Chapter 312: Chapter 312: Undeserved
"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!"
"Cavani!"
"Napoli finally scored against Lazio just before the end of the first half!"
"After thirteen shots, Napoli finally breaks the deadlock!"
"That was a fantastic attack by Napoli. From Thiago Motta's long pass to Di Maria's brilliant dribbling, Lazio's defenders were left helpless."
"Take another look at Cavani's strike! Stendardo was shoved aside!"
"What a beautiful play!"
"Napoli leads 1-0!"
…
Gao Shen had been preparing himself for a halftime score of 0-0 and was already thinking of encouraging words for his players. But unexpectedly, a goal came out of nowhere.
The sudden surprise left him a little dazed.
It wasn't until the players rushed off the field to celebrate that he finally reacted, laughing as he hugged his assistants.
One to zero!
Although it was unexpected, the goal came at the perfect moment.
At the very least, it gave Napoli more tactical flexibility for the second half.
"In the second half, we'll wait for Lazio to press forward!" Gao Shen grinned, his confidence evident.
…
During the halftime break, Gao Shen expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance.
He gave special praise to Thiago Motta.
"This is the best game you've played since joining Napoli. You and Lucas completely controlled the midfield, and Daniel made several dangerous passes to our forwards..."
Gao Shen emphasized how much he appreciated the midfielders' performance that day.
Of course, he didn't overlook the other players either. He also praised Cavani, the goal-scorer, Di Maria, who provided the assist, and other key players.
Napoli's players weren't in their best shape, which was clear to everyone, but their performance was commendable.
After managing to draw 1-1 away at AC Milan, then defeating Lazio 1-0 in the cup, and now scoring the opening goal again, Gao Shen felt the team was making steady progress.
That was undeniable.
After enduring such a rough patch, Napoli's resilience and performance were proof of the team's growth.
As the players gradually found their rhythm and returned to peak form, their strength would naturally improve.
Eventually, everyone would see that Napoli had grown stronger!
"Remember, as I said three days ago: don't give Lazio any chances in the second half. We need to secure all three points!"
The players responded enthusiastically to Gao Shen's instructions.
…
The second half kicked off.
With Napoli in the lead, they played with even more patience.
With control of the ball and the tempo, Lazio found themselves struggling for options against Napoli.
Lazio made their first substitution in the 56th minute, with Rossi bringing on Tommaso Rocchi.
The Blue Eagles began pressing forward, but they stuck with the 4-3-1-2 formation.
This was Rossi's primary lineup, and he rarely deviated from it.
But as the Italian Cup match had proven, this setup struggled to break through Napoli's defense.
Gao Shen responded decisively, substituting Vidal for Parejo to increase midfield pressure and intensity.
Less than three minutes after Gao Shen's change, Rossi made his second substitution, bringing on the midfielder Manfredini.
The game remained deadlocked.
Napoli controlled possession and had the upper hand on the field, while Lazio, desperate for offensive opportunities, hesitated due to Napoli's potent counterattack threat. The Blue Eagles found themselves caught in a bind.
Napoli's patient passing game in the midfield and backline frustrated Lazio's attempts to press, as they were repeatedly forced to retreat to avoid getting caught off guard.
In the 70th minute, Gao Shen made his second substitution, replacing Di Maria with Mertens.
Just eight minutes later, Napoli launched a counterattack. Thiago Motta passed to Cavani, who shifted the ball to the left for Mertens.
The Belgian dribbled diagonally into the left side of the box, weaving past two defenders in close quarters. Just as he prepared to shoot from the left side of the penalty area, Stendardo came sliding in, tackling him to the ground.
The referee immediately blew his whistle, signaling a foul. He sent Stendardo off with a red card and awarded Napoli a penalty.
The referee deemed Stendardo's foul excessively dangerous, warranting the red card.
Although no injury occurred, Lazio's center-back was still sent off.
In the cup match earlier that week, Mertens had missed a crucial chance, but this time he earned a penalty with his outstanding play.
No other Napoli players contested him for the kick. Calmly, the Belgian placed the ball, took the penalty, and scored with ease, securing another goal for Napoli.
2-0!!
At this point, the game was effectively decided!
The final ten minutes turned into garbage time.
With Lazio down to ten men, and Napoli conserving their physical strength, neither side pressed further.
In the end, Napoli defeated Lazio 2-0.
…
…
Napoli's narrow 2-0 victory over Lazio sparked heated debates after the game.
While Napoli had clearly dominated, creating three times as many shooting chances as Lazio, the late red card drew significant controversy.
