Chapter 398: Battle Against Roma Again

"Tactical meeting ends here. In the next match against Roma, we must secure the home victory!"

AC Milan still trailed Inter Milan in the standings and needed to fight hard to catch up. Even if they couldn't overtake them yet, they couldn't afford to fall further behind.

In this match, Ancelotti provided some fresh tactical ideas to prevent Milan's approach from becoming too predictable, and also to reduce the physical strain on Suker in the attacking third.

April 1st, 2006/07 Serie A Round 29AC Milan hosts Roma at the San Siro.

Lately, Totti had been in sensational form, scoring efficiently and posing a consistent threat. Roma's supporting cast—De Rossi, Mancini, and Pizarro—had also been performing admirably.

Despite playing at home, AC Milan couldn't afford to underestimate their opponent.

It was a bustling weekend afternoon around San Siro. The international break had ended, the league resumed, and the season was entering its decisive point-grabbing phase.

At this stage, every win could impact the league table significantly.

Inter Milan, AC Milan, and Roma had become the title challengers. Roma had fallen behind earlier in the season, but had caught up rapidly. They were just 3 points behind AC Milan and 5 behind Inter.

This match could determine whether Roma leapfrogged AC Milan.

Led by "Il Capitano" Totti, Roma had arrived in Milan a day early. This was a high-stakes Serie A showdown that attracted enormous attention.

Inside San Siro, waves of cheers echoed throughout the stadium.

Fans from both sides were shouting support for their teams.

During warmups, Milan fans booed Roma players, trying to rattle them—perhaps not effective, but definitely passionate, and it built up the home atmosphere.

Soon, both teams returned to their locker rooms.

Ancelotti announced the starting lineup.

In this match, Suker did not start as center forward but returned to his former left attacking midfielder role, with Ronaldo playing center forward.

However, since Ronaldo couldn't run as much these days, his main task was to hold up play and support Suker and Kaká.

Ronaldo had no objections. In the past, he may have resisted, but now he understood his limitations and valued every playing opportunity.

Final Starting XI:

AC Milan (4-3-2-1)

GK: Dida

DF: Šimić, Nesta, Šimunić, Oddo

MF: Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf

AM: Kaká, Ronaldo, Suker

AS Roma (4-4-2)

GK: Doni

DF: Cassetti, Chivu, Mexès, Panucci

MF: Mancini, Pizarro, De Rossi, Wilhelmsson

FW: Totti, Taddei

"This is Round 29 of the 2006/07 Serie A season: AC Milan versus Roma at San Siro."

"Both teams currently sit second and third in the table, with Milan ahead by 3 points."

"If Roma wins, they'll leap into second. But Milan needs to be wary of Roma's attacking threat."

"And Roma must especially watch out for Suker. With 27 goals in 28 matches, he's leading the Serie A Golden Boot race and the Champions League scoring chart. He's an elite striker with deadly efficiency!"

—Commentator Aldo Serella providing pre-match coverage.

On the field, Totti stopped the ball under his foot and shouted, "Mark him tight! Especially Suk!"

Suk, standing on the other side, clearly heard him.

Roma didn't care whether Suk heard it—they were going to lock him down either way.

"Suker is deployed on the left attacking midfield position for the first time this season. We're eager to see what he can do!"

Serella was visibly excited. He had previously said he preferred Suk attacking from the left, constantly tearing through defenses from wide positions, rather than playing centrally.

With Ancelotti returning Suk to that role, who knew what kind of performance Milan could unleash?

BEEP!The whistle blew—kickoff.

Roma started the match, and Milan pressed high right away.

Ronaldo, despite his growing waistline since joining in the winter window, still made an effort. He charged the defenders several times before settling in between them.

Suker and Kaká positioned themselves in the half-spaces to block Roma's central buildup.

Roma remained patient, probing Milan's formation with caution.

De Rossi took the ball and looked up toward Totti.

Suker immediately rushed in. De Rossi twisted away down the wing, only to be chased down again by Suker's speed.

With no other option, De Rossi passed backward.

As the ball moved away, Suker jogged calmly back to his position.

"Suker's energy level is unreal. Even this late in the season, he plays like it's opening day," Serella marveled.

"There are many players with great stamina, able to handle 90 minutes plus extra time."

"But Suker is different—he seems to get stronger as the match goes on."

"That's why so many of Milan's comeback wins have come in the second half, all thanks to him."

Roma continued probing.

But as the saying goes—too many passes lead to mistakes.

Under Milan's relentless pressure, the ball was intercepted by Gattuso with a high leg.

"COUNTERATTACK!" Gattuso roared.

"Counter your ass!" Suker yelled in annoyance.

Pirlo also shouted, "Pass it to me!"

Roma's players were still deep in their own half—this wasn't the time for a counterattack.

The ball came to Pirlo, who passed it sideways to Seedorf.

Seedorf dribbled a few steps forward under pressure from De Rossi, then passed to Suk in the half-space.

Suker received it and glanced toward the wing—a deceptive motion.

De Rossi assumed Suker and Seedorf were going for a quick one-two, so he shifted his body position, which delayed his approach slightly.

That gave Suker just enough time to turn smoothly and pass across to Kaká on the opposite side.

"Shit!" De Rossi cursed.

Still, he had no regrets. If he'd been wrong and the one-two had gone through, Roma's left side would've been wrecked.

Though he couldn't steal the ball, he at least disrupted Milan's rhythm.

For the first ten-plus minutes, both teams were locked in a tactical stalemate.

This was typical Serie A—lengthy feeling-out periods and a slower overall tempo.

Unlike the Premier League's "see-you-smash-you" style, Serie A had the vibe of an "old man's league."

At the 16-minute mark, Suker attempted his first shot.

It skimmed past the far post. He was under pressure and didn't have time to fully adjust his angle.

But even that shot startled the Roma players.

They had already pressured him and interfered with the shot—yet still, he got it off. That was the scary part.

"I need to be more decisive," Chivu muttered to himself.

Suker hadn't hesitated for even a second. So next time, Chivu wouldn't either.

He thought it—and he acted on it.

The next time Suker received the ball near the top of the box, Chivu stepped up instantly to block.

But Suker faked him out with a quick horizontal touch to create space, shifted his body, and immediately fired—

DING! WHOOSH!The ball smashed the far post and ricocheted into the net.

The entire stadium fell silent.

That was Suker's second shot.The first was a test.The second?Goal.

Absolutely crushing for Roma.

They had done everything they could to stop him—yet still, he scored.