Chapter 17 The Fallout

Just as the coach and teammates jumped up to cheer for Inzaghi's seventy-eighth-minute goal, Zhang Jun sat unenthusiastically in his chair, his face blank.

Normally, even if he were substituted early, he would stand up and applaud out of courtesy, congratulating Inzaghi. Although they were rivals, they weren't enemies.

But today was different. His father's death, that shameless reporter, being substituted early in the Milan derby, his rival scoring… These things tangled together in his mind, constantly battering him, making him extremely unhappy. He couldn't even muster the most basic politeness, not even a fake smile.

This scene was captured by countless sharp-eyed reporters with cameras and video cameras. Zhang Jun's current situation was ripe for exploitation. These professional "hounds" sniffed a hint of blood in the air.

After embracing Inzaghi, Yang Pan wanted to find Zhang Jun. But he was quickly surrounded by other teammates and couldn't see anything. After the wild celebration ended, he stood on the left side of the field, waiting for Inter Milan to kick off, and across the field, he couldn't see Zhang Jun's expression at that moment.

Zhang Jun looked like an orphan, abandoned by the world at the moment Inzaghi scored.

※※※

When Inzaghi headed the ball in, Sophie turned off the TV in disappointment. She didn't want to see Inzaghi's smiling face. She knew what Zhang Jun's reaction would be without watching. Because during this time, she had returned to Chengdu and restarted her career, but her mood still hadn't adjusted. So Zhang Jun was even less likely to have adjusted.

It was Zhang Jun's father who passed away, but it was also like her own father, Sophie's. She was now a photojournalist, and it was Zhang Jun's father who had first introduced her to the field. She called him Shifu (master). But Uncle preferred her to call him "Uncle," just like in high school.

Uncle taught her photography, taught her how to cook, and occasionally teased her about her relationship with Zhang Jun, laughing as he watched her blush. Now that this mentor and friend was gone, she suddenly felt like something very important was missing.

Sophie believed that Zhang Jun felt even more sadness than she did. So Sophie understood his eagerness to score in the game. Only this time, Sophie didn't try to persuade Zhang Jun to give up the idea, because she herself felt the same way.

Now, being substituted early and having his rival score a goal, Sophie knew what this meant to Zhang Jun.

But Sophie couldn't comfort Zhang Jun, because she herself wanted to cry. No matter when or where, no matter what the situation, Sophie and Zhang Jun's hearts were always connected.

※※※

San Siro was noisy, and AC Milan intentionally strengthened their defense after taking the lead, hoping to hold on to their one-goal advantage in less than ten minutes.

Inter Milan intensified their attack, and Mancini replaced the underperforming Favalli with Recoba. Adding Vieri, Adriano, and Martins, who were already on the field, Inter Milan had four forwards on the field at the same time! Mancini was going all out.

Shevchenko, whose stamina was declining, was replaced by Ambrosini by Ancelotti, leaving only Inzaghi up front to play a defensive counterattack. But Inter Milan was pressing hard, and without strong support from the midfield, Inzaghi couldn't make much of a difference on his own.

Time passed in one attack and defense exchange after another. When people noticed, the game had already entered injury time. The fourth official held up a liquid crystal display board and announced to the audience: There were four minutes left in the first leg of the 0506 season's Milan derby.

By this time, no one except Inter Milan's die-hard fans believed that Inter Milan still had a chance.

AC Milan fans were already celebrating their one hundred and first Milan derby victory in advance. For a time, the "fog" in the San Siro stadium was even thicker.

But the Milan fans were happy too early. Just as the "colored fog" released by their fans was getting thicker and thicker, Inter Milan launched another attack as usual.

All the previous attacks had been resolved by AC Milan's defense, and this one seemed likely to be the same.

First, Stankovic crossed from a forty-five-degree angle on the left. Vieri headed the ball in the center, but Nesta headed the ball out first.

The headed-out ball was received by Pirlo, but the ball he passed to Kaka was intercepted by Martins. However, Martins didn't control the ball either. He wanted to get past Pirlo, but Yang Pan unexpectedly poked the ball from the side, and the ball rolled away from his feet to the center.

Adriano retreated from the penalty area and used his long legs to shovel the ball to Recoba, who came up to meet him, before Gattuso could get there.