Rome-based newspaper La Repubblica argued that the red card was unwarranted.
"It handed Napoli the three points!"
Other outlets, such as Gazzetta dello Sport, agreed that the red card was questionable.
They commented in a supposedly neutral tone, stating that while awarding a penalty was understandable, a yellow card should have sufficed rather than a red.
The penalty and red card completely sealed the game.
This criticism put Gao Shen in an awkward position. He responded on Twitter by challenging the media, saying, "If they'd given only a yellow card, does that mean the score wouldn't still be 2-0?"
Unsurprisingly, there was no reply from the media.
Despite the backlash, the general sentiment was that Napoli's win had been undeserved and that the red card was excessive.
Gao Shen later tweeted again, this time with just a simple smiley face:
hehe!
Meanwhile, Lazio was far from desperate.
As Gao Shen was sparring with the media, Rossi was pleasantly surprised to find that, despite their loss, Lazio's position in the standings remained unchanged at 15th.
All the teams ranked below them had lost as well, except for Siena.
Even with their win, Siena was still a point behind Lazio.
On the other hand, Gao Shen, despite his victory, couldn't be entirely happy.
Inter Milan was set to host Parma at home.
Cambiasso scored the opening goal for Inter in the 30th minute, but Parma equalized before halftime and took the lead early in the second half.
As the game wore on, Inter struggled to level the score and was on the verge of defeat. Then, in the 86th minute, Parma center-back Couto was shown a red card for a handball while attempting a header near the goalpost.
Slow-motion replays showed that Couto's header did indeed make contact with his left hand, though Parma's players disputed the call.
Ibrahimovic stepped up to convert the penalty, bringing the score to a tie.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Argentine striker Cruz dribbled past a defender and delivered a cross. Ibrahimovic chested the ball down and volleyed it with his right foot, scoring to reverse the score.
3-2, Inter Milan had overturned Parma!
After the game, Parma's coach Di Carlo was livid over the red card and penalty call. He was sent off during the match for challenging the referee's decisions and publicly accused the referee of deliberately aiding Inter Milan's victory afterward.
Di Carlo also argued that Parma was denied a penalty in the first half.
The same red card and penalty situation had occurred in Napoli's game, but while Napoli's win was criticized, Inter Milan's was celebrated.
After the match, numerous media outlets hailed Ibrahimovic as Inter's new king.
Gazzetta dello Sport even claimed that Inter Milan was entering a new "troika era."
They declared that Cambiasso, Cruz, and Ibrahimovic were the driving forces behind Inter Milan's success this season.
Nineteen rounds unbeaten!
Mancini's team had achieved remarkable results, enough to make their rivals feel despair.
Roma, sitting in second place, also won their match this round. Coach Spalletti remarked that Inter Milan was in their best form in decades.
"Although, points-wise, they have two fewer than they did at the same point last season, their consistency this season is impressive due to their unbeaten record."
"Maintaining an undefeated run for nineteen rounds is an incredible achievement."
Spalletti admitted that Inter's performance was nearly unbeatable.
"Although it's hard for us to accept, we must acknowledge that the Serie A title race this season is practically settled."
When even the second-place team admits this, it's a testament to Inter Milan's dominance in Serie A. Their lead leaves their opponents feeling hopeless.
Only Gao Shen commented on Twitter, noting that Inter had conceded four goals in two consecutive games, suggesting that their dominance might not be as strong as it seemed.
"In both matches, they lost the lead after going ahead, which shows that they are overly complacent in Serie A. One could say they're confident, but it's also fair to say they're arrogant."
"This is a serious issue."
Gao Shen also revealed that he had identified "tactical weaknesses in Inter Milan over the past two games."
"My stance remains unchanged. Once the Champions League schedule resumes, Inter will undoubtedly slip up. It's too early to declare the title race over!"
"We still have a chance!"
Gao Shen's comments quickly attracted attention in the Italian media, sparking a wave of debate.
Some claimed that Gao Shen was trying to provoke Inter Milan with psychological tactics, while others said he was simply bitter because he wasn't the one leading the league. After all, Inter Milan held the top spot, not Napoli.
However, those who were close to the Napoli team knew that Gao Shen was not just talking. Behind the scenes, he had been meticulously gathering intelligence and analyzing data on Inter Milan. He was preparing his team for what he considered to be the pivotal battle of the Serie A season—a clash that could change the course of the league.
But just as Gao Shen was carefully plotting his next move, an explosive piece of news suddenly rocked the Italian media landscape.
***
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