Chapter 205: Advancing to the Champions League Quarterfinals

Chapter 205: Advancing to the Champions League Quarterfinals

As Bruno fell to the ground, the referee's whistle promptly sounded. Fuchs' foul was quite clear, and the referee showed him a yellow card while awarding Udinese a free kick in the attacking half.

Bruno naturally took the ball to the designated spot, as he was the primary free-kick taker for Udinese. In situations where open play couldn't break the deadlock, set pieces were an excellent opportunity to score.

However, this free kick was from an awkward angle, not ideal for a direct shot on goal. Typically, players would opt to cross the ball into the penalty area, hoping their teammates could head or shoot it towards the goal.

But Bruno saw a different possibility, especially since Schalke 04 had only one man in the wall—Fuchs.

After the referee's whistle, Bruno began his run-up. Years of foundational training had made the steps of the run-up, the power needed, and the distance to cover second nature to him. His body instinctively knew what to do.

When he reached the ball, his left foot planted firmly as a pivot, and his right leg swung powerfully. The stadium echoed with a "thud" as the ball rocketed off his foot, flying over everyone's heads, dipping swiftly, and curving just inside the top corner between the crossbar and the right post.

The shot was sudden, fast, and powerful. Bruno kept the ball trajectory low, leaving everyone, including Schalke 04's goalkeeper Wellenreuther, stunned as the ball hit the net.

Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at Bruno and the ball in the goal. They were in shock!

No one expected Udinese to score in such a manner!

On the sidelines, Di Matteo covered his mouth in disbelief, while Guidolin leapt into the air with excitement. Bruno, initially stunned, then began celebrating but was immediately tackled to the ground by Salah in a joyous hug.

"The ball is in!!!!!" "An absolute stunner from Bruno Fernandes!" "In the 89th minute, Bruno scores a world-class goal!" "My God, this will surely become a classic goal!" "From a free kick near the left sideline, Bruno curled it directly into Schalke 04's goal!" "Absolutely incredible! A stunning and decisive goal!"

Bruno was buried under his celebrating teammates. Salah, who had tackled him, was careful not to crush Bruno, holding himself up. All the Udinese players piled on in celebration, while the fans in the stands erupted in cheers.

Though the score was 3-4, with Udinese still trailing by a goal, they now led 5-4 on aggregate due to their 2-0 away win in the first leg. If the match ended like this, Udinese would advance to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in their history.

"A brace!" "As Huntelaar proved his worth with a brace, Bruno matched him, bringing his Champions League tally to 12 goals this season, leading the top scorers' chart by three goals." "This has been an extraordinary match! Udinese and Schalke 04 have given us the most exciting game of this season's Champions League. Schalke 04 had the upper hand, but Udinese showed incredible resilience." "Especially Bruno's stunning last-minute goal, which was worth the ticket price alone."

On the sideline, Di Matteo squatted down, holding his head in disbelief at Bruno's spectacular goal. If not for the scoreboard showing 3-4, he might have thought he was seeing things. Everything happened so fast.

A decisive world-class goal! This was destined to be the headline in tomorrow's newspapers!

Even Huntelaar, as an opponent, had to admire Bruno's form. Bruno's ability to carry Udinese into the Champions League quarterfinals was truly impressive.

After their wild celebrations, Udinese's players returned to the field, each wearing a hopeful smile. Although they lost 3-4 at home, they were the overall winners, making it to the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time.

Having won the Europa League last season, reaching the Champions League quarterfinals this season felt like a dream come true!

When the referee blew the final whistle, the score remained 3-4. Schalke 04 had defeated Udinese, one of the best-performing teams in Europe this season, but the Schalke 04 players and coach Di Matteo couldn't celebrate.

In a post-match interview, Di Matteo said, "My team did everything they could. This young team played at a high level. Scoring four goals at the Stadio Friuli is incredible. We're very disappointed not to advance."

Former Real Madrid player Huntelaar had scored a brace in the 57th minute, giving Schalke a 4-2 lead and bringing them to the brink of advancing. Over the next half hour, Schalke had more chances, with Karnesis making two crucial saves.

Di Matteo added, "For the spectators, it was a great match. We played very well. Winning a thrilling game but not advancing feels strange. Huntelaar hit the crossbar in the first half; luck wasn't on our side today."

Schalke 04, currently fifth in the Bundesliga, now focused on securing a top-four finish to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Despite the loss, Udinese players were ecstatic, having reached the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time, breaking their previous record in the competition. However, this defeat ended their unbeaten streak at nine matches, including two playoff games, six group matches, and the first leg of the Round of 16.

Udinese's coach Guidolin wasn't entirely happy with the performance. At the post-match press conference, he stated, "If we continue playing like this, it's clear we won't go far."

When asked if Udinese was in a slump, Guidolin replied, "I'm sorry, but as everyone saw, we played poorly. We accept all the criticism and boos; it will only motivate us. I still trust the team because I know their capabilities. We need to keep training hard and focus on our work. There's a lot we need to do."

Guidolin continued, "I know we played badly, and we can do better. I've talked to the players about this. Our play wasn't smooth, and we played poorly. There's not much more to say about this match. We must improve, or we won't progress."

Another journalist asked if Guidolin had given the players a hairdryer treatment at halftime, like Sir Alex Ferguson. Guidolin said, "We need to focus on our defense; that's where all our mistakes lie. No team had scored four goals against us at home before, except Genoa, which was an anomaly. We lacked organization."

When asked if his constant talk of Udinese only aiming for a Champions League spot affected the team's confidence, Guidolin said, "Yes, we lack confidence. We also lack a physical element in our play. We have many issues—scoring, defending, motivation, ambition, focus..."

Another reporter asked if Guidolin would be surprised if he were sacked. Guidolin responded, "I'm not thinking about that now. I will continue my work and do my best for the team. I need to improve because everything that happened on the pitch is the coach's responsibility."

Despite Guidolin's dissatisfaction, this did not diminish the significance of Udinese reaching the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time, a milestone comparable to their Europa League victory last season.

Udinese wasn't the first team to advance to the quarterfinals this season. Two minutes before the end of their match, Real Madrid and Porto's clash had concluded. With Ronaldo's brace, Real Madrid won 2-1 at the Bernabeu, making the aggregate score 5-5. Real Madrid advanced on away goals, becoming the first team to reach the Champions League quarterfinals this season.

The draw for the quarterfinals would take place in a week, with the eight advancing teams drawn randomly to decide their opponents.