"Ahhhhhh—"
A thunderous roar erupted from the Meazza!
The fans were cheering because Guarin had returned to the starting lineup after two matches out and scored right away!
At home against Chievo, Guarin came out firing from the opening whistle.
Just five minutes into the match, Medel played a sideways pass to him in the middle. Guarin shielded the ball with his powerful frame.
As he leaned into his opponent, he kept moving his feet.
For the last three steps, he practically dragged a Chievo defender along with him as he forced his way forward!
Even so, Guarin took a few heavy steps and used sheer strength to shove Kiessling aside, opening up a yard of space. He swung his instep through the ball and blasted it into the net!
After scoring, Guarin brushed aside all his teammates who came over to celebrate and ran alone beneath the North Stand, repeatedly pounding the Inter Milan crest on his chest in front of the fans!
"I'm right here!"
With tears in his eyes, he pointed at the grass beneath his feet.
Tang Long, sitting on the bench, couldn't help cheering inwardly at that powerful goal.
Whether it was shielding the ball, turning while leaning into his opponent, or pushing off before shooting—
The whole move had flowed seamlessly, crisp and clean, yet brimming with an unreasonable confidence.
"I've known Kiessling for five years. When have you ever seen him look that helpless? Heh, bad luck for him—Guarin tore him apart," Berni said to Tang Long from the bench.
"That turn while shielding the ball was something even our top scorer, Icardi, couldn't pull off in the box. Do you think Guarin could play as a target man up front?" Tang Long was deeply impressed by Guarin's physicality.
"A center forward? No way." Berni flicked his towel. "With Guarin's personality, he'd rather play power football in midfield, where he has more room to operate. He wants that feeling of controlling everything."
Tang Long had noticed the same thing.
When Guarin was on the pitch, he was the player who saw the ball most often for Inter Milan.
Whether it was linking play from the back or connecting midfield to the forwards, Guarin was the one who made it happen.
Hernanes, who had served as the midfield linchpin against Roma the previous match, was now Guarin's supporting partner, tasked with covering him and offering an outlet.
As for Medel, he played like a pure enforcer, eager to get stuck into the dirty work of winning the ball.
Guarin, meanwhile, focused solely on attacking, throwing Chievo's back line into utter chaos all by himself!
Tang Long noticed one of Icardi's reactions.
It happened during a counterattack in the 35th minute of the first half.
Guarin used his formidable strength to overpower his opponent and win a fifty-fifty ball in the air, then surged forward with long strides, taking the ball with him!
Inter Milan were still playing a 4-3-1-2. Ahead of Guarin were the two forwards, Palacio and Icardi.
Palacio drifted out wide, drawing a center back with him and creating space for Guarin to advance.
But Icardi didn't follow Palacio's lead.
He moved in from the wing toward the middle, then spotted his moment and suddenly darted in behind the center back!
A vast stretch of open space lay before him, like a grassland!
"Play it now!!!"
But even after the Argentine forward had run three meters beyond the offside line, Guarin still hadn't passed the ball.
Icardi helplessly spread his arms toward Guarin. Guarin didn't even acknowledge him, just kept dribbling with his head down.
Bang!
Suddenly, he looked up and knocked the ball ten meters to his right. He used his pace to blow past Chievo's tracking defensive midfielder, charged to the edge of the penalty arc, and unleashed another fierce instep shot!
He struck the ball cleanly. Tang Long could hear the crisp crack from dozens of meters away. Guarin's kicking leg hadn't even come down before the ball hit the back of the net!
The Meazza erupted again!
Sixty thousand fans chanted Guarin's name!
"Ah! Ah—"
Guarin tore at his shirt and roared like a wild black bear in a primeval forest!
Ecstatic at his second goal, he didn't care that he'd get a yellow card. He pulled off his shirt and flung it into the air!
On the sidelines, assistant coach Herrera shook his head.
"Guarin really needs to rein himself in. He's picked up a pointless yellow card in the first half!"
