novelraw Chapter 903 - 623: Old Soldiers Never Die! The Legendary "Bow-Step Backward" Returns, Shocking Everyone!
Chapter 903 - 623: Old Soldiers Never Die! The Legendary "Bow-Step Backward" Returns, Shocking Everyone!
At this moment, standing on the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Ranocchia felt unprecedented tension.
He clearly had over 300 Serie A matches worth of experience.
But at this moment, standing on a field he had visited countless times, looking at the cheering Roma fans, Ranocchia's mood was like a rookie soldier, just seventeen or eighteen, his palms even sweating from nerves.
He couldn't help but recall his debut career in Paris, remembering his youthful times.
"Andrei, you can do it!" Ranocchia silently cheered himself on in his heart.
Especially when he saw Tang Long standing in the center circle, turning his head to glance at him, the two seemed to have no connection, these two friends, these brothers who had known each other for ten years, at this moment everything was unspoken.
Charge!
When the referee blew the whistle to start the match, when Tang Long lightly passed the ball to Bonazzoli, when this Serie A second-round match between Inter Milan and Rome began, Ranocchia instantly immersed himself in the game, throwing all nervousness and anxiety to the winds.
Now he was the captain of Inter Milan, leading the 10 players on the field, determined to break through the strong fortress of the Olympic Stadium!
The goal came so early, it was beyond everyone's expectation.
It was still Tang Long, who, in the attacking midfield position, displayed the highest standard of contemporary football midfield artistry.
When Rome crossed from the wing, Ranocchia, in the central defender position, accurately judged the spot, and steadily flicked the ball away, Tang Long had already seen through it early on!
No AI system prompt was needed, his brain was today's most precise football system AI.
Even before receiving the ball, he deliberately used a zigzag fake step to deceive Rome's captain Pellegrini.
What response does a football have when it lands in a pile of cotton?
It was precisely the image displayed when Tang Long cushioned the ball with the instep of his foot.
It was as if a mother opened her arms gently to embrace the baby in her swaddling clothes.
The ball landed solidly within Tang Long's control range, the ball which fell from over 20 meters, was so tame and obedient under Tang Long's feet, drawing the admiration of everyone present, and even the Roma fans at the venue cheered.
Just receiving the ball was merely an appetizer, the connecting actions following the reception were the true highlight.
At this moment, after Tang Long received the ball, Inter Milan was launching a triple attack.
Central forward Bonazzoli bore down on Rome's central defender Hummels, moving backward arduously, while on the right-side young Lahm quickly pulled wide, using his speed to draw away the full-back Mancini.
The left-side dagger Di Marco was delighted because he guessed right, he indeed received Tang Long's pass!
Tang Long, clearly facing the right side, back towards Di Marco who was advancing, without even looking, after receiving the ball, immediately kicked a long pass!
The football carried a beautiful rainbow arc, landing towards the advancing direction of Di Marco, the authentic Italian national team left-back dared not slack, sprinting forward incessantly, finally salvaging the ball at the moment it was about to hit the touchline.
Di Marco crossed in stride, as his body flew past the advertisement board at that moment, Bonazzoli—the strongest center forward in Inter Milan's ranks—overpowered Hummels, the central defender, and firmly headed the ball into the net!
Inter Milan took the lead!
Though the goal came from Di Marco's assist and Bonazzoli's scoring, everyone on the field knew the critical point of this attack was Tang Long, 80% of the credit for this goal should be attributed to him.
"See, this is the value of a superstar," Berni continuously applauded from the sidelines, "I've always said, bringing Tang back was definitely the right call."
"He wasn't brought back on a transfer, he joined for free, this deal was really worth it," Chiwo couldn't hide his excitement.
But Tang Long didn't celebrate excessively, instead, he ran back to the defensive line and exchanged a high-five with Ranocchia, the two still said nothing.
Ranocchia understood, this goal was actually relieving the pressure on him, as a 37-year-old veteran, perhaps this was his last season wearing the blue and black striped jersey as a player, a year about to close out his career, he had nothing to worry about, only needed to enjoy football thoroughly and dedicate everything to the green pitch.
Two days ago, the bout in the 5-a-side small field at Ranocchia's home wasn't without purpose, but rather Tang Long's "targeted treatment" for Ranocchia.
Soon, the results achieved reflected vividly in the actual match.
In the 25th minute of the first half, the home team Rome, unwilling to fall behind, launched a counterattack.
Salawei, the Italian forward who made his name at AC Milan, was already 33 years old this year.
His time of fame was one or two years earlier than Tang Long, but after the vicissitudes of various leagues and even a stint gold-digging in China, the Salawei who returned to Serie A had faded from his youthful brilliance.
But as a forward, his breakthrough remained sharp, and at least still secured a place in Serie A.
Under the command of Rome's captain Pellegrini in midfield, several players circulated the ball continuously, finally exploiting an opening, Pellegrini delivered a through ball, Salawei dribbled towards Ranocchia.
Seeing this scene, the assistant coach Berni's heart tightened, quickly saying to Chiwo:
"The midfield protection is lacking, how did he manage to engage our central defender 1-on-1 so easily!"
Berni didn't mention Ranocchia by name, but his words were straightforward, inwardly revealing his anxiety to Chiwo, believing this 1-on-1, the shorter Salawei may easily get past the tall central defender Ranocchia.
