What Are You Looking At? You Couldn't Mark Him Either

The two of them fooled around for quite a while that morning before Dejan Lu finally headed out.

Today was a home match, and Monica would go to the stadium with Federica later.

"Kid, good luck."

Roberto Mancini, who was heading out as well, tossed something in his hand to Dejan Lu.

Dejan Lu caught it and saw that it was a chili pepper-shaped keychain. In some parts of Italy, it represented good luck.

Even when Mancini gave someone a gift, though, he wore a sour expression. No wonder he did not have many friends on the national team.

Using the excuse of staying in shape, Dejan Lu hitched a ride on Mancini's motorcycle, sitting in the sidecar as they headed to the team facilities.

Only when they reached the parking lot did he realize there were more and more motorcycles around the club.

At this rate, once training ended and everyone headed home, it would look like some massive hippie gathering.

Later, the entire team took the bus to the stadium.

Pezzotti, the ever-kind assistant coach, deliberately sat beside Dejan Lu to chat with him.

"You still won't start today, but the coach will definitely put you on. Watch Inter Milan's players carefully from the bench, understand?" Pezzotti said. "Inter Milan are very strong. We have to find their weaknesses."

"I understand, Nachiso. By the way, how is your son?"

Dejan Lu asked.

Born in 1942, Pezzotti had three children, and aside from the youngest, none of them gave him much peace of mind.

"Ah, it's still the same. His older brother went to America and hasn't come back in years. Now he wants to go to America too. What kind of Italian family life is that?"

Pezzotti spoke with some melancholy.

Italians liked having the whole family live together.

"There's nothing to be done. It is the beacon of humanity, after all."

Dejan Lu comforted him. "You should still focus on raising the ones at home properly. Don't end up with none of them by your side."

Pezzotti immediately nodded. He did not understand why America was so attractive either.

The two chatted all the way there, and only upon arriving at the stadium did Pezzotti realize that Dejan Lu had ended up comforting him.

The players entered the locker room.

Boskov headed straight to the press conference.

Pezzotti said in the locker room, "We haven't performed very well in the previous two matches. Today, at home, we have to show something in return for the fans."

"Don't worry, Nachiso."

Captain Luca Pellegrini called out.

Pezzotti immediately smiled and said nothing more.

The players were changing into their gear, and the locker room atmosphere was somewhat serious.

Vialli, sitting beside Dejan Lu, said, "The locker room wasn't like this before, but with our recent results and today's opponent, everyone is under some pressure."

Dejan Lu nodded.

Facing Inter Milan, who the hell would not feel pressure?

Just reading out that lineup made it an all-star team.

Dejan Lu glanced at the system and chose to draw a card.

Ding. Because your brother Giuseppe Bagnato can only hug the touchline and has absolutely no ability to cut inside, you have drawn an inverted winger. 2011-2012 European Champions Cup semifinal, Bayern Munich VS Real Madrid, Arjen Robben single-match experience card.

Holy shit?!

Dejan Lu had just been thinking that pure speed alone would be hard to use against Inter Milan.

Some of Inter Milan's players had utterly ridiculous physical attributes.

But Robben was different.

At his peak, you knew Robben was going to beat you, and you were prepared for it, but there was simply nothing you could do about him.

AC Milan relied on three Dutch players to contend with Inter Milan.

Today, he, Dejan Lu, would try using one Dutchman.

Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Outside, the fans had raised their TIFO banners early, while some impatient supporters had directly set off fireworks.

Fireworks were also something of a Serie A trademark. They were repeatedly banned without success and often disrupted matches.

Riva and Rivera sat together in the stands. This was the marquee match of the round, and Sampdoria's rise over the past few years had been far too obvious.

Riva joked, "If Sampdoria help you take down Inter Milan today, Galliani should pay for the entire Sampdoria squad to have a celebratory dinner."

"I hope so too, but it won't be easy."

Rivera said.

But the fans did not see it that way.

They had already decided that the team possessed the strength to compete for every title.

Even if some of the Italian players in the squad were merely fringe internationals, that was not because of ability, but because of personality and other reasons.

As both teams emerged to warm up, the atmosphere inside the stadium immediately reached its peak.

The Luigi Ferraris Stadium fans roared encouragement for the players, hoping they could defeat the visitors from Milan.

"Great fans, aren't they?"

Mancini asked as he looked at the stands.

Dejan Lu nodded.

Not long after, Boskov returned to the tunnel after finishing the press conference. Neither he nor Inter Milan manager Trapattoni had said much about Dejan Lu.

