On the evening of February 28th, at the Olympic Stadium in Turin.

  Whech reached the 88th minute, Napoli's Argentine midfielder Pastore, who had e on as a substitute, received a pass from Vargas he left er of the penalty area. Shaking off Juventus' right-back Grygera, he forced a breakthrough down the left side of the box.

  Fag Juventus' ter-back Legrottaglie, who was blog his path, the young Argenti feinting and shakiually attempting a cross from the byline. However, the experienced Legrottaglie blocked it, defleg the ball out of bounds before it could reach the goal.

  Napoli was awarded a er kick from the left side of the attag third.

  "The fourth official has raised the board—there will be three minutes of added time in the sed half."

  "Napoli's relentless attacks have put enormous pressure on Juventus' defense, but they've still failed to break through."

  "Let's see if this er kick pose a threat."

  "This er will be taken by Spanish midfielder Parejo, who came on in the sed half."

  "We see Napoli's taller pyers positioning themselves in the penalty area."

  "Juventus is also fully alert, clearly wary of this er kick threat from Napoli."

  "Ranieri is shouting instrus from the sidelines, frantically anizing his team's defense."

  "Napoli's head coach, Gao Shen, is equally busy."

  "The young and talented coach made three substitutions in the sed half, tinually bolstering Napoli's attack, but Ranieri's tight defeactics have been unyielding. The veteran coach even substituted Giovinohamed Sissoko, a more defensively capable pyer, during the halftime break."

  "Later, he repced Del Piero with Salihamidzic, signaling a clear io defend until the very end."

  "Juventus' tenacious defense is a tough nut to crack for any team in the world."

  "Now, let's see hooli executes this er."

  …

  Gao Shen stood in front of the visiting team's coag area, as posed as ever in his usual sharp suit and polished shoes.

  He refrained from mianaging the pyers on the field, trusting their judgment in the heat of the moment.

  No one khe immediate challenges och better than the pyers themselves.

  As head coach, Gao Shen's job was to analyze from a broader, strategic perspective. Details like er kicks were dictated by regur training sessions and pyers' instincts during the game.

  These were no longer matters that could be influe this te stage.

  Letting out a long sigh, Gao Shen cursed silently.

  That daminkerer!

  The match is practically over, and you're still givihis much trouble!

  Irritated, Gao Shen goward Ranieri, who stood by the home team's teical area, direg his pyers.

  Juventus had gone all out defeonight, starting in a 4-4-2 formation. But after a difficult first half, Ranieri made adjustments at halftime, repg Giovinco with Sissoko.

  Fine, switg to a 4-3-1-2 formation made sense.

  But then, by the 60th minute, even Del Piero was subbed off.

  Now Juventus only had Trezeguet left up front.

  Gao Shen almost wao march over and say, "If you have the guts to sub off Trezeguet as well, I'll be seriously impressed!"

  If every substitution Gao Shen made was desigo enhanapoli's offehen every substitution Ranieri made was aimed at strengthening Juventus' defense. He was determio transform Juventus' penalty area into a fortress.

  Napoli still found it difficult to cope with such a defeup.

  Meanwhile, anh-profile match was taking pce simultaneously. Inter Min had drawn 3-3 with Roma at the Meazza Stadium.

  Mourinho's team had also rotated their squad, starting with Burdisso and Cordoba as ter-backs. However, they ceded two quick goals in the 23rd and 29th minutes of the first half.

  Though Adriano ter set up Balotelli to score, Roma responded quickly with anoal of their own.

  Inter earned a troversial penalty, which Balotelli verted.

  It wasn't until the 79th mihat Figo, who had e on as a substitute, assisted Crespo—another substitute—for the equalizer.

  3-3. Inter Min and Roma ended in a draw.

  This was a golden opportunity for Napoli.

  A win against Juventus would extend their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points, easing much of the petition's pressure. It could even effectively decide the league title in Napoli's favor.

  But here was Ranieri, determio make life difficult.

  He's his stubborn. Why now?

  Parejo jogged to the er fg on the left side of the pitch.

  Before subbing him on for Vidal, Gao Shen had specifically instructed Parejo to take this er kick.

  Napoli's t pyers, includiia and avaro Jr., had already crowded into Juventus' penalty area.

  Juventus' defense remained on high alert.

  Gao Shen folded his arms across his chest, silently the a near Juventus' box.

  …

  Parejo raised his right arm high, signaling to his teammates.

  In the penalty area, every Napoli pyer took note of his gesture.

  Juventus' defenders grew visibly more tense.

  The ball was ing.

