When Hernanes sent the ball toward Tang Long in the channel beside the penalty area.
The situation on the pitch was crystal clear.
Inter Milan were on the attack, with two players running into Roma's penalty area!
Icardi drifted in from the wing and moved toward the center, closing in on Roma center-back Astori.
Medel made a diagonal run forward from midfield, drawing the attention of Roma fullback Dodo as he charged toward the far post.
The rest of Inter's players, Tang Long included, were still outside Roma's penalty area.
Hernanes, who had passed the ball to Tang Long, hurried closer before Tang had even controlled it and shouted:
"Don't rush! Hold it up and draw them out!"
Hernanes had passed the ball to Tang Long to pull Roma's defensive line out of shape.
After all, Roma, down a man, had given up on attacking altogether.
There were a full nine defenders inside their penalty area and within roughly ten meters in front of it.
In the eyes of the experienced midfielder Hernanes, there was no way to force their way through. They had to move the ball around and stretch the opposition.
Worried Tang Long might not understand what he meant, he had made a point of calling out to him.
But Tang Long didn't see it that way!
Things changed in an instant on a football pitch. Nothing was set in stone.
Roma's defense was certainly well organized, but after Totti had been sent off, they were a confused side without their spiritual leader.
Why not catch them off guard?
The AI System's prompt confirmed Tang Long's thinking!
As the ball was just about to reach Tang Long's feet, time began to slow almost to a standstill, as before, and everything unfolded in slow motion at 0.1 speed.
"Detected: our center forward Icardi is about to make a run toward the near post. If you send a low cross to the near post now, there is an 85.23% chance Icardi will get a one-touch shot on goal."
Tang Long had seen Icardi's runs before.
The Argentine forward was extremely confident in his finishing and considered himself one of Serie A's best.
Tang Long figured that Icardi had moved toward Astori, the center-back guarding the near post, after entering the penalty area so he could pounce on the final ball there!
Without the slightest hesitation.
As time sped back up to normal, Tang Long whipped in the cross!
To follow the AI System's prompt for a Low-trajectory Curve Shot.
Tang Long used the instep of his foot!
Unlike the inside-foot crosses he usually sent in from the wing, a low instep cross demanded exceptional technique.
First, the ball had to stay low, so he needed to strike it precisely, right around the middle or slightly below;
second, it had to travel fast, which meant he had to put plenty of power behind it.
Weighing it all up, Tang Long leaned far forward, using his body's center of gravity to make up for his lack of technique!
"Thwack!"
Tang Long's right instep cracked into the middle of the ball like an iron whip!
He leaned so far forward that he looked as though he might fall over.
The instant Tang Long struck the ball—
Hernanes, outside the penalty area, shook his head helplessly. "Youngster, too impatient!"
In his eyes, the cross was pointless.
There were six Roma players in the box, all in position. He could try to whip the ball in, but the chances of finding a teammate were too low. He'd have been better off passing it back to Hernanes and continuing to pull the defense apart.
The instant Tang Long struck the ball—
Medel, behind the penalty area, also slowed his advance and began to stroll.
Tang Long's crossing posture looked so exaggerated, his body leaning forward so far that it was almost comical.
He showed none of the relaxed composure needed to deliver a good ball.
The instant Tang Long struck the ball—
The Roma defenders inside the box weren't worried in the slightest.
There were six of them against two of Inter's players. How could they not handle that? No chance!
But Icardi's eyes lit up!!!
Tang Long had sent the kind of ball the Argentine forward had been hoping for!
A low, skimming cross toward the near post!
That was exactly what he wanted!
Thanks to his fresh legs after coming on and his passing stat, now upgraded to 68, Tang Long's cross was pretty accurate. The ball scurried toward the near post of the six-yard box like a burrowing mole.
But somehow, Icardi, who had charged forward to meet it, had already opened up a yard on Astori—only to suddenly lose strength in his legs at the last step and drop to his knees...
"Fwee—"
The referee blew his whistle without hesitation and pointed to the penalty spot.
A penalty!
Tang Long's cross hadn't found Icardi.
But as Icardi stumbled, the ball slipped past him and struck Astori, who was tight behind him. It then ricocheted off Astori and hit his arm.
As luck would have it, Astori's arm was clearly out from his body.
There was no question about the penalty!
Hernanes and Medel had just been unimpressed by Tang Long's decision to cross.
Now they were delighted!
"Haha, this kid's got some luck!"
"He always finds a way to create an assist, no matter how. I like it!"
Icardi got up and ran over to Tang Long, happily slapping his hand.
"Great ball, Tang! You saw my run!"
"Why did you go down on your knees?" Tang Long asked curiously.
"Damn it, Totti's tackle still has my ankle hurting. I tried to push off for that last step, but my leg gave way and I went down. Normally, I'd have reached it for sure. Shit!"
With Palacio, the first-choice penalty taker, off the pitch,
Icardi, the second-choice, took the ball to the spot without hesitation.
He ran up, struck it, and calmly tucked it into the bottom-left corner!
3–0!
Icardi and Tang Long embraced excitedly.
Inter captain Ranocchia gave the goalkeeper, Handanović, an OK sign over his shoulder.
It meant: We can all clock out now!
The substitutes on the sidelines also applauded and laughed!
Several of them were cracking up. They thought Tang Long had just gotten unbelievably lucky.
"I never used to believe in superstition, but after watching Tang play, I do now!"
"That's his third attempt, right? Neither his shots nor his passes have been on target, but luck always seems to be on his side!"
"That was much better than the last match against Genoa. What were those two shots? At least this cross looked intentional, even if he put a little too much power on it!"
"Hey, do you think Tang was still trying to shoot, but just hit it too hard?"
"Haha, no way. You can tell he meant to pass."
But Mancini, on the bench, didn't say a word.
He rested his chin on one hand and watched Tang Long embrace Icardi, lost in thought.
As a player, Mancini had been one of Serie A's top forwards, scoring more than 200 goals in his career.
After retiring, he had steadily grown into one of Serie A's leading managers, achieving success in both Serie A and the Premier League.
His reading of the game was far better than that of the players on the pitch!
When Tang Long swung his leg to cross, unlike the players on the field, Mancini wasn't watching Tang Long. He had kept his eyes on Icardi inside the box.
Icardi was running toward the near post!
Tang Long's instep had swept across the ball. The motion was a little exaggerated, but he had managed to send it into the area around the near post of the six-yard box.
Most importantly, Tang Long had struck it first time, without stopping the ball.
What did that mean?
It meant he had planned to do this all along.
"This probably wasn't a coincidence..."
Mancini lightly bit his lip and nodded thoughtfully.
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