Chapter 27: The Name Bruno
Chapter 27: The Name Bruno
"Novara passes the ball to the right, giving it to Bruno!"
"Bruno accelerates, dribbles, and cuts inside!"
"Beautiful!"
...
"Whistle!" As the referee's whistle blows, Alessandro Parisi, the 36-year-old veteran left-back for Bari, breathlessly gets up from the grass.
Bruno is still on the ground beside him, unharmed but clearly exhilarated.
"Damn Portuguese kid!" Parisi curses under his breath as he slowly retreats.
In the final moments of the first half, Bruno had suddenly made a diagonal run into Bari's box, even getting past the goalkeeper. If it hadn't been for a last-minute block by Bari's right center-back, possibly with a handball, Novara would have scored.
This severe mistake earned Parisi and his fellow left center-back a stern reprimand from their coach during halftime. Bari's coach was clearly unhappy with such errors in the defense.
Parisi was frustrated and decided to show the "Portuguese kid" in the second half.
Just under two minutes into the second half, when he saw Bruno getting a one-on-one opportunity and suddenly cutting inside, he quickly committed a foul in his haste.
The referee rushed over and showed him a yellow card as a warning.
...
Parisi steps back, his eyes involuntarily drawn to Bruno being helped up by Novara's captain Rudi, feeling very reflective.
He vividly remembers, over four months ago, when the two teams met at San Nicola Stadium, both Novara and Bruno were in a slump. Novara had just suffered six consecutive defeats, and Bruno had gone eight games without an assist or goal.
It was against Bari that Bruno had ended his drought with an assist, and Novara secured two consecutive victories, which marked the beginning of their astonishing 21-game winning streak that shocked Italian football.
Four months later, as the teams met again, Bruno had become the star of Novara, leading them to a record 21 consecutive wins. He had emerged as a rising superstar in Italian football, sought after by major Serie A clubs including the likes of Juventus and AC Milan.
Tonight, he was in excellent form, tirelessly running and looking for opportunities, making it extremely challenging for Parisi, who felt like he was defending against one of Europe's top players rather than an eighteen-year-old.
As a 36-year-old veteran, Parisi, who had played several Serie A seasons with Messina and Bari, facing top stars, knew his instincts were right.
...
Bari's coach continuously called for defensive formation from the sidelines.
Novara was awarded a dangerous free-kick on the right front of the field.
Parisi had clearly lost his position, forced to commit the foul.
Bari's coach couldn't complain about his veteran left-back; he believed Parisi had indeed done his best. But Bruno's sudden acceleration and dribble change were simply too fast!
"This kid's improvement is astonishing!" the assistant coach remarked, shaking his head.
He remembered the match at San Nicola Stadium four months ago when Bruno wasn't nearly as strong. In just a few months, like a rocket, he had swiftly improved his weaknesses and enhanced his strengths, impressing everyone with his dribbling and cutting inside.
Now, Bruno was showing the capacity and demeanor of a top European star, especially commanding his team in setting up for the free-kick, making it hard to believe he was not even nineteen yet.
...
"With Alessandro carrying a yellow card, Novara will definitely use Bruno to attack our left side; let's have our forwards drop back a bit to support Alessandro," the Bari coach instructed.
As he finished speaking, Bruno executed a high-quality free-kick.
"Novara takes the free-kick."
"Bruno sends a curling ball into the box!"
"We've got a gap in the middle!"
"Gonzalez gets to the first post, heads it towards the goal!"
...
The crowd at Piola Stadium, home to over ten thousand Novara fans, gasped as the ball struck the crossbar and rebounded back into play.
"So close!"
"The Argentine forward's header hits the crossbar."
"Novara's set-piece attack was very clever; Bruno's kick was high level, and the placement was quite precise. Gonzalez rushed in for a header, and the execution of the set-piece was beautiful. Unfortunately, Gonzalez's header was just a bit off."
"Bruno remains the most threatening player for Novara on the field; Bari is clearly focused on strengthening the defense against Bruno's active left side."
...
After the restart of the second half, Novara displayed their spirit and rhythm.
Bruno soon had another chance on the right. Rudi passed it directly, and Bruno, retreating, controlled the ball, turned, and drove towards the edge of the box.
Bari's left midfielder clung tightly to Bruno, but Rudi quickly overlapped, drawing defensive attention and forcing Alessandro Parisi to stick with Novara's right-back.
Bruno accelerated again, using his speed to break free from the midfield tackle and charged towards the box.
This alarmed Bari's defensive midfielder, who rushed to defend. But Bruno's unrelenting speed made it nearly impossible to tackle him without risk, especially as he neared the penalty area, forcing the defender to keep retreating.
As he retreated into the box, Bruno spotted an opportunity, suddenly shifting the ball laterally, passing between two Bari players.
Buzigo quickly moved up and shot with his right foot.
"Bruno passes... Buzigo shoots!"
The ball flew at high speed towards the goal, barely missing the post.
Buzigo knelt at the edge of Bari's box, deeply regretful. He had been too hasty with the shot.
He had been waiting for the chance, always believing Bruno would pass it, and indeed, Bruno did.
But when the moment came, he wasted it.
The Novara fans in the stands sighed with disappointment but soon applauded.
Many were shouting Bruno's name, and some were cheering for Buzigo.
"Novara's fans are supporting their players."
"After the restart, Novara played offensively, impressively so. Bruno, in particular, was very active, creating numerous chances for his teammates. Unfortunately, the rest of the Novara players lacked the finishing ability, otherwise, Novara would have taken the lead."
...
Bruno had just sprinted twenty meters with the ball, a move that took a toll.
The most energy-consuming actions on a football field are these fast sprints; Bruno could only do so many in a game, and each sprint required a brief recovery.
Bruno was fit, but still quite young and far from his physical peak.
"It's okay." Bruno went over, helped Buzigo up, and encouraged him, "It's okay, Daniele, I'll pass again; let's seize the next one."
Buzigo turned and hugged Bruno, full of remorse. Bruno had fought hard for that opportunity, and he had squandered it.
Sometimes in a game, such opportunities are once in a lifetime; wasted, they might not come again.
Bruno patted his shoulder forcefully and exclaimed, "Trust me! Let's push a bit harder; the goal will come!"
Bruno's loud call drew the attention and even hostility of the Bari players, but what did that matter?
This was Piola Stadium!
Defeating Bari and winning this game, even if it meant being despised by the opponent's players, would be a delight.
Novara needed to score; this wasn't a scheme but a clear plan.
Bruno intended to assist Novara in scoring right under the watchful eyes of Bari's players!
(End of Chapter)
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