Chapter Twenty-Two: A Formidable Juventus

Juventus at home was the most potent attacking force in Serie A, averaging two goals per match.

If they failed to defeat Juventus even on their home turf, Inter Milan would ultimately face a crushing defeat when venturing into Juventus's territory.

Vattel expressed his views in the Munich Evening News. Vattel was as annoying as a persistent stray dog, but it had to be admitted that his tactical vision was quite accurate.

He favored Juventus in this match, predicting that Inter Milan would fall victim to Juventus's formidable offense and stellar defense.

In fact, Vattel's prediction proved correct. Historically, AC Milan had defeated Inter Milan 1-0, and Juventus had beaten Inter Milan 3-0. Inter Milan had already begun to crumble in the second half of the season.

Of course, the present situation was no better. Although Momo had joined the team, he was ineligible to participate in the UEFA Champions League. The 2002–2003 Champions League third qualifying round had begun on August 28, 2002, and the tournament had now reached the quarter-finals, with eight teams fighting for a spot in the semi-finals.

Inter Milan was set to host Valencia at home on April 10, 2003, while the league match against Juventus loomed on March 24. Should they go all out for the Champions League, or try to contest both and end up empty-handed? This seemed like an easy choice.

Inter Milan would adopt a rotation policy for the match against Juventus. Héctor Cúper made his choice, abandoning any plans to engage in a grueling, do-or-die battle with Juventus.

This did not necessarily mean Juventus would surely win. After all, the opponent Juventus was facing was none other than Barcelona—Juventus's quarter-final opponent in the Champions League!

If Juventus wanted to go further, they had to give it their all.

The Champions League or the league title? This seemed like a difficult dilemma, but Héctor Cúper deduced that Juventus would likely also rest players in this round of the league and field a substitute lineup. Thus, with Momo on the pitch, the ultimate victor remained unpredictable.

In the twenty-sixth round of Serie A, as the league entered its closing stretch, Inter Milan challenged Juventus. Notably, the Juventus squad sheet featured Gianluigi Buffon, David Trezeguet, Alessandro Del Piero, and Pavel Nedvěd, all starting.

Inter Milan deployed Momo and Obafemi Martins in the forward line, aiming to secure a draw.

Throughout the match, Juventus launched fierce attacks. In the thirteenth minute, David Trezeguet opened the scoring for Juventus, giving them a 1-0 lead over Inter Milan. In the thirty-sixth minute, Trezeguet scored once again, putting Juventus ahead 2-0.

Juventus entered halftime with a two-goal advantage. Héctor Cúper wore a grim expression. Did Juventus actually intend to fight on two fronts? Or had they already given up on the Champions League?

As the second half commenced, Inter Milan attempted to salvage some pride. The substitute players who came on sought to prove themselves, wishing to show the head coach that they were worthy contenders, yet the cruel reality soon woke them up.

In the sixty-third minute, following an assist from Pavel Nedvěd, Alessandro Del Piero chipped the ball into the net, extending Juventus's lead to 3-0. In the seventy-second minute, Momo successfully shook off a defender and unleashed a long-range shot that was blocked by Buffon. Momo gathered the rebound and shot again, hitting the crossbar before a defender cleared the danger.

In the end, Juventus defeated Inter Milan 3-0, leaving Inter Milan completely stripped of dignity.

In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Real Madrid faced Manchester United. At halftime, Real Madrid led by two goals. At the final whistle, Real Madrid defeated Manchester United 3-1 at home.

Meanwhile, in the match between Ajax and AC Milan, Zlatan Ibrahimović failed to score, and Milan's Rivaldo and Filippo Inzaghi also drew blanks, resulting in a 0-0 stalemate.

In the fixture between Inter Milan and Valencia, Inter Milan triumphed 1-0 over Valencia at their home ground, the San Siro.

Finally, in the match between Juventus and Barcelona, the bookmakers opened odds favoring a home win at 1.93, a draw at 3.11, and an away win at 3.63, heavily backing Juventus to take the victory. However, although Juventus scored first in the first half to enter the break leading 1-0, Barcelona demonstrated tremendous resilience and equalized in the dying moments of the match.

The twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth rounds of Serie A were scheduled closely together on the 15th and 20th respectively, while the Champions League quarter-finals were set for the 24th. Inter Milan was about to face AS Roma, a team without Champions League qualification, with opening odds set at 1.81 for a home win, 3.10 for a draw, and 4.02 for an away win.

The two teams ended the first half deadlocked at 0-0, but the second half erupted into a goalfest. Roma broke the deadlock in the sixty-third minute to breach Inter Milan's goal, and struck again in the sixty-fifth minute to double their lead to 2-0.

Yet, Inter Milan refused to surrender. In the seventy-eighth minute, Momo pulled a goal back for Inter Milan. Seemingly catching fire, Momo struck again in the eightieth minute after Martins executed a blistering long-range solo run and provided the assist. Momo scored a brace at the San Siro to level the score for Inter Milan.

However, in the eighty-eighth minute, a defensive mix-up in Inter Milan's half allowed Roma to seize the opportunity and retake the lead at 3-2. Roma fans even began celebrating prematurely. Nevertheless, Momo refused to accept defeat. In the eighty-ninth minute, he sold a dummy to bypass a Roma central defender and unleashed a long-range shot from outside the box that pierced the back of the net, ultimately allowing Inter Milan to salvage a crucial point at home.

Simultaneously, Juventus comfortably swept past Torino 2-0 to secure a victory.

In the twenty-eighth round of Serie A, Inter Milan traveled away to face Udinese. The odds opened at 3.19 for a home win, 2.98 for a draw, and 2.14 for an away win. Momo, who had put on a stellar performance in the previous round, was seen as Inter Milan's primary hope for goals.

In the first half, neither Inter Milan nor Udinese managed to break the deadlock. However, the second half brought a dramatic turn of events as Udinese netted two quick goals. Caught off guard, Inter Milan narrowly avoided conceding a third, but this dangerous moment miraculously transformed into a golden counter-attacking opportunity.

Momo received a long ball on the counter, dribbled past a Udinese defender, and slotted the ball home from a tight angle, narrowing the score to 2-1. Ultimately, Inter Milan fell to Udinese away from home.

At the same time, a heavyweight clash unfolded as AC Milan hosted Juventus at the San Siro. Both teams had European commitments ahead—one facing Ajax and the other Barcelona.

The odds opened at 2.34 for a home win, 2.89 for a draw, and 2.90 for an away win, favoring Milan to avoid defeat as Juventus preserved their strength for the upcoming Champions League fixture.

Milan launched a fierce offensive right from the first half, storming to a two-goal lead over Juventus. Juventus managed to claw one back just before halftime. In the second half, Milan adopted a more conservative, defensive posture, and despite their best efforts against Milan's resolute defense, Juventus had to accept a disappointing 2-1 defeat.