Neither side managed to score in the final few minutes.
In the end, Inter Milan came from behind to beat Bologna 2–1 away.
Not only had they claimed a hard-fought first victory after the winter break, they had also secured their fourth consecutive league win!
The moment the referee blew the final whistle, Tang Long leaned backward and collapsed onto the ground.
He was utterly exhausted!
Even though his fitness had improved over the winter break to a rating of 80, putting him around the average level of Serie A players,
this was still his first time starting and playing all 90 minutes in Serie A. Before this, he had always come on as a substitute.
And his opponents were Bologna, a team that pressed relentlessly!
The sudden exhaustion made Tang Long's legs feel as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
Icardi ran over from a distance, bent down, and cradled Tang Long's head in both hands.
"Get up, Tang! You've always been the one assisting me. Now I've assisted you. Congratulations on scoring your first Serie A goal!"
Nagatomo Yuto walked up to Tang Long and bowed deeply, at a perfect 90-degree angle.
"Arigato! Thank you, Tang. You scored the winner, so you're the man of the match!"
The two helped Tang Long to his feet, and together they acknowledged the Expeditionary Army fans.
"Boom, boom, boom—"
"Tang—!"
The two thousand Inter Milan away fans saved their loudest drumming and cheers for Tang Long alone.
The post-match press conference.
Bologna manager Lopez looked deeply dejected!
He hadn't brought any players with him and appeared alone at the somber press conference.
"You all saw it. The teams were evenly matched, and our tactics did a very good job of limiting Inter's midfield. They were completely drawn into our rhythm. Losing to a last-minute winner was obviously unfair to us!"
Lopez also focused on the first goal they conceded.
"I believe Icardi was offside. Just look at how vehemently our players reacted. Our players are honest; they never lie. Of course, I have no intention of accusing the referee. That would only get me into trouble."
Lopez was even more indignant about the second goal.
"I don't want to blame Davis for missing the ball at the near post. I was going to substitute him, but he's a fighter. He insisted on defending the set piece before coming off.
"But Ranocchia's reckless elbow clearly hurt Davis, which was why he missed the ball!
"That was a straight red-card offense from Ranocchia. A red card! He should have been sent off much earlier!
"As for Tang? Well, I'd never heard of him before, but he was... all right, I suppose. That's all I have to say."
Meanwhile,
the mood at Inter Milan's post-match press conference was all laughter and good cheer!
Tang Long, named man of the match, had earned an impressive rating of 9!
As expected, Mancini brought him along to the press conference.
"Lopez says he isn't convinced by the loss? Come on, I've known him for ten years. After all these years as a manager, surely he understands football. There's no such thing as being convinced or unconvinced. What matters is who wins in the end." Mancini looked completely composed.
The reporters were all focused on Tang Long.
"Tang, on the first assist, why did you immediately choose to pass to Icardi?"
"Bologna pressed very aggressively, but Davis's rough challenge didn't seem to affect your performance much. Can you tell us why?"
"Hello, Tang. I'm especially curious about the winning goal. Why were you positioned at the far post?"
The reporters chattered away, firing one question after another.
They were astonished to discover that, after the winter break, Tang Long's overall form had undergone a complete transformation!
Before this, Tang had appeared as a substitute in three Serie A matches.
He had provided an assist and played a part in the attack.
But however you looked at those passes, they seemed like lucky accidents. In fact, it had clearly looked as though a wayward shot had luckily turned into an assist.
At the time, the media had jokingly called Tang Long Inter's mascot and lucky charm~
But from this match, it was clear that Tang Long now had a purpose behind every move.
An acrobatic assist and a far-post header could hardly be chalked up to luck. They were clearly the result of careful preparation and planning.
Tang Long gave a detailed answer to the reporters' questions about his match-winning header, the moment that had drawn the most attention.
He didn't directly reveal the secret behind his anticipation. Instead, he chose to praise manager Mancini—a point Uncle Bei had specifically reminded Tang to keep in mind right after the match.
"My sudden run from the edge of the penalty area wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. It was a tactic the team had specifically worked on in training. We'd practiced it many times. Mr. Mancini is an excellent coach and a tactical master. His mind is full of tactical ideas, and I've improved a lot under his guidance..."
The reporters listened intently, casting admiring looks at Mancini, who sat beside Tang Long.
A flicker of confusion crossed Mancini's eyes.
But he immediately rubbed the bridge of his nose to hide it, then added smoothly:
"Yes, that's how we caught them by surprise."
At eight the next morning, bright sunlight bathed the training ground, gilding the Oak Forest.
Daily training was still more than an hour away, but the manager's office at Inter's training ground was already full.
This was one of Mancini's habits.
The morning after every match, he held an early coaching staff meeting to review the previous game.
The fitness analyst spoke first.
"Clearly, after a winter break, the players' form has only recovered to around 80 percent of normal. According to my figures, the average distance covered in this match was 9.12 kilometers, about 900 meters less than before the break. Only Brozovic and Tang met the target: one ran 12.2 kilometers, the other 10.9."
Assistant coach Herrera continued:
"Our approach at the start wasn't quite right. We should have had Ranocchia mark Borrelli earlier. If we'd shut down that aerial threat, we wouldn't have fallen behind. Of course, Guarin's absence also left us short of strength in midfield."
Chivu, who also served as the tactical analyst, had worked late into the night to edit footage analyzing the entire match. He projected it onto the large screen in the meeting room.
"This was a difficult match. We nearly failed to win it. The only reason we came away unscathed in the end was that Tang created two changes that helped break the deadlock."
Chivu stood at the lectern, clicking the remote in his hand.
The footage showed Tang Long's first-time pass to set up Icardi.
"He played it first time, and both his idea and his execution were spot on."
After Chivu had analyzed the play in detail, the footage switched to Tang Long's far-post header.
"That was a very sudden run during a set-piece routine! His reading of the ball's landing point was better than every Bologna defender's. That absolutely deserves praise!"
Chivu's voice was full of pride as he said this.
He had personally taken Tang under his wing as a player to develop, and when a student succeeded, it reflected well on the teacher!
Mancini merely nodded slightly, lit a cigar, and remained silent for a long while, offering no opinion.
Suddenly, he turned to look at someone he rarely spoke with...
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