Chapter 222: Judgement

Chapter 222: Judgement

The problem was that this loudmouth Uruguayan's big voice wasn't just heard by Alves; the nearby Udinese players heard it too. Bruno glared fiercely at them. Alves glared back: "What are you looking at?"

Seeing Bruno storm off angrily, Alves shrugged at Suarez, as if to say, "These young guys just need to be put in their place." Suarez grinned widely.

Barcelona captain Iniesta looked over, smiling and shaking his head. He knew his teammates well—they were just being boastful and playful, with no ill intentions. Besides, with a 2-1 lead and a 5-2 aggregate score, their opponents seemed powerless to fight back, so everyone was in high spirits.

However, noticing the grim expressions on the Udinese players, Iniesta, wearing the captain's armband, was worried about provoking a conflict and scolded his teammates, "Alright, enough of that."

"What's wrong?" Di Natale asked Bruno. Di Natale didn't speak Spanish, so he didn't know what Alves and Suarez had said. But seeing Bruno's furious expression, he asked.

Bruno told Di Natale what he had heard, which made Di Natale furious as well. Bruno didn't mention one thing: he suspected the opponents were doing it on purpose. Were they trying to provoke them? Did they look down on them? Bruno wasn't sure, but he felt personally targeted.

"Alright, the first half is over. Barcelona turned the score around with two goals in six minutes, changing the aggregate score to 5-2!"

"A match expected to be a fierce battle has turned into garbage time within six minutes."

"With a 1-2 score and 2-5 on aggregate, Bruno's early goal couldn't change much. They are still three goals behind and have lost the away goals advantage. Udinese's goal now should be to avoid further humiliation and not lose too badly."

The Barcelona players left the field chatting and joking, some even playfully hitting each other. They were having a great time in this match.

In contrast, the Udinese players left with serious faces, quickly retreating in silence.

In the guest locker room at the Friuli Stadium, Enrique was all smiles, praising his players' performance and encouraging them to keep it up in the second half.

"2-1 isn't enough," Enrique said. "We aim to score more and win big to advance to the final."

"How about two more?" Alves shouted.

"Two isn't enough," Suarez roared back, followed by laughter.

You can't blame them for being cocky. After all, with a dominant first half where they scored two goals in six minutes, leading 5-2 on aggregate with an away goal advantage, their good mood and underestimation of their opponents were understandable.

Meanwhile, in the home team's locker room...

"Well done!" Guidolin praised his players. "In the last few minutes of the half, we held on under pressure and didn't concede more goals. That's great."

The players understood what the coach meant. After conceding the second goal, Guidolin had said the match was just beginning. He was calculating from that moment.

This wasn't just forced praise. Stabilizing after almost collapsing was indeed commendable.

The halftime break passed quickly, and the players returned to the field one after another. Guidolin lingered for half a minute before slowly walking to the player tunnel. Then he saw Salah hurrying over.

"Where were you?"

"Had to use the bathroom," Salah replied.

Guidolin looked at the young Egyptian, patted his shoulder, and said, "Mohamed, the team needs you in the second half! That old guy Alves can't keep up with your speed. Your job is to beat him!"

"Coach, do you really think so?" Salah asked, eyes wide.

"Of course!" Guidolin replied, noticing the spark in Salah's eyes.

"Go on. I'll be cheering for you from the sidelines," Guidolin said, patting Salah's shoulder. "This is a night for miracles. Go, Mohamed. After this match, you'll be known worldwide!"

"Yes!" Salah nodded vigorously.

Watching Salah run towards the field, looking as if he had been injected with adrenaline, Guidolin smacked his lips. His motivational speech hadn't even fully kicked in, and the kid was already so excited.

In the second half, Udinese did not blindly attack despite trailing on the scoreboard. They organized their offense methodically.

However, to many, this match was already a foregone conclusion with Barcelona having secured the victory. Udinese's current efforts were seen as damage control to avoid further humiliation.

The TV broadcast zoomed in on the sidelines. Guidolin stood there, frowning. He didn't shout, but he looked dejected.

"Dejected" was how the Spanish commentators described the Udinese coach.

Not far from Guidolin, Barcelona coach Enrique was also watching the field intently.

He had his own theory. The tactics Udinese would adopt at the start of the second half would reveal their intent and attitude for the rest of the match.

If Udinese started the second half with a strong attack, it meant Guidolin hadn't given up. While it didn't mean they had the ability to turn things around, it showed an aggressive attitude.

If Udinese focused on solid defense at the start, Enrique believed it showed Guidolin was pragmatic. Guidolin knew the match was lost and wasn't entertaining any far-fetched hopes of a comeback. Instead, he wanted to defend solidly, avoid further goals, and not lose too badly. Scoring one goal in the second half to level the match would save some face.

Even if they didn't score, losing 1-2 wouldn't look too bad.

Enrique was a meticulous and relatively silent coach. He liked to ponder these things, which was part of his coaching experience.

Udinese's second half start was not aggressive but focused on defense, which relieved Enrique. Udinese had accepted defeat, so the second half would be relatively calm, allowing Barcelona to play more comfortably.

Of course, if possible, Enrique hoped his team could score more. In Udinese's resigned state, Barcelona had the chance to extend their lead.

But soon, Enrique frowned. Udinese, though not showing offensive aggression, defended stubbornly.

Iniesta, Barcelona's midfield core, faced tight marking from Udinese.

Udinese defended smartly, targeting Iniesta in midfield where fouls rarely resulted in cards. The fouls weren't malicious, just aimed to disrupt Iniesta's control or force him to lose possession.

For example, pulling his shirt or pushing him down. Even tackles were clean, with no intent to injure.

With Barcelona leading comfortably, the referee was lenient with Udinese's fouls.

In the second half, every time Iniesta got the ball, Kanté or Widmer would rush to mark him closely. Their pressure was aggressive but controlled, without intent to harm. Iniesta was repeatedly fouled, but the referee only issued verbal warnings.

Kanté and Iniesta clashed again in midfield, both falling. The referee called a foul on Iniesta. Kanté quickly got up and took the free kick. Bruno received the ball and immediately switched it to the left side.

Salah accelerated. Piqué tried to catch up but called Alves to cover as he struggled. Just as Alves arrived, Salah stopped suddenly, changed direction, took two steps sideways, and shot before being closed down. It was a grounder, not very angled but very fast. Barcelona goalkeeper Ter Stegen got a hand to it, deflecting it for a corner.

Bruno stood at the corner flag. The referee's whistle blew, and the corner was taken.

Di Natale jumped high, heading the ball towards the top right corner. Ter Stegen's fingertips touched it, but the powerful header continued its trajectory.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!! Antonio Di Natale! The 37-year-old veteran scores! 2:2, Udinese equalizes!"

"This is the Udinese captain's sixth Champions League goal of the season!"

"2:2! With their captain's goal, Udinese has equalized. Though this goal may not change the outcome, it certainly restores some pride."

Indeed, to commentators worldwide, Di Natale's goal was more about saving face for Udinese. No one believed Udinese could stage a comeback. The goal merely made the scoreline less embarrassing, avoiding a double defeat.

(End of Chapter)