In Inter Min's tactical setup, the reason why Mai dared to press forward so boldly often not returning in time to defend even after losing possession was because of Zai, the right-sided defensive midfielder c behind him.

  Inter Min's captain always stayed back to fill in for Mai, c the position whenever needed.

  When Di Maria surged forward at full speed, chasing down Bonucci's long pass, Zai was also rag back to defend.

  Behind him, Mai realized the gap left by his forush and also began to sprint back desperately.

  Di Maria caught up to Bonucci's long pass down the left, nearly level with Inter Min's penalty area, but Zai had already closed in on the inside line, catg up just as Di Maria reached the ball.

  Mai, hot on their heels, was also closing in.

  The Brazilian right-back was incredibly fast.

  Di Maria had a fsh of inspiration; he suddenly stopped abruptly, using his left foot to trol Bonucci's pass and bring it inside.

  Zai couldn't stop in time, rushing past him, while the ball stopped right behind him where Di Maria ositioned.

  The young Arge inside and advanced into the penalty area, leaving Zai behind.

  But Inter's captain wasn't someoo give up easily. With his wealth of experiend quick reflexes, he managed a nimble turn and slid in for a tackle, hoping to intercept before Di Maria could break free.

  Di Maria, however, showed ce and fir.

  With Zai on his left and Materazzi blog his path ihe box, the stage seemed set for him to lose possession. But just as Zai lunged in for the tackle, Materazzi hesitated, relut to disrupt his captain's defensive py.

  In that moment, Di Maria, cutting horizontally across the field, suddenly flicked the ball diagonally toward the goal line on Materazzi's right, slig into Inter's penalty area at a sharp angle.

  The entire Sao Paulo stadium erupted!

  Excitement, gasps, disbelief—all sorts of emotions swirled iands.

  Di Maria surged into the penalty area, reag the ball he left side of the six-yard box. With a quice up, he delivered a lofted cross with his left foot.

  The ball arced gracefully, desding right in front of the small penalty area.

  At this exaent, i, moving like a tank, muscled his ast Inter's tral defender Qiu. Despite their differen physicality and size, he overpowered him, positioning himself perfectly in front of Di Maria's cross. i rose and headed the ball directly at the goal.

  The ball, propelled by i's powerful header, arched sharply toward the right side of Inter's goal.

  Cesar, standing on the left side of the , couldn't rea time—no matter his reflexes or shot-stopping ability, he owerless against i's point-bnk header.

  "Goooooalllllllllllllllll!"

  "i!!!"

  "In just three minutes, Napoli has scored the first goal against Inter Min!"

  "Only three mihree minutes!!"

  As the Uruguayan striker found the , Qiu, still clutg at i's shirt, could only watch helplessly. i shook him off and sprioward the sidelines in celebration, leaving Qiu rooted iunned.

  The entire Sao Paulo stadium was ting i's name!

  More than 60,000 Napoli fans sprang from their seats, screaming and cheering with raw passion!

  Gao Shen's heart raced. When he saw Di Maria beat two defenders and deliver that cross with his left foot, he ched his fists. As the ball headed into the right side of the , Gao She into the air, uo tain his joy.

  "Yesss!!"

  As he he sharp sound of the referee's whistle firmed the goal, filling Gao Shen with overwhelmiement, and he began celebrating untrolbly.

  Behind him, the Napoli coag staff poured out from the sidelines, eae embrag Gao Shen in a wave of exhiration and joy.

  Like Gao Shen, everyone was beyond thrilled, shouting and cheering with abandon.

  "I really didn't expeapoli to scainst Inter Min within the first three minutes."

  "It's absolutely shog."

  "All Serie A fans familiar with Napoli know that their aggressive pressing right from the start is their signature tactic. But even so, no oicipated that Inter Min would cede so early. This is quite a disadvantage for them as the game progresses."

  "You see that Napoli's pyers are in superb dition. Their pressing from the opening whistle has beeless, causing chaos for Inter Min. However, Inter's response has been somewhat meical, g any sort of adaptability."

  "It almost feels as if Mani didn't prepare specifically for Napoli's high-pressure opening. This is surprising, especially sihe media and fans had all been talking about hooli's aggressive start was something to be wary of."

  "But despite the warnings, Inter Min ceded right away."

  "One-nil. This is going to be difficult for Io recover from."

  "The situation looks grim!"

  In the chairman's box, witnessing Inter Min's early cession, all the realian coaches present wore somber expressions. Trapattoni even shook his head.

