Inter Milan's Legends Bet Big in the VIP Box-Ronaldo Bets the Other Way on Manchester City!
This second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout stage match also attracted the attention of the entire Italy media.
This season marks a new beginning for Inter Milan, their return to the UEFA Champions League after a five-year absence.
Although the team's core players were dismantled, the team did not make any major moves in the summer transfer market.
However, thanks to their strong historical foundation, Inter Milan still managed to advance to the round of 16 as the second-placed team in their group, despite the strong competition.
However, drawing Manchester City right at the start of the knockout stage is definitely a terrible draw for Nerazzurri!
Upon seeing the draw, the entire Italy media was in despair, generally believing that Inter Milan's UEFA Champions League journey was likely to end prematurely.
However, after the first leg, Inter Milan surprisingly managed a 1-1 draw against Manchester City away from home, a result that delighted many and left them speechless with surprise.
"This couldn't be better; we still have a chance to advance!"
"Without Tang, Manchester City is no better than this. We can definitely put up a fight against Manchester City!"
"Historically speaking, we still have the edge over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League!"
"If we can hold on to a 0-0 draw in the second round, even a god couldn't stop us!"
Not only fans and media, but also many former Inter Milan players and legends are enthusiastically discussing this match.
Berni, far away in United States New York, was woken up by her alarm clock at around 6 a. m., jumped out of her warm bed, and turned on her computer.
Guarin's Tottenham Hotspur was eliminated early from European competition, but he still turned down many parties tonight to stay in front of the TV.
The second match between Manchester United and Atlético Madrid was the following evening.
During this break, Icardi was also watching Inter Milan's match against Manchester City.
He was feeling extremely conflicted at that moment!
He was also trying to boost the morale of his former club Inter Milan, hoping they would defeat Manchester City in one fell swoop and kick their city rivals out of the UEFA Champions League;
But at the same time, he also hopes that Manchester City can advance.
With the European competition keeping Manchester City occupied, they will definitely rotate their squad in the league. This will increase Manchester United's chances of making a comeback in the last eight rounds and winning the league title!
After much deliberation, he could only silently pray: who wins or loses doesn't matter, the key is to prevent Agüero from scoring again!
Otherwise, if this guy gets hotter and hotter in European competitions, he might carry that hotter into the league, and then my Golden Boot hopes would be completely over.
Inside the VIP box at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
Many Inter Milan legends also gathered together.
Former teammates Materazzi, Sneijder, Milito, Cambiasso, and others embraced and shook hands, reminiscing about their retirement and their glorious days at Inter Milan.
Vieri, Ronaldo, and Adriano sat around a small coffee table, drinking red wine and reminiscing about their past glories.
"Hey everyone, let's all predict the score of this match. How about I open betting odds and you all place your bets here?" Materazzi shouted.
Everyone responded in unison.
These players are all legends of Inter Milan, many of whom were members of the 2010 treble-winning team, and they all have a deep affection for the club.
Therefore, everyone is betting on Inter Milan to either draw or win.
"I bet 100 euros, and we won 1-0!" Cambiasso said.
"Haha, then I'll bet 200 euros, let's win 2-0!" Milito chimed in.
Midfield maestro Sneijder played rather cautiously.
Based on the 1-1 scoreline of the first leg, he believed that Laino would definitely defend the 0-0 draw, which was the goal Inter Milan had to achieve.
"I'll bet 500 euros, the score will definitely be 0-0, that's the most realistic plan for advancing."
The VIP box was filled with shouts and cheers; everyone was betting on Inter Milan to win and was stuffing Euro cash into Materazzi's hands.
Materazzi weighed the wad of cash in his hand and chuckled:
"That won't do. Everyone's saying we have to win, nobody's saying we have to lose. So where will we get the money to win?"
Materazzi noticed that Ronaldo hadn't spoken yet.
"Roni! You've been silent all laps. Either stop shouting 'we've won,' or bet on Manchester City. Otherwise, who's going to pay for the win?"
The private room erupted in laughter.
Everyone thought it was a good idea.
Vieri joked:
"Absolutely! He has to go to Manchester City. That fat guy is way richer than any of us. Taking money from his pocket is nothing. He's a big boss!"
