"Oh~~ Pato's acceleration is so fast! In just one step, he left Srna behind. Pato crosses the ball, César rushes out and punches the ball away. The cross was too close to the goal."
"There's still a chance! AC Milan maintains possession. Kaká reaches the right baseline, closely marked by Maicon, no passing options, so Kaká passes back to Seedorf. Seedorf lifts the ball into the penalty area again."
Inside the penalty box, Suker once again shows his trademark "springing from dry land" technique.
"Suker!! —"
Aldo Serena leans forward, focused on the ball hanging in the air.
In the air, Suker stretches fully, heads the ball down, it bounces and slips through a gap along the left side of the goal.
"Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!! —"
Aldo Serena shouts loudly.
"Suker's header in front of goal, Inter Milan failed to mark him properly. Once they lose track of Suker, they simply can't catch up."
"24 minutes, Suker's header helps AC Milan take the lead."
"Inter Milan has had a few chances upfront, but without Ibrahimović, their finishing is always lacking."
"The momentum has started to swing in favor of AC Milan."
Adding, Aldo Serena says, "Mancini's departure has been hastened."
Mancini sits on the coaching bench, expression calm and unreadable.
He has tried communicating with the club, but the decision has been made.
The next head coach has been selected; Mancini no longer has a chance to stay.
This match will be his last with Inter Milan.
He planned to leave on a high note with a victory to leave a good impression.
But Ibrahimović's transfer drama has ruined everything.
"Everything's just a mess!"Mancini grits his teeth.
His mood is near surrender.
Since it's the last match, he figures "whatever happens, happens."
Even with Ibra, victory wasn't certain. Without him, it's impossible.
Though resentful, Mancini knows he hasn't done enough.
The stadium is full of AC Milan fans' cheers.
Both sets of fans occupy half the stands each.
But the Milan fans cheer all day long, singing loudly, often accompanied by waves of fans, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
In contrast, Inter Milan fans look downcast.
Even though it's just one goal…
They are scared of Suker!
They can't win even when leading, so how could they cope with Milan scoring first?
Suker has basically become a nightmare for Inter fans.
Seeing him makes them subconsciously think "we can't win" and "we can't stop him."
Just like this match.
After AC Milan's first goal, their second wave of attack comes in the 39th minute.
This time, it's a counterattack while Inter Milan presses high.
Kaká initiates the counter.
After receiving the ball in his half, Kaká turns—not to dribble forward, but to look up.
Maicon pushes forward in attack and hasn't retreated yet.
There's a clear gap on the right flank.
Kaká sends a fast ground pass.
This ball flies like a sharp sword through the crowd, covering about 40 meters, landing in the most dangerous area.
There, Suker runs diagonally, controls the ball, turns, and charges into the penalty box.
"I'll mark him!"Zanetti pushes forward instead of falling back.
Samuel urgently shouts, "Captain, get back!"
The next second, Suker pulls a move with consecutive step-overs and shakes off Zanetti.
"Damn!"Samuel rushes up, wanting to block Suker's shot.
But he feels no contact with the ball; Samuel turns and sees the ball has been passed to the middle.
Pato takes a low shot.
The ball hits Srna's shin and deflects into the goal.
"Roar!!!"Pato celebrates excitedly.
He runs over to Suker.
"How about that goal?"Pato looks expectant, as if wanting praise.
But Suker turns his head toward Inter's half—more precisely, looking at Srna.
He grins.
"Don't let us kick you crazy!You still have the European Championship coming up!"
"Start defending in the second half, no need to attack anymore,"
Ancelotti says, turning his head."Simic, Kaladze, get ready to come on."
Some players don't want to play because of the Euros.
But some substitutes hope to use this match to tune their form before the tournament.
Suker breathes a sigh of relief.
Inter Milan's form is so poor that even without attacking, Milan can be confident of the win.
On the other hand, Suker really hopes Pato doesn't run Srna crazy!
Slap!Pato rubs the back of his head, looking aggrieved at Suker.
"Why'd you hit me?"
Suker: "To encourage you!"
In the second half, Pato pushes forward even harder.
Srna is repeatedly dribbled past by Pato and looks utterly disheveled.
Suker is more worried than Srna.
And Pato is really hyped up after Suker's praise.
At 65 minutes, Suker and Pato are substituted.
Simic and Kaladze come on.
Milan shifts to tight defense.
Inter fans begin standing up and leaving the stadium one after another.
Though about 20 minutes remain, they see no hope of a comeback.
The key issue is how poorly the team is playing.
There's zero offensive threat.
Players and fans share the same low morale.
Though some, like Zanetti and Srna, fight on with spirit, others have given up and accepted reality.
Milan's defensive tactic slows the game pace.
AC Milan fans loudly sing, "We are the champions!"
Especially at the word "champions,"
the entire stadium chants "champions!" three times with great intensity.
This atmosphere energizes the Milan players, who play even better.
At 82 minutes, from a corner kick, Šimunić jumps up and heads the ball in for a goal.
The score expands to 3-0, sealing the match.
"No doubt now, Inter Milan~~~"Aldo Serena sighs.
The last two seasons have been truly miserable for Inter Milan.
Of course, they have only themselves to blame.
After Serie A's decline, many thought it would be Inter's chance to rise.
But AC Milan kept knocking them down.
Mancini's coaching abilities are questioned.
Players are starting to want to leave.
Even Inter, least affected by Calciopoli, is struggling.
How long can other teams survive?
Currently, players like Suker, Totti, Kaká, Ibrahimović still hold up Serie A's image.
But with competitiveness falling, and these players still on the rosters—
What happens when Suker, Kaká, and Ibra leave? When Totti retires?
Will Serie A remain competitive?
Will the new generation rise?
Can the league's appeal be restored?
It's all a mess!
What was once the "little World Cup" of Serie A has begun rapidly declining.
Suker looks across the field.
Compared with the Champions League and other leagues, Serie A is showing clear signs of decay.
More mistakes, less rigor in games.
Star players gradually leave, and the league's appeal naturally drops.
In the future, Inter Milan will win a treble under Mourinho.
But that will be Serie A's last glory, a brief last flash.
After that, Serie A will completely collapse.
A top league's decline isn't something one player or team can reverse.
Everyone looks out for themselves!
For his own future, Suker has only one path: leave.
And he's not the only one thinking that way.
Suker glances at Ancelotti.
In the original timeline, Ancelotti leaves after next season.
But judging by the current situation, he may go to Stamford Bridge right after this season.
Stam, Costacurta, Rui Costa, and Maldini have retired.
Ancelotti will leave.
Suker will leave too.
When all of them are gone,
AC Milan's dynasty will finally fade.
Beep!
The final whistle blows.
The match ends.
AC Milan 3, Inter Milan 0. AC Milan wins the Coppa Italia!
"We are the champions!! —"
The entire stadium erupts.
Maybe this will be the last time Milan fans shout "champions" with such passion for a long time.