The 62-Year-Old Sugar-Coated Cannonball Duo Returns! 6 Goals, 4 Assists in a Single Game!
Icardi had a brief nickname during his playing career. "Juventus Killer!"
On January 6, 2013, Tang Long had not yet made his first-team debut for Inter Milan, and Icardi was still playing for Sampdoria.
In that Serie A match of the 19th round, Sampdoria faced Juventus, and Icardi scored twice, helping his team to a 2-1 comeback victory!
It was this match that caught Inter Milan's attention, and they soon acquired them.
After arriving at Inter Milan, although Inter Milan's performance was initially very poor, with more losses than wins against Juventus;
However, every time he faces Juventus, Icardi seems to be on steroids, always delivering outstanding performances and leaving Juventus' defense in a state of panic.
At this moment, in the first Serie A Serie A match in August 2025, although facing Palermo, the goalkeeper standing in front of the goal is also an old acquaintance of Icardi.
As he looked at Buffon standing in front of the goal, a flood of memories of past matches against Juventus rushed back to him.
"I can score against Juventus, so what's a little Palermo? Buffon, you'd better get out there and retrieve the ball from your goal!"
Its body resembles a crane, and it moves like the wind.
The connection between experts is always a tacit understanding formed in the blink of an eye.
Icardi's serpentine run, seemingly unremarkable, simply involved zigzagging past Palermo's two defenders, but it precisely struck at the Sicilian team's Achilles' heel—their slow turning speed!
Mkhitaryan drew the ball away on the left flank, while Tang Long received the ball in the middle;
These two players alone have drawn 80% of Palermo's defensive attention, leaving them little room to focus on marking Icardi, whose movement is still world-class.
In his final move, Icardi moved from his spot and then suddenly made a reverse run!
Tang Long's over-the-top through ball arrived in response!
"Follow him!"
The experienced Buffon had already seen through the trick, but unfortunately the two center-backs in front of him were simply too slow; chasing back was like an aircraft carrier turning around.
With just that one reverse run, Icardi instantly created a two-body-long lead!
"Mauro, kill him!"
Tang Long's shout, carried by the night breeze of the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, reached Icardi's ears as he sprinted into the penalty area.
In an instant, the Argentina striker's blood surged, white smoke billowed from his head, and his eyes flashed like knives, as if he wanted to chop the former Juventus goalkeeper in front of him to pieces.
This fierce killing intent clearly intimidated Buffon as he launched his attack.
Originally, he was determined to come out of the box. From a goalkeeper's perspective, such a one-on-one situation definitely requires him to come out, otherwise he would only be able to passively defend himself.
However, the downside of nostalgia is that Buffon, during his attack, made eye contact with Icardi and instantly chickened out.
"How can he be so murderous!"
In his hesitation, Buffon suddenly lost his mind, his feet felt rooted to the spot, and he couldn't move his feet any further. He even had the lewd thought of retreating.
He froze!
"Old hen, go lay an egg!"
With a thud, Icardi unleashed a low shot that precisely pierced Buffon's groin, scoring the winning goal!
3-0!
Inter Milan took a three-goal lead in their first home game of the new season, just over twenty minutes into the game!
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza!
Let's give a round of applause to Icardi!
This is for Tang Long!
This is dedicated to the Sugar-coated Cannonball Duo, who dominated this very field exactly ten years ago!
[Ten years! I've waited a full ten years for this moment!]
[Tears welling up! Tang Long and Icardi connected again to score after ten years!]
-[This is my lost youth. Ten years ago, I was only 15 years old. That summer, I held a watermelon, watched Tang Long and Icardi while the electric fan blew on my face!]
-[And then there's Buffon. If it were someone else in goal, I might not have so many feelings. Sigh, Buffon is an old rival, an old nemesis.]
-[Icardi's shot was decisive, he really made sure Buffon scored!]
Is Buffon getting old or senile? Why did he suddenly freeze halfway through his attack?
- [I don't know, maybe they were intimidated!]
-[What a joke! It's always the goalkeeper who intimidates the striker, this is the first time I've seen a striker intimidate the goalkeeper so much.]
-[80% of the credit for Icardi's goal goes to Tang Long; that lobbed pass was like a violinist playing a beautiful melody!]
[He can score goals, he can assist; he's back! Our familiar Tang Long is finally back after a serious injury that lasted half a year!]
After scoring, Icardi excitedly took off his jersey and ran high into the air.
The lights in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza were so bright that they made this number 9 jersey shine brightly.
Beneath this number 9 jersey stood Tang Long, wearing a number 10 jersey.
Yes, after Tang Long returned to Inter Milan, he rightfully took over the number 10 jersey, indicating that he is the true core of this team.
"Put it on, Mauro," Tang Long picked up the jersey and handed it to Icardi. "Calm down, this is just the beginning. From now on, you can't take your shirt off to celebrate goals."
Icardi took the jersey, but instead of putting it on immediately, he gave Tang Long a big hug and said affectionately:
"Some people say we're getting old, Tang, but I don't think so. At least in Serie A, we're still the best combination!"
Inter Milan's first match of the season has ended.
In the end, they thrashed newly promoted Palermo 6-0 at home.
Icardi scored a hat-trick, while Tang Long added two goals and four assists.
La Gazzetta dello Sport: <The Twin Stars Shine Again at the Meazza!>
While such a headline is certainly inspiring, what is even more poignant is that the former Inter Milan duo, Tang Long and Icardi, are now 61 years old combined.
They are no longer young players, and according to the natural laws of football, they are gradually fading from the mainstream stage.
However, their dazzling performance in the first match, and the masterful teamwork between the two, has left many Inter Milan fans speculating wildly.
"With Tang and Mauro on the team, we have the strength to dominate Serie A!"
It is worth mentioning.
After this match, besides Tang Long and Icardi, there was another player whose popularity was also greatly boosted.
Buffon.
As expected, he became a negative example.
At the post-match press conference, Buffon refused to answer any questions and simply drank water in silence.
Not content with finishing his own water, he also took Palermo's coach's bottled water and drank it as well.
The reporters present all stared at Buffon, wondering why he was drinking so much water.
Some say that Buffon's decision to return to the court at this critical juncture is a sign he's drunk too much water and has lost his mind!
Some say that the 47-year-old Buffon is courageous enough to join a newly promoted team and return to the top league, proving his ambition to the world. Some even say that if Buffon performs well, he could help Palermo avoid relegation and possibly return to the national team.
But now it seems like tragedy is about to unfold.
While drinking water, Buffon also posed the existential question, "Why not just retire right now?"
However, when faced with reporters' questions, the head coach firmly replied, "Buffon? Believe me, based on my understanding of him, conceding six goals today was just an accident."
"I believe that when we return to our home ground in Sicily and face Inter Milan again, we will definitely get our revenge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a sparse round of applause broke out in the room.
Buffon nearly spat out a mouthful of water that went down his throat.
Next time facing Inter Milan?
The Italy goalkeeper calculated that it would either be December or next year.
"What am I going to do for the next few months? It's agonizing, so agonizing..." Buffon closed his eyes in despair.
The Serie A standings are as follows after the first round.
1. Inter Milan 3 points
2. Juventus 3 points
3. Napoli 3 points
4. AC Milan 3 points
Although seven teams secured all three points, Inter Milan, with a six-goal advantage in goal difference, sits atop the standings, ahead of Juventus!
The top scorers are as follows.
1. Icardi 3 goals
2. Tang Long scored 2 goals.
3. Lukaku 2 goals.
Tang Long is far ahead on the assist leaderboard with 4 assists, leaving everyone else in the dust!