<h4>Chapter 121: That strand of fireworks</h4>


    Midweek, the Europa League reignited its fire as Inter Mn faced AC Mn in the second leg of their intense encounter.


    AC Mn found themselves in a precarious position, so they opted for an aggressive approach from the outset. Inter Mn''s coach, Cooper, had anticipated this and instructed his team to focus on defense in the first fifteen minutes, determined not to concede.


    Gattuso and Ruicosta''s ability to advance with the ball, coupled with Shevchenko and Inzaghi''s effectiveness in the frontline, created several threatening attacks for AC Mn, but they were all thwarted by Inter Mn''s resolute defense.


    In the 10th minute, Inter Mn seized a promising counterattack opportunity. Zti intercepted the ball in midfield and swiftly passed it to Di Biagio to orchestrate the attack.


    At this moment, Wang Feng sprinted forward rapidly. Di Biagio, understanding the situation, delivered a through pass behind AC Mn''s defensive line. Wang Feng elerated to reach the ball, but Maldini arrived just in time to tackle him.


    Maldini''s challenge was clean, as he made contact with the ball before bringing down Wang Feng. Laursen quickly cleared the ball, disrupting the attack.


    Wang Feng, feeling frustrated, sat on the turf to adjust his socks. Maldini approached him and extended his hand, saying, "Wang, I won''t make it easy for you in this match."


    Wang Feng smiled, shook his hand, and got up, replying without hesitation, "Let''s see about that."


    AC Mn continued to dominate the game. In the 14th minute, Laursen swiftly passed through the midfield, and Ruicosta, after carrying the ball forward, suddenly took a shot from distance.


    The shot, both in angle and power, was perfect. It bypassed Cordoba and Materazzi and reached Inzaghi near the edge of the penalty area.


    Inzaghi, utilizing his experience, shielded off Samuel''s defense and then chipped the ball towards the right side of the penalty area. He quickly followed up, shooting fiercely towards the bottom right corner.


    Goalkeeper Toldo remained focused and managed to deflect the ball with his fingertips, pushing it out for a corner. It was AC Mn''s most threatening shot since the beginning of the match, leaving Inter Mn fans sweating in the stands.


    AC Mn earned a corner kick, with Ruicosta standing in the corner area. He raised his left hand high, and inside the penalty area, both teams'' yers were engaged in intense battles, refusing to give an inch.


    Ruicosta delivered a curved corner kick into the penalty area. AC Mn failed to win the first ball, as Materazzi headed it away. The ball flew towards the edge of the penalty area.


    Gattuso rushed forward to win the ball, opting to take a direct shot. However, his attempt was blocked by Samuel. The ball rebounded to the top of the penalty area, with ample space around.


    At this moment, Shevchenko had already moved out of the penalty area in search of an opportunity. Seeing the chance, he hurriedly ran towards the dropping ball. After controlling it with his chest, without letting the ball touch the ground, he executed a side volley.


    The shot was elegant, piercing through Inter Mn''s defense like a bullet and finding its way into the. Shevchenko opened the scoring for AC Mn, truly living up to his nickname "Atomic Bomber"!


    The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium erupted with joy as AC Mn fans realized they were just one goal away from advancing to the Europa League semifinals, stepping over the bodies of their arch-rivals!


    On the coaching bench, Cooper became restless. Despite detailed pre-match preparations, he hadn''t expected the opponent to score so early in the game.


    At this point, Inter Mn only held a slight advantage with two away goals. There were still nearly 75 minutes left in the game, and anything could happen.


    After scoring, AC Mn continued their offensive pressure, making it difficult for Inter Mn. The home team wanted to regain control of the game''s pace but struggled to do so.


    It wasn''t until the 35th minute of the first half that Inter Mn organized a threatening attack. The first was initiated by Di Biagio''s left-sided breakthrough. He sent the ball into the penalty area, but neither Wang Feng nor Vieri could get to it first, and Maldini sessfully cleared the danger.


    The second attack saw Wang Feng dribble past Serginho on the right nk, cutting into the penalty area. Faced with Serginho''s challenge, he passed to Recoba at the far post, but thetter''s shot was blocked by Abbiati.


    The first half ended with a score of 0-1, with neither side able to score again.


    As the second half began, although AC Mn maintained dominance on the field, they failed to score again. They were still in a disadvantageous position. As time passed, the yers'' mentality inevitably changed, and unrest spread among the fans in the stands.


    This provided Inter Mn with an opportunity. In the 85th minute, Inter Mnunched an attack from the back, with Zti diagonally passing to the left for Dalmat, who then found Di Biagio in midfield.


    Di Biagio advanced while observing the yers on the field. Suddenly, he sent a long pass that crossed the entire pitch andnded directly at the feet of Wang Feng on the right nk.


    AC Mn''s defensive focus had initially been on Di Biagio''s side, so the sudden shift caught them off guard. After receiving the ball, Wang Feng, with only Serginho nearby, initiated a run towards the goal, using a feint to bypass Serginho and entering the penalty area.


    Once inside the penalty area, Wang Feng didn''t hesitate to shoot. With other defending yers closing in, his shot headed towards the far corner of the goal.


    Abbiati leaped desperately, stretching his body to the limit and managing to touch the ball with his fingertips. However, the ball''s momentum remained unchanged, deflecting off the inside of the post and bouncing into the.


    "Goooooooooooooal!! The ball''s in! Wang Feng! Wang Feng!"


    "Give him the slightest chance, and he can be deadly. That''s the best striker in Serie A!"


    "The score on the field is now 1-1, with Wang Feng scoring a crucial goal for Inter Mn!"


    After scoring, Wang Feng dashed out of the field in excitement, sprinting along the stands and basking in the cheers of the fans. But at this moment, an unexpected incident urred.


    Many disgruntled AC Mn fans threw fireworks towards Wang Feng, and one hit his shoulder. He felt a sudden pain, then stooped down, holding his shoulder.


    Chaos ensued both on and off the field, with arge number of security personnel stepping in to maintain order. The rioting fans were quickly subdued, and team doctors rushed to check on Wang Feng.


    Although the injury was not serious, Cooper decided to substitute Wang Feng. This incident caused a thirty-minute dy before the match resumed.


    With little time left in the game, the remaining minutes felt somewhat dull. Clearly, experiencing such an event had affected the mentality of both sets of yers.


    The final score remained 1-1, with Inter Mn winning 3-2 on aggregate and advancing to the Europa League semi-finals. Their next opponent would be Feyenoord from the Eredivisie.