That made him somewhat grateful to the Inter Milan manager.

"The players look to be in good form."

Pezzotti said.

"That's good."

Boskov nodded, though he did not have much confidence in his heart.

The team's recent results really had not been good.

They could not even beat Ascoli, let alone Inter Milan.

When both sets of players returned to the tunnel, he immediately put on a resolute expression.

As the team's pillar, he could not let the players lose confidence too.

Today's RAI commentator was Enrico Varriale, with former Italy international Paolo Rossi as his partner.

"When I received the squad list, I noticed that young man who has been appearing in the newspapers so often recently was included, Paolo."

"Yes, I saw that too," Rossi said. "But he may not necessarily get a chance to play. Patience is also a virtue. As long as he has enough talent, sooner or later he will become a shining star in Serie A."

"Perhaps. Let's first take a look at both starting lineups."

Sampdoria, 4-4-2 with two wide midfielders and two holding midfielders:

Goalkeeper: Pagliuca,

Defenders: Luca Pellegrini, Srečko Katanec, Verchowod, Moreno Mannini,

Midfielders: Giuseppe Dossena, Fausto Pari, Toninho Cerezo, Lombardo,

Forwards: Mancini, Vialli.

Inter Milan, 4-4-2 with two holding midfielders and two wide midfielders:

Goalkeeper: Zenga,

Defenders: Riccardo Feri, Brehme, Mandorini, Bergomi,

Midfielders: Alessandro Bianchi, Lothar Matthäus, Gianfranco Matteoli, Nicola Berti,

Forwards: Klinsmann, Aldo Serena.

"Sampdoria are at home today and will certainly want a victory, but facing defending champions Inter Milan, that will still be difficult."

"Both teams are using a 4-4-2, but their styles are very different. Inter Milan favor deep defending, quick counterattacks, and aerial battles."

"Yes, Sampdoria play beautiful football, but they may not gain much of an advantage against Inter Milan."

At eleven that night, Luigi Agnolin blew the whistle to begin the match.

This famous Italian referee had once officiated the 1986 Mexico World Cup semifinal between France and West Germany. Compared to constantly handing out cards, he believed more in the art of referees controlling a match. In Serie A, he averaged 0.875 yellow cards and 0.031 red cards per game.

In other words, he showed three red cards on average every hundred matches.

Because that was the referee's style, the match entered a fierce battle from the very start.

Collisions!

Constant physical collisions.

Both teams had quite a few hard men.

Right from kickoff, players from both sides became entangled with each other repeatedly.

As a Brazilian defensive midfielder, Toninho Cerezo not only brought excellent defensive intensity, but also possessed quite good passing ability. Together with Italy's title-winning holding midfielder Pari and former Torino core Dossena, the three gave Sampdoria plenty of defensive steel.

After receiving the ball, Cerezo did not pass it immediately. Instead, he held it up and looked around.

Matthäus charged straight at him.

Cerezo immediately nudged the ball with his right foot, preparing to deal with it.

But his movement was slightly too slow, and Matthäus successfully blocked him.

His pass struck Matthäus and bounced toward his own penalty area.

Verchowod jumped and flicked it on. Mannini controlled it with his chest, then immediately hoofed it toward the front.

Inter Milan were pressing far too aggressively, so he did not dare hold the ball in the back.

Mancini and Vialli both took off.

The understanding between them was excellent. Seeing that the ball would fall near Mancini, Vialli immediately charged toward the middle, putting pressure on Inter Milan's defense.

But this time, Brehme reacted extremely quickly.

He got there first and claimed position, cushioning the ball with several touches of his left foot before cutting inside and once again blasting it into Sampdoria's half.

In Italian football, the 1-0 philosophy was prevalent.

Combined with the two-point system, that naturally made matches conservative.

During the opening stretch, both sides played by the principle that they would rather not score than let the other side score. Coaches of this era also demanded quick clearances.

Salzano sat on the bench chatting with Dejan Lu.

Recently, he had been trying to promote his hometown. The small mountain-ringed city of Cava de' Tirreni simply could not develop.

"Maybe you could find a beautiful spokesperson, or a handsome one. People are always interested in that kind of image," Dejan Lu suggested.

If things went well, he might even become a torchbearer.

"Are you saying I'm ugly?"

Salzano asked suspiciously.

Dejan Lu shook his head, half laughing and half crying. He was merely thinking about Old Master Ding.

Then they could even give him a stage name: Ethanol.

Salzano nodded, half convinced and half doubtful.