  "Napoli's tempo is incredibly fast, and now that they've scored, it's as if they've found a cra Inter's armao Shen will definitely push his pyers to keep exploiting this opening. Inter Min is now on the back foot," Lippi sighed softly.

  The game firmed their fears.

  After the restart, Napoli tiheir relentless high pressing, ung wave after wave of attacks.

  Inter Min's early cession had rattled them. bined with the importance of this match, they looked disanized on the field, whily fueled Napoli's momentum.

  "Mani's team looks pletely unprepared. Their defense is sluggish and g flexibility—something's off. Inter is a seasoeam; they shouldn't be falling apart over a single goal."

  Trapattoni shook his head. "Napoli's high-pressing game is intense aless, but the question is, how long they sustain this? their pyers keep running at this pace?"

  "So, Inter should stay calm and wait for the right opportunity."

  Trapattoni's words sparked discussion among the other coaches, especially those like Ulivieri aura, who had experiehe challenges of fag Gao Shen's Napoli.

  They all knew just how hard it was to endure Napoli's pystyle.

  Napoli's approach relied on proactive defense, which was extremely difficult to ter.

  When they press, they atta groups; if they fail, they fall bad reanize rapidly. Who guaraheir pyers won't make mistakes under such pressure?

  Especially against the high-iy pressure applied by Napoli.

  The mid- and lower-tier teams might be able to tolerate such tactics, pying servatively, clearing the ball, and g possession. But a powerhouse like Inter Min, a Serie A giant, wouldn't accept that kind of humiliation. Pying defensively without attempting to domihe field would be a blow to their reputation.

  "I also think there's another factor as important as tactics: the unity of the team's mi. Napoli's pyers all seem pletely aligned, but Inter Mi seem to have reached a sensus. When they ceded earlier, Mai stayed up front trying to terattaot making it ba time to defend. Meanwhile, Napoli's defenders, like Biglia, were sharp and ready to intercept long balls."

  Lippi said this with a helpless expression.

  Even if it wasn't Mani, any coach would struggle against such a cohesive team.

  But looking at it from another perspective, Lippi khat establishing a ueam mi was crucial.

  A team without unity will fall apart on the field.

  And anyone in a leadership positioher in a pany or even a try—knows that reag sensus among people is one of the hardest tasks.

  Mani's team seemed to ck this unity.

  They had dispyed simir issues against Roma, and now it was even more obvious against Napoli.

  With pyers not on the same page, mental disunity would ma in tactical errors och.

  All the experienced coaches uood this well, and it was no surprise to them.

  They realized that, for Inter Min, this game might no longer be about winning or even drawing; it was about salvaging their dignity.

  g in the opening three minutes and fag Napoli's high-iy tactics, as well as Gao Shen's determination after previous setbacks, meant this match would be relentless.

  In that moment, whether it was Lippi, Trapattoni, or any other coach present, they all wore solemn expressions.

  Many of them had an uling thought in their minds.

  Could it be that Italian football's era is truly ging?

  Does Gao Shen's tactical philosophy represent the future?

  Would Italian coaches from now on have to learn from him?

  Although they had been studying Napoli's style quietly, seeking inspiration and abs its nuances, being sed to Gao Shen would be a whole new reality.

  While the Italian coag legends pondered, Inter Min's issues emerged again just five minutes after the previous goal.

  Mai, pushing forward from the right, had barely crossed the halfway line when Biglia intercepted him, f him to pass toward Stankovi the ter. However, Hamsik, trag back, intercepted the ball with ease.

  With the steal, Hamsik advanced, drawing in Zai and Cambiasso, then unched a long pass to the left side of the pitch.

  Napoli was once again targeting Inter Min's right fnk!

  Di Maria sprinted down the left side, rag past Inter's bae, and trolled the ball in the penalty area.

  Fag Materazzi, who charged toward him, Di Maria made a sudden stop and cut irig Materazzi into blog the inside ne.

  However, Di Maria abruptly poked the ball toward the goal line once more, catg Materazzi pletely off-guard. The quick succession of movements left Materazzi scrambling, uo keep up with the Argentine winger's agility as.

  Uhe pressure of the sudden shift, Materazzi reflexively stretched out his leg in a desperate attempt to block Di Maria's progress, only to clip nothing but air as the winger slipped past him effortlessly.

  ***

  Support me on patreon to read 55+ advanced chapters: patreon./Blownleaves.