After receiving the ball, Recoba only took one step before suddenly shooting from about thirty meters from the goal!

A powerful long shot!

Recoba's left foot was originally good at long shots, and coupled with the suddenness of his shot, the "fog" was too thick for Dida to see clearly, and his reaction was half a beat slow. Although he tried his best to save, he was still too late to stop the ball, which flew into the goal, violently lifting the net!

The ball went in!?

Recoba took off his jersey, threw it into the sky, and ran towards the stands where the Inter Milan fans were, which was already an ocean of joy.

All the AC Milan fans were silent. In the last minute, the opponent had tied the score, and the three points in hand had become one point, all in a matter of seconds. A second ago, they were still showing off to the Inter Milan fans, singing, "Because of Moratti, you have nothing! You will never win a championship, just like now!" The next second, Recoba slapped them hard in the face with a world-class goal, shutting them up.

For AC Milan fans, this was extremely depressing. And for Inter Milan fans, this was such a satisfying moment!

"Inter Milan has tied the score! Recoba!! His long shot left Dida helpless! Too beautiful, a world-class goal! A world-class goal! AC Milan fans had already started setting off fireworks to celebrate their victory, but they didn't expect Recoba to shatter their dreams. Last season, Inter Milan had a forty-game unbeaten streak in the league and European competitions, relying on this tenacious spirit of never giving up until the last second! Now, AC Milan is also suffering in front of them!"

At this time, Ancelotti and Mancini's expressions were completely opposite to those in the seventy-eighth minute. Mancini excitedly waved his fist at the stands, while Ancelotti leaned back in his chair and refused to look at the Inter Milan players celebrating.

What made Ancelotti even more unwilling was the drop in the rankings. Before this round of the league, AC Milan, ranked first, was only one point ahead of Juventus, ranked second. But in yesterday's round of the league, Juventus won a big victory over Livorno at home and rose to the top. If AC Milan drew this game, then it would be their turn to be one point behind Juventus, ranking second.

Thirty seconds later, the referee blew the whistle to end the game, and the two hundred and sixtieth Milan derby in history ended in a draw. Juventus took the top spot in the league, AC Milan was second, and Inter Milan was still third, with no change.

However, what happened after the game was much more interesting than what happened on the field.

Neither side was very convinced by the 1:1 result, and the focus of the problem was on the penalty in the first half. AC Milan believed that if Zhang Jun could have scored the penalty, then there would have been no suspense in the last ten minutes of the second half. Inter Milan, on the other hand, believed that the penalty should not have been awarded in the first place, and it was clearly a mistake by the referee, but Inter Milan had to take the blame for it.

As the protagonist of the penalty incident, the key figure Zhang Jun naturally couldn't escape either. After the game, he was surrounded by a group of Italian reporters at the player exit.

Yang Pan wasn't by his side at this time. Zhang Jun looked at these reporters, who seemed determined not to give up until they got the truth, so he had to say to one of them, "Okay, I'll satisfy you. But please ask in English, my Italian isn't good enough to handle such a noisy environment."

Li Yan didn't have permission to enter the field for interviews, so he had to go to the press conference hall with his colleagues, waiting for the press conference to be attended by the two head coaches. On the way, he looked back at Zhang Jun, who was surrounded by the crowd, feeling very unwilling.

Cagliari was in the middle of those people, it seemed that he would have to treat him to dinner again tomorrow at noon. Damn it, the company doesn't reimburse me…

※※※

Cagliari, with two people between them, struggled to pass the interview recorder to Zhang Jun's side, and then shouted loudly in English, "Zhang! That penalty, can you talk about that penalty? We all saw your gesture, what did that mean? And what were you thinking when you took the rebound shot?"

"That wasn't a penalty, no doubt about it." Zhang Jun's first sentence surprised many reporters. Everyone had seen the replay and knew whether it was a penalty or not. What surprised them was that Zhang Jun admitted it so bluntly. "I think everyone knows after watching the replay on the big screen that I didn't touch Toldo, and he didn't touch me either. I didn't deliberately dive, I just tripped over myself. I signaled to the referee, but he didn't seem to see it, which is a pity."

