Chapter 130: The First Championship in Club History

Chapter 130: The First Championship in Club History

Udinese had not anticipated Benitez's decisive action to substitute Jorginho at halftime, but they were unaffected by this change and continued to play according to their plan. As the match restarted, Udinese suddenly took the initiative, pressing forward aggressively and putting intense pressure on Napoli's goal. This unexpected and vigorous approach caught Napoli off guard.

"Udinese has suddenly accelerated the pace. They now have the upper hand, pinning Napoli back into their own half," noted one commentator.

Benitez, however, was not alarmed but rather pleased by this development. In his view, Udinese's decision to press forward instead of maintaining a defensive counterattack while leading was baffling. He couldn't fathom why Udinese would do so but quickly recognized it as an opportunity for Napoli to exploit the gaps left by Udinese's pushed-up defense.

However, Benitez soon realized his error as Udinese's strong offensive play began to overpower Napoli. Particularly, Napoli's playmaker Hamsik was targeted intensely by Udinese's midfielders, Alan and Bruno, who constantly harassed the Slovakian midfielder, making it difficult for him to find good passing opportunities forward.

Hamsik, as the key initiator of Napoli's attacks, struggled, and as a result, Napoli's entire offense stuttered. Benitez tried to direct his team from the sidelines, but his efforts seemed futile. Napoli, despite their offensive talent, was thrown into disarray, their movements hasty and uncoordinated.

By the 63rd minute, after a successful joint tackle by Bruno and Alan from Hamsik, they, along with Ping, constructed a beautiful series of passes at midfield before switching the play to the right flank. Mahrez cut inside and feigned a pass to Dinatale but instead sent it to the left flank where Brazilian defender Silva cut inside and shot from a tight angle, narrowly missing the post.

Napoli's goalkeeper Reina was visibly frustrated, shouting anxiously at his team's disorganized and passive defense.

Despite Napoli's strength, they managed a threatening counterattack when Hamsik delivered a surgical cross from thirty meters out, tearing through Udinese's defense. Higuain's diving effort went just wide of the post, narrowly missing a goal. But Udinese responded immediately.

Five minutes later, Mahrez was brought down by Inler, winning Udinese a free kick in an advantageous position. Captain Dinatale took the shot, causing Napoli fans to hold their breath as the ball whizzed past the goal.

Udinese unexpectedly ramped up the intensity, and time seemed to pass quickly. Before long, it was the 76th minute, and the score was still 3:2 in favor of Udinese.

Guidolin, seeing the time, smiled slyly from the sidelines; his strategy to press forward after halftime was working perfectly. Even without additional goals, the approach was effectively running down the clock, which worked in Udinese's favor.

Benitez paced anxiously on the sidelines. He had made his third substitution by bringing on Pandev for Higuain and Rossi for Enrique, switching to a 3-4-3 formation in an attempt to revitalize the team. Yet, it bore little fruit.

To add to Napoli's desperation, Inler received his second yellow card in the 78th minute, reducing Napoli to ten men for the remaining fifteen minutes.

With the lead and a numerical advantage, Guidolin felt secure enough to start making substitutions to manage his players' energy levels and further run down the clock. In the 83rd minute, Bastia came on for Canselo, signaling a defensive lock-down.

A minute later, Muriel replaced the exhausted captain Dinatale, who received a roaring ovation as he left the field.

"The 37-year-old captain of Udinese, with 23 goals in Serie A, two in the Coppa Italia, and eight in the Europa League this season, deserves every bit of applause. The top scorer for Udinese and one of Italy's finest forwards is heading to Brazil!" exclaimed the commentator Benedetta Masola.

Against all odds, Napoli, now a man down, equalized in the 90th minute through a brilliant effort by Mertens, bringing the score to 3:3. But just as the match seemed headed to extra time, Udinese caught Napoli off-guard with a precise long pass from Bruno to Mahrez on the right, who assisted Muriel for the winning goal. Udinese led 4:3 as the final whistle blew.

Udinese fans erupted in celebration, witnessing their team's first major trophy in their 118-year history. The night belonged to Udinese, a historic moment as they clinched the Coppa Italia at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.