Tang Long's mistake in midfield directly led to Inter Milan conceding a goal!
Pirlo's long pass looked like nothing more than a leisurely swing of the leg, but the ball flew like a cruise missile, curving around defender Ranocchia and landing precisely at the feet of the Spanish star Morata, who had beaten the offside trap.
Goalkeeper Handanović was helpless.
"Ah, how could Tang handle the ball like that? He should've turned around and shielded it first!"
With a sharp smack, Berni's towel came down hard on the ground beside the bench.
Guarin, who was warming up as usual on the sidelines, could only shake his head.
"A fatal mistake. Losing the ball in that position is disastrous!"
After scoring, Juventus launched a full-scale attack.
Statistics showed that they scored more goals between the 35th and 45th minutes than any other team in Serie A.
That was also when the Bianconeri's attack was at its most dangerous.
Thanks to their powerful control of the midfield and defense, they took charge of the match.
The 36-year-old veteran Pirlo was especially dangerous, creating chance after chance in midfield!
Time and again, Tang Long and Medel fought to double-team Pirlo, but the Italian veteran was neither tall nor strong, and he wasn't fast, either. Still, with basic moves like turning on the spot, feinting, and dragging the ball, he always managed to escape their combined pressure.
He was like a gently flowing stream: seemingly fragile, yet impossible to catch, no matter how hard you tried!
And when you angrily punched at it, all you got was a face full of splashing water.
They said a player moved as smoothly as flowing water and could shift effortlessly between attack and defense—that was exactly the kind of midfield master Pirlo was.
In the 43rd minute of the first half, Inter suffered another blow!
Once again, it came from a pass by Pirlo!
This time, Master Pirlo pretended he was going to send a long ball down the left, his gaze fixed on that side too. But at the last moment, he suddenly twisted his ankle and, from an unexpected angle, slipped the ball through to the advancing right-back Lichtsteiner.
The cross came in!
Morata headed it!
His second goal of the match!
More than 70,000 Inter fans at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza fell silent.
It was a truly painful start.
In the second half, Mancini made a substitution.
Tang Long came off, and Guarin replaced him in the same position.
"Tang, you really should learn from Pirlo. Just look at how elegant and graceful he is on the ball in midfield. He doesn't waste a single movement. That's what a master looks like."
"Look at that! See why he just fooled Medel? Can you tell what he did? He dipped his shoulder as he turned to deceive him. That's the key! Have you got it?"
On the bench, whenever Pirlo got the ball, Berni earnestly explained his movements to Tang Long.
"As far as I'm concerned, Pirlo's been the best top-class midfielder in Serie A over the past decade. If you can learn even thirty percent of his dribbling and ball-shielding skills, Tang, you'll finally be able to make a real place for yourself at a club like Inter."
Tang Long nodded, his eyes fixed on Pirlo.
He had only played for 45 minutes, but it had taken a close-up duel with Pirlo for him to truly understand what a top midfielder from Italy's Golden Generation was like.
Berni paused and glanced at Guarin on the pitch, looking as if he had something to say but wasn't sure how to say it.
"Tang, actually, you should watch Guarin too. He doesn't get along with you, but there are things you can learn from him."
Third-choice goalkeeper Berni was right.
After Guarin came on, Inter's midfield became a whole lot tougher!
The main difference was that they could hold on to the ball and were willing to take possession.
Unlike Pirlo, Guarin relied on his powerful physique to hold off opponents when carrying the ball in midfield.
When Tang Long had been on the pitch, if more than one opponent came to press him, he could only pass the ball away immediately.
Guarin was different. He could hold them off!
The Colombian star's strength was around 95, and his dribbling was about average, around 80. Together, they made him Inter's main outlet for holding the ball under pressure in midfield.
Pirlo drew opponents in with his dribbling and control, then passed the ball to create space.
Guarin used his body to hold off opponents, then did the same.
His passing was nowhere near as graceful or accurate as Pirlo's, but at least it let Inter's wingers receive the ball in open space.
