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Chapter 93: Turn around
With Juventus gradually retracting their formation due to being one man down, Inter Milan's midfield gained some breathing space, and their organized attacks became more methodical.
In the 86th minute, Di Biagio forcefully broke through on the left, then crossed to the far post. Matrazi reached the first ball in the penalty area, but faced tight defense and couldn't shoot directly. Instead, he headed the ball into the edge of the small penalty area.
Concei??o held his position at the edge of the small penalty area, again heading the ball to the other side. At this point, the Juventus penalty area was chaotic, with both attacking and defending players fighting for the ball.
Wang Feng burst out from one side, seen leaning against a defender with his back to the goal, facing the falling ball. He deftly hooked the ball with his right foot as it descended, sending it straight into the top left corner of the net.
"Goal! Wang Feng strikes again! Inter Milan equalizes the score in the 86th minute!"
"A brilliantly executed scorpion kick, breaking through Buffon's defense. It's evident that Juventus' disadvantage of being a man down in the backline has finally shown, facing Inter Milan's relentless attack, they are struggling to hold on."
After scoring, Wang Feng slid on his knees to the corner flag area, then looked up and pointed to the sky in celebration. Matrazi and Concei??o also ran over, kneeling beside him to celebrate.
Coach Cooper, on the sidelines, stood up in excitement and roared, waving his fists backward. In a comical scene, his fist accidentally hit Vieri's stomach as he was celebrating behind him.
Fortunately, the punch wasn't too strong, and the team doctor checked and found no major injury. However, the cameras on the sidelines faithfully recorded this incident, adding a touch of humor to this classic match.
The game resumed, and Inter Milan showed no intention of holding back, seizing the opportunity while they could!
In the 89th minute, once again, Di Biagio broke through on the left. He passed the ball horizontally to Wang Feng at the edge of the penalty area, and with his left foot, Wang Feng deftly flicked the falling ball to the right.
The ball changed direction in the air, catching Juventus defender Montero off guard as he rushed to intercept. Montero could only stop abruptly and then turn to chase the ball again, his movements somewhat awkward.
Meanwhile, Wang Feng suddenly accelerated towards the ball, and facing the falling ball in the penalty area, he volleyed directly into the net, once again breaching Buffon's defense.
"Goal! Absolutely beautiful!!! Wang Feng has pierced Juventus' defense once again, completing a hat-trick! Inter Milan now leads 3-2 against Juventus!" Huang Jianqiang shouted at the top of his lungs.
"I wonder if Tudor in the locker room will regret his foul on Wang Feng. That red card was the turning point of the whole match. With Juventus down to ten men, they can no longer contain Wang Feng."
Just like Huang Jianqiang, many domestic fans in front of their TVs shouted out when Wang Feng scored, disturbing the peace of countless dreams.
Zhang Lu added, "Just a few days ago in the Europa League group stage, Wang Feng scored his first hat-trick since joining Inter Milan. I didn't expect another one in the league so soon."
"At just 18 years old, Wang Feng, born on July 12th, has once again become the brightest star on the Serie A stage. Let's applaud his splendid performance!"
"Wang Feng scored two goals in the last five minutes, leading Inter Milan to reverse Juventus," the day after the game, "Milan Sports News" reported on the front page.
The cover featured a photo of Wang Feng's second goal moment with his scorpion kick, vividly depicting his graceful posture and the angle of his shot.
The article lavished praise on Wang Feng, stating that he completely turned around Inter Milan's losing situation. Whether it was the aggressive opening goal, the red card he forced while trailing, or the consecutive goals at the end, all showcased unparalleled attacking threat and core value.
"Now Inter Milan fans can temporarily forget about Ronaldo's absence. They will not repeat the tragedy of last season because they have Wang Feng!"
On the other hand, "Turin Sports News" defended Juventus' Tudor, "We all understand what it means to let Wang Feng go one-on-one. At that moment, Tudor didn't have many choices."
"This red card indeed led to a reversal in the game situation, ultimately conceding the three points, but we should also see that with a full lineup, Juventus' level is indeed higher than Inter Milan's. So, who will win the league title this season is still unknown."
While Wang Feng stirred up storms in Serie A, stacks of endorsement contracts were brought to his agent Francesco Balmond, overwhelming him.
Serie A was not to be compared with the relatively unknown Belgian league. It was a truly top European league, maintaining the highest points in European competition from 1986 to 1999, slipping to second only in 2000.
Wang Feng's influence quickly spread across Asia and Europe. World-renowned brands like Coca-Cola, Walmart, and Volkswagen wanted him as their spokesperson, all because of his immeasurable commercial value.
Especially after joining the Serie A giants Inter Milan, Wang Feng's commercial value multiplied. Even if Genk won the UEFA Cup, they couldn't match this level of influence.
After careful consideration, Wang Feng chose to endorse several Fortune 500 companies. Overall, the annual endorsement fees he could receive were close to 30 million euros!
Keep in mind, Wang Feng's annual salary at Inter Milan was only 2.8 million euros, and with various bonuses, it wouldn't exceed 4 million euros. It's evident how hot his market demand was.
The Adidas executive responsible for Wang Feng deeply regretted his oversight. He didn't expect such a huge loss due to a momentary negligence. Adidas didn't have high hopes for Wang Feng at first, but they believed he was young enough and had potential. So they offered a contract of 500,000 euros per year for seven years.
When Balmond went to negotiate the amount and duration with Adidas headquarters, they were very impatient, showing a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. When Wang Feng signed with Nike for 2.4 million euros over three years, they secretly cursed Nike for being foolish.
Unexpectedly, with the passage of time, the revenue Wang Feng brought to Nike far exceeded the endorsement fees. According to last quarter's financial report, Nike's sales and market in Asia had far surpassed Adidas'.
Recently, Nike was planning to launch a new exclusive sneaker series "WIND" for Wang Feng, personally designed by the company's top designers. This would be another market-booming product.
To keep Wang Feng tied to Nike's chariot, the company's top management had begun planning the renewal work for Wang Feng. They offered 8 million euros per year for a ten-year contract.
In order to compensate for their mistakes, Adidas even offered 10 million euros per year for a ten-year contract, hoping to bring Wang Feng under their banner. However, Balmond temporarily put these offers on hold.
He was increasingly convinced that as long as Wang Feng continued to play, the value he created in the future would far exceed these offers.