Old Soldiers Never Die! The "Bow-step Interception" Ultimate Skill Reappears, Shocking the Entire Venue!

At this moment, Ranocchia, standing on the Stadio Olimpico, felt an unprecedented tension.

He already has over 300 Serie A matches under his belt.

But standing on this stadium he had visited countless times, looking at the cheering Roma fans, Ranocchia felt like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old rookie soldier, his palms even sweating with nervousness.

He couldn't help but think back to his early career in Paris, and his youthful days.

"Andre, you can do it!" Ranocchia silently encouraged himself.

Especially when he saw Tang Long standing in the center circle, he turned his head and glanced at him. The two seemed to ignore each other. These two old friends and brothers who had known each other for ten years understood each other perfectly without saying a word.

Rush!

When the referee blew the whistle to start the match, when Tang Long gently passed the ball to Bonazzoli, and when the second round of Serie A, Inter Milan's away game against Roma, began, Ranocchia instantly immersed himself in the game, leaving all his tension and anxiety to the winds.

Now he is the captain of Inter Milan, leading 10 players on the field, determined to break through the formidable fortress of the Olympics!

The goal came so early, catching everyone off guard.

Tang Long, playing in the attacking midfield position, showcased the highest level of midfield artistry in contemporary football.

When Roma crossed the ball from the wing, Ranocchia, playing in the center-back position, accurately judged the landing point and calmly flicked the ball away, but Tang Long had already anticipated the landing point!

Without any AI System prompts, his brain is the most accurate football AI system in the world today.

Even before stopping the ball, he deliberately used a zigzag fake step to get past Roma's captain, Pellegrini.

What happens when a soccer ball lands in a pile of cotton?

This is the scene that unfolded when Tang Long controlled the ball with the instep.

It was as if a mother had opened her arms and gently lifted her swaddled baby.

The ball landed steadily within Tang Long's control range. The ball, which was over 20 meters high, was handled so docilely and obediently by Tang Long's feet, drawing the attention of everyone present. Even the Roma fans cheered.

A simple ball control is just the appetizer; the real highlight is the follow-up actions.

After Tang Long received the ball, Inter Milan launched a three-pronged attack.

Center forward Bonazzoli was struggling to move backwards under pressure from Roma's center-back Hummels, while on the right, Lahm quickly moved wide, using his speed to draw away full-back Mancini.

Dimarco, the sharpshooter on the left wing, was overjoyed, because he had guessed correctly and had indeed received a pass from Tang Long!

Tang Long was clearly facing right, with his back to Dimarco's forward run, but he didn't even look at the ball. After stopping the ball, he immediately launched a long kick!

The football, arcing in a perfect rainbow, landed in the direction Dimarco was charging forward. The Italy national team's left-back didn't dare to be careless and kept rushing forward, finally managing to retrieve the ball just as it was about to hit the byline.

Dimarco delivered a cross with ease, and just as his body flew over the advertising boards, Bonazzoli — Inter Milan's strongest center forward—outmaneuvered center-back Hummels and calmly headed the ball into the goal!

Inter Milan take the lead!

Although the goal came from an assist by Dimarco and a goal by Bonazzoli, everyone on the field knew that the key to this attack was Tang Long, and 80% of the credit for the goal should go to him.

"Look at the value of a superstar," Berni clapped repeatedly on the sidelines. "I told you, buying Don was definitely the right decision."

"He wasn't bought, he joined on a free transfer, this deal was really worth it," Chivu, unable to hide his excitement.

Tang Long didn't celebrate much. Instead, he ran back to the back line and gave Ranocchia a high-five. Neither of them said a word.

Ranocchia understood that this goal was actually a way for him to release pressure. As a 37-year-old veteran, this might be his last season wearing the blue and black stripes as a player, and the year that would mark the end of his professional career. He had nothing to worry about; he just needed to enjoy football to the fullest and dedicate everything to the pitch.

Two days ago, the rivalry between the two on the five-a-side football field at Ranocchia's home was not unfounded; it was Tang Long's "targeted approach" to Ranocchia.

Soon, the results were fully demonstrated in actual combat.

In the 25th minute of the first half, Roma, playing at home, launched a counterattack, unwilling to fall behind.

El Shaarawy, the Italy striker who rose to fame at AC Milan, is 33 years old this year.

His rise to fame was a year or two earlier than Tang Long's. However, after years of experience, including playing in several leagues and even trying his luck in China, El Shaarawy, who returned to Serie A, has lost the edge of his youth.

But as a striker, his dribbling skills remain sharp, and he can still hold his own in Serie A.

Under the direction of midfield captain Pellegrini, Roma's players exchanged passes in succession, finally creating an opening. Pellegrini then played a through ball, and El Shaarawy dribbled towards Ranocchia.

Seeing this, assistant coach Berni on the sidelines immediately felt a pang of anxiety and quickly said to Chivu:

"The midfield protection wasn't good enough; how could he have gotten into a one-on-one situation with our center-back so easily!"

Berni didn't name Ranocchia, but he was very direct, revealing his anxiety to Chivu. He believed that in this one-on-one situation, the shorter El Shaarawy might easily beat the tall center -Ranocchia with a single kick.

In the world of football, tall center-backs are most afraid of facing small, quick, and agile opponents.

Ranocchia is 1.95 meters tall, while El Shaarawy is 1.78 meters tall, a difference of 17 centimeters, or more than half a head.

