.

Logically speaking, this should be a corner kick from Inter Milan, but Atkinson awarded the goal kick very confidently.

Neuer took a big kick, Zanetti stole it from Jurado in the backcourt, and Leo passed the ball straight into the penalty area again!

Eto'o received the ball in the middle of the penalty area and then cleverly dribbled past two defensive balls before volleying with his right foot!
  The ball was lifted over the crossbar by Neuer with one hand.

All the Nerazzurri fans were speechless. They seemed to have spotted the goalkeeper in Meazzan.

Well, that's assuming you don't take into account the two goals conceded before.

In other words, Leo can score twice against such a goalkeeper. How good is he?
  He is worthy of being the winner of the first FIFA Ballon d’Or, full of gold content.

Neuer's successive heroic saves also boosted the morale of the team to a certain extent. Although the score was behind, Schalke 04's offensive continued unabated.

In the 54th minute, Farfan and Jurado made a kicking-the-wall combination and then rushed to the outside of the center and made a pass with the instep!
  With his back to get the ball, Raul stopped suddenly, turned around, got rid of the defensive player, cut into the penalty area, and shot a low shot with his right foot into the lower right corner of the goal!

Two to two!
  Schalke's efforts were not in vain, they equalized the score again!

This is Raul's 71st European War goal in his career. He also surpassed Inzaghi in one fell swoop and became the first scorer in the history of European War!
  In addition, his number of Champions League goals has reached 70.

Soon after, Schalke almost took the lead. Jurado's right foot volley from the top of the arc hit the left post and popped out!
  After being saved by the goal frame, the home team must make adjustments.

Leonardo thought twice and replaced Motta with Pandev, and the team changed to 433 to strengthen the offense.

We have already conceded two goals at home, so we might as well just let the offense go!

Maicon's shot from the right side of the penalty area was blocked by Neuer with his legs!
  Then he shot again from a zero angle. The ball was blocked by Schalke's defender and then hit the goal post!

Immediately after the Nerazzurri's offensive came back, Leo sent a through ball in the frontcourt while being double-teamed by two defensive players. Milito's long shot from outside the penalty area hit the lower left corner of the goal!

Three to two!
  Inter Milan exceeded the score again!

There was not much time left in the game, and Schalke made two substitutions.

Draxler and Hao Junmin came on as substitutes, replacing Baumjohn and Jurado.

Huh? Hao Junmin really played?

This was a bit surprising to Leo.

Moreover, the German teenagers Draxler and Farfan, who were under the age of 18, were on the left and right, and Hao Junmin was placed in the midfield position.

At this time, Hao Junmin mainly plays on the right wing, and I don’t know what Rangnick’s thoughts are.

As a result, before Inter Milan could react, two players who had just come off the bench gave them a heavy blow.

Hao Junmin made a bold long pass from the middle. Draxler broke through at high speed from the left and then cut inside and shot a long shot in front of the goal!
  Cesar flew to make a save and blocked the ball from the bottom line with one palm!
  Inter Milan was still scared and didn't want to score more goals. They just wanted the game to end as soon as possible.

Leonardo used substitutions to delay time.

David Thornton and Stankovic came on as substitutes, and Leo and Maicon were replaced.

Leo received warm applause when he came off the field.

At the end of the game, Inter Milan won a thrilling 3-2 at home, and there was still a lot of suspense about promotion.

(End of this chapter)