"Then that rebound shot…" Someone asked weakly, most of the reporters were too shocked by Zhang Jun's words to speak.

"Since it shouldn't have been a penalty in the first place, it doesn't matter if I didn't score, the game just went back to normal." Zhang Jun shrugged, saying indifferently. But Cagliari was sweating profusely as he listened. Was he too naive to know the consequences of saying this? Or was he taking the opportunity to get revenge on Ancelotti for substituting him? This statement was equivalent to admitting that he had deliberately missed the rebound shot.

Cagliari turned his head to look around, and it seemed that many people had the same thought as him.

Indeed, but more reporters heard something that excited them in these words, that was a sensational news story, the dramatic conflict they had always dreamed of.

One reporter decided to have Zhang Jun confirm it again. It was still a live broadcast, with a national audience as witnesses, so he wouldn't be able to deny it later. He asked, "So, you still think it shouldn't have been a penalty? Even if AC Milan didn't beat Inter Milan because of it?"

"Yes, it really wasn't a penalty. No matter what the result of the game is, what's fake is fake." Zhang Jun said calmly.

Cagliari looked at Zhang Jun's face, hoping to see something unusual in it. But he was disappointed—Zhang Jun had no idea he had fallen into the reporters' trap. He felt that the red reporter vest on his back was soaked through, all with sweat.

Two seasons ago, a similar incident had occurred in Serie A. The protagonist at the time was a Juventus player. In a match between Juventus and a certain team, their forward fell in the penalty area, and the referee awarded a penalty without hesitation. But this aroused protests from all the opposing players and coaches, because the defender who was defending that forward hadn't touched him at all, and he should have been penalized for diving. At this time, the Juventus player, the protagonist of the incident, stood up and told the referee that the opposing player had indeed not touched his teammate. That scene was seen by the whole country through television broadcasts.

But perhaps based on the same psychology as the referee of this Milan derby, that referee still insisted on his original decision. Juventus scored the penalty and defeated their opponent. This was nothing at all, at most it was a referee's misjudgment, or it became another piece of evidence for some people to guess that Juventus was receiving preferential treatment from the referee.

But the climax of the incident was also after the game. When reporters swarmed up and surrounded the Juventus player who stood up to "uphold justice," he unexpectedly changed his tune and insisted that the two had made contact too quickly, and he hadn't seen clearly. Maybe it was a penalty, maybe it wasn't, but since the referee had awarded a penalty, then it was a penalty.

His statement caused an uproar in national public opinion, and many people immediately condemned him for lacking morality, saying that he could take back what he said, and that his face had changed in a way that was amazing.

Many people believed that this was arranged by the team's head coach at the time, because his behavior at the beginning was really "too stupid." In order to avoid the team being criticized, they had to wrong the player and make him slap himself in the face.

The head coach naturally denied these "nonsense" in one breath. As a result, this matter later ended without a conclusion. The victimized away team couldn't demand that the Italian Football Association change the result of the game because of this "very obvious" misjudgment and a player's "inconsistent words and deeds." If everyone did this, the Italian Football Association would have been too busy to handle it even if they had twenty-four hours a day. And the media, for some reason, gradually stopped talking about this matter. The three points that Juventus had gained as a result couldn't be taken back, and the fact that this person licked back the saliva he had spat out only became a topic of conversation among the fans.

In the larger context, that person's actions were actually understandable, after all, it was for the benefit of the team, and Juventus had always been like this. Capello even proposed last season that "When an opposing player falls to the ground, Juventus will never stop on their own initiative, we will only continue to attack. Because who knows if the fallen player is pretending to be injured?" Therefore, in so many leagues in Europe, only Serie A would see the other team continue to attack without paying attention after one of their players fell to the ground, until the ball was cleared out of bounds or a goal was scored. This initiative, launched by the Juventus coach, has been supported by most teams and has become an unwritten rule.

With the above references, Zhang Jun's frankness had to make people think of many things in addition to being surprised.

※※※

At the press conference later, the reporters asked the most questions about Zhang Jun's penalty. Mancini said meaningfully, "Everyone has seen very clearly whether it was a penalty or not. As for Zhang Jun's actions, I think it would be better for you to ask him himself."

Ancelotti, on the other hand, resolutely refused to answer this question, or rather, he answered with silence.

