Chapter 62: Udinese Debut

Chapter 62: Udinese Debut

On Monday, August 19, 2013, just one week before the new Serie A season started, Udinese released their team photo for the new season, finalizing their squad lineup.

Goalkeepers: 1 Brkic, 15 Karnezis, 22 Simone Scuffet, 30 Ivan Kelava, 99 Benussi

Defenders: 2 João Cancelo, 4 Naldo, 5 Danilo, 6 Igor Bubnjic, 11 Domizzi, 19 Douglas Santos, 23 Ervin Zukanovic, 75 Thomas Heurtaux, 34 Gabriel Silva

Midfielders: 3 Allan, 7 Emmanuel Badu, 8 Dusan Basta, 12 N'Golo Kanté, 13 Riyad Mahrez, 14 Frano Mlinar, 18 Bruno Fernandes, 21 Andrea Lazzari, 37 Roberto Pereyra, 70 Maicosuel, 66 Giampiero Pinzi

Forwards: 9 Luis Muriel, 10 Antonio Di Natale, 17 Nico Lopez, 27 Widmer, 94 Piotr Zielinski

These thirty players were set to represent Udinese in the new season.

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On August 22 at 8:45 PM, in Udine, Stadio Friuli was packed with nearly 40,000 spectators, a rare occurrence for Udinese. Despite the city's modest size—with around 100,000 people in the urban area and less than 500,000 in the whole city, comparable to a small county in some countries—attendance rates were typically high due to Udinese's excellent performances in the past three seasons, usually around 90%. However, today's attendance rate reached nearly 96%, thanks to the club's acquisition of Bruno Fernandes a month ago. This was Bruno's debut at Stadio Friuli, and the fans were eager to see how the €25 million super talent would perform.

The stadium's big screen displayed the starting lineups for both teams.

Udinese Starting XI:

Goalkeeper: 30 Ivan Kelava

Defenders: 2 João Cancelo, 5 Danilo, 75 Thomas Heurtaux, 11 Domizzi

Midfielders: 3 Allan, 8 Dusan Basta, 21 Andrea Lazzari, 66 Giampiero Pinzi, 18 Bruno Fernandes

Forward: 10 Antonio Di Natale

Liberec Starting XI:

Goalkeeper: 16 Kovář

Defenders: 15 Kováč, 13 Kušnír, 25 Freisleben, 2 Količ

Midfielders: 8 Pavelka, 28 Dejan Dražić, 12 Sačinski, 10 Rybicka, 11 Frýdek

Forward: 19 Labuschagne

"It's interesting that both teams are using a 4-5-1 formation," said Commentator A. "Yes, and we see a mix of familiar and new faces in Udinese's lineup. Only the goalkeeper Kelava, defender Cancelo, and Bruno Fernandes are new signings," added Commentator B.

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The match had been underway for five or six minutes, with Liberec aggressively attacking Udinese's goal from the start. Liberec's left-back, wearing jersey number 25, Jiří Freisleben, was particularly active, frequently pushing forward. Young Cancelo, facing the experienced Freisleben, seemed a bit outmatched. However, Cancelo's speed allowed him to quickly recover and catch up, even after being beaten twice.

Liberec's coach, feeling confident, watched from the sidelines, pleased with the situation. The young right-back from Udinese seemed inexperienced and weak defensively, making it only a matter of time before they exploited this opening.

Guidolin, sitting on the Udinese bench with legs crossed, appeared relaxed but clenched his fists, betraying his underlying tension.

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Freisleben executed a wall pass with midfielder Pavelka, deftly dodging Cancelo, only to find veteran center-back Danilo bearing down on him. Danilo's perfectly timed challenge forced Freisleben to hastily pass the ball.

"Udinese intercepts the ball!" shouted the commentator.

Cancelo intercepted Freisleben's pass and quickly relayed it to Allan, who then passed to Basta to organize the attack. According to Guidolin's tactics, Allan was to protect while Basta orchestrated the play. Meanwhile, Cancelo sprinted forward.

As Basta received the ball, Liberec's tall defensive midfielder Sačinski rushed in to intercept. Sačinski aimed to tackle as Basta received the ball, capitalizing on Basta's unsteady footing.

"Sačinski charges at Basta... what a move!"

Basta, anticipating the tackle, leaned forward to brace against Sačinski while cleverly back-heeling the ball to Heurtaux, evading the interception.

"Sačinski missed! There's an opening!" Guidolin sprang from his seat.

Liberec had underestimated Udinese, attacking fiercely and pushing forward, leaving a vast gap in their defense when Sačinski missed the interception.

"Sačinski was too aggressive, leaving Liberec's midfield and defense disconnected!"

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This was exactly the counterattack opportunity Guidolin had emphasized during pre-match preparations. Heurtaux didn't waste time and passed the ball back to Basta, who quickly turned and made a long pass to Bruno upfront.

"Udinese on the counterattack!"

Bruno skillfully controlled the ball, facing only three Liberec defenders. To his right, Lazzari surged forward; behind him, Cancelo sprinted after intercepting the ball. To his left, Pinzi also charged forward, while captain Di Natale positioned himself.

At this moment, Udinese created a 5-on-3 situation. Bruno quickly passed to Di Natale, who then returned it, allowing Bruno to one-touch pass to Lazzari. Lazzari, sprinting at high speed, carried the ball forward. Liberec's left-back Freisleben, who had been part of the attack, was now panting as he raced back, exhausted from his earlier efforts.

(End of Chapter)

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