CHAPTER 514: INTER MILAN AGAIN

December is the month Richard likes the least, because the fixtures start to pile up and everything speeds up. But before December arrives, Manchester City still have three important matches to secure their qualification for the Champions League.

Richard is fully focused on the next three games:

Home vs Inter Milan

Away vs Spartak Moscow

Home vs Sturm Graz

With Manchester City currently sitting in 9th place, and a dominant Manchester United leading by 13 points, he believes that only Arsenal and Chelsea are capable of threatening United’s throne.

Unexpectedly, there was an issue against Inter Milan. A match that should have been easy to win at Maine Road suddenly turned into a nightmare for Manchester City!

With only a three-point gap separating the two teams, losing this match would widen it to six. And with Inter’s relentless momentum from the opening whistle, it was clear they were going all-in. They didn’t care about anything else — because if they conceded, it would be incredibly difficult to close that gap in the second half. At the very least, they needed to secure a draw!

Lucky for them though. As the game entered the first twenty minutes, Inter launched an all-out assault, pinning City deep inside their own half. The defending champions looked completely cornered with nowhere to escape!

Manchester City had started confidently, pushing their fullbacks high, trying to dictate tempo early. But Inter Milan needed only one mistake to punish them. In the 5th minute, with City’s defensive line still adjusting to Inter’s aggressive press, Youri Djorkaeff found himself drifting into a pocket of space between the midfield and the center-backs.

Makelele was half a step too late closing him down. Djorkaeff received the ball, velvet first touch, and immediately turned. Ahead of him, Nicola Ventola made the run: diagonal, threatening, perfectly timed as he slipped between the two center-backs like a shadow.

A single slicing through-ball later, and the entire stadium gasped. Ventola burst into the penalty box — one touch to control, the ball rolling dangerously close to his stride — and then he stabbed forward, poking the ball past the onrushing Buffon.

A simple tap-in on the surface, but deadly in execution. The net rippled.

The blue-and-black corner of the stands exploded.

Djorkaeff pointed to Ventola. Ventola pointed back to Djorkaeff — a silent acknowledgment: one chance, one goal.

Maine Road fell silent, shocked.

5 minutes!

Five minutes in, and City were already chasing the game. And one goal wasn’t enough for Inter. Six minutes later, the nightmare struck again.

Manchester City tried to stabilize the midfield, but Inter smelled blood. Roberto Baggio — the Divine Ponytail himself — began drifting deeper. Makelele stuck tight to him, desperate not to let him breathe.

Then came the fateful moment: Baggio dropped a shoulder, flicked the ball forward, and Makelele lunged — mistimed.

Clip.

Baggio fell. The whistle blew.

A free-kick. About 28 meters out. Directly in Baggio’s zone of magic.

City’s wall formed, four men tall — Zidane shouting orders, the keeper frantically mapping angles with pointed fingers. But Baggio wasn’t looking at the goal. Not yet. His eyes were on Ventola.

Ventola stood just inside the line of defenders, pretending to drift away uninterested — then suddenly darted toward the near post.

PHWEEEE~

Baggio stepped forward — not the famous curling shot everyone expected — instead, a delicate chip. The ball arced, feathery and deceptive, landing perfectly into the chaos behind the defensive line.

Ventola, reacting half a second quicker than anyone else, launched himself forward.

A glancing header — precision itself.

The ball skimmed off his forehead and flew just beyond the goalkeeper’s fingertips, kissing the inside of the post before settling into the net.

Manchester City 0 – 2 Inter Milan

Twenty minutes gone.

Of course, City refused to lose. After conceding two goals in embarassing way, Manchester City managed to equalize thanks to goals from Zidane and Pires, one each.

In the 27th minute, City regained possession deep in midfield. Lampard slipped the ball to Zidane, who was standing with his back to his compatriot, Cauet. But Zidane, calm as a monk in a storm, killed the ball with a single touch.

Cauet lunged but Zidane pirouetted. A perfect roulette, spinning smoothly out of his natinal teammate grasp. The crowd roared — they’d seen that trick before, but never with such elegance and urgency.

Bergomi rushed to close him down — too late.

