The day after the Min derby, news of Napoli seg the Serie A title two rounds ahead of schedule spread across Italy and Europe like wildfire.
Gao Shen and his Napoli had achieved the impossible: winning the Serie A championship as a newly-promoted team.
The news resonated not only in Europe but also worldwide, with tless media outlets marveling at the incredible feats achieved by Gao Shen. Whether it was during his te Real Madrid or now with Napoli, he always mao deliver surprises and exceed expectations.
Inter Min's coach, Roberto Mani, gratuted Gao Shen and Napoli after the match. He admitted that Napoli had outperformed everyohis season and deserved the trophy. However, Mani also made it clear that Inter Min would not give up on their season. Their focus had shifted eo the midweek csh with Roma in the Coppa Italia, which was now their st shot at silverware.
Meanwhile, Gao Shen deed all interview requests after seg the championship. The media frenzy that followed, with calls and emails p in from Italy, Europe, and beyond, left the Naples headquarters overwhelmed. No oicipated the global respoo this moal achievement.
But sidering the circumstances, it made sense.
This was the first time in Italian football history that a newly-promoted team had won the Serie A title.
Even more astonishing was the fact that Napoli had achieved something equally miraculous the previous season: winning the Serie B championship as a newly-promoted team.
Two secutive seasons of newly-promoted titles were not only unpreted in Italy but also unheard of in Europe's top leagues.
"This isn't just a first in Italian football history, it's a historic achievement for European football as well!"
"Gao Shen and his Napoli aren't just legends of Italy; they're legends of Europe!"
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As media outlets worldwide praised Gao Shen and his Napoli, the coach stayed focused on his goal: preparing the team for the Coppa Italia.
In a rare interview with local repao Shen revealed that their top priority was winning the Coppa Italia final. He emphasized the need for calm and sistent preparation.
Three days ter, Napoli traveled to Floreo face Fiorentina in the sed leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals.
Prandelli's side, trailing 3-1 after the first leg, opted for a bold and aggressive attag strategy in an attempt to overturn the deficit.
Napoli, unwilling to back down, responded with their own offensive approach.
What followed was a thrillio-end test at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, as both teams showcased exg, attag football.
In the end, the matded 3-3, with Napoli advang to the final on a 6-4 aggregate score.
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Meanwhile, iher Coppa Italia semifinal, Inter Min hosted Roma at the San Siro, having lost 2-1 in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
From the start, Inter pressed aggressively. In the 23rd minute, Julio Cruz opehe sg to give Inter hope.
Roma responded with relentless attacks, but Inter's defense held firm. The match became a tense, hard-fought stalemate.
Despite dominating possession and creating multiple ces, Roma failed to find an equalizer. The matded 1-0 in Inter Min's favor.
With a 2-2 aggregate score, Inter advao the final on the away goals rule, dashing Roma's dream of lifting the trophy at their home ground.
Inter Min would now faapoli in the Coppa Italia final.
After the match, Mani struck a defiant tone, vowing to take revenge on Napoli in the final.
"The league title belongs to Napoli, but the Coppa Italia will be ours!" Mani decred. "This will be my parting gift to the fans before I leave."
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That weekend, the thirty-seventh round of Serie A kicked off.
With the championship already decided, the focus shifted to the battle for European qualification and the relegation fight.
In the race for the top four, A had gained signifit momentum after their victory over Inter Min in the previous round. They were now just three points behind Juventus.
Fiorentina, who had occupied fifth puch of the seasoo sixth after being overtaken by A.
As the stakes grew higher, every point mattered in the final two rounds.
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Inter Min hosted Siena and could only manage a 2-2 draw, dropping crucial points.
Juventus, pying at home against ia, alsled. After g early in the sed half, the Bianeri needed a te equalizer from Del Piero ih mio salvage a 1-1 draw.
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Meanwhile, Napoli faced A at the Stadio San Paolo.
Before the match, the Italian Football Association held an official award ceremony, presenting the Serie A championship trophy to Napoli. Captain Franontervino, who hadn't pyed a single mihis season, had the honor of lifting the trophy on behalf of the team. The gesture symbolized the unity and spirit of the squad, and Montervino received warm appuse from his teammates and fans alike.