Of all the players present, Ronaldo certainly possessed the most wealth.
He is the only one who, after retiring from the military, went on to become a successful businessman and own his own company.
His net worth is already as high as $500 million, and even if all the people present were combined, their wealth would not match his!
Putting aside Ronaldo's business acumen, the name Ronaldo is simply too famous.
In a sense, he was synonymous with football in that era. The advertising fees and image rights alone were enough to make him incredibly wealthy, ensuring a comfortable life for the rest of his days.
Amidst good-natured laughter, Ronaldo nodded slightly, appearing extremely calm and composed.
"Sure, I'll bet on Manchester City to win. If I lose, I'll return double the money you bet on Malatrazzi."
Materazzi gave Ronaldo a thumbs-up, placed the banknotes on the coffee table, and weighed them down with a bottle of red wine.
"Hey, don't get too cocky. I know what you're thinking. Although Tang can play today, this is our home court. No team can easily take three points from this stadium, no matter the era!"
When Manchester City players visited the pitch an hour before the match, they were completely taken aback.
Their first observation was that the stadium seemed much narrower than usual.
Many of the players were playing at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza for the first time in their lives, but Tang Long and Ranocchia immediately sensed something was wrong as soon as they came out of the players' tunnel.
Tang Long played at this stadium for most of the season, not to mention Ranocchia, who played there for several years.
Both of them knew the dimensions of the stadium perfectly.
But to their surprise, they found that the width of the field had been significantly reduced. Without even using a measuring tape, the sidelines were much farther from the bench!
"What the hell? This is at least two meters shorter!" Ranocchia exclaimed in surprise.
"Not only that! The other side is shorter too, so it's reduced by at least four meters in total," Tang Long said, frowning.
Pellegrini soon discovered the problem as well.
He realized that such a narrow stadium was very disadvantageous for Manchester City to carry out possession-based tactics and use the width of the stadium to stretch their opponents.
However, after speaking with Inter Milan's stadium staff, Pellegrini was informed that they had indeed reduced the width of the pitch.
However, it is still within the scope of UEFA's standard stadium regulations, so there is no room for compromise on this point.
Aside from the width, what's even more frustrating for Manchester City players is the terrible condition of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza!
Many Manchester City players complained that the pitch was too wet, feeling very slippery and making it difficult to stand.
When Pellegrini complained to Inter Milan again about the issue of watering the pitch.
Inter Milan staff pointed to the other side of the field, where Inter Milan players were warming up.
"Mr. Pellegrini, there is no problem with the pitch. You see, our players are playing on this pitch."
Tang Long discovered a problem.
He noticed that the Inter Milan players were wearing spurs that were significantly longer than regular football boots, using SG (spiking braces).
Manchester City, on the other hand, generally uses fg.
Longer studs provide better grip, especially on such a smooth surface, and Inter Milan's boots clearly give them an edge.
Due to oversight, Manchester City did not prepare SG's boots, and there was simply no time to arrange them on short notice.
Pellegrini and Inter Milan staff immediately started arguing, leaving the Manchester City players completely bewildered.
How can we play on this pitch?
"The referee blows the whistle, and the match begins!"
"Inter Milan, the home team, will attack from left to right; Manchester City, the away team, will attack from right to left!"
"The ball came to the feet of Inter Milan's center-back Andreolli, who launched a long pass!"
"Huh, the field seems to be watered a lot. That long pass actually created a splash?"
"Candreva has moved to the wing; he's chasing the ball!"
"There was definitely too much water spilled; we saw the ball accelerate suddenly after landing!"
"Clichy was chasing the ball, his arm was tangled with Candreva's, and the two were pulling at each other!"
"Candreva has positioned himself and received the ball!"
"How will he handle this? Center forward Bonazzoli has already rushed into the penalty area, and attacking midfielder Kovacic is also closing in on him!"
"Candreva suddenly turned his back and moved forward again, it seems he's going to cross from the byline!"
"But Clichy is fast, and he hasn't been left behind!"
"Candreva, Candreva spikes the ball!"
"Oh, Clichy slipped and fell!"
"Candreva has successfully dribbled past his opponent and is charging towards the penalty area!"