From 25 meters, Zidane unleashed a curling effort with his right foot. It dipped viciously toward the bottom corner. Pagliuca leapt full stretch — fingertips brushing the ball.

"GOOOOOAAAL!!! ZINEDINE ZIDANE! A piece of absolute MAGIC! What a turnaround this could be! The champions were down, almost buried — but Zidane refuses to go quietly! He shrugs off Cauet like he isn’t even there, a vintage roulette, and then — bang! — right into the corner! Pagliuca at full stretch, but he can only watch it sail past! Manchester City are BACK! The stadium has come ALIVE!"

There was no time for triumph. Zidane barely even smiled. He turned immediately, pulling Trezeguet and Larsson into a quick embrace before rushing into the net to scoop up the ball, not giving Pagliuca a single second to waste.

After City pulled one back, Inter tried to respond by slowing the tempo, dragging the match into fouls and frustration. Baggio and Cauet kept diving into tackles; Zamorano bullied the backline. But City was no longer timid.

In the 41st minute, Makelele intercepted a misplaced pass from Silvestre and immediately fed the ball wide to the left.

Pires — sleeves rolled down, hair bouncing with every stride — surged into space. Colonnese stepped across to stop him — too aggressive — and Pires flicked the ball past him with a feather-light elastico.

Suddenly, the penalty box opened up.

Pagliuca rushed forward, and Bergomi slid across in desperation. But Pires didn’t hesitate — he toe-poked the ball low through the keeper’s legs.

The net rippled.

2–2!

Level!

Maine Road erupted like a volcano bursting back to life.

O’Neill punched the air.

The cameras panned to Inter’s new manager, Mircea Lucescu, appointed just last week after Luigi Simoni was fired. He snapped forward at the touchline.

"Calma! Calma! Don’t panic just because they scored! Move the ball! Don’t run blindly! Roberto, control the midfield! Youri — help him!"

In the seventy-fifth minute, O’Neill made another substitution, bringing on the recently recovered Ronaldo for Trezeguet, who had been completely shut down by the Colonnese–Bergomi duo.

Lampard dropped deeper to reinforce the midfield, while City shifted into a two-striker formation, trying to balance attack and defense. The back line tightened, and Makelele pushed further back to provide extra cover.

After the tactical shift, City’s attacks became relentless — but they still couldn’t find the finish. The newly introduced Ronaldo came close twice, with both efforts narrowly missing the target.

Richard could no longer stay seated. He stood with his hands on the back of his head, staring in disbelief. City were like a furious beast... but without fangs — all power, no bite.

O’Neill paced the technical area, voice hoarse from shouting. Then he leaned forward and roared toward the pitch:

"Frank! Higher! Go on — get up there! Support the forwards!"

Lampard glanced back, gave a quick nod, and pushed forward into the half-space between Inter’s midfield and defense.

City adjusted instantly. Zidane dropped slightly deeper to help circulate the ball. Pires stayed wide on the left, stretching the pitch. Ronaldo and Larsson — two predators — positioned themselves between Inter’s center-backs, forcing constant pressure and never allowing them to rest.

With Lampard now positioned higher up the pitch, he surged forward and unleashed a long-range shot — catching everyone off guard. Unfortunately, his effort in the 79th minute smashed off the post and bounced away.

Then came an even more unexpected attempt from Makelele. He lifted a delicate chipped shot that sent Pagliuca scrambling backward in panic. Just as the ball looked ready to drop under the bar, the goalkeeper leapt and managed to punch it away — but his own momentum carried him tumbling into the goal.

At this point in the match, the tension was palpable.

Ronaldo stood ready to take a corner kick and once again deceived the defenders. Instead of sending in a cross, he played the ball back to the onrushing Zambrotta.

Zambrotta advanced down the flank, intending to reach the byline and draw defenders out to expose space in front of the goal. But unexpectedly, Taribo West — who took too long to recover his position — slipped and fell just as he tried to retreat, sending the home fans into a frenzy.

Seizing the opportunity, Zambrotta calmly carried the ball toward the edge of the box before cutting in and driving a low, powerful cross into the area.

Inter defenders Francesco Colonnese and Mickaël Silvestre were left on edge; whether they cleared it or not, any slight miscalculation could result in an own goal on the slippery pitch.