But the reporters wouldn't give up and insisted that Ancelotti give an explanation.

The two sides were at a stalemate, and Mancini on the side was happy to watch the show without saying a word.

Li Yan wasn't an Italian reporter, and he didn't know what to do in this situation. All the people launching an attack on Ancelotti were local Italian reporters. He turned his head back because Cagliari was asking questions.

Cagliari, who had finished asking questions, happened to see Li Yan's questioning gaze, and he smiled and shook his head before sitting back down.

Li Yan understood what Cagliari meant, so he sat back down as well, wanting to see how Ancelotti would deal with it. As a result, he was disappointed. The host stood up and directly announced that the press conference was over. In this way, Ancelotti could keep his silence to the end.

Reporters have the right to publish articles, but interviewees also have the right to remain silent.

Ancelotti got up and left his seat when the host said that it was over. His face was livid, and he didn't even shake hands with Mancini, which made Mancini on the side a little embarrassed.

The press hall was immediately in a chaotic mess. After Li Yan finished explaining to his colleagues, he went to find Cagliari: "How was it? What did Zhang Jun say?"

Cagliari looked at the chaotic hall, and Li Yan smiled: "Okay, I'll treat you to dinner."

"I want to eat Chinese food, authentic Chinese food." Cagliari took it a step further.

"…You'll never be able to eat authentic Chinese food in Italy. Do you want me to take you to China now? Of course, you'll pay for the round-trip fare, and I'll pay for the meal."

"Uh…" Cagliari silently calculated in his mind and felt that he would be at a disadvantage, "Then forget it, let's just go to any restaurant. But don't try to fool me with 'xihongshiChaojidan' (stir-fried tomatoes and eggs) again."

"What do you know? 'XihongshiChaojidan' seems simple, but it's very, very difficult to make well. That's why I say you don't know how to eat Chinese food, you might as well honestly eat your pasta. Let's go, I won't treat you to 'xihongshiChaojidan' this time."

"Then what are we eating?" Cagliari was overjoyed. Li Yan had treated him twice, and both times it was this xihongshiChaojidan.

"jidanChaoxihongshi (eggs stir-fried with tomatoes)."

"…"

※※※

"He really said that?" Li Yan looked at Cagliari in surprise.

"Yeah." Cagliari nodded, "His expression at the time was very serious, he definitely wasn't joking."

"I'm very surprised."

"I'm also very surprised. No player wouldn't know the consequences of saying those words…"

"That idiot!" Li Yan cursed softly, "What kind of situation has he put himself in? Has he never considered it? And what about his relationship with AC Milan and Ancelotti?"

※※※

"Idiot! What are you going to do?" Yang Pan looked at Zhang Jun with some anger.

But Zhang Jun sat on the sofa, not caring at all. "What do you mean, what am I going to do?"

"How could you say those things to the reporters? Do you know what the club will think, what Ancelotti will think? You're tearing down the club and the coach, do you know that?" Every time Yang Pan said a sentence, Zhang Jun's heart would twitch. Every word from his good friend was like a knife stabbing into his heart. Not caring was just a way to hide the humiliation and anger in his heart. Now, this anger was expanding little by little under Yang Pan's unintentional stimulation, so much that he couldn't control it himself.

"You have grievances in your heart, but you shouldn't vent them in public! You're not a child anymore, Zhang Jun! You can't act like a child all the time. How are you going to stay in AC Milan after this?" Yang Pan was still lecturing Zhang Jun, but he didn't notice the change in Zhang Jun's face at all.

"Stay? Hmph, maybe it was a mistake to come in the first place…" Zhang Jun snorted coldly, which startled Yang Pan: "What did you say?"

"I said maybe I shouldn't have had any illusions when AC Milan first rejected me. Coming to AC Milan was just my wishful thinking."

"You… You're just being stubborn, Zhang Jun?" Yang Pan softened his tone and asked cautiously. He was angry with Zhang Jun for Zhang Jun's own good, and he didn't want to really make Zhang Jun angry. Once that happened, no one knew what Zhang Jun would do, and it was probably impossible to persuade him at that time, unless it was Sophie, but the problem was that Sophie was still in China.

"No." Zhang Jun said, but judging from his expression, Yang Pan still knew that he was indeed being stubborn.

