Chapter 38: The First National Title

Chapter 38: The First National Title

Colombia, with their enhanced attacking force, pressed like a storm, causing great distress in front of the Portuguese goal. It seemed they were just one step away from scoring, but Portugal's defense was equally robust, repelling wave after wave of Colombian attacks and managing to mount some effective counterattacks. However, due to insufficient offensive power, each counter was neutralized by Colombia's defense.

In this rapid back-and-forth of attacks and defenses, the match quickly approached the 80th minute.

After Portugal once again withstood a Colombian offensive and regained control of the ball, João Mário intended to pass to Bruno but was immediately pressured by the opponent, forcing him to pass back to Cancelo. Cancelo, in haste, booted the ball toward Bruno, positioned outside the 30-meter area.

Cancelo, a product of Benfica's youth academy in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, had good speed and dribbling skills, as well as a decent vision and passing ability, solidifying his spot as the main right-back for the Portugal U20 team.

However, due to the rushed nature of this pass, the quality was poor, putting Bruno in a difficult position. Aiming for a header would mean he had to stoop awkwardly; chesting the ball down was tricky to control properly, especially with Pérez closing in fast. Any hesitation would allow the opponent to catch up, making it hard to progress; and using his foot was out of the question.

What to do?

Bruno, a player known for his decisiveness, hesitated only for an instant before making his move. He anticipated the ball's trajectory and quickly backpedaled, not to contest the falling point but to use his body to shield Pérez behind him.

As the ball whisked past Bruno's side, he quickly turned around and dashed towards it, catching Pérez and the spectators off guard with this unexpected move.

Bruno adjusted his stride in the sprint, caught up with the ball without slowing down, and continued his charge forward, crossing the midfield line into Colombia's half, launching a swift counterattack. The roars from the fans grew louder.

Colombian defenders rushed to intercept him, but Bruno was already at full speed. He pushed the ball forward, overtaking his opponents with sheer velocity, and caught up with it again within Colombia's 30-meter area.

Now, only the Colombian goalkeeper stood in his way. As Bruno drew closer, the goalkeeper felt the mounting pressure and decided to gamble by coming off his line. The best outcome would be to secure the ball, the mediocre outcome to buy time for his teammates to regroup, and the worst to be outplayed by Bruno or to concede a direct goal.

As Bruno reached the edge of the penalty area, the Colombian goalkeeper also reached the penalty spot, but at that moment, Bruno slowed down, dipped his left shoulder, and feigned a move to the left. Caught off-guard, the goalkeeper instinctively dived to the side, only to realize too late that Bruno had darted to the right, breezing past him.

The whole sequence was lightning-fast, leaving everyone barely any time to grasp the details. They only knew that as soon as Bruno encountered the Colombian keeper, the keeper dived, and Bruno bypassed him to coolly slot the ball into the empty net.

Portugal scored!

1:0!

"Portugal scores!!!" "81st minute, Portugal scores!!!" "Bruno! Bruno Fernandes!!! The talented midfielder from Serie B champions Novara!!!" "This is Bruno's third goal of the tournament, and it's the most crucial one!" "The goal we've all been waiting for has finally arrived!!!" "1:0, we're now temporarily ahead of the South American champions, Colombia U20." "The Portuguese players are thrilled, all rushing towards Bruno!" "This was a display of individual skill, absolutely a spectacular goal!" "Bruno carried the ball almost seventy meters, bypassed three Colombian players, and outplayed the goalkeeper before scoring; this clearly shows the strength of the Serie B championship's key player, the strength of a superstar who scored 21 goals and made 32 assists in one season!" "This is the Bruno we've all been waiting for!"

Accompanied by the commentary from Portugal's SportTV, the entire nation was electrified, with countless fans watching the live broadcast cheering.

"1:0, an absolutely golden goal." "We see the coach, Ramos, also very excited, embracing his coaching staff." "Bruno is also thrilled, scoring in the Toulon Cup final, and beautifully at that— a long run, passing three players, certainly an impressive goal." "Colombia seems demoralized now, Bruno's goal has dealt them a significant blow." "In the final moments of the match, to concede in such a way, would be a huge blow to anyone." "The players are also very excited, all rushing to the sidelines, tightly embracing Bruno." "In Novara, Bruno has time and again been the key man for the team; now with the national youth team, he has again with such an astounding goal, let all of Portugal know, he remains the key man!"

The match resumed, and an unwilling-to-lose Colombia U20 intensified their attacks, almost recklessly launching offensives. They are the champions of South America, emerging from a fiercely competitive U20 championship in South America and the only team in the Toulon Tournament group stage to win all matches!

Facing their first potential championship trophy, this Portugal U20 team erupted with tremendous courage and strength. Faced with a tidal wave of attacks from a formidable foe, they tightened their defense, united in determination, retreating nearly everyone back into their own 30-meter zone to protect their hard-won lead.

Colombia, having failed to breach Portugal's goal in over eighty minutes, now found it even harder with Portugal U20 leading and in high spirits, defending with all their might.

After enduring the remaining seven minutes of regular time and four minutes of added time, the final whistle blew with the score still at 0:1 in favor of Portugal.

Colombia was the home team in this match. (End of Chapter)

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