Everyone is Focused on the Front, but He Slipped to the Back!

Tang Long's current Green Field Intelligence Engine System is at the intermediate level, with its primary functions being to judge the trajectory of the ball and the positioning of his teammates.

Regarding the cold wind attacking from behind, there were no AI brainwaves providing him with any hints on what to do next.

Relying on instinctive reaction, Tang Long didn't have time to think too much; he had to pass the ball at his feet first!

Just as the ball was passed, Tang Long felt a piercing pain in his knee and was knocked heavily to the ground.

That wasn't all; before he had even landed for a second, his back was slammed into with a violent thud—Davis had fallen at the same time, landing directly on top of Tang Long.

The referee blew the whistle for a foul but still did not issue a card.

Pinned to the ground, Tang Long felt a wave of nauseating bad breath near his face: "Kid, can you handle Serie A-level physical contact?"

Tang Long said nothing and silently pushed Davis away.

Captain Ranocchia grabbed the referee to demand an explanation, and several Inter Milan teammates also stood up for Tang Long.

"You're not giving a card for that? Referee, did you forget to bring your cards!"

On the sidelines, Mancini felt a sudden tightness in his chest upon seeing this!

He remembered clearly that Tang Long's body was relatively fragile; a single sliding tackle against Genoa had already injured his ankle.

He hoped nothing would go wrong this time.

Under Mancini's direction, the team doctor rushed onto the field to take Tang Long to the sidelines for treatment.

Inter Milan was awarded a free kick as a result.

The position, slightly to the right of the center, was quite decent, and both big men, Ranocchia and Andreolli, entered the opponent's penalty area.

Davis rubbed his chest and also joined the defense.

The foul he committed just now appeared to be him infringing on Tang Long, but in reality, he had suffered a hidden blow himself!

After Tang Long was knocked down and pinned to the ground, he had taken advantage of a blind spot in the referee's vision to land an elbow on Davis's chest while pushing him away.

The speed of the elbow strike was extremely fast, and it came at a moment when Davis was completely unprepared.

It landed squarely on his ribs!

Davis was winded, his vision went black, and he was still panting while rubbing his chest.

"Damn it, this kid is sneakily vicious too; I underestimated him!"

This elbow strike clearly affected Davis's state, causing his concentration to waver.

The free kick taken by Brozovic was almost upon them before Davis could clearly see the direction of the ball.

"Mine!"

He jolted and jumped up, preparing to clear the ball.

Suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over him!

Davis felt as if he had collided with a concrete wall. With a loud bang, his temple took a violent hit, and it felt as if his brain was about to burst from the impact!

"Ah—"

He clutched his head and fell to the ground, seeing stars.

Through the flickering haze, Davis finally saw clearly that it was Ranocchia.

The referee blew the whistle to stop the game and showed a yellow card to Ranocchia!

"Elbowing, dangerous play, yellow card warning!"

Ranocchia feigned innocence, pulling his hands back to his chest in a wronged manner, and bent over to say to the referee:

"My arm was in a natural motion, it wasn't intentional. Besides, Davis didn't get a card for his foul on Tang just now, so I shouldn't get one either!"

Having been elbowed twice in a short period, even a Canadian tough guy raised in the freezing cold couldn't quite handle it.

The first time Tang Long elbowed his chest, although it hurt, his consciousness remained clear.

But this second time, being elbowed in the temple by Ranocchia!

This guy was big and tall, and his elbow was like an iron rod, making his head buzz and his vision start to ripple like waves.

The Bologna team doctor entered the field to help Davis to the sidelines for an examination.

Coincidentally, Tang Long was also standing on that side of the sideline, and the team doctor's examination showed no major issues.

His current physical strength stat was 78, which had reached the lower-middle level of Serie A. While he might not necessarily win every physical confrontation, he wouldn't suffer major damage even if knocked down.

The referee waved at Tang Long, signaling that he could enter the field.

Tang Long looked at the large bump swelling on Davis's temple and smiled, returning the same words:

"Serie A-level physical contact, can you handle it?"

The match remained in a stalemate.

Whether in terms of market value or the true strength of the players, Inter Milan held the advantage.

However, their previous three-game league winning streak had been interrupted by the winter break. After returning from vacation, the players had not yet recovered to their best competitive form.

Added to this was the fact that the starting lineup included two new signings, Brozovic and Podolski, and their coordination with the veteran teammates appeared slightly unpolished.

On the other hand, Bologna had long since steeled their resolve to secure a single point on their home turf.

They constantly used fouls to disrupt the rhythm of the match, fragmenting the time and leaving the Inter Milan players feeling incredibly frustrated!

The referee's home-field bias was also quite apparent, as he had issued three yellow cards to Inter Milan while giving Bologna only one.

In the 78th minute of the match, Mancini made a tactical substitution.

He pulled off defensive midfielder Medel and brought on the new Swiss signing Shaqiri, switching to a three-striker formation.

Bologna likewise shuffled their deck, bringing on several fresh young players to maintain the physical intensity of their stifling defense!

As soon as the clock ticked into the 80th minute, they even started resorting to all sorts of time-wasting tactics, feigning cramps to drag out the game.

"This won't work, boss. We're going to get sucked into their rhythm!" assistant coach Herrera said, burning with anxiety.

"I haven't found a good solution," Mancini frowned deeply, "We are paying the price for an undisciplined winter break with dropped points."

Two minutes later, Tang Long, who was carrying the ball through the center, was tripped by Davis.

This Davis, with a bandage wrapped around his head and eyes burning like torches, was proving quite resilient.

This free kick was in an even better position than the previous one, at a 45-degree angle on the flank, offering a superior angle for a cross!

Brozovic stood before the ball, lost in thought.

At this moment, the fourth official on the sideline raised the substitution board; Davis was to be replaced.

Although Bologna manager Lopez had no doubts about Davis's fighting spirit, he was still worried that the head injury would affect his performance.

To everyone's surprise, Davis didn't leave the pitch voluntarily and instead shouted at the bench at the top of his lungs:

"Wait until this ball is kicked! Who makes a substitution right before the opponent takes a free kick? Don't panic!"

Davis was actually right.

In set-piece defense, the last thing a defending team wants is a substitution at that exact moment.

A newly substituted player needs time to get used to the rhythm and identify their marking assignment, but they are often sluggish upon entering the game, which easily leads to defensive errors.

Brozovic took his run-up, struck the center of the ball with the inside of his foot, and leaned his body to whip in a curling cross!

"Front post!"

This time, the Croatian and the Argentine striker were in perfect sync; one delivered the ball to the front post, while the other suddenly sprinted toward it from the center!

"Defend the front post!"

This time, Davis, with his head still wrapped in bandages, reacted faster because he was in a better position!

He rushed to the front post immediately, cutting off Icardi's path to the ball.

Everyone's focus was drawn to the front post!

At the top of the penalty arc, a flash of insight crossed Tang Long's mind—

AI detection: There is a 65.38% probability the ball will be cleared at the front post, and a 34.62% probability it will fall to the back post!

Tang Long quietly evaded everyone's attention and sprinted toward the back post of the penalty area...