Chapter 184: The Key Player Kanté

Chapter 184: The Key Player Kanté

The match reached the 60th minute, and the score remained 1-1. Commentators from various countries broadcasting the game began criticizing Guidolin's conservative tactics.

Guidolin couldn't hear the criticism, and even if he could, he wouldn't care. His job was to lead Udinese forward, win games, and earn points, not to appease the media and commentators. After nearly five years coaching Udinese, Guidolin deeply understood the environment for a coach. The only unforgivable sin for a coach is poor results. If your results are bad, no matter how beautifully your team plays, you'll be harshly criticized. But if your results are good, even those who criticized you will end up praising you, becoming your fans, even if they secretly hope for a chance to criticize you again.

But with an hour of the game gone, it was time to change things up. Thinking this, Guidolin stood up from the bench and blew his whistle. Like a starter's gun, Udinese suddenly intensified their midfield pressing.

A few minutes later, Kanté and Widmer teamed up to dispossess Medel, and Udinese launched a quick counterattack. Widmer sent a direct pass to Bruno, who moved to the wing and crossed the ball into the box. Di Natale's header was brilliantly saved by Handanović. However, the danger wasn't cleared. Ranocchia's clearance wasn't far, and Piryis's follow-up shot just missed the post, sending a scare through Inter Milan fans.

Leotta laughed, "Udinese clearly planned this counterattack. They suddenly increased their pressing, hoping to catch Inter Milan off guard."

"Medel sometimes loses focus on the field. Udinese clearly noticed this problem. They almost succeeded..." Stanković said, still shaken.

After an early second-half surge from Inter Milan that was quickly stifled by Udinese's solid defense, the game settled into a stalemate again. The stands at San Siro were filled with boos, as Inter Milan fans expressed their frustration with the game's state.

With the game dull and the score 1-1, fans saw no advantage for Inter Milan or any sign of a potential goal, becoming increasingly impatient. The boos could also be interpreted as frustration with Udinese's defensive tactics.

The camera showed Inter Milan's bench, where Osvaldo, done warming up, was being briefed by an assistant coach. On the field, Widmer and Medel tangled and both fell. Widmer, a clever player, managed to poke the ball away before falling, allowing Kanté to recover it. Medel and Widmer both appealed to the referee, but he signaled for them to get up, indicating no foul.

"Counterattack! Udinese has a chance to counter!" exclaimed Leotta.

Receiving the ball from Widmer, Kanté didn't pass as usual. Instead, he decided to push forward himself. This move caught Inter Milan's midfield off guard. Throughout the match, if Alan, Widmer, and Guilherme occasionally pushed forward, Kanté stayed back, rarely advancing beyond a few steps. So when Kanté suddenly surged forward, no Inter Milan player moved to intercept him.

Kanté continued his run, and seeing this, Guidolin on the sidelines clapped rapidly, muttering, "Go! Go! Go!"

In Udinese's tactical training sessions, Guidolin occasionally had Kanté push forward unexpectedly. The idea was that since Kanté rarely advanced, a sudden push could have a surprising effect. When to make such a move was left to the player's discretion based on the situation on the field. This time, Kanté made the judgment and chose to advance.

"Kanté is advancing unchallenged... Kuzmanović moves to intercept... but he's past him!" shouted Leotta.

Kuzmanović's attempt to stop Kanté was more symbolic than effective. Not known for his dribbling, Kanté simply pushed the ball forward and sped past. Kuzmanović, realizing the threat, turned to mark Bruno instead, expecting Kanté to pass. But Kanté kept going, surprising everyone.

"Di Natale is dropping back to receive... Ranocchia is moving to block the pass... Good job, Kanté!!" shouted Leotta.

Kanté seemed poised to pass to Di Natale, the obvious choice. Everyone knew Kanté's strengths were in tackling and intercepting, not dribbling and shooting. The fact he had dribbled this far already left many spectators with their mouths open.

Ranocchia tried to block the pass, but Kanté pushed the ball forward, using his strength to get past Ranocchia and continue his run. Ranocchia, alarmed, turned to chase him. Meanwhile, Bruno and Widmer were sprinting forward.

"Pass the ball!" Guidolin yelled, clenching his fists.

Bruno had drawn Kuzmanović and Dodô, leaving Widmer open.

"Cover! Cover!" shouted Handanović as Juan Jesus rushed to cover Widmer.

"Pass it! There's space—Juan Jesus is covering—Kanté—he's shooting?!"

Leotta's eyes widened in surprise. Kanté raised his right foot, not to pass, but to shoot. The Udinese midfielder, nearly 30 meters from goal, took a sudden shot.

No one expected him to shoot, and certainly not so decisively. The ball soared through the air, rocketing towards the goal.

Handanović, focused on a possible pass to Widmer, was caught off guard. His position was slightly to the left, and he had no time to adjust. He leapt, stretching his arms, but couldn't reach the ball.

"Kanté!!!! GOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!"

Handanović fell to the ground in despair, the ball having sailed over his right hand and into the net, making the white netting billow up high.

In the 71st minute, Kanté scored his second goal for Udinese.

2-1, Udinese took the lead at the San Siro again!

Leotta, having never seen Kanté's first long-range goal, was stunned by this one. She shouted in disbelief, "What a crazy shot... a worldie!! Kanté! Kanté! He drove forward, beat Kuzmanović, fooled Ranocchia, shot, and scored! Handanović was beaten... Kanté scores at the San Siro. Last season in the Coppa Italia final, Kanté scored his first goal for Udinese, also a stunning strike! Now, he scores against Inter Milan. N'Golo Kanté, if he scores, it's a crucial goal!"

Kanté was running, but his ecstatic teammates quickly surrounded and tackled him to the ground, piling on top. They shouted praises, curses, and cheers in their excitement. This goal was crucial and a massive morale booster. Kanté rarely scored, but when he did, it was always important.

Whenever Kanté scored, Udinese won.

While Udinese celebrated wildly, Inter Milan was stunned. No one could believe their eyes—that the least likely Udinese player to score, except the goalkeeper, had just scored such a sensational goal, leaving Handanović helpless.

Stanković, shaking his head bitterly, said, "Last season, Kanté scored a similar wonder goal. Yes, this Frenchman rarely shoots, and his shooting isn't great, but when he scores, it's spectacular and vital. 1-2, Kanté with a stunning strike, and Inter Milan are behind."

"Defensively, he's relentless, sweeping across the pitch with his teammates to form a solid line in front of the defense. In attack, he delivers a crucial goal that makes you jump out of your seat. N'Golo Kanté, no matter the final result of this game, gets my vote for Man of the Match," said Leotta.