But Chivu calmly said to Berni:

"Don't panic. I put him in the starting lineup precisely to let him face this kind of challenge. I trust my captain."

El Shaarawy was well aware of Ranocchia's weaknesses, and despite his teammates calling for passes from both sides, El Shaarawy was very determined in this one-on-one situation.

With a sideways flick, he then slashed the ball back, shifting his weight twice in succession before suddenly kicking the ball to the right, aiming to brute force his way past Ranocchia!

A fist has the advantage when it is young and strong.

Although El Shaarawy is no longer young, he is still 4 years younger than Ranocchia and is known for his speed and dribbling skills. In this run, he instantly gained a half-body lead.

Just as El Shaarawy was about to aim at goalkeeper Sommer and prepare to attack Inter Milan's goal, something unexpected happened.

Before he could even kick the ball, he felt a blur before his eyes, and before he knew it, the ball had disappeared!

"Ah, this!"

Having finally brought the car to a stop, El Shaarawy whirled around, still shaken, to see Ranocchia frozen in place on one knee, his ankle forming an elegant arc as the ball was held firmly under his instep like it was drawn by a magnet.

He then Ranocchia to his feet and dribbled the ball forward at a leisurely pace.

After making that interception, Ranocchia didn't hold onto the ball.

Despite his good footwork, this defensive midfielder quickly passed the ball to Mkhitaryan in midfield, allowing the team to complete a smooth transition from defense to attack thanks to his interception.

Staring at Ranocchia's tall figure from behind, El Shaarawy was dumbfounded and utterly bewildered.

"That's Bow-step interception!"

El Shaarawy, who has played in Serie A for many years, is certainly familiar with Ranocchia's signature move.

However, this tactic has disappeared from Serie A since Ranocchia turned 35, which is only about two years ago.

Since the Rano family, no other Serie A center-back has been able to execute this signature move.

His "Bow-step interception" has disappeared from Serie A!

"Impossible, absolutely impossible," El Shaarawy's heart pounded. "I clearly went over there. At his age, based on my understanding of him and the footage I've watched, there's no way he could have intercepted the ball!"

El Shaarawy even thought his eyes were playing tricks on him; he kept glancing at the stadium's big screen, desperately wanting to see the replay.

"Could it be that I was really stopped by that Bow-step interception?"

If that's true, El Shaarawy would accept it.

When Ranocchia was young, even Serie A strikers Higuain and Tevez from Serie A couldn't get past Ranocchia, let alone Roma now?

He simply couldn't believe that the tricks he couldn't use when he was 35 Ranocchia were now being used by him at 37.

If it were last season, Ranocchia would have been helpless against El Shaarawy. The only solution would have been to bring El Shaarawy down, but that position would likely have resulted in a red card.

But this time, Ranocchia's choice was full of wise foresight.

Just as El Shaarawy was about to make his second feint and before he could even change direction for the third time, Ranocchia had already anticipated his next move and executed his signature "Bow-step interception," intercepting El Shaarawy 'El Shaarawy next action.

This is an extremely risky act!

Because if El Shaarawy hadn't dribbled to the right with his final touch, but instead continued forward, Ranocchia would have missed completely, handing El Shaarawy a one-on-one opportunity.

But in any case, Ranocchia made the right bet.

Or perhaps, he made a top-notch anticipation as a center-back!

The match has ended.

Inter Milan easily defeated Roma 2-0 away from home, achieving their second consecutive Serie A victory and continuing to sit atop the Serie A standings, still ahead of arch-rivals Juventus on goal difference.

El Shaarawy approached Ranocchia, wanting to exchange jerseys with him.

Both players had played for the Italy National Team and frequently faced each other in Serie A. Although their on-field relationship was tense, they were quite amicable off the field.

"Andre, I don't know whether to call me lucky or unlucky, but anyway, I saw your Bow-step interception technique again, and I really admire it. But what I didn't expect is that you still remember this move. I thought we would never see it again."

Although El Shaarawy's tone was relaxed, it carried a hint of frustration, clearly indicating his deep resentment at having his breakthrough thwarted.

When asked how he managed to bring his long-lost skills back to life, Ranocchia smiled slightly and deliberately kept the question a secret.

"Who told you I can't use this move anymore? It's not that I don't want to, it's just that the time isn't right yet. Just you wait, I'll have to use it at least five more times this season."

Ranocchia, of course, wouldn't tell El Shaarawy the truth: he had actually anticipated El Shaarawy's next move.

He understands that he now needs to watch more video footage to study the habitual movements of opposing forwards, so that he can use anticipation to compensate for his declining physical abilities as he gets older.

"Andre, congratulations! How did it feel to start for the first time?" Tang Long walked over to Ranocchia.

This was Ranocchia's first start of the season. In the opening match against Palermo, Chivu opted for the younger Bastoni.

Ranocchia took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and smiled, "I feel like I'm not 37 or 27, but 17. I've improved in this competition, and I've learned a lot. Thank you!"

Ranocchia then walked to the sidelines and blew three kisses to his wife and children in the stands.

"Go Dad! You can definitely go to the 2026 FIFA World Cup!" Ranocchia's youngest son clapped his hands excitedly.

Sitting next to them was a bald man wearing sunglasses, who was the assistant coach of the Italy National Team.

He smiled slightly and gracefully concluded his scouting notes on Ranocchia.

The moment I closed the notebook, I already had a decision in my mind.