Things had not been easy for him lately either. As a forward, if he wanted a place, he had to compete with Mancini and Vialli. After all, those two were practically conjoined twins.

Even so, he could score more than fifteen goals every season.

On the pitch, Inter Milan won a corner. Inter Milan were extremely dangerous in front of goal, but Klinsmann's powerful header was too central and Pagliuca tipped it over the crossbar.

Fortunately, Pagliuca claimed the following corner immediately and gave the opposition no further chance.

Salzano was gradually drawn into the match as well. He instinctively pulled out a cigarette and lit it, then tried to offer one to Dejan Lu, who refused.

Smoking was not banned on Serie A benches, so broadcast cameras often found them shrouded in smoke.

"Inter's counters are too fast. Those three Germans are hard to handle."

Salzano said.

Dejan Lu nodded.

Of course they were hard to handle.

The biggest problem with the Three Horsemen was that their peaks did not overlap.

Klinsmann was strong too, but at this stage his technique was still somewhat rough, and his ability to handle volleys was not as good as forwards at the same level.

After watching for a while, Dejan Lu also spotted the problem.

Dossena was getting on in years, and since he was not originally a wide player, he did not put enough pressure on Inter Milan.

Lombardo was very active, but the referee barely blew his whistle, so he kept getting smashed in physical battles. It was a little like Neymar during his PSG days.

The moment you got the ball, they would put their bodies on you.

You had to know that in those days, even sliding into someone from behind was not much of an issue.

If you were unlucky, the opposition could cripple you and force you into retirement on the spot.

So Sampdoria's two flanks could not get going today, and Mancini could only keep dropping back to organize play.

Vialli was good, but what forward could take on a defense led by Brehme and Bergomi all by himself?

For a time, the partnership of Verchowod and Katanec became the busiest on the pitch.

Sampdoria won the ball again.

Boskov stood on the touchline with his arms folded.

The situation on the pitch might not look good, but as long as they could score first, everything would be manageable.

The moment Lombardo received the ball, Berti charged toward him.

This time, Lombardo did not dwell on the ball and immediately played it forward to Mancini.

Mancini cut the ball and turned, but Matthäus crashed straight into him, nearly knocking him down.

He stumbled forward with the ball for a few steps, battling Matthäus the entire time, but in the end he could not stay on his feet and fell to the ground.

"Foul! That's a foul!!!"

Boskov shouted at the pitch.

But the referee gave no indication whatsoever.

Mancini lay on the ground, his eyes practically spitting fire. He did not have the best temper.

Matthäus noticed his expression, curled his lips into a mocking smile, and said in clumsy Italian, "If you can't hold the ball, don't take it. No wonder the national team doesn't want you."

"You fucking..."

Mancini got up and was about to throw a punch, but Vialli hurried over and stopped him.

Brehme went over and pulled his compatriot away as well.

At this point, he was Lothar Matthäus's best friend.

Vialli and Brehme both had headaches. After all, both their friends were the sort who caused trouble whenever no one kept an eye on them.

In the 39th minute of the first half, Roberto Mancini brought down Matthäus while tracking back, giving Inter Milan a free kick.

The foul was more than forty meters out.

Brehme stood beside the ball and stepped on it. As the referee's whistle sounded, Brehme nudged the ball forward. Matthäus, after his run-up, swung his right foot and unleashed a direct thunderous shot, viciously striking the back of the ball.

Even Dejan Lu, sitting by the sidelines, heard the impact of that shot.

The forty-meter distance vanished in an instant. Almost immediately, the ball flew past Pagliuca's outstretched hand as he turned and dived, slamming fiercely into the net.

Dead silence!

Even the Sampdoria fans had not expected to witness a goal like that.

It had practically pushed violent aesthetics to the absolute extreme.

The Sampdoria players on the pitch stood there in silence as well.

The entire stadium was left with only the cheers of the Nerazzurri in the away stand.

"Lothar!"

"Lothar!"

"Lothar!"

The Inter Milan players rushed toward Matthäus. One after another, they crowded around him, while Brehme even jumped onto his shoulders.

Surrounded by his teammates, Matthäus looked at Roberto Mancini and said again, "What are you looking at? You couldn't stop me anyway."

Roberto Mancini bit his lip and walked back.

If he had been twenty, he definitely would have gone over and thrown a punch.

But he had already conceded a free kick. If he got sent off too, he would be the biggest culprit today.

The chairman had been very tolerant of him. He did not want to put the team at a disadvantage over a little personal pride at a time like this.

"Dejan!"