"Don't think I don't know, Ancelotti wasn't very willing when I decided to come. He let me start later, but only because I was lucky, Inzaghi was injured before the season, and I tried my best to maintain my form in training and quickly scored goals. If I hadn't scored in the third round, then I would probably be on the bench now. Ancelotti still prefers Inzaghi, and now that's good, I missed a sure-fire goal, and Inzaghi scored a goal, so our positions should be switched."

So what made him so angry was the possibility of being benched. Yang Pan felt that Zhang Jun was probably used to being a starter in that small place in the Netherlands, and now he couldn't accept the title of "substitute." Thinking about it, from elementary school to professional league, how long had he been a substitute? Because he was a striker, he was destined to enjoy the limelight and be praised and noticed. And what about himself? He had grown up with Zhang Jun since he was a child, and he had long been used to playing a supporting role, so he had no complaints about being a substitute in Bologna. Now he was also a substitute in AC Milan, watching Zhang Jun's unlimited glory after scoring a goal, he still had no complaints. Because he was the older brother, he had to let this ignorant younger brother have his way, but this created another problem: Too much pampering made Zhang Jun feel that he was born to be like this, that he should be cheered and praised.

This was definitely not right. Who was born to be a golden boy, with praise, flowers, and applause all in abundance?

Yang Pan knew this very well. His current maturity was precisely because of the various trainings he had undergone in the past and present. And Zhang Jun's training was far from enough. He decided to use his identity as an older brother to explain this principle to Zhang Jun.

"Zhang Jun, I know what you're thinking. But who hasn't been a substitute? Which of those stars didn't start from the bench before they became famous? I know you've always been a starter and an attacking core in Volendam. But Volendam is just a small Dutch team, not even ranked in the Eredivisie. You're in AC Milan now, and the competition is much fiercer. If you still think that you can be a starter and a core as soon as you come here, that's impossible. Even if you're worth eight million, it doesn't mean you have any privileges. Do you understand? Show yourself in training, in every minute on the field, and then snatch the starting position from Inzaghi." Yang Pan said very seriously to Zhang Jun.

But Zhang Jun didn't listen to a word. He didn't want to listen to anyone lecturing him now, even if that person was his best friend. He didn't say anything, and he got up and left the living room.

Looking at Zhang Jun's back as he went upstairs, Yang Pan didn't try to stop him. Zhang Jun was in a fit of anger at this time, and so many messy things were mixed together. Maybe he should let him calm down and then try to persuade him properly.

When will you really learn to grow up? Zhang Jun…

Yang Pan sighed.

But the worries didn't stop there. Zhang Jun's remarks, after being infinitely magnified by the news media, would inevitably set off unseen waves in the upper echelons of the Milan club, because Milan only wanted obedient children who listened, not geniuses with outstanding personalities who were out of sync with the group. And his sabotage and hostility towards Inzaghi would also be detrimental to his relationship with other teammates. In fact, what was most uncomfortable was him and Kaka, who were caught in the middle. One side was the many teammates and coaches of AC Milan, and the other side was his best friend. One side represented his future, and the other side represented his feelings. How would they handle this relationship?

Yang Pan rubbed his temples, tilted his head back, and slumped weakly in the sofa.

※※※

Coming out of the Chinese restaurant, Cagliari said to Li Yan, "Li, with my professional sense of smell, I think this matter can be big or small, it depends on what methods Zhang Jun and AC Milan will take to deal with it. But in fact, the key is still Zhang Jun. Ancelotti has never really liked him, and now Inzaghi has scored in the derby, which is considered a successful comeback, so Zhang's chances are even smaller. If this is not handled well, maybe…" He didn't continue, because he saw Li Yan shaking his head with a wry smile: "How can I not know? But let's not say things so bluntly, let's leave some suspense, maybe everything will turn around."

"Li, you know Zhang Jun better than me, and you also know Zhang Jun's personality. So do you think it's possible? When Zhang said those words in front of so many reporters, the ending was already destined."

"Who knows, life is much more bizarre than novels, Andrea." Li Yan looked at the crowds and traffic on the street and lit a cigarette for himself. It was almost midnight, but the impact of the derby war on this city was far from over.