Luckily for Inter, none of their players made contact with the ball — but at the back post, Zidane arrived in a perfect position. His angle was tight, but it should have been a certain goal. Somehow, Pagliuca pulled off a miraculous save!

The ball ricocheted outward, and Lampard — who had stayed high — saw it bounce toward him. Without hesitation, he unleashed a fierce follow-up strike.

Pagliuca had barely recovered from his close-range save when he turned and saw Lampard staring at him, both men wide-eyed. To the keeper’s shock, the ball bounced off the upright again and spun away. He scrambled backward, completely frazzled.

Damn it!

Richard almost tore at his own hair. How many saves does this man want to make?

The commentator erupted also. "This is unbelievable — truly unbelievable! The first half was end-to-end football, and the second has become a tactical stalemate. But Pagliuca — he’s been extraordinary! Save after save after save! It’s still 2–2, and this match is nowhere near finished!"

Seeing that they almost conceded because Bergomi slipped, Mircea Lucescu had no choice but to act. Age doesn’t lie. The 34-year-old defender needed fresh legs to replace him — especially with the rain pouring down, slips were only a matter of time.

PHWEE—!

A substitution: Bergomi off, Galante on.

O’Neill responded with changes of his own, bringing on Nakata for Makelele and Deco for Lampard to rebalance attack and defense. Both players from each side were running low on energy, the heavy rain turning every movement into a struggle.

The match continued, and both teams fought fiercely for every ball, fouling when necessary, refusing to give the opponent even one more chance.

Then, Il Divin Codino — The Divine Ponytail — unveiled his magic.

Baggio sprinted down the left flank. Zambrotta, who had crazily pushed forward for the last ten minutes, struggled to keep up with the flying Baggio in the 89th minute. Nakata quickly intervened, stopping Baggio just outside the penalty area — but the price was a foul.

Nakata was shown a yellow card, and Inter earned a direct free kick.

The ball was placed at a 40-degree angle from the penalty box. City’s defense braced itself for another dangerous strike.

Baggio stood over the ball, and Butt felt a chill as he examined the small wall in front of him. There was no choice — tall defenders like Cannavaro were positioned in the box to intercept any possible cross.

City pulled everyone back to defend this free kick.

The wall was formed: Zanetti, Nakata, Zambrotta, and Ronaldinho.

When Baggio took the free-kick, the wall leaped into action — heads rising to meet the ball, expecting a curling effort aimed at the near post.

Cannavaro’s head made contact.

He might not be tall, but he can leap.

The moment he headed it, he looked back before he even landed, eyes tracking the ball’s flight — and his heart sank with a terrible premonition.

"Oh no... crap!"

Cannavaro, the closest to the shot, had recognized immediately that Baggio was going for goal — but what shocked him was the wicked deflection. His attempted clearance barely brushed the ball, redirecting it toward the far post with just enough speed to be deadly.

It was too late!

Buffon saw it too. He snapped his head around to clear it — but the ball sailed right past him. And the moment it crossed the line, Maine Road detonated with thunderous cheers from the traveling Inter supporters.

All eyes turned toward the back post — where Baggio was already sprinting toward the sideline, arms wide, while his teammates stormed after him in celebration.

Inter Milan 3 - 2 Manchester City.

Richard, who watched City concede in the final minutes, was left bitterly disappointed.He shook his head in frustration. With this result, Inter had now drawn level with Manchester City at the top of the group.

The updated standings were as follows:

Manchester City – 7 points

Inter Milan – 7 points

Sturm Graz – 3 points

Spartak Moscow – 1 point

PHWEEEE~

"And that’s the final whistle! A dramatic night at Maine Road comes to an end! Manchester City, the defending champions, stumble right at the death — and Inter Milan take all three points with a 3–2 victory!"

This result changes everything. Both sides now sit on 7 points each!

Meanwhile, Sturm Graz and Spartak Moscow are still in the chase — making the final two matchdays absolutely explosive.

Manchester City’s lead is gone. The pressure is on. And if things stay this tight, the last matchday could very well decide who advances and who crashes out!

Richard could only hope that tomorrow’s match between Sturm Graz and Spartak Moscow would