In the 66th minute, Guarin knocked Marchisio aside with a shoulder like a boulder and drove forward like a bulldozer!
"Here!"
Icardi suddenly made a run behind the defense, fooling Bonucci and calling for the ball!
Guarin hesitated and didn't pass to him. Instead, he played it out wide to the advancing Nagatomo Yuto.
Nagatomo Yuto drove to the byline, drew two defenders, then cut the ball back!
Guarin thundered into the box and unleashed a rocket of a shot—but it struck the crossbar!
The ground itself seemed to tremble!
Facing the North Stand, Guarin repeatedly raised his hand. "Louder! Make some noise!"
The fans roared their approval. How could Inter fans not love a Guarin like that?
"Icardi isn't contributing much. Bring on Podolski."
At Mancini's command, the German forward came on, a better ball handler with a greater tendency to roam.
Although the home fans applauded Icardi as he came off, he was clearly in low spirits and merely exchanged perfunctory high-fives with his teammates.
Once he sat down on the bench, he didn't say a word.
Podolski looked completely at ease after coming on.
With more than 100 appearances for the Germany National Team, he was a big-game player. Alongside his strike partner Palacio, he kept drifting out of the penalty area and roaming through the channels.
In the 75th minute, Podolski cut inside and shot after receiving the ball in the channel, and Inter pulled one back!
The broadcast camera deliberately cut to Icardi, who had been substituted and was sitting on the bench.
He looked grim, his face dark.
Berni glanced at Icardi, covered his mouth, leaned close to Tang Long's ear, and murmured:
"That German's no pushover. Against a strong team like Juventus, he's more useful than Icardi. He can run, dribble, and shoot—he's got everything!"
In the end, the score stayed at 1–2 until the final whistle.
Inter couldn't complete their revenge at home.
The substitutes all got to their feet and headed to the middle of the pitch to encourage their teammates.
After talking with Ranocchia for a few moments, Tang Long felt someone tap him on the back.
Pirlo, sporting a full beard, was smiling at him.
"Hello, Tang. Could we swap shirts?" Pirlo asked with impeccable courtesy.
"Of course."
Tang Long swapped shirts with Pirlo.
"You played really well, Tang. Those through balls you played to Icardi in the first half showed real imagination. If our defenders hadn't been so good, Icardi could've scored at least twice, haha!"
After praising Tang Long, Pirlo changed the subject.
"Still, you need to work on your dribbling. I imagine Mancini wasn't happy about that time you lost the ball, which is why he took you off at halftime. You're a midfielder with a great passing game, but if you can't dribble, your potential will be limited. You'll be stuck in Serie A."
"Yeah, if only I could dribble like Messi. Unfortunately..."
"No, no, no!"
Pirlo said "no" three times in a row!
"You don't need Messi's unbeatable dribbling. That takes too much speed and natural talent. Learn from me: the basics—turning, cutting the ball back, dragging it. You don't need to do them too quickly, just get the timing right."
As he spoke, Pirlo demonstrated the movements in the air. "When you lost the ball, if I'd been in your place, I would've dealt with Sturaro like this..."
"If you get a chance, you can watch my dribbling videos. They're all online." Pirlo patted Tang Long on the shoulder.
Tang Long said, "Mr. Pirlo, I'm your opponent. Why are you telling me all this?"
Pirlo laughed. "Haha, what opponent? Once this season's over, I'm going to play in the USA. I'll get away from all the drama in European football and enjoy life. The future of football belongs to you young players!"
Tang Long paused, suddenly struck by an idea!
"Mr. Pirlo, if I ask you for advice about football in the future, would you be willing to help me?"
"Haha, ask me anything! I used to play for Inter, after all. They just didn't value me and sold me to AC Milan. Besides, I've been an Inter fan since I was a kid—that's the absolute truth. There are pictures online of me wearing an Inter shirt when I was little!
"Oh, right. I'll have Chivu send you my number later. He and I know each other—we've been rivals for years! Ask me whatever you like. Once I get to the USA in July, I'll be getting rid of this number anyway~"
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