Chapter 273: There are two kinds of strikers in the world
In the post-match press conference, Capello said bitterly: "There are two strikers in the world, one is Ronaldo and the other is other strikers. And we met Ronaldo today. The lads worked hard, they fought until the last minute and I'm so proud of them. The 1:2 score is not fair and does not fully reflect the situation on the field, I think 2:2 would be more reasonable. โ
'Zlatan has shown amazing talent and I think he can develop into a world-class star close to Ronaldo. But he also has to keep training hard, a hunger for goals and a strong desire to win. โ
"A defeat is not the end of the world, there are still six league games and anything can happen. We've been out of the Champions League, the Coppa Italia has been abandoned, now we can focus on the league and Inter have to play on three fronts, I don't think Inter have the depth of the bench to support them in three fronts, they will make mistakes sooner or later. We'll see. โ
'I'm really interested in Ricardo, he's the best player of his age, not one of them. But it's not up to me to make the transfer. We'll see what happens in the transfer window. โ
As for the controversial decisions in the game, Capello evaded: "I don't see it clearly. โ
Roberto Mancini looked frowning, and Inter's victory today could be decisive, and could even directly determine the title. And the completion of the double kill against Juventus is also a huge encouragement for the fans.
"We prepared well before the game," said a smile in every crease of Mancini's handsome Mediterranean face, "and in the game, the lads gave everything and we took the initiative from the first minute, so we deserved the victory. It was a great race with a lot of significance and gave us an edge in the race for the title. โ
'Ronnie's goal is great, Ricardo is great, and they're probably the best brother partnership the world has ever seen. But you can't ignore the contribution of the other players to the game, it's a great team and everyone is working together to get towards the goal. โ
'It's not yet certain that we're going to win the title, there are still six games and we have to win one game at a time.
When asked about the controversial decisions, Mancini, the winner, expressed his modest generosity: "I believe the referees can do their job. They sometimes make mistakes, but mistakes are part of the world of football. โ
After this game, Ricardo did not go to Rome because the time was very tight, and they only had two days of rest to take on Messina away.
Although Messina is a weak team, although Inter Milan abused each other in the first half of the season, April 24 is not destined to be a lucky day for Inter Milan, and the so-called happiness and sorrow are like this.
In order to allow the main players to get enough rest for the Champions League match on the evening of April 26, Mancini made a large rotation of the lineup, Ronaldo, Cambiaso and others were on the bench, Adriano and Ricardo started.
However, the first half was tied at 0-0.
When Mancini wanted to replace Ronaldo to solve the battle in one go, the situation on the field changed abruptly, Messina scored two goals in seven minutes, and the situation became serious.
After Ronaldo came on, Inter Milan once again offered a four-striker tactic, Ronaldo scored a goal in the 79th minute, and in the 88th minute, the team's vice-Cรณrdoba used a corner kick opportunity to help Inter Milan equalize.
In the end, Inter Milan only took one point away from home.
After this game, Inter Milan accumulated 73 points, while Juventus beat Lazio 1-0 away, taking all three points and 72 points, and the two teams are only one point apart again.
Mancini, of course, had a headache for that. But before he has a headache, he has to solve the Champions League problems first.
Ricardo was suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards and was unavailable, and Mancini ruled out the combination of Ronaldo and Adriano.
In the home game against PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo was not polite to his former club, opening the scoring with a penalty before Adriano, who had been out of form, headed in Favali's cross from the wing. Before the end of the game, Ronaldo made a very imaginative pass to help Stankovic open the scoring.
Inter Milan won 3-0 at home and had an absolute advantage.
Therefore, in the 34th round of the league, Mancini did not make any more large-scale rotations, and he had to win three points firmly and maintain the lead.
In the game on the night of May 1, Inter Milan defeated the visiting Siena 3-0, Licardo scored with a volley from a tight angle, Uncle Miha's free kick made a contribution, and substitute Martins added the icing on the cake.
Juventus, on the other hand, beat Bologna 2-1 at home to continue their pursuit of Inter Milan.
On the evening of May 4, Inter Milan came to the Philips Arena. Fans unfurled banners that read "Welcome home, Ronaldo".
In front of more than 30,000 fans, PSV Eindhoven erupted with great power, and they once overwhelmed Inter Milan.
At the end of the first half, PSV Eindhoven were already two goals ahead and a brilliant comeback seemed to be unfolding.
But in the second half, Inter Milan, led by Ronaldo, began to fight back.
Ronaldo destroyed PSV Eindhoven's morale with a long-distance run past four men and refused to celebrate after the goal.
Eindhoven has always held a special place in his mind as a springboard for his landing in Europe.
PSV Eindhoven's task is almost impossible at this point, with three more goals needed to beat Inter Milan, and even if they score two more, they will be eliminated due to a lack of away goals.
And Inter didn't give them a chance.
In the 77th minute, Ronaldo found Ricardo as a left winger with a pick-up pass, and Licardo burst into the penalty area, shook off the veteran Cocu and shot the ball into the corner. It was also his seventh appearance and seventh goal in the Champions League this season.
In stoppage time, PSV Eindhoven scored another goal with a long-range shot, and the final aggregate score was 3:5, and PSV Eindhoven was eliminated.
Inter Milan have advanced to the final! After the game, the coaching staff and substitutes poured onto the pitch and celebrated wildly. Even marginal players such as Vieri, Materazzi, and Cruz, who have been left behind, laughed heartily and swept away the gloom.
The night before, Liverpool, led by tactician Rafael Benitez, beat Chelsea 1-0 at home to reach the final with an aggregate score of 1-0 over two legs.
They will face off in Istanbul on May 24th!