Chapter 156: Another Great Victory!

Chapter 156: Another Great Victory!

"The substitute French forward Tairo scored! This forward, loaned to Udinese from Chievo this summer, performed very well after coming off the bench. With him, Udinese's attack found its focal point," the commentator noted.

"However, the biggest credit for this goal must go to Bruno Fernandes. He delivered this pass almost with his back to the attacking direction—it was full of imagination!"

"Is this the legendary no-look pass? This is definitely one of Bruno's signature moves; he's delivered many such unexpected passes in games."

"The second half for Udinese was unbelievable; they played with such passion and sharp attacks!"

"It's all thanks to Bruno's outstanding performance! He's truly deserving of the term 'phenomenon'! Look at the expression on Mr. Georgi Dermendzhiev's face—he looks devastated!"

"He said his team came to Friuli Stadium with a plan, and perhaps in the first half, it seemed so. But in the second half, Bruno Fernandes changed everything with his own efforts!"

"With two goals and one assist, plus orchestrating Udinese's third goal, Bruno Fernandes' performance in the second half was just brilliant!"

… The media section at Friuli Stadium was buzzing with journalists from all over the world, all exclaiming in amazement.

"Bruno!!!" Thousands of fans in Friuli Stadium simultaneously cheered his name.

The unanimous cheering for one person thrilled journalists from around the world; the atmosphere was electrifying.

"Hehe, the outcome of the match is no longer in question," said Zhang Lu in the Xinlang Sports broadcast studio. "The only suspense now is whether Udinese will score more goals!"

… With a three-goal lead, Udinese gradually slowed down their attack, opting more to control the ball and run down the clock.

However, the over forty thousand Udinese fans at Friuli Stadium had no complaints; they continued to sing and even started doing the wave in the stands, basking in the joy.

Just when it seemed the match would end with the current score, a surprising goal occurred.

In the third minute of stoppage time, just as the referee was about to blow the whistle to end the match, Udinese launched another attack.

Alan passed from midfield to Tairo, who controlled the ball at the front and, despite being pulled back by a defender, waited for his teammates to rally. He then knocked the ball to Bruno.

Bruno, with a precise through pass, sent Guilherme offside breaking into the box.

As Borjan came out to clear the ball and ended up fouling Guilherme, the referee hesitated but eventually awarded Udinese a penalty.

With Di Natale, the regular penalty taker, not on the field, it was Bruno, now wearing the captain's armband, who stepped up.

Facing Borjan, the audacious Bruno performed a Panenka, chipping the ball once again into the net.

5:1!

Friuli Stadium erupted instantly as over forty thousand fans leaped from their seats, celebrating Bruno's hat-trick.

Ultimately, Udinese staged a great comeback at Friuli Stadium. After being down 0:1 in the first half, they turned the game around with five goals in the second half, winning 5:1 against Ludogorets.

It was a splendid victory for their first Champions League match in nine years.

… In another Group B match, Real Madrid also won 5:1 against Basel at home.

Unlike Udinese, who relied on Bruno's individual brilliance to secure their victory, Real Madrid displayed their comprehensive strength. Five goals were scored by four different players, with the final one being an own goal by the opposition.

This full-throttle performance finally earned the cheers of the Bernabéu crowd, instead of the waves of white handkerchiefs seen previously.

However, this is the Real Madrid people expect to see.

The new season for Real Madrid had been turbulent. They were upset by Udinese in the UEFA Super Cup, starting off on the wrong foot.

Back in Spain, Real quickly lost the Spanish Super Cup to their city rivals Atletico Madrid after two legs.

Before the league even began properly, Real Madrid had already lost two trophies.

And that was just the beginning. Their performance in La Liga was what really caused the proud Real Madrid fans to wave those white handkerchiefs.

After winning against a newly-promoted team in the first round, Real suffered back-to-back defeats: a crushing 4:2 away loss to Real Sociedad and a 2:1 home defeat to Atletico Madrid.

With three games played, one win and two losses, Real was already six points behind a perfect Barcelona.

… During the summer transfer window, Real Madrid splurged €120 million on World Cup-winning German midfielder Toni Kroos and the World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez.

Yet, when the new season started, Real Madrid's offense didn't live up to expectations.

Tonight, against Basel in the Champions League, Real's attack finally unleashed its full force. J-Rod, C-Rod, Benzema, and Bale each scored a goal, along with an own goal from the opponent, showcasing the striking capabilities expected of Real Madrid with Kroos and Modric performing excellently in midfield.

After the game, the Spanish media lauded Real Madrid with high praise: "Considering the organization of the attack and the final result, Real Madrid deserves a perfect score of 10."

And from the first round of Group B, it was clear that there's a significant difference in strength. Real Madrid and Udinese are evidently stronger than Basel and Ludogorets. Guidolin's talk of Udinese aiming to "gain experience" was merely a smokescreen to relieve pressure on his players.

With things as they are, it's likely that Real Madrid and Udinese will advance from Group B. Who will finish first will depend on the direct encounters between the two teams.

Since Udinese just recently beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup, no one could be sure if Real could definitely finish above Udinese in Group B.