Last season, Inter Milan and Juventus faced each other twice in the league, drawing once and losing once. Inter failed to win either match.
Their first meeting, at home in the third round, had been especially heartbreaking!
In the 73rd minute, young striker Icardi scored the opening goal, sending Stadio Giuseppe Meazza into a frenzy.
Everyone saw a chance to beat Serie A's dominant champions.
But just two minutes later—not even counting the time spent celebrating—Vidal helped the Bianconeri equalize. The match ended 1–1.
When Inter visited Juventus after the winter break, they suffered a crushing 3–1 defeat, completely outclassed.
By the end of the season, Juventus had amassed an astonishing 102 points, setting a Serie A record that had stood for a century. They even surpassed Inter's club record of 97 points from the 2006–07 season!
Inter, meanwhile, finished fifth, a whopping 42 points behind Juventus!
During the Bianconeri's title parade through Turin, the entire team held a huge sign bearing the number 42 above their heads.
[Inter Milan, this is how far you are from the Serie A champions!]
Such a vast gulf in results had left every Inter supporter feeling deeply humiliated.
The first clash between the two sides this season had come late. Before they knew it, the Serie A season had reached Round 15.
The wait for revenge always felt long. Inter's players were all fired up and ready, eager to turn things around with a brilliant performance at home at Meazza.
Icardi had even made his intentions clear well in advance!
"Tang, I really love your passes. Just keep sending them in, and I'll be there! Watch me score a hat trick against them!"
Mancini kept the same starting lineup as the previous match, with Tang Long once again starting in place of Guarin.
However, he'd noticed that during the final regular training session, Mancini had called Guarin over and put an arm around his shoulder, patting him warmly as if to comfort him. Guarin had returned to the squad list and was now on the bench.
Back in China, countless fans were following this Serie A blockbuster!
Compared to the Premier League, the 3:45 a.m. start time for Serie A was downright brutal...
But with Tang Long in the picture, that wasn't a problem.
On LeSports' pre-match trending chart, this game was already as popular as the El Clásico between Real Madrid and Barca!
"Welcome, viewers! Ever since Tang Long scored his first goal in Serie A, the buzz around him has been growing!"
"He's broken one Chinese record after another in Serie A: the first appearance, the first assist, and the first goal!"
"In football, a clash between two top teams is the best test of a player's ability to perform on the big stage!"
"Can Tang Long maintain the outstanding form he showed against Bologna last time when he faces Juventus? Let's wait and see!"
Everyone expected Inter, playing at home, to ride their momentum, beat Juventus for a fifth straight win, and claim three crucial points in their push for a place in the UEFA Champions League qualification zone.
But things didn't go nearly as smoothly as they'd hoped!
At the start, Inter took control of possession and the initiative, while Juventus adopted a cautious approach and dropped back to defend.
But Juventus clearly had more experience than this Inter Milan side.
Take Tang Long, playing in the attacking midfield position, for example.
Whenever Tang Long received the ball, Marchisio and Sturaro would close in from midfield, snapping onto him like iron drawn to a magnet.
Against Juventus' top-class midfielders, Tang Long's Strength rating of 78 meant he could barely hold his own one-on-one, let alone against two players at once.
Tang Long wisely moved the ball on with a quick pass, avoiding the double-team.
Time and again, before releasing the ball, he watched Icardi's runs and used his AI analysis to send the Argentine striker a killer through ball.
But then a new problem emerged!
Icardi was making the right runs, and Tang Long was sending the ball along the perfect route, yet Icardi still couldn't get to it!
The Argentine striker either miscontrolled it while being squeezed from behind by opponents,
or got muscled out of position by the defenders, who had the edge in speed.
Under the relentless pressure from Juventus' powerful midfield and defense, Icardi was drenched in sweat after barely 20 minutes.
In the 10th minute, Tang Long suddenly chipped a cross!
Icardi darted diagonally into the penalty area at lightning speed!
The ball bounced once and was still in the air. Icardi had already drawn back his leg, ready to shoot as quickly as possible!
Thud!
A black-and-white figure hurtled across the pitch. Bonucci flung himself in front of the shot and cleared the ball for a corner.
Icardi clutched his head in amazement. "How did he get across to cover so quickly?"
In the 18th minute, Icardi beat the offside trap and latched onto Tang Long's through ball along the ground!
He'd barely taken a touch when fullback Padoin charged at him like a mad dog.
"Shoot, quick!"
Icardi hurried his shot, sending it wide. Buffon didn't even need to make a save.
Again!
In the 25th minute, despite there being no real opening, Tang Long simply brushed the ball with the outside of his right foot—and somehow it landed perfectly in the path of Icardi's run!
Icardi sprinted after it!
But Buffon rushed out first and smothered the ball in his arms.
After all those sprints, Icardi was drenched. His jersey was soaked through, as if it could fill a whole basin with sweat.
His eyes were full of fatigue and confusion.
Twenty-five minutes had passed.
Inter's early attacking pressure was beginning to fade.
Mancini had spotted the problem from the sidelines.
He discussed it with his assistant, Herrera, for a while. Then Herrera called out instructions to Tang Long:
"Tang! You and Icardi are linking up too predictably. Work the ball sideways with your teammates more, and keep possession!"
Herrera was right.
Against teams like Bologna and Genoa, a simple one-track connection between Icardi and Tang Long—one passing, the other running—could easily tear open the opposition's defense.
But Juventus were no Bologna or Genoa!
The Bianconeri were the defending champions—the defending champions with 102 points!
They'd conceded just 23 goals all last season. Their defense ranked among the top three in all of Europe.
The coaching staff's message was clear: Inter couldn't afford to rush against Juventus. Tang Long needed to cut down on those direct passes and instead keep possession and move the defense from side to side.
Mancini's tactical adjustment made sense and targeted the heart of the problem.
However, this more complex style of play also exposed Tang Long's weakness in possession and dribbling!
In the 33rd minute, Tang Long received a pass from Medel and tried to turn, looking to build a more elaborate attack.
But just as he pulled the ball across with his foot, before he could fully turn, Sturaro stuck out a leg and won possession!
"Oh, no! Tang Long hasn't controlled the ball properly—he's given it away!"
"Sturaro's tackle was perfectly timed! He passes to Pirlo!"
"Pirlo sends it long!"
"My goodness, what a world-class pass!"
"Morata brings it down on his chest and shoots—"
"It's in at the near post!"
"Juventus have broken the deadlock first! They lead 1–0!"
"Ah... Oh!"
"That one was on Tang Long. That mistake was completely avoidable!"
Before you continue