Juventus Clash

Lin Feng did not try to tough it out and truthfully told Mancini about his condition.

His stamina truly could not support him through a full match at such an intense level.

Juventus were extremely strong. If he went on while out of form and merely made up the numbers, Inter Milan might end up losing.

After hearing him out, Mancini said:

"Sit on the bench for the next match. If needed, I'll send you on."

Mancini's plan was to bring Lin Feng on when the opposition's stamina dropped and their defensive intensity weakened, allowing him to use his pace to make a charge. It might just produce unexpected results.

Before the Calciopoli scandal, Juventus had been overwhelmingly dominant in the Serie A league.

Over the previous four seasons, Juventus had won three Serie A titles.

Facing such a strong team, even with Inter Milan at home, Mancini did not underestimate them and obediently chose a defense-first approach.

Juventus were likewise a team renowned for their defense. Moreover, they had fielded a large number of substitutes and new signings in this match.

That affected their fighting strength, especially their attacking power up front.

Twenty-five minutes into the match, never mind goals—even shots were few and far between.

Neither side could break through the other's defensive line, and the match fell into a stalemate.

The fans in the stands were already getting drowsy, while the domestic fans staying up late to watch were struggling to hold on as well.

"Damn it, what are these guys doing? Playing retirement football?"

"They've played nearly half an hour, and the two teams have only managed three shots combined—not a single one on target. If this keeps up, I'm seriously going to fall asleep!"

"Where's Lin Feng? Why isn't he playing?"

"Lin Feng just played a match. He's being kept on the bench right now!"

"Does Mancini even know how to use players? Why isn't he sending Brother Linzi on?"

"Exactly. Juventus's set defense is so strong, what chance do they have in a positional battle? Let Brother Linzi use his pace to charge at them. I think the results might be better."

If even the fans understood this, how could a renowned manager like Mancini not know?

When the match reached the thirty-fifth minute and the score was still 0:0, Mancini finally made his move.

"Lin, go warm up!"

Lin Feng had been waiting for those words. The moment he heard Mancini, he shot off like an arrow.

Feeling Lin Feng sweep past him like a whirlwind, Mancini could not help touching his hair, a faint smile appearing on his face.

The kid had been suffocating on the bench, hadn't he?

"He's coming, he's coming! Lin Feng has started warming up. He'll probably be on soon!"

"Lin Feng is finally coming on! Good thing I didn't give up!"

"Go, Brother Linzi!"

"If he can score past Buffon, that'd be freaking incredible!"

Seeing Lin Feng warming up, Juventus's manager merely cast him an indifferent glance before no longer paying attention.

Wasn't he just a seventeen-year-old kid?

What was there to worry about?

With Nedvěd and Vieira holding down Juventus's midfield, it was practically impregnable!

Soon, Lin Feng was substituted on.

When the Inter Milan Fans saw their team's new signing take the field, scattered applause rose from the stands. Most of it came from domestic fans who had watched Lin Feng before or had made a special trip to support him.

The remaining fans had mixed reactions. Some were full of anticipation, some did not care in the slightest, and more were skeptical and distrustful.

Juventus were absurdly strong, and Inter Milan's fans did not believe putting a mere kid on would change anything.

Most of them had never watched Lin Feng play and knew little about him. On top of that, the club had spent a staggering 20 million euros to sign him, making many of them feel it was not worth it.

How could a seventeen-year-old Asian player possibly deserve such a high transfer fee?

Even some of Europe's or South America's greatest prodigies might not be worth that much!

The domestic fans watching the broadcast had naturally noticed the reaction of the fans at the stadium.

"Heh, what a bunch of blind idiots!"

"So the rumors about Serie A fans discriminating against Asian players are true!"

"Good thing Lin Feng didn't go to Lazio, or the discrimination would have been even worse!"

Inter Milan were considered a very open-minded and highly inclusive team in the Serie A league.

After all, their name included the word "International," and the players in their squad truly came from a more international range of backgrounds.

"These White Pigs, just wait for Lin Feng to slap you in the face with his actions!"

Noticing that the opposition had brought on a young midfielder, Juventus midfielder Vieira did not pay much attention to him.

At the peak of his career, he was one of the finest B2B midfielders in the Football World.

In fact, the words "one of" could be removed entirely!

Never mind Lin Feng—even if AC Milan's Hotshot Kaka had come on instead, Vieira would not have feared him in the slightest.

With the match nearing its end, Vieira felt he had to do something.

He did not want his Juventus debut to end in such a dull draw.

Vieira did not pay much attention to Lin Feng, but Juventus's left midfielder Nedvěd took him very seriously.

During the pre-match preparations, Nedvěd had specifically watched footage of Lin Feng's matches and gained a general understanding of his traits.

He was an attacking Attacking Midfielder with tremendous speed and powerful impact.

To deal with him, they had to stick tightly to him and deny him any room to start or sprint.

For the Czech Iron Man, who possessed abundant stamina, boundless fighting spirit, and a talent for running, that was no difficult task.

However, they were not direct markers, so Nedvěd could not keep his eyes on Lin Feng every second. He had his own responsibilities.

Thus, after Lin Feng came on, Nedvěd shouted a reminder for Vieira to watch the opposition's number 8.

But Vieira did not take it seriously and did not listen to Nedvěd's warning.

After Lin Feng came on, Vieira was organizing an attack.

Seeing the opponent receive the ball, Lin Feng rushed over and attempted to win it.

With a beautiful shielding turn, Vieira completed three actions in succession during the spin—controlling the ball, keeping possession, and cutting inside. Not only did he easily shake off Lin Feng, he also created an opportunity to play a dangerous forward pass.

Vieira's brilliant display drew a burst of applause from the stands.

Quite a few fans cheered for the Frenchman's wonderful performance.

Though he was a giant over 1.9 meters tall, his long legs seemed to be dancing, always capable of pulling off moves that made people want to applaud in admiration.

Unfortunately, Vieira's pass failed to pierce Inter Milan's defense, forcing Juventus to organize another attack.

"Don't rush in so aggressively. Be careful not to let the opponent beat you with a sudden change of pace!"

Seeing Lin Feng fail in his challenge just now, Mihajlović took the initiative to remind him.

Lin Feng nodded. Vieira's ball really was not that easy to win.

But he did not give up because of it!

In the forty-second minute, Vieira carried the ball forward again, and Lin Feng charged at him just as he had last time.

"Heh, again?"

Vieira sneered inwardly and deliberately used the same trick, intending to toy with Lin Feng once more.

He succeeded. Lin Feng was beaten again!

But before Vieira could celebrate, he felt as though something beneath his feet was missing.

Looking down, he saw that the ball was gone!