Because Lu Yang was also messing with Talista’s mentality.
"Let me take it, you should position yourself nearby for a potential rebound," Finger said stiffly, aware that Talista had little respect for him.
Situations like this are common.
A superstar joins a new team, and it’s normal for existing players to feel discontent.
A superstar’s team gets new recruits, and it’s normal for the newcomers to feel discontent too.
So Finger needed to uphold his position, and what was his must definitely stay his.
Talista said nothing and simply walked away.
"Tsk tsk tsk... Even though I am not the team’s primary set piece taker, if I want to take it, that ball will be mine. Whether it’s at San Remo or in the Italy National Team!" Lu Yang twisted the knife.
Talista was so angry that he nearly clenched his teeth to breaking point.
Bernulin pulled Naji aside, telling him to look and see, this is how experts spar.
You must maintain composure, then find and exploit the opponent’s weaknesses relentlessly.
Don’t let some baffling words from them irritate you.
Only then did Naji calm down, admiringly admitting, Brother Lu is indeed a bit nastier.
"Alright, Finger steps behind the football, he will take this one, as he has already scored a free kick from this position this season. This is his domain," the commentator announced.
On the field, Finger began to move.
Bam!
A beautifully curved free kick cut through the air.
The ball successfully sailed over the wall.
Areola couldn’t keep up with the save, and the ball went straight into the net.
One to zero!
Inter Milan takes the lead.
At San Siro, the fans began to celebrate.
They chanted Finger’s name.
Almost all the Inter players were smiling.
This is the mighty Inter Milan!
But among the Inter lineup, Talista’s face was full of displeasure.
This damn free kick was his doing.
If he had taken the shot, he could have scored too, and people would be chanting Talista’s name.
Damn it!
Stupid Finger, stealing my goal!
Stupid fans, don’t you know who your true savior is!
...
The game resumed.
Talista vented his anger on San Remo.
His tackling grew more aggressive, including his back tracking, which troubled Versachi greatly.
This attitude was quite professional in itself.
In the thirty-seventh minute, Inter Milan got a corner kick opportunity.
After Finger delivered the corner, Talista directly toppled Lam in front of him.
Then he leaped high; Lu Yang was beside Talista, but Talista accurately judged the fall, and made contact with the ball first.
This kind of header is impossible for the goalkeeper to block.
Two to zero!
Inter Milan scored again!
"Foul! He fouled!" Lu Yang was the first to rush towards the main referee.
Lam also immediately got up and told the main referee that he was pushed over.
The main referee looked troubled.
But then firmly shook his head.
He believed in his decision.
Even though he couldn’t see whether Talista pushed Lam from his vantage point, the decision was made and he couldn’t keep changing it.
"If you don’t believe it, you can look at the VAR!" Lam reminded the main referee.
"This is the Europa League!" the main referee responded with displeasure.
Only then did Lam realize that currently, the only place in the world football that had installed VAR was San Remo’s Makabaka Stadium, and it was only used in the Italian Second Division.
Besides... most referees were unhappy with VAR’s intervention.
In the past, wrong calls didn’t matter much, but now it’s embarrassing.
Lam wanted to argue with the main referee, but Lu Yang pulled him back.
It was useless.
For one thing, controversial goal decisions are hard to change.
For another... this is the Europa League.
Lu Yang almost forgot, this is a UEFA competition.
How much trouble did San Remo cause UEFA this year?
It was bound to happen eventually.
UEFA has started to wield their power.
Today’s match, is likely going to be tough!
Football in itself has low manipulability, as there are many participants and scoring can be very difficult without penalty kicks to influence the score. It’s very hard to control.
Yet football is highly controllable as well. Because the penalty standards can vary greatly for each match or even every ten minutes.
No need for shady operations or fixing, changing the referee’s decision criteria between the first and second half can create two entirely different match scenarios.
Influencing the game within the rules is UEFA’s power, without violating any rules.
Take Morici’s ball control earlier as an example, could they give Talista a yellow card?
They could!
If the penalty criterion is this strict, the defending players wouldn’t dare challenge, for fear of getting cards.
Similarly, if the penalty criterion is too lenient, those in possession would struggle, easily losing the ball for counterattacks, and risk getting injured.
The styles of teams vary; lenient criteria benefit counterattack-oriented teams while strict ones suit possession-oriented teams, making the learning profound.
This explains why two identical teams can have such different match scenarios in a short time.
It is a classic intervention by human factors.
San Remo’s strategy is a ball control tactic, and today’s lenient officiating created challenges.
If someone said there’s no targeted action, Lu Yang wouldn’t believe it.
In the first half, San Remo failed to score, and their condition was precarious.
During halftime, Lu Yang shared his thoughts with Sotu.
Sotu appreciated Lu Yang’s idea.
"Kaint, expand your movement range in the second half," Sotu addressed in the locker room, "In the second half, we’ll intensify our pressing in the front. Lu Yang and Canyes, try to stay up front to participate in defense. Don’t let them push the ball past midfield!"