In the football world, the biggest fear for tall central defenders is facing small, agile players.
Ranocchia, standing at 1.95 meters, and Salawei at 1.78 meters, had a whole 17 centimeters, over half a head difference in height.
But Chiwo was very calm as he told Berni:
"Don't worry, I let him start precisely to face such challenges, I trust my captain."
Salawei, of course, knew Ranocchia's weakness, even though there were teammates calling for him to pass on both sides, Salawei was very determined in this one-on-one.
A lateral shift, then pulling the ball back, after two consecutive shifts in center of gravity, he suddenly made one more move to the right, intending to use brute force to surpass Ranocchia!
Aging athletes fear youthful opponents.
Although El Shaarawy is no longer young, he is still 4 years younger than Ranocchia, known for his speed and dribbling. In an instant, he pulled half a body length ahead.
Just as El Shaarawy was preparing to target Sommer's position and launch an attack on Inter Milan's goal, something unexpected happened.
Before he could kick the ball, he felt a blur, and suddenly the ball was gone!
"Ah, this!"
Finally managing to stop, El Shaarawy turned around in shock, only to see Ranocchia frozen in place on one knee. With the inner side of his ankle, he drew an elegant arc, and the ball seemed magnetically stuck under his foot.
Then Ranocchia got up, taking the ball forward unhurriedly.
After this interception, Ranocchia didn't keep the ball to himself.
Having started as a defensive midfielder, he had decent footwork but quickly passed the ball to Mkhitaryan in midfield, enabling the team to smoothly transition from defense to attack thanks to his interception.
Watching Ranocchia's tall back, El Shaarawy stood dumbfounded, filled with confusion.
"That's a bow step back move!"
Having battled in Serie A for many years, El Shaarawy certainly knew Ranocchia's signature move.
However, since Ranocchia turned 35, this move has disappeared from the Serie A arena over the past two years.
After Ranocchia, no other Serie A center-back could perform this signature move.
His "bow step back" had vanished from the Serie A stage!
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible," El Shaarawy's heart raced, "I clearly passed him. With his age and what I've observed from watching the tapes, he shouldn't be able to intercept the ball!"
El Shaarawy even thought his eyes deceived him, constantly glancing at the big screen on the field, urgently wanting to see a replay.
"Could it be that I was really intercepted by this bow step back move?"
If that were true, El Shaarawy would grudgingly accept it.
In his younger days, Serie A forwards like Higuain and Tevez were unable to get past Ranocchia's move, let alone himself now at Rome.
He just couldn't figure out why Ranocchia, who couldn't pull off the move at 35, suddenly managed it at 37.
If it were last season, El Shaarawy's drive would indeed have left Ranocchia helpless, with the only option being to take him down, risking a red card at this position.
But this time, Ranocchia's choice was full of predictive wisdom.
Just as El Shaarawy made a second feint without a third direction change, Ranocchia had already anticipated his next step, executing his signature "bow step back" to intercept El Shaarawy's next move.
It was an extremely risky maneuver!
Because if El Shaarawy had decided to continue forward instead of veering right, Ranocchia would have missed completely, gifting El Shaarawy a clear one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
But regardless, Ranocchia gambled correctly.
Or perhaps he made a top-class defensive prediction!
...
The match ended.
Inter Milan secured a 2-0 away win over Rome, claiming their second consecutive Serie A victory and maintaining their top position on the Serie A table, still edging out rivals Juventus by goal difference.
El Shaarawy walked up to Ranocchia, wanting to swap jerseys with him.
Both had played for the Italian national team and often faced each other in Serie A; while tensions ran high on the field, they remained amicable off it.
"Andrei, I don't know whether to say I'm lucky or unlucky, but either way, I've seen your bow step back move again, and I'm genuinely impressed. What I didn't expect is that you could still remember this move—I thought we'd never see it again."
El Shaarawy's tone was light but carried a hint of frustration, clearly unsatisfied about his thwarted breakthrough.
When asked how he managed to resurrect his long-lost signature move, Ranocchia simply smiled, teasingly leaving it a mystery.
"Who said I couldn't use this move anymore? It's not that I couldn't, just the right moment didn't come. Watch, I'll use it at least five more times this season."
Of course, Ranocchia wouldn't reveal to El Shaarawy that he had already predicted his next move.
He understood that he needed to watch more replays to study the habitual actions of opposing forwards, using anticipatory judgment to compensate for the decline in physical capabilities that came with age.
"Andrei, congratulations on your first start. How does it feel?" Tang Long approached Ranocchia.
This was Ranocchia's first start of the season. In the first match against Palermo, Chiwo opted for the younger Bastoni.
Ranocchia took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and smiled: "I feel neither 37, nor 27, more like 17. I made progress in this game, I learned a lot, thank you!"
Then Ranocchia walked to the sideline and sent three flying kisses to his wife and children in the stands.
"Go, Daddy! You'll definitely make it to the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico!" Ranocchia's youngest son clapped excitedly.
Sitting beside them was a bald man wearing sunglasses, none other than the assistant coach of the Italian national team.
He smiled slightly, majestically concluding his scouting notes on Ranocchia.
As he closed the notebook, he had already made up his mind.