The legendary Filippo Inzaghi was currently at the helm of the AC Milan youth squad.
On July 25th of last year, Inzaghi had taken over the Milan U17s, officially launching his managerial career. By June 7th of this year, he had been promoted to manager of the AC Milan Primavera (U19) squad, leading them in both the Campionato Primavera and the Coppa Italia Primavera.
Perhaps drawn together by a mutual appreciation between handsome men, Inzaghi had a pretty good impression of Sandro. Unfortunately, in terms of both current ability and future potential, Sandro was thoroughly mediocre. Lacking any standout traits, he barely scraped by as a substitute.
So no matter how good that impression was, Inzaghi could hardly give him special treatment. With the league season imminent and the Milan Derby fast approaching, the manager naturally had no extra energy to spare on the boy. He simply tossed Sandro over to his assistant coach, figuring they would deal with him once he was fit enough to actually play.
Sandro knew he couldn't rush things. Besides, he needed time to get used to his new self.
Just as he expected, his first three days consisted of simple rehabilitation and conditioning. But right when he was cleared to start training with the ball, an accident occurred.
However, the accident didn't happen to Sandro, but to one of the team's two starting forwards.
In the opening round of the Campionato Primavera, the Milan youth squad had crushed Pescara 4–0. Milan's number 9, Freddy Rick, shone brilliantly with a goal and an assist, standing out as the biggest contributor to the victory.
This should have been a good thing, but the idiot got into a fight while celebrating at a bar—and, as luck would have it, got caught on camera by the media.
Women, alcohol, and bloodshed. With all those factors combined, the club couldn't have handled it quietly even if they wanted to. Bianchessi was so furious he immediately froze Rick out of the squad.
And so, without any warning, Sandro found himself on the matchday squad list.
Inzaghi felt pretty helpless about the situation, too.
The squad didn't lack forwards. If he really needed to, he could scrape together five or six. But the only genuinely usable ones were Rick and Petagna.
If the rules allowed it, he would have gone out on the pitch and played himself.
As for why he chose Sandro...
Since anyone else he picked would be about the same, why not pick a handsome one?
Xiao Zhe and Olivia, who had just rushed back from their hometown, were stunned.
Their entire worldview had taken a severe hit.
Was it really this effective?
Factoring in the time difference, Olivia did some quick mental math and realized that the day Rick self-destructed was the exact same day they had burned incense for their ancestors!
It was hard not to let their imaginations run wild.
Olivia suddenly felt intensely remorseful.
They hadn't burned enough.
They had burned far too few offerings for the ancestors...
Right then and there, Olivia decided that from this day forward, she was a staunch believer in Eastern mysticism.
Normally, since Sandro was just returning from injury, he would obviously start this match on the bench. But driven by their newly established worldview, Xiao Zhe and Olivia shared the delusion that their son would definitely take the pitch. Because of this, they arrived at the stadium early to wait for kickoff.
A youth team match naturally couldn't compare to a senior first-team fixture. Only the local media had built up any hype for the event. Still, relying on the golden brand of the Milan Derby, it garnered solid attention, with both the Italian sports channel and Milan Channel 2 broadcasting the match live.
The San Siro, capable of holding 80,000 spectators, welcomed a crowd of over 20,000 today. The red and black occupied the Curva Nord, while the blue and black entrenched themselves in the Curva Sud, the two sides distinctly divided.
Inside the locker room, Inzaghi wore a serious expression. His sharp gaze swept across the young faces one by one, as if seeing his past self.
He clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
"You should all know what this match means.
"From the moment you put on this jersey, you fight for victory, you fight for the championship, you fight for glory, and you fight to... defeat Inter Milan!"
The group of young players, like a pack of impatient wolf cubs, took to the pitch.
Sandro took his seat on the bench, quietly waiting for his chance to play.
"The match has begun! AC Milan kicks off first..."
"This is Inzaghi's second season leading the U19 squad.
"Last season, he led the team to a record of 19 wins, 1 draw, and 6 losses, edging out the Inter Milan youth squad and finishing second in the standings just behind the Atalanta youth team. In their two matches against Inter, they recorded a 1–1 draw and a 1–0 victory..."
"Since this is a youth team match, many scouts are present in the stands today, and their attention is firmly fixed on a few standout players from both sides.
"For example, AC Milan's Davide Calabria. He is the iconic player of the Milan youth squad, and one of the youngsters with the best chance of breaking into the first team.
"Then there's Inter Milan's Federico Bonazzoli. He's only sixteen this year, but he's already competing with the U19s. Moreover, he's grown to a height of 1.9 meters and is hailed as Inter's 'New Balotelli.'
"There's also Samuele Longo. He's actually appeared in the first team's lineup multiple times, yet he still frequently drops down to play for the youth squad. His nose for goal and his heading ability are quite... Longo!!!
"A header on goal!!!
"What a pity, just barely missed..."
The match had just kicked off, and Inter Milan had already pushed the ball into AC Milan's penalty box. Fortunately, Longo's header was parried away by the goalkeeper. Otherwise, AC Milan would have practically started the match 0–1 down.
The resulting corner kick failed to create a threat, but Inter carried an overwhelming momentum. They played aggressively, pressing forward relentlessly and leaving AC Milan's goal in constant peril.
After surviving their sluggish start, AC Milan gradually began to launch counterattacks. Unfortunately, the effect was minimal; overall, Inter still held the upper hand.
In the 12th minute, Inter's number 5, Crisetig, played a through ball from the midfield. Longo successfully beat the offside trap, earning a one-on-one opportunity. However, the Milan goalkeeper reacted with lightning speed. Rushing off his line early, he dove right as Longo took the shot, narrowly deflecting the ball away.
In the 22nd minute, Crisetig delivered another precise long pass. Inter's 'New Balotelli,' Bonazzoli, leapt high into the air and scored with a header.
0–1.
In the 37th minute, AC Milan launched a rapid counterattack. Midfielder Fabbro chipped the ball into the penalty area, but Calabria's header went wide. Milan had missed a prime opportunity to equalize.
In the 46th minute, just as the first half was drawing to a close, Bonazzoli, who had scored Inter's first goal, met a teammate's pass and headed it across the box. Crisetig, who had served up the assist earlier, now comfortably finished off the chance, side-footing the ball into the net.
0–2...
Thunderous applause and continuous cheers echoed from the Curva Sud of the San Siro, while the Curva Nord fell into complete silence.
"Inter Milan leads by two goals at the half! This is a result no one saw coming!
"AC Milan must make a change. They need a hero!
"Someone has to step up and turn this all around!"
In the stands, Xiao Zhe and Olivia looked at each other and smiled.
Wasn't this exactly the opportunity they were waiting for...?