Chapter 67: The Real Opponent

Chapter 67: The Real Opponent

On September 20th in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the atmosphere was electric at the Mage Solar Stadium. This marked the first round of Group H in the 2013-2014 UEFA Europa League season, featuring a spotlight match between last season's Bundesliga fifth-place team, SC Freiburg, and Serie A's fifth-place team, Udinese.

In the group stages last month, Bundesliga's fifth, Serie A's fifth, La Liga's ninth (Sevilla), and the Primeira Liga's fifth (Estoril) were drawn into Group H. In such a lineup, Freiburg and Udinese were naturally seen as favorites to advance.

Sevilla, despite their Europa League triumphs in previous years, had not been performing well recently, leading many to doubt their ability to advance from a group containing both Udinese and Freiburg. In fact, Sevilla wasn't initially qualified for this season's Europa League.

After finishing ninth in La Liga in the 2012-2013 season, they missed out on European competition. However, a financial crisis at Málaga, coupled with financial fair play violations, led to their disqualification from European competitions. Vallecano, ahead of Sevilla in the standings, was also disqualified by the Spanish Football Federation due to debts, paving the way for Sevilla to snatch a Europa League spot.

In the third qualifying round, Sevilla convincingly beat Montenegro's FK Decic with a total score of 9:1. They continued their dominant performance in the playoffs, beating Poland's Slask Wroclaw with an aggregate score of 9:1, securing their place in the Europa League proper.

Despite this, few believed in Sevilla's chances. However, today's match between Udinese and Freiburg was considered pivotal in the battle for first place in Group H. Whoever won this match would gain a crucial advantage.

———— Seventy minutes into the game, the score was still 1:1.

Bruno opened the scoring for Udinese with a long-range shot in the 12th minute, but Freiburg equalized just before the half-time break with a long-distance strike from Swiss international Admir Mehmedi.

After a tense first half and an equally matched start to the second, Udinese's coach Guidolin decided to make a substitution, bringing on Muriel to replace Mehmedi, who had a subdued performance.

With this change, Udinese shifted to a 4-4-2 formation. Bruno moved back to right midfield, with Muriel partnering Di Natale up front to challenge Freiburg's defense.

Guidolin pulled Muriel aside, giving him final instructions before he entered the pitch. "Their number 23, Julian Schuster, is a big guy who's been running for 70 minutes and will soon hit a fitness wall. Plus, his speed and agility are weak points. You know what to do?"

"Exploit my speed to break through him," Muriel responded.

Muriel, known for his speed, was one of the fastest in Udinese's squad, matched only by João Cancelo. He was also the dribbling king in the previous season, making him one of the most popular players at Friuli Stadium, drawing attention from big clubs like AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan.

However, a serious injury at the start of the new year sidelined him for four months, and he struggled to regain his form upon returning. Although he had scored and assisted this season, his performances were still inconsistent, leading to a reduced role under Guidolin.

Guidolin nodded, "Don't try to dribble past him; I'll have Di Natale set you up. Your job is to use your speed to get behind him, got it?"

"Understood!" Muriel affirmed.

Guidolin added, "Bruno will also try to play you through. Just run, use your speed, get the ball into the box, and then..." He clenched his fist and smashed it into his palm, "Kick that damn ball into the net!"

Muriel nodded, visibly nervous yet excited. He was eager to prove that despite his setbacks, he was still the reliable striker who could turn the game around when the team needed him most.

———— As the game resumed, Udinese quickly made the substitution. "Udinese makes the first change, 22-year-old Colombian Luis Muriel comes on for the young Mehmedi, who clearly didn't impress Guidolin today," noted an Italian commentator.

"Substituting a midfielder for a striker shows that Guidolin isn't content with just a draw at Freiburg. However, whether this substitution will pay off remains to be seen," the commentator added skeptically.

Muriel quickly joined the game, exchanging tactical updates with Di Natale and Bruno Fernandes, the team's midfield general.

———— The pause in play provided Freiburg with a throw-in in their attacking half.

Freiburg's right-back Oliver Sorg threw the ball to his teammate, right midfielder Jonathan Schmid. Schmid controlled the ball and, with a swift turn and a poke, bypassed Gabriel Silva.

"He dove in too eagerly!" Udinese's assistant coach fretted from the sidelines.

Guidolin remained calm, knowing Silva's inexperience and lack of one-on-one defensive prowess were at play. Fortunately, Udinese had Naldo, a solid presence in defense.

As Schmid passed to attacking midfielder Gelson Fernandes, who had just turned to receive the ball, he was met with the intimidating presence of Naldo. The experienced Brazilian moved swiftly, poking the ball away and then, unable to stop his momentum, bumped into Fernandes, knocking him off balance and thwarting any chance for an immediate counter-challenge.

Guidolin nodded approvingly; this was the experience of a top-class defender at work, a key reason he was thrilled to have Naldo anchoring the defense.

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