Great start to the new season :D. You should be banned for yelling so hard to the ref :P.

Isco and Maher are in the same time in the pitch = to rape and awesome creativity by both

GOOOOOOOLASO!

Very nice updates lately Neal and good to see wins in the first games as Italy manager and in Serie A

Isco is brilliant, just like in real life!

Pauker: This is just the start, wait until you see Coutinho, Maher, and Isco all playing in behind the main striker

Walter: Thanks Walt, my most avid follower these days it seems

The Madridista: Thing is I respect him far more in game for his club choice

The European Supercup. The annual curtain-raising event for continental football in Europe, in which the winner of the Champions League takes on that of the Europa League, in this case Italian club Inter Milan and English side Newcastle. The match took place at the Gelredome in Arnhem, Holland, and was a treat for the packed stadium.

Newcastle from the start decided it would be no pushover, and with Mark Hughes boasting players of the caliber of Kevin De Bruyne and Yohan Cabaye, they promised to give Inter a run for their money, and almost turned the match on it's head 12 minutes in.

Kevin De Bruyne's cross from the right was met by the head of Demba Ba, who beat the goalkeeper, only to be denied by the sliding Emerson Luiz who acrobatically cleared the ball off of the line to keep the scores level. Fabbrini came close for Inter soon after, smashing his shot off the post after an incisive counter.

35 minutes in, though, the Nerazzurri took the lead. Spanish maestro Isco pinged the ball into Lorenzo Insigne who returned the ball with a deft touch, leaving the Tyneside defenders confounded and leaving Isco through on goal. He made no mistake, easily slotting past Krul to give Inter a 1-0 lead.

Newcastle came close once again an hour in when De Bruyne bamboozled Bellusci with his ball skills and cracked a shot off the upright, much to the relief of the beaten Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The Belgian midfielder looked the English club's best player throughout the match, creating every attack.

It was Yann M'Vila that paid the price in stopping him. Late on, with Newcastle piling on the pressure to get the equalizer, the French defensive midfielder got into a tangle with De Bruyne and both went down and had to be subbed off. M'Vila will miss 3 weeks with a twisted ankle, a big blow to Inter's chances in the next few matches.

"I am very happy to get my first goal, but it is more important that we won," said Isco through a translator. "The Supercup is a great way to start the season with a trophy."

Quizzed on M'Vila's injury, manager Giuseppe Bergomi replied, "Obviously it is a big loss, he is our best player in that destructive midfield position. However, we have good players like Lorenzo [Crisetig] and Moussa [Sissoko] that can play in a similar position and bring something else to the table."

After the international break, the season starts in earnest for the Nerazzurri as they play 6 matches next month, 2 in the famous UEFA Champions League, starting by hosting Roma at the Giuseppe Meazza.

You're near 1000 comments, go you.

Roma are easy, you'll be okay. As for the injuries, with the international break, you might as well get half of your players to some fitness

Also, great win in the ESC, you might be looking at De Bruyne as a future playmaker ;)?

THIS IS YOUR 997 REPLYYYYY

HERBAL CARE PRODUCTS

Neal, my dear boy, you are so close to your 1000th reply, yet so far. Juve will ALWAYS be better than Inter, which is proved by their great amounts of titles compared to Inters.. Forza Juve!

I'm not entirely sure what he wants from me, bringing me to the Giuseppe Meazza so late after training. It's 8 pm, what on Earth could Massimo want? I have a family, and he does too, he should know I need at least some time with them. Sure, I love the place, but I don't have time to just be dragged here for a 'little surprise'.

On the outside, of course, I'm quite the opposite. "Oh, yes, no problem Massimo, I'm curious to see what you've got in store so late." The chairman just nods and smiles. My friend, perhaps, but his vagueness can be ridiculously annoying.

We pull into Moratti's personal parking space at the Estadio and shuffl out, and that's when things start to get confusing. Chanting? Lights? Which idiot is about to get fired that left the Giuseppe Meazza's lights on and doors open to the fans. I nearly mentioned this to Massimo, but he quickly said, "Lo Zio, they are waiting."

I'm intrigued. We walk toward the main entrance, and we are met by the rest of the board of directors, who smile and greet me in their overly polite fashion. Sometimes I really can't stand these fools, but they seem genuinely happy this time. What is all of this? We all step inside.

"Giuseppe Bergomi, Il Re del Calcio! Giuseppe Bergomi, Il Re d'Italia! Giuseppe Bergomi, Il Re di Inter!" The King of Football, the King of Italy, and the King of Inter.

The entire stand behind the west goal is packed, every last seat taken. The fans are screaming the chants at the top of their lungs, every one of them adorned in the great Nerazzurri colors.

"Congratulations, Beppe, and welcome to the new Giuseppe Bergomi stand," Moratti smiled. I cannot believe it. They would honor me in this way? "You've spent your entire life here at this club. This is the least we can do to repay you."

I can barely whisper, "Thank you," as I wonder at my new stand. I have to fight the tears from rolling down my cheeks as I see how much I mean to this club, and I begin to understand just how much this club has become to mean to me.

Inter is my life, my love, my passion.

I turn again to Massimo and the directors, who embrace me in true Italian fashion with their wishes of congratulations. I look at each man in the eye, and say, "Forza Inter!"


Thank you all so much for helping me get to 1000 replies! There are very, very few stories that can claim to have gone on so long, and I never would have done so without all of your wonderful comments and unwavering support. Forza Inter!

CONGRATULATIONS! :D: :D

Congratulations for 1000 replies, as well as "legend" status at the club as a manager.

Jason, I will pay your weight in gold for you to remove that comment.

What in the hell Justice...

Aaanyways.. You wouldn't have made 1000 replies without moi, which makes me special :P. Hhahahaa the least they could do was a stand? L-O-L.. I would've requested a stadium name change