For the match itself, Gao Shen opted to field a heavily rotated squad. Even starting goalkeeper Handanovic was given a rest, with Gennaro Iezzo making his first appearance of the season.
The game turned into an opeertaining test. In stoppage time, Seedorf scored the decisive goal for A, giving them a narrow 3-2 victory and three invaluable points in their pursuit of Champions League qualification.
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After the match, Juventus' teical director, Alessio Secco, publicly criticized Gao Shen in Tuttosport. He accused Napoli of deliberately underperf to help A win.
"At 2-2, Gao Shen substituted avaro for a 16-year-old. That decision was absolutely baffling and directly led to A's winning goal," Secco said.
He went on to suggest that Gao Shen and his close friend, Ai, had reached a secret agreement.
"There's a rumor that Ai helped Napoli by beating Inter Min, and iurn, Napoli deliberately lost to A to give them three points," Seed.
The allegations caused an uproar, with media and fans seizing on the troversy.
Gao Shen wasted no time in responding, dismissing Secco's ents as baseless and absurd.
"On the trary," Gao Shen revealed, "someone did approach me and the club before the game, hoping we'd go all out to stop A. But I refused."
He expined his reasoning:
"We've already won the championship. Why would we risk exhausting ourselves or risking injuries i two rounds when we o prepare for the Coppa Italia final? That would make no sense."
As for substituting in a 16-year-old, Gao Shen defended his decision with pride.
"That 16-year-old is Lorenzo Insigne, a youth academy product of Napoli. I firmly believe he'll bee an Italian iional and one of the best attackers in the try. Giving him game time now is part of his development. What's wrong with that?"
Gao Shen eveioned another young pyer, Marco Verratti.
"Insigne ati are two young talents I admire greatly. Verratti is only 15, but I pn to give him opportunities season. As for Insigne, he's already pying."
In a parting shot, Gao Shen turned his criticism ba Secco.
"If Juventus fails to qualify for the Champions League, it won't be because of us. It'll be because of their own shortings. The truth is, Juventus simply isn't good enough to pete at that level."
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Ai also dehe existence of a agreement with Gao Shen.
"Yes, Gao Shen is a good friend of mine, but we'd oop to something like that," Ai said. "If anything, Napoli's performance against us was uandable. They had already secured the title and were focused on the Coppa Italia."
Napoli's general manager, Pierpaolo Marino, joihe fray, calling Secco's remarks "stupid and unprofessional."
"He's trying to deflect bme for Juventus' failures onto others," Marino said. "If Juventus misses out on the Champions League, the fault lies squarely with Secco."
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The final round of Serie A kicked off amidst this backdrop of troversy.
Juventus faced Sampdoria and could only manage a 3-3 draw. Mohamed Sissoko's red card ih minute left them vulnerable, and they failed to secure the win they desperately needed.
A, meanwhile, thrashed Udinese 4-1 at home, seg three points and climbing into fourth pce.
With that result, Ai's team overtook Juventus and secured Champions League qualification. Juventus, relegated to fifth pce, would pete in the Europa League alongside Fiorentina and Sampdoria.
Napoli, already ed champions, fielded another rotated lineup and lost 2-1 away to Lazio.
The final round of Serie A cluded with Napoli's miraculous season officially etched into the history books.
Inter Min finished sed, Roma third, and A ched the final Champions League spot in fourth. Juventus, despite their signifit iment in the squad st summer, fell short, finishing fifth ained for the Europa League alongside Fiorentina and Sampdoria.
Sampdoria's seventh-pce finish earhem a Europa League spot only because both Napoli and Inter Min, who qualified for the Champions League, were also the finalists of the Coppa Italia.
The results of the final round underscored what Gao Shen had fidently stated earlier: Juventus simply cked the strength to tend for a top-four spot. Secco's previous spiracy accusations only served to highlight his desperation and iude, leaving the Juventus teical director as a target of widespread ridicule.