"I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Mancini said with a smile. "He has an aggression other players don't."
As Inter Milan's players crowded around Guarin to celebrate—
Tang Long noticed that Icardi was still at the far end of the pitch, slowly walking back.
He made no move to join the celebration.
He just kept his head down as he walked.
"Icardi doesn't seem very happy. Look at him," Tang Long said quietly to Berni.
"I see him. He's young. Guarin could've passed that ball, you know. Icardi was in a better position; a pass would've sent him through one-on-one. Guarin was a little selfish taking that long shot, but what can you say when he scored?" Berni replied.
In the second half, Chievo, two goals down, tried to make one last desperate push.
Their star forward, Pellissier, wriggled around like a loach in the channels on either side of Inter Milan's penalty area, constantly searching for openings.
Chievo's lines also pushed up to varying degrees.
For a spell in the first ten minutes, they had seventy percent of the possession!
But the wily Serie A veteran Mancini was clearly confident.
He knew how to bully Chievo!
Go on and attack. I'm not dropping back!
The harder you push, the more space you leave behind.
Mancini believed that if they could score a quick third goal, Chievo's morale would collapse instantly.
As it turned out, Mancini's tactics were right.
In the 75th minute, Nagatomo Yuto broke down the wing and crossed. Guarin met the ball at the far post in the six-yard box and headed it into the near side of the goal.
This time, Guarin didn't dare take off his shirt to celebrate.
He just knelt on the ground, kissed the grass at the Meazza, pointed both hands to the sky, and murmured something under his breath.
Nagatomo Yuto, who had been slapped by Guarin just a few days earlier, sprinted over and bowed to him at a ninety-degree angle.
"Arigato!"
Even the Sky Sport commentator's voice shot up an octave.
"Guarin, who'd been kept out for two matches, has returned and scored a hat trick in front of the home fans!
"He's the first Inter Milan player to score a hat trick this season!
"We don't know what sort of disagreement he had with Mancini before, but after this match, surely any rift between them will be healed!
"Mancini chose to trust Guarin again, and Guarin hasn't let him down!
"I'm sure Guarin will remain an indispensable force in Inter Milan's push for a place in the UEFA Champions League this season!"
In the 83rd minute, Mancini made his final substitution.
Bonazzoli came on for Icardi, a like-for-like change.
"Looks like you won't get a chance, Tang. Bonazzoli's taken the last spot," Berni said.
"Then I can go straight to the winter break." Tang Long stood up and applauded Bonazzoli. "Good luck, mate. Try to get yourself a goal!"
After coming off, Icardi exchanged a perfunctory high-five with Mancini, then sat down beside Tang Long.
He took a couple of absentminded sips of water.
"I didn't play well today. I only had one shot all match. Damn, what kind of performance was that?"
"Forwards can't score in every match," Tang Long tried to console him. "At least you're still top of the Serie A scoring charts before Christmas."
Icardi shook his head, his voice full of frustration.
"That Guarin acts like he's got it in for me. He just wouldn't pass, even when I was in a great position!"
"Sure, he scored a hat trick, but so what? He just had a good touch today and got lucky, bundling a few into the net. If he plays like that next time, can he guarantee he won't sky his shots?"
"He puts his own interests above the team's! Tang, I'll tell you the truth." Icardi covered his mouth, his eyes full of disdain. "I really hate that Colombian!"
Looking at Icardi's dejected expression, Tang Long couldn't help finding it funny.
Team interests, huh? Don't put on an act.
You're just upset you didn't score.
Especially since Guarin had managed a hat trick as a midfielder.
Icardi hadn't managed one this season either!
For an Argentine who considered himself one of Serie A's top strikers, it was a serious blow.
Right now, he felt as though someone had slapped him across the face, leaving his cheek burning!
Tang Long said to Icardi:
"Mauro, if I were on the pitch, I'd definitely feed you the ball. You've already got the Serie A Golden Boot all but locked up, but you deserve to go after the European Golden Shoe. You were born to score!"
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