Boskov turned and walked toward the bench. Bending down, he put an arm around Dejan Lu's neck from the side and said, "Don't go back during halftime. Warm up by the touchline. I'll make the substitution as soon as the second half begins."

"Okay, Coach!"

Dejan Lu nodded.

He had not expected his chance to come so quickly.

Clearly, everyone noticed the scene.

Paolo Rossi said in surprise, "I didn't expect Boskov to put that kid on while trailing. This won't be an easy match today."

Some Sampdoria fans in the stands were worried as well.

Fans were always more forgiving toward young players.

The aftermath of his presentation ceremony had yet to die down, and they worried that Dejan Lu might crack under pressure and become the scapegoat for this high-profile clash.

Those media outlets certainly would not have anything nice to say.

Monica, on the other hand, was thrilled. She grabbed Federica's arm and shook it hard, crying excitedly, "Did you see that? Dejan is about to come on. I guarantee today will be a day to remember."

"Alright, alright, I know."

Federica replied, torn between laughter and tears.

Sampdoria held on through the first half.

When the whole team returned to the dressing room, Dejan Lu took off his training jacket and began warming up by the touchline on his own.

Some fans who remained in the stadium immediately gave him encouraging applause.

There were too many championship-winning players on the pitch.

Just warming up now took courage.

Dejan Lu stretched with great care. Robben's style of play was too demanding, placing heavy strain on the joints and calf muscles. Even with his remarkable physique, he could still cramp up during the match if he was not properly prepared.

Halftime passed, and the players from both sides returned to the pitch.

The fourth official immediately raised the substitution board.

Giuseppe Dossena had been mentally prepared. He walked to the touchline, hugged Dejan Lu, then patted him on the shoulder and wished him, "Have a good start."

At thirty-four, he was already close to retirement. He would not get angry over something like this.

Dejan Lu nodded, then jogged onto the pitch.

Beep.

Roberto Mancini immediately played the ball back after receiving it.

Pari took the ball and immediately passed it to the newly introduced Dejan Lu.

Dejan Lu was up against Berti today, who had performed well while marking Giuseppe Dossena.

Berti clearly did not take the young Dejan Lu seriously. He was still drifting leisurely toward the flank.

At that moment, Dejan Lu pushed the ball forward with his left foot and accelerated straight ahead.

Matthäus sensed that something was wrong and hurried toward the flank to cover.

Smack—

Dejan Lu knocked the ball forward in stride, leaving Matthäus lunging at thin air.

The German midfielder still wanted to use his body to pull off a ball-through-man-not-through move on Dejan Lu, but the prepared Dejan Lu did not cut inside at all. He ran straight outside the touchline, successfully avoiding Matthäus.

Trapattoni's eyes widened. He had not expected his two top players to be beaten so easily.

The famous manager could no longer sit still. He rushed to the touchline and shouted, "Win the ball! Don't let him go any farther!"

Bergomi had already set off toward the flank.

Dejan Lu continued charging forward outside the touchline, and it looked as though the two were about to meet head-on.

The Sampdoria fans in the nearby stands held their breath.

Could their young player really keep dribbling forward?

Smack—

Dejan Lu knocked the ball again, then leaped over Bergomi's outstretched legs.

Both managers had their mouths hanging open.

Three men beaten in a row!

It was impossible not to think of Napoli's number ten, Diego Maradona, after a performance like that!!!

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

"Dejan!!!"

The Sampdoria fans shouted in excitement.

He had beaten top German and Italian defenders in succession, then charged diagonally toward the box with long strides. It was as if he did not even consider Inter Milan worthy of respect.

Brehme and Mandorini had already raced back into the penalty area.

Vialli was pushing forward behind them.

Vialli was already shouting Dejan Lu's name. He had noticed that Bergomi was still relentlessly chasing him.

But Dejan Lu carried the ball all the way to the byline, leaving Vialli somewhat disappointed.

There was too little space to do anything.

Then Dejan Lu feinted with his shoulder and shifted his center of gravity.

He swept the ball across with his right foot, sending it through Bergomi's legs!!!

Vialli watched in stunned disbelief as Dejan Lu took two touches, turned, and lashed a shot.

Bang—

The next second, the ball had already flown into the goal.

I can't finish an entire match in one go, but Old Ye has been sincere enough here. Please understand, bosses.

I haven't put it behind a paywall because I need to build up the word count for recommendations. If it reaches two hundred thousand too early, I won't get all the recommendations and will miss the promotion slots. Please support me, bosses!!!