42 Points! This Is the Chasm Between Inter Milan and the Serie A Giants!

Last season, Inter Milan and Juventus faced each other twice in the league, resulting in one draw and one loss, with no victories to show for it.

The first leg at home in the third round of the league was particularly filled with regret!

Young striker Icardi opened the scoring in the 73rd minute, sending the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza into a frenzy.

Everyone saw the hope of defeating the Serie A giants.

However, just two minutes after the celebration concluded, Vidal helped the Bianconeri equalize, and the match ultimately ended in a 1-1 draw.

When they traveled away after the winter break, Inter Milan was soundly defeated 3-1, left with no power to parry.

By the end of that season, Juventus had accumulated a staggering 102 points, setting a century-long record for Serie A points, even surpassing the 97 points set by Inter Milan in the 2006-2007 season, which was a club record!

Inter Milan finished fifth, trailing Juventus by 42 points!

During the championship parade in Turin, the entire Juventus squad even held a large sign with the number 42 above their heads.

[Inter Milan, this is the distance between you and the Serie A champions!]

Such a massive gap in performance left everyone at Inter Milan feeling a profound sense of humiliation.

The first encounter between the two sides this season came quite late, arriving in the blink of an eye at the 15th round of Serie A.

The wait for revenge is always long; the Inter Milan players were all fired up and ready to go, preparing to stage a beautiful turnaround at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.

Icardi had even planted a flag early on!

"Tang, I especially love your passing. Just pass it, and I'll get it! Watch me score a hat-trick against them!"

Mancini kept the same starting lineup as the previous match, with Tang Long continuing to start in place of Guarin.

However, he also noticed that during the final regular training session, Mancini had called Guarin over, patted him affectionately on the shoulder as if comforting him, and Guarin had returned to the team's matchday squad, appearing on the bench.

In China, countless fans were paying close attention to this marquee Serie A clash!

Compared to the Premier League, the 3:45 AM "cultivation time" for Serie A is truly unfriendly...

But because of Tang Long's presence, none of this was a problem.

On the LeSports pre-match hot topic ranking, the buzz for this game was already on par with the El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barca!

"Dear viewers, ever since Tang Long scored his debut goal in Serie A, his popularity has been rising steadily!"

"He has broken one Chinese record after another in Serie A: first appearance, first assist, first goal!"

"In the world of football, high-stakes clashes are the best way to test a player's ability in big matches!"

"Facing Juventus, whether Tang Long can continue his excellent performance from the match against Bologna, let's wait and see!"

Just when everyone thought that Inter Milan, playing at home, would press their advantage, secure a fifth consecutive win, and take three crucial points toward the UEFA Champions League qualification zone.

The development of the match was far less smooth than anticipated!

At the start, although Inter Milan held the initiative and possession at home, Juventus adopted a low-profile, conservative stance, actively retreating to play defensively.

But Juventus's experience was clearly superior to this Inter Milan side.

Take Tang Long in the attacking midfield position, for example.

Whenever Tang Long received the ball, the defensive midfielders, Marchisio and Sturaro, would stick to him like iron to a magnet, closing in with a "zip."

Compared to these top-tier Juventus midfielders, Tang Long's 78 strength rating could only barely handle one-on-one situations, let alone taking on two at once.

Tang Long decisively chose one-touch passing to avoid the opponent's double-teaming.

Many times, before passing, he would observe Icardi's movement, using AI data analysis to send lethal through balls to the Argentine striker.

But a new problem arose!

Icardi did indeed run to the right positions, and the through balls were sent along precise routes, yet Icardi still couldn't receive the ball!

The Argentine striker would either commit a handling error under the pressure of the opponent's double-team;

Or, due to a disadvantage in speed, he would be squeezed out of position by the defenders ahead of time.

Under the suffocating pressure of Juventus's formidable defenders and midfielders, Icardi was already drenched in sweat after just 20 minutes of play.

In the 10th minute, Tang Long suddenly chipped a pass!

Icardi dashed diagonally into the penalty area with lightning speed!

The ball bounced once, and before it could land, Icardi had already swung his leg; he wanted to shoot as quickly as possible!

Bang!

A black-and-white figure flew across; Bonucci dove to block the shot, clearing the ball out over the baseline.

Icardi clutched his head in surprise, "Why is his cover defense so fast!"

In the 18th minute, Icardi successfully beat the offside trap and received a ground through ball from Tang Long!

Just as he adjusted his footing, the full-back Padoin rushed over like a mad dog.

"Shoot quickly!"

Icardi's hurried shot went wide of the goal, and Buffon didn't even have to make a save.

Again!

In the 25th minute, despite there being no clear opportunity, Tang Long flicked the ball with the outside of his right foot, and it somehow landed perfectly in the path of Icardi's run!

Icardi sprinted in pursuit!

However, Buffon charged out a step earlier, smothering the ball into his chest.

After these few sprints, Icardi was drenched in sweat, his jersey soaked through to the point where it could be wrung out like a basin of water.

His eyes were filled with exhaustion and confusion.

Twenty-five minutes had passed.

Inter Milan's opening offensive momentum began to slow down.

Mancini noticed the signs from the sidelines.

After consulting with his assistant coach Herrera for a moment, he instructed Tang Long:

"Tang! Your connection with Icardi is too one-dimensional. Link up with your teammates for more lateral movement and focus on ball retention!"

Herrera was right.

If they were facing teams like Bologna or Genoa, relying solely on that single line of communication between Icardi and Tang Long—one passing, one running—would be enough to tear through the opponent's defense.

But Juventus was not the likes of Bologna or Genoa!

The Bianconeri were the defending champions, the 102-point defending champions!

They had conceded only 23 goals all of last season, boasting a defensive capability that ranked among the top three in all of Europe.

The coaching staff's intention was that they couldn't be too impatient against Juventus; they needed to reduce the direct, straight-line passes like the ones Tang Long was making and instead focus on control and lateral stretching.

Mancini's tactical adjustment was sound and hit the nail on the head.

However, this more complex style of play also exposed the shortcomings in Tang Long's ball control and dribbling ability!

In the 33rd minute of the match, after receiving a pass from Medel, Tang Long attempted to turn to seek further coordination.

But just as his foot hooked the ball back, before his body could fully rotate, Sturaro stuck out a foot and intercepted it!

"Oh! Tang Long didn't control that ball well; he lost possession!"

"Sturaro's tackle was incredibly precise, and he passed the ball to Pirlo nearby!"

"Pirlo with the long ball!"

"My god, what a divine pass!"

"Morata chests it down, shoots—"

"It's at the near post! It's in!"

"Juventus breaks the deadlock first, taking a 1-0 lead!"

"Ah... sigh!"

"That ball... Tang Long, that mistake was simply inexcusable!"