Hat-trick as soon as he returns, whose face did he slap?

"Ahhhhhh--"

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza erupted in thunderous cheers!

This was a roar of celebration for Guarin, who had returned to the starting lineup after a two-match absence and scored right at the opening!

Playing against Chievo at home, Guarin looked incredibly fierce from the very first whistle.

Just five minutes into the match, after receiving a lateral pass from his teammate Medel in the middle, Guarin shielded the ball with his powerful frame.

As he leaned into his opponent, his feet kept moving in rhythm.

The final three steps were taken while literally dragging a Chievo defender along with him!

Despite this, Guarin took a few thumping steps, used his brute strength to shove Kiessling aside, created a yard of space, and unleashed a violent strike with his instep that rocketed into the net!

After scoring, Guarin pushed away all the teammates who came to celebrate with him, ran alone to the front of the North Stand, and repeatedly pounded the Inter Milan badge on his chest toward the fans!

"I am right here!"

With tears in his eyes, he pointed at the turf beneath his feet.

This violent goal also made Tang Long, sitting on the bench, applaud in secret.

Whether it was shielding the ball, turning while leaning on an opponent, or pushing off to shoot.

The entire sequence of movements was fluid and clean, yet revealed an unreasonable sense of confidence.

"I've known Kiessling for five years; when has he ever looked this pathetic? Heh, he's just unlucky to have been blown away by Guarin," Berni said to Tang Long from the bench.

"That shielding and forced turn—even our best striker Icardi couldn't pull that off in the penalty area. Do you think Guarin could be moved up to play as a target man?" Tang Long was deeply impressed by Guarin's physicality.

"A center forward? Impossible," Berni flicked his towel lightly. "With Guarin's personality, he prefers playing 'violent football' in midfield where there's more room to operate. He craves that feeling of controlling the entire pitch."

Indeed, Tang Long had noticed this issue as well.

When Guarin was on the pitch, he was the player with the most touches on the entire Inter Milan team.

Whether it was the transition from the back to the midfield or the link-up between the midfield and the front line, everything was funneled through Guarin.

Hernanes, who had served as the midfield engine in the previous match against Roma, had become Guarin's wingman tonight, responsible for protection and support;

As for Medel, he played the role of an enforcer, doing the dirty work of tackling and winning the ball back.

Guarin, meanwhile, focused solely on the attack, single-handedly turning the Chievo backline upside down!

Tang Long noticed a specific reaction from Icardi.

It happened during a counterattack in the 35th minute of the first half.

For a 50-50 aerial ball, Guarin used his superior physical strength to crush his opponent, win the ball, and then charge forward with long, powerful strides!

Inter Milan was still playing a 4-3-1-2 formation; ahead of Guarin were the two strikers, Palacio and Icardi.

Palacio drifted toward the flank, pulling a center-back away to create space for Guarin's advance.

But Icardi didn't follow Palacio's lead.

He drifted from the flank into the middle and, spotting the right moment, suddenly darted behind the center-back!

A vast expanse of open space lay before him like a prairie!

"Pass it now!!!"

But even though the Argentine striker had crossed the offside line by three meters, Guarin's pass never came.

Icardi threw his hands up at Guarin in frustration, but Guarin didn't even acknowledge him, just kept his head down and dribbled.

BOOM!

Suddenly, he looked up, pushed the ball ten meters to the right, used his speed to muscle past the tracking Chievo defensive midfielder, and unleashed another violent instep strike from the edge of the penalty arc!

He struck the ball perfectly; even from dozens of meters away, Tang Long could hear a crisp, explosive sound. Before Guarin could even finish his follow-through, the ball was already in the back of the net!

The Stadio Giuseppe Meazza cheered once again!

Sixty thousand fans chanted Guarin's name!

"Ah! Ah--"

Guarin tore at his jersey, letting out a roar like a black bear in a primeval forest!

Overjoyed by his brace, he didn't even care about the yellow card as he ripped off his shirt and threw it into the air!

On the sidelines, assistant coach Herrera shook his head.

"Guarin really needs to temper that temper of his; he picked up an unnecessary yellow card in the first half!"

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it," Mancini said with a smile. "He possesses an aggression that the other players lack."

