novelraw Chapter 898 - 619: From Missed Opportunity to God-Level Prediction! He Fooled Everyone Again!
Chapter 898 - 619: From Missed Opportunity to God-Level Prediction! He Fooled Everyone Again!
As Tang Long ran on the field, the strange yet familiar song rang in his ears again.
It's strange because this Inter Milan chant hadn't been heard onsite for ten years.
It's familiar because Tang Long heard such chants during his very first match at home at the start of his career!
"Forza Inter!"
To this day, Italian remains the best foreign language Tang Long has mastered.
Currently, Tang Long speaks three foreign languages: Italian, learned at Inter Milan, English, learned at Manchester City, and Spanish, learned at Real Madrid.
During his time at Manchester City, he frequently communicated in Italian with Ranocchia, Bonazzoli, Kolarov, and others.
To Tang Long, Italy is undoubtedly his second home!
Amidst the shouts in Meazza Stadium, Tang Long felt like he was facing his native folks; although he was no longer young, he had to perform his best to repay the home fans.
"This is Tang Long's first battle after returning to Inter!"
"Meazza Stadium has 80,201 fans here to watch the match live!"
"Or rather, this is all their open seats!"
"There isn't a single empty seat in the house!"
Zhang Lu was already quite old, old enough that sometimes during commentary at 74 years old, he would misname players and even fall asleep, saying things that didn't make sense.
But for Tang Long's first battle back at Inter, even though it was 3:45 AM Chinese time, Zhang Lu's emotions were unprecedentedly high, and his focus was sharp, precisely naming every player on the field.
"Tang Long is the commander in midfield, his directives are clear."
"He did a one-two wall pass with Mkhitaryan, effortlessly bypassing the pressing Segre."
"He can pass it to the left wing now, where Di Marco is suddenly advancing; Tang Long must have seen it!"
"... What, no pass?"
Zhang Lu felt a burst of bewilderment!
This obvious chance, why did Tang Long choose to pass back to Mkhitaryan instead of sending a direct through ball?
Could it be that nearing thirty, having had a torn cruciate ligament once, Tang Long is truly old...
No!
The next moment, Tang Long and Mkhitaryan's collaboration left Zhang Lu dumbfounded!
After passing back to Mkhitaryan, Palermo's defensive focus began to shift to the left wing.
However, because Tang Long didn't pass immediately, Di Marco was already in an offside position, losing his threat.
Seeing the imminent stalemate, Mkhitaryan passed back to Tang Long, a move born from helplessness; unable to break the impasse.
But Tang Long, with his back turned, suddenly performed a stationary 180-degree pivot, punching the ball heavily towards the right flank of the penalty area!
"Ah!"
"The ball has been directed to Flaetesi!"
"Flaetesi is moving in, attacking from behind!"
"A shot!"
Only to see Flaetesi unleash a powerful strike as the ball arrived, smashing into Buffon's face, and rebounding into the goal!
Buffon took a headshot, leaned back, and fell into the goal.
The skillful execution of this play was thrilling; Flaetesi excelled at such high-speed rear entry strikes; give him a solid pass and he might falter.
The moment the ball hit the net, amidst the frenzied shouts of eighty thousand fans.
Flaetesi first stripped off his jersey, then swung his muscular torso, tightly embracing Tang Long in his arms, both falling to the ground; other players gathered around, cheering together!
Finally, Tang Long rose, running towards the fans in the north stand.
He lifted the team badge on his left chest for a deep kiss.
The first statistic after returning to Inter was an extraordinary predicting assist that made his name in the football world!
"Not bad, not bad, as expected, he always fools us."
"He's still the same genius, unchanged, haha!"
On the sidelines, Chiwo and Berni exchanged smiles and high-fives.
Neither Inter's head coach nor assistant coach anticipated Tang Long's ultimate move, which unexpectedly involved Flaetesi coming in from behind!
Was Zhang Lu in the broadcasting room any different?
Like Chiwo and Berni, Zhang Lu too, in that fleeting moment, thought Tang Long's failure to deliver the immediate through ball to the advancing Di Marco was a missed opportunity.
Yet, only Tang Long knew clearly why he took that approach.
Though Di Marco's advance was promising, firstly there was a defender following him along his path;
Secondly, Di Marco's pace wasn't swift, even if Tang Long's ball reached the target, it would be hard for him to escape the opponent's entanglements.
Only Flaetesi, arriving from behind, possessed both the stealth and speed to be a deadly threat!
Tang Long and Mkhitaryan's back-and-forth ball play was in waiting for Flaetesi's entry.
He deliberately refrained from verbally calling out to the Italian midfielder—shouting would alert team members and simultaneously alert opponents.
Following this assisted goal, Tang Long realized in his heart: "Ninety-nine's Flaetesi is a promising talent, perceptive enough to partner effectively."
By this time, Tang Long's AI football engine in his mind had already reached its peak.
The system had disappeared!
The system had fully immersed itself into Tang Long's mind, merging with his peak-level foresight and vision.
No longer did any brainwave prompt Tang Long's anticipations.
Because Tang Long's mind was now the world's one and only intelligent engine in the football world!
His advanced football thinking allowed him always to forecast match situations early and make the most rational choices.
From having a sword to none, Tang Long had achieved the greatest metamorphosis in his football career.
"No, don't panic! It's just conceding a goal first, we'll catch up!"
Buffon rubbed his swollen forehead, spitting a mouthful of bloody saliva onto the ground.
Though internally distressed, Buffon had to put on a facade of indifference.
After all, in the Italian football circle, in this newly promoted Palermo, he was undoubtedly the big brother.
Even their captain, forward Brunori, bowing and offering cigarettes in front of Buffon, was the small fry.
Yet, Palermo's players weren't foolish~
Though they had long played in Serie B, they were still professionals.
They discerned that this goal was caused by Tang Long's unexpected pass catching Buffon off guard, rendering him unprepared against Flaetesi's explosive shot.
"Even Buffon couldn't predict Tang Long's pass, how can we defend it?"
Palermo players were starting to panic too.
This was Meazza, after all.
In the first five minutes, old Buffon's goal had been breached.
With over an hour of match remaining, how do we play?
Throw everything into offense or continue defending and playing on the counterattack?
They could think.
But Tang Long wasn't giving them any time for reflection!
Soon, Buffon would again find himself in an embarrassing situation.
This time, Tang Long decided to personally take charge, engaging in a real contest with this old rival of ten years!