Chapter 82: Mahrez Erupts

Chapter 82: Mahrez Erupts

On the football field, morale is a subtle and fascinating thing—it's invisible and intangible, yet it constantly influences the course of the game. Before Mahrez scored, Juventus firmly controlled the game, pressuring Udinese into a defensive struggle. Although they hadn't scored, everyone believed that Juventus would have no problem winning the game.

However, everything changed after Riyad Mahrez scored that spectacular goal. Udinese's spirits were lifted, and they began to threaten Juventus's goal frequently. After another successful breakthrough and cross from Mahrez, which Di Natale turned into a dangerous shot, Juventus's subsequent attack was intercepted.

Udinese's attacks continued, again from the right flank, again with Mahrez. It was now clear that Udinese intended to exploit Juventus's left side, taking advantage of Mahrez's speed and dribbling to frequently attack De Sciglio's flank.

Conte saw this but found it agonizing that knowing what the opponent intends to do does not necessarily mean you know how to counter it. When Guidolin unveiled Mahrez as his secret weapon, Conte suddenly realized his Juventus had no answer for Mahrez.

Again, it was a combination of passing and running between Bruno and Mahrez. Guidolin made no secret of his strategy to use the Bruno-Mahrez connection on the right flank! This time, Bruno dribbled the ball, staggered past Vidal after a tug, crossed the midfield, and passed to Mahrez, who came up to meet the pass—familiar tactics.

De Sciglio came up to defend Mahrez, a familiar duel. This time, facing his old adversary De Sciglio, Mahrez switched tactics. After receiving the ball, he feinted a move to the left, then quickly pushed the ball to his right and accelerated!

De Sciglio, outmaneuvered, had no choice but to turn and chase, attempting to grab at Mahrez's jersey but failing to make contact.

Chiellini, having seen De Sciglio beaten before, knew his teammate was in trouble—De Sciglio alone couldn't stop Mahrez. So this time, Chiellini was prepared to cover.

As Mahrez bypassed De Sciglio again, Chiellini sprang out. He intended to intercept, but Mahrez, like a streak of blue lightning, just zoomed past him.

Chiellini, shocked, also attempted to grab the jersey. He managed better than his teammate, touching Mahrez's shirt, but before he could pull, Mahrez accelerated again and was gone!

The camera caught a close-up of Chiellini's outstretched hand, still in the motion of pulling at the jersey, but his target had already floated far away! The explosiveness was unmatched!

It appeared that Mahrez's top speed wasn't exceptional, but his explosiveness was outstanding, and his dribbling skills were extraordinary. With the ball, his speed made even Chiellini unable to catch up.

Mahrez continued his rapid advance, bypassing two more players. Bonucci came up to defend.

Seeing Mahrez charge forward with the ball, about to cut into the box near the baseline, Bonucci, who couldn't catch up, reluctantly slid in to tackle.

Almost simultaneously, Mahrez chose to pass. The ball was slightly touched by the tip of Bonucci's boot, bouncing towards the goal, almost eluding Buffon.

"Beautiful!" exclaimed the Italian Sky Sports commentator, "Mahrez, he owns Juventus's left side, and no one can stop him!"

Guidolin sported a smug and excited smile on the sidelines, in stark contrast to the serious expression of Conte nearby.

Two minutes later, Mahrez was at it again. This time Bruno took the ball on the left, moved to the center, and then delivered a diagonal pass.

Mahrez received the ball and looked up to see his old adversary De Sciglio.

"Here it comes! Here it comes!! Again!!!" shouted the Udinese local TV commentator excitedly.

This time, Mahrez's maneuver was more complex than before. He swayed left and right several times, leaving De Sciglio staggering.

It was the final step—Mahrez suddenly increased his stride! As he drew De Sciglio into close combat, Mahrez pushed the ball forward and then suddenly accelerated.

De Sciglio hurried to chase, but Mahrez took a large step, cut inside, and left De Sciglio behind, creating space for a pass. Then, he curved the ball directly towards the goal.

Buffon, constantly shifting, watched the sideline, noticing the ball flying in. He first attempted to pluck the ball from the air but then realized the curve was too steep—even he couldn't reach it.

Startled, Buffon stepped back, trying to intercept it on the move. Nonetheless, he couldn't control the ball, which flew over his head.

At the far post, Udinese's captain Di Natale was already in position. He arrived ahead of Juventus's captain and executed a volley.

In the second half, the section behind the Juventus goal was packed with Udinese fans, who all stood, watching intently.

If Udinese scored here, they'd be two goals ahead! When was the last time a team had a two-goal lead against Juventus at the Allianz Stadium?

In Serie A history, Juventus and Udinese had faced off 80 times, with the Old Lady dominating with 52 wins, 17 draws, and 11 losses.

At home in Turin, the record was even more overwhelming: 29 wins, 5 draws, and 6 losses.

The last time Udinese defeated Juventus was in the 2010-2011 season. Since Conte had coached Juventus, he had won three and drawn one against Udinese, maintaining a winning streak in the last three matches.

Juventus fans were in despair, fearing the worst if this goal stood.

"Thud!"

The sound was crisp; the ball struck the lower edge of the crossbar and then bounced down.

Then, people saw Buffon scramble to smother the ball, but Udinese's captain Di Natale had already started his celebratory run.

A huge cheer erupted from the section of Udinese fans behind the goal.

Although it was hard to see clearly, the fans knew—the players on the field see the clearest.

Juventus players raised their hands, signaling that the ball hadn't crossed the line.

The referee did not blow the whistle immediately but looked to the linesman, followed by a whistle and a gesture from the referee: the goal was valid.

"GOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!"

"The ball's in! Di Natale's shot hit the crossbar, bounced back, and was caught by Buffon. But the ball had already crossed the line!"

"2:0!"

"In the 75th minute of the game, Udinese has taken a two-goal lead in an away game!"

"An incredible half, Udinese, despite being under pressure throughout, has somehow gained a two-goal advantage!"

As Udinese celebrated the goal, Juventus was already preparing for substitutions.

Conte finally decided to pull De Sciglio off, albeit seemingly too late.

In the 76th minute, just before Juventus restarted the game, Conte made his second substitution of the match, changing two players at once.

Quagliarella came on for the severely tormented De Sciglio, and Lichtsteiner replaced Padoin.

After the substitutions, Juventus switched to a 442 formation, clearly an adjustment targeting Mahrez.

On the Udinese side, Guidolin made no further changes. However, he called Bruno to the sidelines, signaling the team to take advantage of Juventus's aggressive push forward and counterattack to secure the victory.

(End of Chapter)

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