Chapter 80: The Surprise Attack

Chapter 80: The Surprise Attack

Until the referee blew the whistle for the end of the first half, the opportunity Bruno was waiting for never came. Throughout the first half, Udinese managed only two poor attempts at goal. The first came in the 7th minute, and the second was in the 30th minute when Udinese's captain cleverly intercepted a back pass from Juventus defender Bonucci and broke into the right side of the box. His delicate lob from 8 meters was narrowly pushed away by Buffon, with Chiellini clearing it from the front of the goal.

Bruno was tightly marked by Juventus' midfielders throughout the first half, virtually unable to create any chances. This was also directly related to the limited number of offensive players Udinese had committed forward. In the first half, Udinese's attack was essentially just Bruno and two forwards, Pereira and Di Natale. In fact, for most of the first half, Pereira and Bruno were predominantly involved in helping their own defense.

Throughout the first half, Juventus dominated with over seventy percent possession, reaching as high as seventy-three percent. Most of Udinese's possession was in their own half, with very few advances into the attacking third. However, with concentrated efforts in their defensive half, Udinese did not concede. Although Juventus had 15 attempts at goal in the first half, only 2 were on target and none posed any real threat.

During the halftime break, Guidolin adjusted the team's tactics for the second half. He planned to substitute Mahrez in for Pereira to boost the counter-attack capability. Compared to Pereira, Mahrez might not be as physically strong and might lack some defensive capabilities, but he excels in technical skills, speed, and explosiveness. In terms of combining with the ball, Mahrez could even be considered superior to Bruno.

Guidolin instructed Mahrez, "Be proactive when you're on, use your speed advantage, and break through more often." Mahrez nodded in understanding. Guidolin then reminded Bruno that the whole team needed to be active, increase their movement to create opportunities for Mahrez. "Antonio, you also need to move more, confuse Juventus' defense," Guidolin told Di Natale, the team captain, who nodded. Even though he longed for more opportunities to score himself, as a professional, he had to comply with the coach's strategy.

Before the second half started, Mahrez stood by the sideline, ready to enter the game, while Guidolin gave him his final instructions. "Riyad, believe in your ability," he said. "Remember, with the ball at your feet, you are the protagonist, the master. Use your speed, your skills, your breakthroughs to exploit De Sciglio's weaknesses. Tear through Juventus' defense, breach their goal! The second half is your stage, play to impress and show everyone just how exceptional you—Riyad Mahrez—are!" Mahrez clenched his fists, energized by Guidolin's motivational speech.

Guidolin made the substitution at the start of the second half, which Conte definitely took note of. He glanced over and felt he understood Guidolin's plan. Mahrez had already appeared in several matches for Udinese, and his characteristics were gradually becoming known to Serie A coaches. By bringing on Mahrez, Guidolin was clearly looking to create opportunities on the flanks to supply Di Natale.

Conte wasn't worried; he had a plan in place. Up to this point, Udinese had struggled with passing accuracy in the final third. Juventus' trio of Barzagli, Bonucci, and Chiellini kept Pereira and Di Natale tightly marked, while Juventus' midfielders—Pogba, Marchisio, and Vidal—constricted Bruno's effectiveness by cutting off his passing lanes.

In Conte's view, Udinese's heavy defensive setup in midfield without players like Vidal or Pogba who could penetrate aggressively was Udinese's biggest offensive shortfall. Thus, limiting Bruno was enough to stifle Udinese's offense, a task well within the capabilities of Juventus with their midfield powerhouses.

Despite Udinese's adjustments at halftime, the situation on the field did not significantly improve in the second half. Juventus continued to control the game, and Udinese relied on sporadic counterattacks to threaten Juventus' goal.

As the 60th minute approached, Juventus built up another attacking play. Padoín received the ball in the attacking third. Alan and Silva immediately rushed from different directions to defend, but Padoín passed the ball before they could close in, and it went straight to Kante.

"Nicely done!" Bruno thought from not too far off the field, recognizing a tactical play often practiced in training. One defensive midfielder and one full-back would converge for a tackle, with the physically stronger Kante positioned to intercept.

With Juventus pressing high, this was a prime counterattacking opportunity. Kante quickly passed the ball, aiming directly for Mahrez. Kante might not have Bruno's passing ability, hence his pass was a direct one to Mahrez's feet instead of playing into space to exploit Mahrez's speed.

Bruno sighed internally, wishing Kante could combine the defensive prowess of Claude Makélélé with the passing skills of Pirlo, a delightful yet unreal thought.

Mahrez received the pass and pushed the ball forward, accelerating. Simultaneously, Di Natale surged forward at high speed, with Bruno also sprinting ahead to support Mahrez.

"Watch their counter!" Conte shouted as he moved to the sideline.

De Sciglio was relieved; his decision not to advance too aggressively earlier meant he wasn't caught out. As he moved to confront Mahrez, planning to dispossess him and initiate a counterattack for Juventus, he was stunned by Mahrez's increased speed and the slick move that followed.

"Beautiful! He's past the man!" the local Udinese commentator exclaimed with joy as Mahrez deftly maneuvered the ball past De Sciglio on one side and sped past on the other.

"De Sciglio, so easily bypassed!" cried a commentator from a Turin station, surprised at the ease with which the normally defensively shaky De Sciglio was beaten.

De Sciglio reacted instinctively as a defender by reaching out to grab Mahrez, a tactical foul to prevent a threatening counterattack. He knew the danger if Mahrez got past him into open space. However, he underestimated Mahrez's explosive pace; by the time he turned to chase, Mahrez was already several meters ahead, unreachable.

As De Sciglio turned to see, Mahrez had already gained a significant lead, making any attempt to catch him futile.

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