Chapter 21 Shattered

Who is a paper tiger? Who is it?

Swing a heavy punch to shatter those malicious slanders.

Having been silent for too long, now is the time to prove oneself.

Mo Mo broke through the crowd and received an accurate diagonal pass from Alvaro Recoba.

"No offside! Mo Mo is not offside! The match enters the seventy-third minute! Mo Mo has secured a magnificent opportunity!"

Inter Milan fans screamed at the top of their lungs in the San Siro stadium, chanting Mo Mo's name.

The Chinese fans, who had been suppressing their emotions for so long, also waved the Five-Star Red Flags. They had held back for far too long! They were roaring and shouting, even though all sound was drowned out by foreign languages.

Yet, without a doubt, they were cheering Mo Mo on.

Dida, once again in a one-on-one showdown with Mo Mo.

Behind Mo Mo, some players stopped in their tracks as if waiting for the outcome, while others sprinted in desperate pursuit, unwilling to let Mo Mo break through.

"Mo Mo! Mo Mo breaks into the penalty area! Mo Mo is extremely calm; he didn't strike the ball rashly! Dida's save is brilliant! Mo Mo shoots! No! A fake shot! Dida wasn't fooled! Mo Mo feints! A shot? Another fake shot! No!"

Mo Mo's expression was intensely focused. Dida did not rush out; his 195-centimeter frame stood like an invisible, imposing net, radiating deterrence!

Mo Mo lifted his foot, mimicking a shooting motion, but Dida was not fooled. His feet seemed rooted to the ground as he held his position.

Mo Mo began shifting his center of gravity, yet it still proved useless.

The distance between the two grew closer and closer. Mo Mo had to make a choice.

Mo Mo's left foot touched the ball, seemingly preparing to shoot. A faint smile curled the corner of Dida's mouth: Still trying to trick me with a fake shot?

Just as Dida anticipated, the ball was struck toward the goal, rolling instead toward Mo Mo's right foot. His right foot?

Dida's eyes widened. He only saw the instep of Mo Mo's right foot violently lash against the ball. Then, with a loud "bang," the ball drilled fiercely toward the top right corner of the goal. Dida launched his entire body into a desperate leap.

"Goal! The ball is in! Mo Mo! Mo Mo opens the scoring, and Inter Milan now leads Milan by a goal!"

Dida crashed to the turf, turning his head to watch the ball resting quietly inside the net, looking somewhat desolate.

The San Siro stadium erupted instantly. Milan fans were filled with indignation, while Inter Milan supporters were ecstatic! Mo Mo sprinted wildly toward the corner flag, slid gracefully on his knees, and raised his arms high!

In a certain corner, a Five-Star Red Flag waved frantically. Chinese fans in the stands shouted in unison, "Keep it up! Keep it going!"

Teammates rushed over, enveloping Mo Mo in a massive embrace. From this moment on, Mo Mo officially integrated into the big family of Inter Milan. As for why—just look! Look at the dejected faces of the Milan guys! Was any reason needed?

Ibrahimovic wore a smile on his face, muttering curses under his breath: "This brat! Pulling so many tricks on a simple shot; if it were me, I'd have just smashed it in."

Lehmann quietly turned off the television, stood up, and muttered to himself: "Although I don't like Mo Mo, I hate those gossip newspapers that stir up trouble out of nothing even more!"

Seeing this, Hao Haidong curled up in his chair, crossed his legs, and smugly remarked: "There is a successor, a true successor! He's got a few shades of my prime years."

Hector Cuper applauded from the sidelines. Let's see what that fellow Vieri has to say now! Scoring a goal against Milan! A golden goal. Four appearances in Serie A, three goals—it simply doesn't get any better than this.

"The match continues. Mo Mo's goal has swept away all the pressure entirely. Now, as long as Inter Milan can defend solidly, defeat is the only fate awaiting Milan. There isn't much time left for Milan."

Chen Nuo also relaxed completely. Chen Nuo had actually never understood why, when Mo Mo was facing malicious defamation, certain domestic media outlets failed to offer support, let alone why they chose to tear Mo Mo down instead.

Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Did he ever need their support? Mo Mo proved with goal after goal that he was the right choice!

During the remaining dozen minutes of the match, Mo Mo began actively combining with Alvaro Recoba, and Gattuso could no longer pose any trouble for Mo Mo.

Milan's attacking end remained completely barren, ultimately leaving them with no choice but to watch helplessly as Inter Milan claimed all three points.

In the post-match press conference, Hector Cuper spoke highly of Mo Mo's performance while also revealing some new ideas regarding the construction of Inter Milan's attacking front.

In the twenty-sixth round of Serie A, Inter Milan traveled away to face Juventus Football Club.

For this match, bookmakers set the odds at 2.55 for a home win, 2.85 for a draw, and 2.64 for an away win.

Judging by the betting odds, bookmakers favored Juventus to win the match. On October 20, 2002, Inter Milan had shaken hands in a draw with Juventus at home. Could they pull off an upset in this away fixture?

Juventus featured their legendary goalkeeper Buffon and striker David Trezeguet.

David Trezeguet was hailed as a "born goalscorer," having netted 24 goals the previous season to win the Capocannoniere as the top scorer in Serie A.

As a fellow world-class striker, Brazilian star Ronaldo's assessment of Trezeguet reflected his deep respect for the French forward: "David has maintained his peak condition for these past few years. He is physically strong, possesses exceptional footwork, and more importantly, he has great speed! His heading ability is second to none in this world. He is simply a natural-born striker!"

Beyond David Trezeguet, Alessandro Del Piero and Pavel Nedved were also formidable opponents. This match was crucial for Inter Milan. Meanwhile, news came from back home in China that Arie Haan led the Chinese national team to a 0-0 draw in a friendly against Brazil.

Regarding this, Mo Mo remarked: Well, Chinese football truly lives up to its reputation as the king of friendly matches!

Around the same time, a national team call-up arrived, and Mo Mo was included in the preliminary roster for the East Asian Cup in August.

Of course, Mo Mo did not pay too much attention to these matters. Long before the East Asian Cup, the Chinese team had claimed the title twice. Nowadays, many people claimed that Chinese football had begun a steady decline after 2002.

However, who could ever say for sure about such things? When the national team's attacking trident fell into place, dominance in the Asian region would no longer be exclusively shared between South Korea and Japan.