In the post-match review meeting, who can answer Mancini's confusion about Tang Long?

In the final minutes, neither side managed to create any further threats.

Ultimately, Inter Milan completed a 2-1 comeback victory over Bologna away from home.

While securing a hard-fought first win after the winter break, they also extended their winning streak in the league to four games!

The moment the referee blew the final whistle, Tang Long leaned back and collapsed onto the pitch.

He was absolutely exhausted!

Although his stamina rating had reached 80 after the training during the winter break—placing him at the average level for a Serie A player—this was his first time starting and playing a full 90 minutes in Serie A, having only been a substitute before.

Moreover, he had faced a team like Bologna, known for their fierce pressing!

This sudden wave of fatigue made Tang Long's legs feel as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

Icardi ran over from a distance, leaned down, and cupped Tang Long's head in his hands.

"Get up, Tang! You've always been the one assisting me, but now I've assisted you. Congratulations on scoring your debut Serie A goal!"

Nagatomo Yuto walked up to Tang Long and gave him a respectful 90-degree bow.

"Arigato! Thank you, Tang. You scored the winner, you're the Man of the Match!"

The two helped Tang Long up, and together they went to salute the traveling fans.

"Thump, thump, thump—"

"Tang—"

The two thousand Inter Milan traveling fans poured their loudest drums and cheers onto Tang Long alone.

Post-match press conference.

Bologna manager Lopez appeared extremely frustrated!

He did not bring any players with him, appearing alone in the somber press conference room.

"You all saw it; this match was evenly contested. Our tactics to restrict Inter Milan's midfield were very successful; they fell completely into our rhythm. The result of being beaten by a late winner is clearly unfair to us!"

Lopez also specifically mentioned the first goal conceded.

"I believe Icardi was offside. Just look at the intense reaction from our players; our players are honest and they never lie. Of course, I have no intention of blaming the referee; that would only get me into trouble."

Regarding the second goal, Lopez seemed even more indignant!

"I don't want to blame Davis for misjudging the flight of the ball at the near post. I had intended to substitute him, but he is a fighter; he insisted on defending that set-piece before coming off. However, Ranocchia's crude elbow was clearly the cause of Davis's injury, which is why he misjudged the ball! That was a red card offense by Ranocchia—a red card! He should have been sent off long ago! As for Tang? Well, I didn't know him before, but he performed... alright, I suppose. That's all I have to say."

On the other side.

The Inter Milan post-match press conference was filled with laughter and joy!

Tang Long, who was named Man of the Match, received a high rating of 9!

Mancini brought him to the press conference, which came as no surprise.

"Lopez says he doesn't accept the loss? Come on, I've known him for ten years. After being a manager for so many years, doesn't he understand football? There is no 'accepting' or 'not accepting,' there is only who won in the end." Mancini appeared calm and composed.

All the reporters' attention was focused on Tang Long.

"Tang, for the first assist, why did you choose to pass to Icardi at that exact moment?"

"The opponent's defense was very aggressive, but Davis's rough play didn't seem to affect your performance much. Can you talk about the reason for that?"

"Hello, Tang. I am particularly curious: for the final winning goal, why did you appear at the back post?"

The reporters chattered, asking questions one after another.

They were surprised to discover that after the winter break, Tang Long's entire competitive state had been completely transformed!

Before this, Tang had participated in three Serie A matches as a substitute.

During those, he had also provided assists and participated in the attacking phase.

But no matter how you looked at it, those passes seemed like lucky accidents, or even clearly botched shots that turned into assists by pure chance.

At the time, the media even jokingly called Tang Long the mascot and lucky charm of Inter Milan.

However, judging by the process of this match, the current Tang Long was methodical in every move and technique.

In this match, a volleyed assist and a back-post header were definitely not the result of luck; they were clearly the product of careful layout and advance planning.

Tang Long gave a focused answer to the question about the header winner, which the reporters were most interested in.

He did not directly reveal the secret of his anticipation, choosing instead to compliment his manager, Mancini—something Berni had specifically advised Tang Long to do immediately after the match.

"My sudden run from the edge of the penalty area was definitely not a heat-of-the-moment decision. It was a tactic specifically arranged by the team during training. We have practiced it many times. Mr. Mancini provides excellent guidance; he is a tactical master whose mind is full of various tactical storms. Under his guidance, I have made great progress..."

The reporters on the scene listened intently, casting admiring glances at Mancini, who was sitting next to Tang Long.

A flicker of doubt flashed through the eyes of Mancini.

But he immediately rubbed his brow with his hand to mask his confusion, then took the opportunity to add:

"Yes, that is exactly the element of surprise we were going for."

At eight o'clock the next morning, bright sunlight shone down, bathing the oak forest of the training base in a layer of gold.

Although there was still over an hour before the start of daily training, the head coach's office at the Inter Milan training base was already packed with people.

This was a habit of Mancini.

The morning after every match, he would hold an early coaching staff meeting to review the previous game.

The fitness analyst spoke first.

"It is quite clear that after the winter break, the players' competitive form has only recovered to about eighty percent of their usual level. According to my statistics, the average distance covered per player in this match was 9.12km, which is about 900 meters lower than before the winter break. Only Brozovic and Tang met the standard, with one covering 12.2km and the other 10.9km."

Assistant coach Herrera continued the analysis:

"Our opening strategy was slightly off. We should have had Ranocchia mark Borrelli earlier. If we had neutralized that aerial threat, the team wouldn't have fallen into the predicament of conceding the first goal. However, this was also due to the absence of Guarin, which led to a lack of toughness in our midfield."

Chivu, who also served as the tactical analyst, had worked overtime the previous night to edit the analysis footage of the entire match, which was now projected onto the large screen in the conference room.

"This match was very difficult, and we almost didn't pull it off. The only reason we managed to walk away unscathed was entirely due to the two changes created by Tang, which served as the breakthrough."

Chivu stood at the podium, clicking the remote in his hand.

The footage cut to the pass where Tang Long assisted Icardi with a volley.

"A first-time pass without taking a touch; both the vision and the technique were spot on."

After Chivu finished his lengthy analysis, the footage switched to Tang Long's header at the far post.

"This was a very sudden run during a set-piece! His judgment of the landing spot surpassed all the Bologna defenders; this is absolutely worthy of praise!"

When he said this, Chivu's tone was filled with pride.

This kid was a key prospect he had personally taken under his wing; when a student achieves results, the master naturally shines!

Mancini merely nodded slightly, lit a cigar, and remained silent for a long time, neither confirming nor denying anything.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at someone he rarely spoke to...