Chapter 160: Dominating the Chart

Chapter 160: Dominating the Chart

As the match clock ticked away, the score remained at 1:3, with the home team Basel trailing behind. This had the sideline coach, Paulo Sousa, on pins and needles as the awaited goal never came. On the field, the situation was tense; players from both teams engaged in fierce battles at midfield, with frequent clashes and tumbles, making it difficult for either side to execute a smooth offense.

For Basel in particular, their attacks were staunchly intercepted by Udinese's robust midfielders, heightening their concern about potential fast breaks from Udinese, especially with Bruno on the field who could initiate counterattacks in unimaginable ways. This suspense was truly unbearable!

The only slight comfort for Paulo Sousa came from news out of Bulgaria. In the 77th minute of their game, Real Madrid scored again, with the French forward Benzema securing the lead. While this slightly eased Sousa's tension, even if both ongoing matches ended with the current scores, Ludogorets would lose, but Basel would still remain at the bottom of Group B due to an inferior goal difference.

Driven by frustration, Paulo Sousa made a substitution in the 80th minute. David Kala came on to replace the talented but underperforming 17-year-old forward Embolo, hoping to make one last desperate attempt. Shortly after coming on, Kala forced a save with a long shot from outside the box, earning Basel a corner.

This corner kick involved a set play where Xhaka passed the ball to Hamoudi, who took a couple of steps and then cleverly back-heeled it back. Kala, without stopping the ball, lofted it into the penalty area. Udinese's goalkeeper, Canizis, attempted to punch the ball clear but failed to send it far, causing chaos in the Udinese box.

In the ensuing melee, a figure rushed forward, jumping high for a header.

"Watch out for Frei!"

"Header!"

Udinese made a defensive error in this aerial challenge, focusing too heavily on the taller players like Streller, Schär, and Susi, and neglecting Frei.

The Basel captain smartly didn't jump in front of the goal but from outside in, powering up to leap higher than anyone else. He executed a stunning lion's mane flick in mid-air. Unfortunately for Frei, he headed the ball too straight, hitting Canizis and bouncing off before Danilo swiftly cleared it.

Basel fans in the stands held their heads in regret, thinking they had scored.

Guidolin also had a scare but shouted from the sidelines after seeing the ball cleared: "Damn it! Why was nobody marking that guy?"

It was clear that during this corner defense, Udinese's lineup had a significant oversight.

Paulo Sousa wrung his hands in frustration. Such a great opportunity wasted could have significantly increased Basel's chances of scoring at home, especially since there was still about ten minutes left in the match, including stoppage time. However, this attack reinforced Sousa's intention to exploit aerial balls.

Udinese's goalkeeper Canizis was not in his best form today, particularly vulnerable in aerial defenses, which presented an opportunity for Basel.

Bruno looked serious. The team was somewhat on the back foot; conceding a goal to Basel was not something he wanted to see. With about ten minutes left in the game, if Basel managed to score, Udinese would face unprecedented pressure.

In order to win, the Red-Blues would definitely give their all against Udinese.

We can't continue to be this passive; we must counterattack, we must suppress Basel's rising momentum with our offense.

However, before Bruno could organize Udinese's counter, Guidolin made substitutions. Maguire, a center-back on loan from Sheffield United, came on to replace the veteran Domizzi, and Pienaar replaced the underperforming Alan today. Clearly, these were defensive adjustments.

Guidolin hoped that Maguire's height and Pienaar's experience would help Udinese secure the last few minutes.

In the 86th minute, Udinese earned a free kick in the attacking third.

Captain Di Natale took the free kick, but it didn't clear the wall and was blocked directly. However, Bruno got to the rebound first, and Udinese continued the attack.

Vedemont's breakthrough on the right wing won Udinese a promising free kick.

Di Natale prepared to take the free kick, but Bruno approached him, "Captain, let me take it."

After considering, Di Natale handed the ball to Bruno.

His form wasn't great today, despite scoring early in the game, his performance hadn't been stellar.

Seeing Bruno at the free kick spot, Basel's defense tensed up, and the home fans worried.

Bruno had a strong free kick record, having scored three direct free kicks last season, and assisting even more from set plays.

"Whistle!"

Referee Skomina blew the whistle.

Bruno ran up and chose not to shoot directly but lofted the ball into the area. Di Natale, getting to the spot, poked the ball close range into Basel's net.

4:1, Udinese decisively closed the game!

After Bruno's double, Di Natale also scored twice.

Di Natale was thrilled; handing the free kick to Bruno had paid off.

This deal was too good!

In the end, Udinese defeated Basel 4:1 away, securing another big win.

As the referee blew the final whistle, the camera lingered on Bruno, surrounded by his teammates, giving him a lengthy close-up.

"Udinese spent 25 million euros to sign a superstar," said commentator Jan Jun. "In his Champions League debut season, Bruno has delivered a stunning report card: five goals and three assists in just two games—figures most players can't achieve in an entire season. But Bruno Fernandes did it in just two matches!"

Zhang Lu added, "With two consecutive victories, Udinese now leads the group on goal difference over Real Madrid. Udinese is now at the top of the group."

Meanwhile, on another field, the match had also ended. Real Madrid had secured a 2:1 away win over Ludogorets thanks to Benzema's goal in the second half. However, despite also having two consecutive victories, the Madrid giants had two fewer goals than Udinese, thus placing second.

The post-match focus in the media was on Udinese and Basel's Champions League match.

Bruno, with a performance of goals and assists, received widespread praise after the game.

"Two shots, two passes in a single game, eight goals involved in two games, Bruno declares his dominance in the Champions League with unquestionable performances," wrote Milan Sports Newspaper.

The Turin Sports Newspaper was also full of praise: "Five goals, three assists in two matches, leading the Champions League in both goals and assists, Bruno Fernandes's performance in his debut Champions League season is nothing short of madness. Group B has now become a showdown between two Portuguese. In the next round of the group stage, Udinese will host Real Madrid at Friuli Stadium, and Bruno will face Cristiano Ronaldo directly again after the European Super Cup, a match that is bound to be as explosive and exciting as a collision of stars."

Bruno and Ronaldo's second direct confrontation was yet to come, but first, they would fight side by side.

In mid-October, during the season's second international break, Portugal faced two matches: a friendly against France and a European Championship qualifying game against Denmark, their group rivals.

As announced by Portugal's coach Fernando Santos, Ronaldo and Bruno were both unsurprisingly selected. The Portuguese star, having missed an international break due to injury, was finally making a comeback.

Portuguese players were finally going to see the "Ronaldo + Bruno + Pepe" central axis they had long anticipated on the pitch.

However, after the new national team roster was announced, Bruno still represented Udinese in one more match.

On October 5th, Udinese hosted Cesena, a newly promoted team, at Friuli Stadium in the sixth round of Serie A.

In the 18th minute of the first half, Bruno assisted Di Natale to score the opening goal for Udinese. In the 62nd minute of the second half, Di Natale returned the favor, assisting Bruno to score.

But during the injury time of the match, Udinese's Vedemont committed a penalty in the box, leading to a penalty kick scored by Cashone, pulling one back for Cesena.

Ultimately, Udinese won 2:1 at home. With 5 wins and 1 draw, they earned 16 points and topped the Serie A leaderboard.

However, Juventus snatched the top spot from Udinese after a controversial 3:2 victory over Roma, filled with disputes including two red cards, seven yellow cards, and two controversial penalties awarded to Juventus.

If not for these disputed decisions, Juventus could have likely lost to Roma at home, leaving the top spot to the Wolves.

(End of Chapter)