Although it was only a Coppa Italia victory, its significance was extraordinary.
First, Inter Milan had beaten a full-strength Napoli side with a lineup of substitutes. Even Inter's own players hadn't expected that result before the match.
Second, it was the first time in four years that Inter had beaten their opponents away from home!
The curse of going five straight matches without a win at Stadio San Paolo had finally been broken.
No wonder Berni, the starting goalkeeper, had grabbed a Marshall speaker, jumped onto a locker-room table, and started dancing wildly in nothing but his underwear.
"Ahhh, my sun! Let's kick these Southerners' asses!"
Berni's voice rang out with a rock-and-roll version of the Italian opera "O Sole Mio," prompting a burst of laughter from the players!
With Mancini away, captain Ranocchia had secretly ordered five boxes of pizza for everyone. They'd been delivered to the locker room, and the players shared them.
Tang Long even had a slice, an unusually rare indulgence for him.
As everyone dug in,
Santon sat down beside Tang Long, and the two chatted.
"Tang, I really have to thank you. Before the match, I never imagined I'd score. Thanks for the assist!"
"Haha, I told you at halftime: if you wanted to attack, make those forward runs without hesitation. You did it. Congratulations, Santon!"
Santon swung his leg and pointed at his knee, reflecting aloud:
"At halftime, Herrera actually said I couldn't handle the level of Serie A. That really got to me. But I want everyone to know that even though I've lost both my menisci, I can still do what a healthy player can!"
Tang Long admired Santon's fighting spirit.
Like Chivu, he was someone who'd suffered a serious physical injury on the pitch.
But after weathering the storm, he'd