"I Knew It! It Had To Be You!"

Davis was definitely not a villain engaging in mindless provocation.

Don't let the fact that this Canadian midfielder is only 25 years old fool you; he has already been knocking around Serie A for five years.

To be precise, in those five years, he spent two years in Serie B and three years in Serie A.

It's hard to say how high his skill level is, but he isn't even a starter for Bologna, a mid-to-lower-tier team.

However, having been immersed in Italian football for many years, he has learned plenty of dirty tricks and is full of malice.

Davis also came up through the youth ranks, and he still remembers how the old veterans used psychological warfare to break him down when he was young!

"Davis, that 18-year-old kid Tang Long starting for Inter Milan, go up there and mess with his head!"

"No problem, boss. I know how to deal with greenhorns like that."

Davis had received instructions from his manager before the match; he came with a mission.

Often, young players like Tang Long who are making their first start arrive on the pitch full of passion and energy, desperate to prove themselves to the whole world.

The more anxious a person is, the easier it is for them to lose their cool.

On August 17, 2005, 18-year-old Lionel Messi made his debut for the Argentina national football team, only to be sent off with a red card 48 seconds after coming on in a friendly against Hungary.

Davis hoped the same mistake would happen to Tang Long.

That was why, after getting lucky and scoring a wonder goal, Davis deliberately walked up to Tang Long to provoke him: "Hey, are you scared stupid?"

Whether Tang Long was scared stupid or not, no one knew.

Inter Milan manager Mancio, however, was a bit bewildered!

He wasn't bewildered by conceding a goal early—Mancio had experienced such scenes countless times in his coaching career and was used to it.

What bewildered him was that the players on the pitch were in such poor form!

They clearly hadn't recovered from the winter break.

Assistant manager Herrera said dejectedly: "If Guarin could have contested Borrelli in midfield, we wouldn't have let him turn so easily, and the subsequent goal wouldn't have happened."

Mancio frowned and shook his head, "That's not the point. Ranocchia and Andreolli were clearly unfocused on the back line; they both marked one man and left Destro completely wide open at the far post. Others can slack off, but the back line cannot!"

Mancio made a prompt decision and waved his hand—

Ranocchia was to expand his range of movement!

Standing at 195cm, the tallest player on the pitch would no longer sit deep in the back line but would instead man-mark Bologna's target man, Borrelli.

So, Borrelli likes to drop deep and use his height to bully our midfielders?

Fine, I'll have Ranocchia push up; wherever you go, Ranocchia goes, giving you a full-match special training session!

Mancio lived up to his reputation as a famous manager, and this adjustment had an immediate effect.

In the following dozen minutes, Ranocchia contested seven aerial balls with Borrelli in midfield, winning the first touch in six of them.

The opponent's tactic of having their center-forward drop deep was thus neutralized by Mancio.

Borrelli stopped dropping deep and stayed honestly at the very front.

The match returned to a conventional tug-of-war.

A leading Bologna focused on defense, while Inter Milan controlled the ball and attacked.

In Serie A, no matter the level of the team, once they decide to drop back and form a chain defense, it is never easy for any side to break through their goal.

However, such a defensive deadlock was the perfect opportunity for Tang Long to show his skills!

In the 36th minute of the first half, the three defensive midfielders—Brozovic, Kovacic, and Medel—exchanged passes in a triangular formation in the backfield.

Under such patience, two Bologna players were finally lured out to press.

Brozovic was waiting for exactly this moment!

Snap! The ball was passed to Tang Long, who had found space!

This pass was like a sharp blade, instantly pushing Inter Milan's attacking line forward by 20 meters.

Tang Long turned rapidly and pushed forward with the ball.

Bologna's defensive midfielder Davis rushed over, eyeing him menacingly, "If you've got guts, try to dribble past me. Do you dare to go one-on-one?"

Tang Long wouldn't fall for his trap, not because he didn't dare to face Davis one-on-one, but because Podolski had already slipped behind the defenders, nearing the offside line!

A flat, straight ground pass perfectly coincided with the end of the German forward's running path!

"The chance is here!"

Icardi first took a step back to shake off his defender, then immediately surged forward!

At the near post, if you give it, he'll take it!

Podolski, near the byline, sent in a cross, and the ball went through the defender's legs!

No one touched it, but the ball struck a Bologna defender's leg and was cleared out of the penalty area.

Mancio shook his head in disappointment on the sidelines.

It seems the chemistry between the new signings and the old players is still not familiar enough!

Icardi's signature move was to shake off a defender and dash toward the near post.

Podolski's cross had excellent technique, but it was aimed toward the penalty spot.

He and Icardi had not been on the same page.

If it had been played to the near post, Icardi would have already found the space; he would have buried that ball eight times out of ten.

"If Tang were in Podolski's position, perhaps the pass would have been better..."

Just as Mancini was still feeling regret over the missed opportunity.

Just as Podolski was raising his hand to apologize to Icardi for the poor pass.

Just as the Bologna defenders were feeling relieved by Inter Milan's botched coordination.

The AI System in Tang Long's mind had already provided a sharp analysis:

"Detected that the Bologna defensive line has not pushed up in time. Icardi is on the edge of the offside line. Pass the ball within 1.5 seconds for an 88.56% chance of creating a shot!"

This 1.5-second window was an analysis made by the Green Field Intelligence Engine System after modeling the movement of the Bologna defensive line.

If it exceeded 1.5 seconds, Icardi would definitely be in an offside position due to the defensive line pushing up!

Speed was essential!

There was no time to think, and Tang Long didn't even have time to check Icardi's exact position—

He rushed to the first landing spot and, without waiting for the ball to touch the ground, flicked it with the inside of his foot!

The soccer ball flew back into the Bologna penalty area!

The sudden change in rhythm caught the Bologna defenders off guard.

Icardi didn't react immediately either; everyone had assumed Tang Long would trap the ball, and no one had anticipated a first-time pass!

But Icardi was Icardi.

As a burgeoning top-tier Serie A striker, he possessed faster reflexes than anyone else.

He lowered his center of gravity, pivoted, and sprinted to reach the ball!

His eyes tracked the ball's flight through the air, and by the time he managed to bring it under control, the Bologna defender was at least three meters away—he had already created a one-on-one!

A delicate, dragonfly-touch chip!

The Bologna goalkeeper, who had rushed out and dived, watched helplessly as the ball sailed over his reach, leaving him with nothing to do but sigh!

"I knew it! It had to be you!"

Icardi clenched his fists and roared, turning to sprint toward Tang Long!