<h4>Chapter 156: Inter''s curse ?</h4>


    On February 15th, in the 14th round of Serie A, Inter Mn challenged Atnta away.


    In theory, Inter Mn and Atnta didn''t have much interaction, but in the two encountersst season, Inter Mn suffered their first defeat and narrowly won the second time.


    If Atnta were a strong team, then this record would be understandable, but they have been lingering in the lower ranks of the standings for years. When facing powerhouses like Juventus and AC Mn, they don''t put up much resistance. However, they always seem particrly spirited when ying against Inter Mn, which is puzzling.


    Sure enough, just 17 minutes into the game, Inter Mn conceded a goal inexplicably. Atnta winger Comandini forcefully dribbled down the wing and crossed the ball into the box. Inter Mn defender Coco failed to control the ball, identally deflecting it into his own.


    Inter Mn maintained control of the game, especially after conceding the goal, they desperately elerated the pace.


    In the 19th minute, Zti''s long pass found Wang Feng on the right, who then delivered a diagonal pass, but Carlon in the penalty area reacted a bit slowly and failed to catch up with the ball.


    Three minutester, Wang Feng dribbled past Carreira on the right, then passed to Carlon, but his shot went over the crossbar.


    Two minutester, Inter Mnunched another attack. Cannavaro sent a long pass from the back, and Wang Feng controlled the ball in the frontcourt. He dribbled past Beretta''s pressure and passed to Batistuta, whose low shot was saved by the goalkeeper, Taibi.


    In just over ten minutes, Inter Mn created several very threatening attacks, but all ended in vain. Wang Feng looked at the opponent''s goal with frustration, feeling that luck was not on their side today.


    "As the first half of the game is about to end, we can see that Inter Mn has created many scoring opportunities, but they have all failed to convert into goals, and they still trail 0-1."


    "The Inter Mn yers on the field seem a bit anxious. Just now, when fighting for the ball, Inter Mn defender Dharma pushed down Atnta defender Zauri in frustration, and the referee predictably showed him a yellow card."


    "As they enter halftime, they need to adjust their emotions. After all, there are still forty-five minutes left in the game. Look at this attack, beautiful, Wang Feng cleanly steals the ball from Zauri!"


    After intercepting the ball in midfield, Wang Feng quickly dribbled forward. He used a one-two with Dharma to evade the Atnta defender Zanoni, then quickly entered the vicinity of the penalty area and faced off against defender Pagani.


    Wang Feng moved forward with short steps, then suddenly elerated near Pagani''s left shoulder. Pagani thought Wang Feng was going to cut inside, so he stretched out his leg to intercept, but Wang Feng actually went to the byline, leaving Pagani watching helplessly as Wang Feng dribbled past him.


    Once inside the penalty area, Wang Feng easily crossed, finding Carlon''s head. Thetter headed the ball into Atnta''s goal, finally equalizing the score!


    Entering halftime with a draw ispletely different from being behind. The restless hearts of the Inter Mn yers calmed down, and there were smiles in the locker room. After all, they had the upper hand on the field, and with forty-five minutes left in the game, scoring another goal to secure three points was not a problem.


    As they resumed y, the situation remained under Inter Mn''s control. But in the 69th minute, Atntaunched a defensive counterattack. Zauri''s cross was intercepted by Cannavaro, but his clearance resulted in a mistake, hitting Atnta forward Soardi. Soardi quickly controlled the ball and scored with a powerful shot, piercing the away team''s goal.


    Inter Mn fell behind once again! This was Atnta''s first threatening attack of the second half and their first shot, yet it unexpectedly seeded.


    Throughout the history of world football, there are always some inexplicable upsets, forming various strange curses.


    Watching the home team yers celebrate wildly and the fans cheer in the stands, Wang Feng rubbed his forehead in frustration. Could there really be a curse, with Atnta being Inter Mn''s curse?


    Never giving up under any circumstances is Wang Feng''s creed, even if it means confronting the elusive fate!


    In the 81st minute, Atnta showed a w. Comandini made a passing error, intercepted by Matri. He sent a long pass to Carlon in the frontcourt, but the defensive yer headed the ball back to the midfield.


    Dibiagio received the ball and pushed forward, then passed to Wang Feng on the right. Wang Feng elerated past Carreira on the wing, then delivered a curved ball to the far post in the penalty area. Carlon, making a run, volleyed the ball into Atnta''s goal, leaving goalkeeper Taibi with no chance to save.


    Inter Mn equalized the score once again! The 2-2 scoreline remained until the end of the match. Inter Mn regretfully only earned one point, despite having a possession rate of 70%, with 17 shots and 9 on target, they only scored two goals.


    In contrast, Atnta had only 4 shots, 2 on target, but all were converted into goals, which was astonishingly efficient.


    Inter Mn''s recent record in thest four rounds is one win, one draw, and two losses, only gaining 4 points. Meanwhile, while Inter Mn faced adversity, AC Mn surged forward, achieving three wins and one draw.


    As a result, the gap between the two teams in the standings has narrowed to 1 point. If it weren''t for Inter Mn''s hard-fought draw with Atnta, they would probably have to relinquish their position at the top of the table after 13 rounds.


    On December 18th, Inter Mn faced a match in the Italian Cup against Cagliari, a Serie B team from the southwestern Italian ind of Sardinia. They had gone through three rounds of qualifiers, during which they also eliminated Serie A teams.


    Cagliari has had a glorious history. In 1970, under Luigi Riva''s leadership, they won the Serie A championship, but in the years that followed, they have been hovering between Serie A and Serie B.


    Although the opponent''s strength cannot be underestimated, Cooper still rotated the starting lineup, with Wang Feng and others on the bench, as they had to prepare early for the mid-season showdown with Parma.


    After the game started, Cagliari proved to be evenly matched with Inter Mn''s substitutes.


    In the 23rd minute, Inter Mn defender Pasquale fouled Cagliari forward Cyril in the penalty area, and the referee decisively awarded a penalty. Cyril duly converted it, helping the team take the lead.


    The situation of trailing was maintained into the second half. Just when Cooper couldn''t help but want to send on Wang Feng, Inter Mn substitute Martins made a breakthrough.


    First, he received a cross from Emre, heading the ball into Cagliari''s goal, then eight minutester, he scored again with a long-range shot,pleting theeback for Inter Mn!


    The 18-year-old Nigerian substitute, who scored twice, was excited like a child. He rushed to the coaching staff and hugged the coach and the main yers one by one.


    Wang Feng said some encouraging words. Although they were only a year apart in age, their positions in the team were vastly different. However, Wang Feng never acted superior and often yed with them.


    "If given the opportunity, I would like to go to China to y football," Martins, who had a good impression of Wang Feng, said. With his ability, it was a bit challenging to make a mark in the top five leagues.


    In the end, Inter Mn advanced to the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup by beating Cagliari 2-1.