  Parejo dashed forward, pnting his left foot firmly before swinging his right foot to deliver an inswinging cross.

  The ball soared with speed, trag a graceful arc through the air before desding sharply toward the far-right er of the six-yard box.

  Chaos erupted in the penalty area as pyers from both teams jostled for position, disrupting one another.

  Benatia, the tallest and most physically dominant pyer, had been a primary target for Napoli's set pieces all night. He and Pelle had sistently drawention of Juventus' defenders.

  This time, Benatia moved toward the ter, engaging Chiellini ataglie in a tussle for positioning.

  Meanwhile, unnoticed by the defense, a figure suddenly broke free at the far post.

  It was avaro.

  Leaping high, pletely unmarked, avaro met Parejo's er with a perfectly-timed header, driving the ball into the right side of Juventus' .

  Buffon, his view obstructed, reacted too te to stop it.

  "Gooooooaaaaallllll!!!"

  "Ih minute, Napoli scores a critical goal!"

  "A header from Paolo avaro!"

  "My word! Nobody expected this! It wasn't Pelle, it wasn't Benatia—it was avaro who stepped up when it mattered most!"

  "What a beautiful goal! What an absolutely vital moment!"

  avaro tore away in celebration, running down the sideline and r with exhiration. He wao shout to the world: I'm not an ordinary person!

  His Napoli teammates chased after him, celebrating wildly.

  1-0!

  Napoli takes the lead!

  …

  "Yes!"

  Gao Shen jumped into the air, pumping his fists in triumph.

  "Fantastic, Paolo! You're the best!" he shouted with excitement.

  He had always trusted his pyers, whether it arejo, who had been subbed on, or avaro, who had gradually bee the team's fourth-choice ter-back. Gao Shen never doubted them lightly.

  Trust the ones you rely on, and don't rely on those you 't trust.

  That was Gao Shen's philosophy when it came to managing pyers.

  This victory carried eveer significe. The first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals loomed in midweek, and managing a busy schedule with a rotating squad was a challenge. Any mistake could derail Napoli's momentum.

  Just look at Mourinho's Ionight against Roma. Even his rivalry with Spalletti wasn't enough to prevebacks.

  After his initial excitement, Gao Shen calmed down, g his fists and sharing celebratory hugs with his assistants.

  Wheurned back, he saw his pyers running past on their way to reset. Gao Shen stepped forward, exging high-fives with each of them.

  "Well done, everyone!" he enced.

  "Keep pressing! Try for anoal!" he urged, his voice full of fidence.

  The Napoli pyers shouted in unison, fired up by their coach's belief in them.

  …

  "That's the Napoli spirit!"

  "Gao Shen has spent three years instilling this iron will into the team."

  "Fans say that when watg Napoli py, you don't just see their relentless fighting spirit—you see graceful passing moves, brilliant tactical awareness, and fshes of individual brilliance."

  "This Napoli team isn't perfect yet, but it's already incredibly strong."

  "No one questions Gao Shen anymore."

  "Three years ago, wheook over newly-promoted Napoli, he promised to build a Serie A powerhouse within three years. Today, Napoli is undoubtedly the stroeam in Serie A."

  "And tally, Juventus the team that suffered at Napoli's hands three years ago is still being outpyed by them now."

  "Gao Shen once cimed to have fotten his feud with Juventus' sp director, Secco. Whether or not that's true, ohing is clear: Gao Shen always wins when fag Juventus."

  …

  When referee Elordi blew the final whistle, Gao Shen visibly rexed, his tensioing away.

  Napoli's pyers erupted into celebration och.

  With this victory, Napoli secured three crucial points. Coupled with Inter Min's draw against Roma, Napoli's lead at the top of Serie A had now stretched to seven points.

  It was a moment worth sav for the ey of Naples.

  Fighting on three fronts had pushed the team to its limits, both physically aally.

  But now, with a seven-point cushion, Napoli had room to breathe.

  In the weeks ahead, even if a sacrifice had to be made in the league to prioritize the cup, this victave them the flexibility to make those tough decisions.

  Of course, such measures would only be a st resort.

  Gao Shen firmly believed in one principle: opportunities favor the prepared.

  Napoli had prepared. Their ammunition was stocked, their resolve was unwavering.

  Ranieri approached to shake hands with Gao Shen after the game.

  This would likely be the st time the two faced each other this season.

  Barring any surprises, Gao Shen would be leaving Serie A at the end of the season. Who knew when they'd meet again?

  And as rumors had it, Ranieri's te Juventus was nearing its end.

  Thinking of this, Gao Shen couldn't help but let a wry smile creep across his face.