Chapter 72: This is Sicily

Chapter 72: This is Sicily

From late October to early November, Udinese faced a challenging schedule. Not only were they playing twice a week, but their opponents were far from weak. In Serie A, they faced tough matches against AC Milan, Roma, and Inter Milan consecutively, and in the Europa League, they battled against an in-form Sevilla for the top spot in their group. Sassuolo was somewhat easier to handle compared to the rest.

Given Udinese's squad depth, managing three wins, one draw, and one loss from these five games was quite impressive. Even with the loss to Inter Milan, Udinese still held fourth place in the league. However, the gap to Juventus and Napoli ahead widened to four points, with Inter Milan, Verona, and Fiorentina close behind.

Currently, Udinese had 24 points, with Inter Milan and Verona just two points behind at 22, and Fiorentina close at 21 points. Any slip-up in the next round could see Udinese drop out of the top four.

After the match against Inter Milan, there was no time for Udinese to dwell on their wounds; they quickly had to prepare for the next game. By Thursday, they were in Spain at Sevilla's Pizjuan Stadium, facing the group leaders Sevilla. With Dinatale injured, coach Guidolin decided to start Muriel up front, deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bruno Fernandes playing as the attacking midfielder.

At the Pizjuan Stadium, Udinese fell behind early but managed to draw level in the 73rd minute with Bruno assisting Muriel for the equalizing goal. The match ended 1-1, with group leadership now dependent on the results against the other teams in the group. Canté shone defensively for Udinese, causing significant trouble for Sevilla, but the match also saw a conflict erupt between Alan Max Lorero and Coach Guidolin. Alan was unhappy about being substituted in the second half and went straight to the locker room after being taken off.

Returning to Italy from Spain, Udinese traveled to Sicily on November 10th. On Sunday evening, they faced Catania at the Massimino Stadium. Alan, who had breached team discipline earlier in the week, was left out of the squad by Guidolin, as was the still-injured captain Dinatale.

Fortunately, after this round, there was a half-month international break. According to Udinese's medical staff, Dinatale was expected to recover from his injury by the time the league resumed.

Guidolin set up a 4-2-3-1 formation for the match against Catania. The defense line comprised Basta, Elorto, Danilo, and Domizi; Canté and Silva were the holding midfielders, with Mahrez, Bruno, and Pinzi ahead; Muriel led the attack as the lone striker. Catania also fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation.

The first thirty minutes of the match were routine and unremarkable, with intense but uninspiring play. Guidolin, having anticipated such a scenario, remained calm on the sidelines. However, the game took a turn in the 30th minute.

"F**K!" Guidolin suddenly burst from his seat, furiously rushing from the bench.

During a corner for Catania, Udinese's goalkeeper Burkić caught the ball, ready to launch a counterattack, when the referee, DeMarco, blew his whistle. He signaled a foul by Udinese's defender Domizi and pointed to the penalty spot.

"Penalty! Penalty! Udinese's defender Domizi has been penalized for knocking down Lerotale during the corner defense! The referee has made a clear penalty call," exclaimed the local Catania TV commentator.

This season, struggling Catania had managed only one win, three draws, and seven losses from eleven rounds, deeply mired in relegation danger. Every point was crucial, and a victory against a strong opponent like Udinese could significantly boost morale.

Guidolin roared from the sidelines, "Where's the foul? That was a fair physical challenge! The Catania player took a dive!"

"Please calm down, Coach Guidolin!" the fourth official had to warn the irate visiting coach.

On the field, Udinese players protested to the referee, with Domizi visibly upset, gesturing that his jump was normal and that physical contact was incidental and not a foul. Meanwhile, Catania's players celebrated, grateful for the timely penalty.

The referee ignored Udinese's protests, sternly warning them against further disruptions or face ejection from the game. After consulting with the fourth official, he again warned Guidolin to restrain his comments or be sent to the stands.

"Very well, you're the boss, you're right," Guidolin reluctantly conceded, pulled away by his assistant.

"Penalty for Catania, a golden opportunity to take the lead," announced the commentator for Italian Sky TV.

Slow-motion replays from just before the penalty showed the contact between Domizi and Lerotale was a normal part of aerial play, which led the Italian commentator to note, "It seems there was some doubt about that penalty. But the referee couldn't see it clearly in the heat of the moment, so it's hard to call it a blatant error. It's just bad luck for Udinese."

Udinese fans watching on TV were furious, unable to accept the biased commentary.

To be fair, aside from the anger from Udinese, neutral viewers saw the decision as a harsh but not entirely unjust penalty—a common scenario in the chaos of the penalty area. And while referees often favor the home team in ambiguous situations, this doesn't justify the call.

Catania's recently divorced striker Maxi López prepared to take the penalty. As the referee blew his whistle, López took his run-up and shot. Udinese's goalkeeper Burkić guessed wrong, and López converted the penalty.

"GOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!! Maxi López! He keeps his cool and scores the penalty! 1:0, Catania leads!" cheered the local commentator as Catania celebrated what might be a vital victory.

On the field, Bruno muttered, "Small-time victors! They celebrate a dubious penalty like they've won the league, no wonder they're a relegation team."

"Let it go, don't be upset. It's only 0:1, and it's still early. We can tie this up, maybe even turn it around," Canté tried to calm Bruno, "This is Sicily, after all. We should be prepared for this."

"Hah," Bruno scoffed.

(End of Chapter)

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