Chapter 211: Balance

Chapter 211: Balance

The most captivating aspect of football is its unpredictability; a small incident can change the course of a match. Thiago's goal had lifted Bayern Munich's spirits, but Alonso's sudden injury caused a brief period of chaos for them. It was during this moment that Udinese accelerated their play.

Badstuber was waiting on the sideline, ready to be subbed in at the next dead ball. The match had just reached the 64th minute.

Facing Udinese's high pressing, Bayern's defense faltered. Under pressure from Salah, veteran defender Rafinha made a weak pass to Alonso, which was intercepted by Bruno. Bruno then broke into the penalty area, and Neuer, in an attempt to stop him, tripped him.

"Tweet!" The Spanish referee Carvajal blew his whistle and reached for his pocket.

Bayern Munich players quickly surrounded the referee, guessing the color of the card: as the last defender, Neuer's foul usually warranted a red card.

"Referee, he dived!" one of the Bayern players shouted, refusing to admit Neuer's foul and accusing Bruno of simulation.

"Yes, he dived!" Rafinha, whose error had led to the situation, also shouted, trying to defend Neuer and himself.

The Udinese players naturally disagreed, leading to a heated argument between both teams.

Referee Carvajal loudly ordered both sides to calm down, separating the players before pointing to the penalty spot, awarding Udinese a penalty. Finally, he approached Neuer and showed him a yellow card.

This decision surprised everyone. Bayern's players were overjoyed, while Udinese's players were in disbelief. Such a clear-cut "red card and penalty" situation had only resulted in a yellow card?

Several Udinese players surrounded the referee, questioning his decision.

In the stands, the moment Carvajal showed the yellow card, the entire stadium erupted in boos.

"Unbelievable! It's a yellow card! Bruno was clear on goal, and Neuer tripped him in the box. It should have been a red card and a penalty, but the referee only showed a yellow," John Motson exclaimed, his tone filled with incredulity.

Gary Lineker, after a moment of silence, said, "Perhaps Carvajal wanted to keep the balance, considering that Udinese is already leading. Sending off Neuer would kill the game completely…"

On the sidelines, Guidolin was furious, jumping and shouting as he protested to the fourth official.

Bayern's coach Guardiola, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief and clapped his hands, even giving a thumbs up to the referee.

Initially, when Neuer tripped Bruno, Guardiola felt desperate, wanting to rush over and confront Neuer for such a reckless act. Neuer's presence was crucial for Bayern; he was their defensive rock.

Even if Bruno had scored, Guardiola believed in Bayern's attacking power to equalize. After all, the Champions League knockout stages were played over two legs.

But a red card for Neuer would almost guarantee Bayern's defeat in this leg and severely compromise their chances in the return leg without him.

To Guardiola's astonishment, the referee only showed a yellow card, significantly altering the scenario.

Despite Udinese's protests and the deafening boos from the home crowd, the Spanish referee Carvajal did not change his decision.

Bruno was given the responsibility of taking the penalty. After his previous miss, he had been reinstated as the primary penalty taker. Plus, he had earned this penalty himself.

At the whistle, Bruno started his run-up, cleverly changing his rhythm to deceive Neuer, who moved early, allowing Bruno to slot the ball into the net.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

"3-1! Udinese restore their two-goal lead!"

"This is Bruno's 13th goal in the Champions League this season, making him the clear leader in the scoring charts."

"3-1! Udinese leads Bayern Munich 3-1! It's unbelievable; they are two goals ahead of Bayern Munich."

Guardiola sat calmly on the bench, knowing that despite likely losing this match, Bayern still had a chance.

Guardiola's intuition proved correct. Despite Bayern's relentless efforts, they couldn't score a second goal. In fact, Udinese nearly scored again on a counter-attack.

In the 87th minute, Salah broke through on the right and crossed low into the box. Di Natale's shot deflected off Boateng and almost resulted in an own goal, but Neuer made a spectacular save to push it over the bar.

When the final whistle blew, the score remained 3-1. Udinese had beaten the mighty Bayern Munich at home, triggering jubilant celebrations. The players on the bench rushed onto the field, celebrating wildly with their teammates, as the stadium erupted like a volcano.

At the post-match press conference, Udinese's coach Guidolin criticized the referee's decision, arguing that any other referee would have shown a red card in that situation.

Guardiola, on the other hand, praised Carvajal's decision for maintaining balance in the game.

Reflecting on the loss, Guardiola said, "We didn't expect this scoreline. The two quick goals in the first half made everything difficult. We pulled one back and controlled the game, but overall, Udinese was the better team tonight. A 1-3 scoreline makes the return leg tough, but we will give it our all."

Bayern's captain Lahm added, "It would have been better to lose 1-2. Now, 1-3 makes it much harder. However, in the second leg, we will do everything to achieve our goal."

Losing 1-3 away put Bayern in a challenging position. Historically, Bayern had never overturned a deficit of more than one goal in the first leg of a European knockout tie. Since the introduction of the "away goals" rule, only 1.69% of teams had managed to reverse a 1-3 first-leg loss in all European competitions. In the Champions League, the comeback rate was slightly higher at 22%.

However, this didn't mean Bayern was doomed. The recovery of key players like Ribéry, Robben, and Alaba would be crucial for their chances.

Bayern Munich's performance in this match faced heavy criticism. Club legend Franz Beckenbauer was particularly harsh, expressing his disappointment live on German TV.

Beckenbauer pointed out that none of Bayern's players performed to their usual standards. "It was a black day for Bayern. Sometimes these things happen, like tonight."

Udinese's attackers demonstrated remarkable technique, speed, and physicality. Their full-backs were strong in attack, and they capitalized on every mistake Bayern made.

A telling statistic was that Udinese was the only team in this season's Champions League to have scored double digits from opponents' mistakes. In contrast, other teams had no more than six such goals. In this match, Udinese once again exploited Bayern's errors.

Guardiola's confidence in his strategy and players sometimes backfired. If Bayern had started more cautiously, the defeat might not have been so severe. But Guardiola's insistence on his tactical approach led to a dismal performance, with Bayern recording just five shots, their lowest in a Champions League match since a 0-4 loss to Barcelona six years ago.

Since Guardiola's tenure, Bayern had become synonymous with possession football, dominating lesser teams with big wins. Yet, against strong opponents, they often crumbled, losing the iron-clad resilience once emblematic of the club. Recent heavy defeats included a 0-2 loss to Mönchengladbach, a 1-4 defeat to Wolfsburg, a 0-4 home loss to Real Madrid, a 0-3 league defeat to Dortmund, and this 1-3 loss to Udinese, with an aggregate score of 2-16 across these matches.