Just as the Inter Milan players gathered around Guarin to celebrate.

Tang Long noticed that Icardi was still standing at the far end of the pitch, slowly walking back.

He showed no intention of running over to join the celebration.

He just walked with his head down.

"Icardi doesn't seem very happy, look at him," Tang Long whispered to Berni.

"I saw it. He's young, after all. Guarin actually could have passed that ball; Icardi was in a better position. If he had passed, it would have been a one-on-one. Guarin's long shot was a bit selfish, but who can complain when he scored..." Berni said.

In the second half, Chievo, trailing by two goals, still wanted to put up a desperate fight.

The team's veteran star Pellissier was wriggling through the half-spaces of the Inter Milan penalty area like a loach, constantly searching for gaps.

Chievo's three lines also pushed up to varying degrees.

For a period in the first ten minutes, they held seventy percent of the possession!

However, the seasoned Serie A veteran Mancini was clearly very confident.

He knew exactly how to bully Chievo!

You want to attack? Go ahead, I will never drop back!

The harder you press, the larger the gaps behind you become.

Mancini believed that as long as they scored a third goal quickly, the spirit of the Chievo players would instantly collapse.

Sure enough, Mancini's tactics were correct.

In the 75th minute of the second half, Nagatomo Yuto broke through on the flank and crossed the ball, and Guarin headed it into the near post from the back of the six-yard box.

This time, Guarin didn't dare to take off his shirt to celebrate.

He simply knelt on the ground, kissed the turf of the Meazza, pointed both fingers to the sky, and muttered something to himself.

Nagatomo Yuto, who had been slapped by Guarin just a few days ago, quickly ran up to him and bowed 90 degrees.

"Arigato!"

Even the commentator from Sky Sport raised his voice by an octave.

Guarin, who was benched for two games, scored a hat-trick in front of the home fans as soon as he returned!

"He has become the first Inter Milan player to score a hat-trick this season!"

"We don't know what conflicts he had with Mancini before, but after this match, I believe all those conflicts will be resolved!"

"Because Mancini chose to trust Guarin again, and Guarin did not let down Mancini's expectations!"

"I believe that this season, Guarin will remain an indispensable powerhouse for Inter Milan in their push for a UEFA Champions League spot!"

In the 83rd minute, Mancini made his final substitution.

Bonazzoli was brought on, replacing Icardi in a like-for-like change.

"Tang, you're out of luck; Bonazzoli took the last spot," Berni said.

"Then I can head straight into the winter break," Tang Long said, standing up and clapping for Bonazzoli. "Good luck, buddy, try to get a goal!"

Icardi, having been subbed off, gave Mancini a perfunctory high-five before sitting down next to Tang Long.

He took a few sips of water, looking distracted.

"I played poorly today. I only had one shot the whole game. Damn it, what kind of performance was that?"

"A striker can't score in every single game," Tang Long tried to comfort him. "At least, before Christmas, you're still at the top of the Serie A scoring charts."

Icardi shook his head, his tone filled with frustration.

"That guy Guarin, it's like he's working against me. He had such good opportunities and he just wouldn't pass to me!"

"Sure, he got a hat-trick, but so what? It just means his touch was good today, he got lucky and fluked a few in. But if he plays like that next game, can he guarantee he won't sky the ball?"

"He's completely putting his own interests above the team's! Tang, I'll tell you the truth," Icardi covered his mouth, his eyes filled with disdain, "I really hate that Colombian!"

Tang Long looked at Icardi's dejected state and secretly found it amusing!

Team interests, my foot. Don't put on an act, kid.

Aren't you just anxious because you didn't score yourself?

Especially since Guarin, a midfielder, managed to complete a hat-trick.

Icardi hadn't even done that this season!

For an Argentine who prides himself on being a top-tier Serie A striker, this was definitely a significant blow.

As for how he felt right now? It was as if someone had slapped him across the face, leaving his cheeks burning with humiliation!

Tang Long said to Icardi:

"Mauro, if I were on the pitch, I would definitely feed you the ball. Although your Serie A Golden Boot is already a done deal, you deserve to fight for the European Golden Shoe. You were born to score!"