Chapter 228: The Championship Celebration
Chapter 228: The Championship Celebration
Before the end of the first half, Udinese was awarded a free kick in the attacking half. Bruno himself took the kick, delivering a beautiful direct free kick that found the back of Sassuolo's net once more.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!"
"2-0! Bruno scores a brace, extending Udinese's lead and completely breaking Sassuolo's resistance."
The stands at Friuli Stadium erupted as Udinese fans began to chant, "Champions! Champions! Champions!" In fact, it wasn't just the stadium. All across Udine, in bars, homes, and anywhere people were watching the game, the entire city had gone wild.
Udinese fans knew that no one could take the championship from them now. At the end of the first half, the score was 2-0. During the halftime break, commentators reflected on the first half with surprise. Sassuolo had boasted loudly before the match, making it seem like today's game would be a tough battle for the championship. However, they had been easily crushed.
Sassuolo, with nothing to fight for, lacked motivation. But for Domenico Berardi, there was strong motivation. On one hand, he wanted to prove to the world that he wasn't much worse than Bruno. On the other hand, he wanted to show loyalty to Juventus.
In September 2013, Juventus acquired half of Berardi's rights for 4.5 million euros, with the player remaining at Sassuolo on loan. Despite Berardi's impressive performances at Sassuolo over the past two seasons, Juventus had shown no intention of bringing him to Allianz Stadium.
Berardi hoped that if he could prevent Udinese from winning, giving Juventus a chance to catch up, they might bring him to Turin this summer. Fueled by strong motivation, Berardi scored a beautiful goal early in the second half with a sharp breakthrough down the wing. Even as an opponent, Bruno couldn't help but quietly applaud the effort.
However, Bruno had no intention of letting the opposition celebrate on his turf. He quickly responded with another goal to counter Berardi's challenge.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!"
"Bruno Fernandes! 3-1! This goal locks the championship trophy in the safe. Udinese is only thirty minutes away from their first top-flight league title!"
In the 60th minute, Udinese was awarded another set-piece. Their captain, Bruno Fernandes, curled a beautiful shot into the top right corner, making it 3-1. This was his second direct free kick goal of the match, showcasing his world-class free kick ability.
At that moment, the entire city of Udine echoed with a single word: "Champions!!! Champions!!!" The excitement was incomparable. For Udinese fans, who had never dreamed of winning the Serie A title, this was an unbridled moment of joy.
The entire Friuli Stadium seemed to tremble. The fans were in a frenzy, the TV screens shook, and Udinese players swarmed Bruno, piling on top of him in celebration. The camera then cut to the sidelines where Guidolin raised his arms high in joy, only to be embraced by his assistants.
With a 3-1 lead, Udinese had effectively secured the win and the title with half an hour to go. Guidolin began making substitutions, allowing more players to experience the joy of the championship match. Di Natale was brought on to replace Thereau, ensuring that their legendary captain could participate in lifting the trophy.
Bruno, understanding the significance, handed the captain's armband back to Di Natale. Five minutes later, he assisted Di Natale for another goal.
4-1!
Di Natale celebrated his 23rd Serie A goal of the season. Sassuolo completely gave up attacking after this, with Di Francesco even substituting a still-defiant Berardi. Udinese also slowed down their offensive play.
As the regular 90 minutes ended, the fourth official raised the board showing three minutes of stoppage time. However, the referee ignored this and blew the final whistle as soon as the clock hit 90.
"The match is over! The match is over! The match is over! 4-1! Udinese wins 4-1 over Sassuolo! Udinese are the champions of the 2014-2015 Serie A season!"
"This historic club, 119 years in the making, has finally won their first top-flight league title! Congratulations to Guidolin! Congratulations to Di Natale! Congratulations to Bruno Fernandes! Congratulations to Salah! Congratulations to N'Golo Kante! Congratulations to Guilherme! Congratulations to Widmer! Congratulations to Danilo! Congratulations to Maguire! Congratulations to Cancelo! Congratulations to Piris! Congratulations to Karnezis! Congratulations to everyone at Udinese! They have created a great miracle!" shouted the local Udinese TV commentator.
With the final whistle, the stadium and the entire city of Udine erupted in celebration.
"Congratulations to Udinese, they are the champions of this Serie A season. So far, Udinese has achieved 28 wins, 3 draws, and 6 losses in 37 rounds, making them the best-performing team in Serie A. This small team from northeastern Italy, after winning their first Italian Cup and Europa League last season, has now won the Serie A title. Bruno Fernandes, this 20-year-old genius, has worked his magic to present Udinese's 119-year wait in the most brilliant way possible!"
In the center of the stadium, staff were setting up a makeshift championship podium. The Udinese players were celebrating wildly, jumping and shouting until they were called back to the locker room.
They were going to take a shower, change into special championship shirts prepared by the club, and then return to the pitch to receive their medals and lift the league trophy.
When the Udinese players, now wearing fresh championship shirts, returned to the field, the stadium erupted in another wave of cheers. The award ceremony proceeded smoothly.
Players took turns walking up to the podium to receive their championship medals.
"Congratulations, your outstanding work has shown us the great performance of a great team," said Italian Football Federation President Tavecchio as he handed Bruno his medal and shook his hand.
"Thank you, Mr. President," Bruno replied with a smile.
Udinese captain Di Natale was the last to step up. He received the Serie A trophy from Tavecchio and, as his teammates counted down loudly, hoisted the trophy high.
Black and white confetti rained down from the stadium roof, and beautiful fireworks exploded, lighting up the entire city of Udine. Queen's "We Are the Champions" echoed in the night sky, and cheers swept through Friuli Stadium.
"We are the champions!"
"We are the champions!"
"We are the kings of Italy!"
The players were ecstatic, shouting and cheering wildly.
"Bruno!" Di Natale handed the trophy to Bruno after the initial lift. "Bruno, you do it!"
Bruno took the trophy, examined it carefully, kissed it lightly, and then, under the expectant eyes of everyone, lifted it high once more.
Boom!
The already ecstatic stadium reached a new level of frenzy, with fans shouting Bruno's name.
Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!
Everyone knew how incredible this Serie A championship was for Udinese. It was a miraculous and hard-earned achievement, and they knew who the biggest hero was.
34 games, 25 goals, 20 assists!
These stunning stats were the best testament to Bruno's contribution.
For the first time in its 119-year history, Udinese won the Serie A title. Media across Italy, Europe, and the world celebrated their victory, frequently using words like "miracle" and "surprise."
"Miracle! Serie A welcomes the most incredible champion in history," exclaimed "Gazzetta dello Sport."
"Dreams come true," headlined "Corriere dello Sport," dedicating almost their entire front page to Udinese's triumph.
"Tuttosport" appeared resigned: "The championship belongs to Udinese."
The UK's "The Sun" praised Udinese's victory: "A year ago, Udinese's trophy room had no major trophies. Now they have won the Italian Cup, Europa League, European Super Cup, Italian Super Cup, and Serie A title. In two weeks, they might even win the Champions League. This is a true fairy tale, possibly the greatest underdog story in sports history."
Germany's "Kicker" highlighted Bruno Fernandes' crucial role in Udinese's victory, stating that the 20-year-old Portuguese prodigy's outstanding performances brought the miracle title to Udinese.
France's "L'Équipe" celebrated Udinese's fairy tale triumph, noting its significance in an era dominated by super clubs and big-money football.
(End of Chapter)