Chapter 221: Steadying the Team's Morale

Chapter 221: Steadying the Team's Morale

"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!" "Neymar scores again! Barcelona 2:1 Udinese! Aggregate score 5:2!" "These last few minutes have been a nightmare for Udinese!" "Barcelona has essentially secured their spot in the Champions League final!"

Enrique clapped his hands happily on the sidelines and even jumped in joy when the goal was scored. He was relieved. When Bruno threatened Barcelona's goal with a long shot in the first minute and scored in the third minute, Enrique was deeply worried that his team might suffer a shocking comeback by Udinese.

After all, in Champions League history, it's rare for a team to overturn a 3:1 deficit from the first leg. If his Barcelona were to be overturned by Udinese, it would be a huge embarrassment. But now, his team had scored two goals in six minutes to reverse the score, leading 5:2 on aggregate, and they even had the away goal advantage.

Enrique clenched his fist and let out a deep breath: satisfaction.

On the other side, Guidolin's face was grim. On the field, Barcelona players were celebrating happily. The Udinese players looked visibly dejected and confused. The two quick goals had come too fast, too suddenly, leaving them stunned.

Taking advantage of Barcelona's celebration, Guidolin loudly called his captain Di Natale, Bruno, Salah, and others to the sidelines for an emergency meeting.

Guidolin looked at his players and said, "The situation is dire, we're down 2:5 on aggregate. In this case, don't think too much about it. The worst has already happened. So, stop overthinking."

"I only have one demand," Guidolin rolled up his sleeves, gritting his teeth, "Don't concede any more goals! Got it?"

No one spoke. At this moment, words were meaningless; action was needed. The players' expressions were serious and solemn. They could sense the coach's anger.

The large Friuli stadium was somewhat quiet, allowing them to clearly hear the cheers of the Barcelona fans. Even though many of them didn't understand Spanish, they knew it couldn't be anything good.

Anger and humiliation welled up in everyone's hearts.

"Don't concede any more goals in the first half," Guidolin's gaze swept across everyone, "Then we'll have a chance to turn things around in the second half!"

"Do as I say and stay focused!" Guidolin gritted his teeth and said, "The match starts now!"

No one questioned the seemingly impossible task of turning around a 2:5 scoreline. At this point, the only thought in Udinese players' minds was not to concede any more goals and to follow the coach's instructions.

As for whether they could make a comeback in the second half, some might think it's impossible, some might have doubts, and some might take Guidolin's words as gospel.

But regardless, Guidolin's words had steadied the team's morale. The players knew what they had to do. This was Guidolin's authority in the team; his words were instinctively obeyed.

No matter how improbable, they would follow orders!

Time was running out. Guidolin glanced at the field and said, "Go on, look at how happy our friends are. Go on! Tell them the match has just begun!"

Kanté wore a grim expression. The team had conceded two goals in quick succession, and he felt it was his responsibility. He didn't consider who the opponents were. Kanté only knew he was one of the three midfielders and the main defensive shield. Conceding two goals in six minutes meant he had to take the blame.

Bruno also had a serious expression. While he knew Barcelona was strong, he hadn't expected them to be this strong. However, he wasn't ready to give up. No matter what, he would fight until the end. The result would come after the match.

Salah clenched his fists, staring at Alves. When the Champions League semi-final draw was announced, Salah had happily told his teammates he looked forward to facing the best right-back Alves. Maybe his teammates had forgotten his words, or they were too focused on the match, but Salah felt his boasts had fallen flat. He swore to himself to fight hard and regain his pride.

Captain Di Natale had already conveyed the coach's words to his teammates. Each player had their own thoughts, but one thing was clear: the coach's words had a magical effect, calming the panic caused by the quick goals.

This was the charisma and capability of a championship-winning coach who had led the team to victory and glory, especially someone like Guidolin who had built success from scratch. The players trusted him almost instinctively.

Guidolin's words worked!

Barcelona players were in high spirits. Neymar, who had scored twice, had his arm around Messi, laughing and chatting. Alves, hailed by the media as the best right-back in football, noticed someone staring at him. Turning around, he saw Udinese's number 20, Salah, looking at him. Alves clicked his tongue and ignored him. He recognized the look of defiance on Salah's face, a desire to challenge.

Alves had seen it many times before. Young players wanting to challenge him were nothing new.

Alves dismissed Salah. He knew Salah was Udinese's rising star and one of Serie A's brightest talents. But so what? Alves was the world's best right-back!

The match resumed, now entering the first half's stoppage time. Given the three goals and intense play, the referee added three minutes of stoppage time.

Barcelona players quickly noticed a change in Udinese. The team seemed to have recovered from the disarray caused by the quick goals. Busquets controlled the ball in midfield, passing to Iniesta, who attempted a one-two with Alba, but Kanté intercepted the ball. Alba tried to win it back, but Kanté shielded it and back-heeled to Widmer, who passed it back to Piris, nullifying Barcelona's attack.

Suarez's dribble was then tackled by Maguire, and Messi's turn was thwarted by Cancelo. Bruno stole the ball from Busquets, who fouled him to stop the play.

Several attempts by Barcelona to attack were neutralized. The disorganized Udinese seemed to have turned a corner. Busquets looked at the sideline, surprised. He had seen Guidolin gather his players during Barcelona's goal celebration but hadn't expected such an immediate impact. He was impressed by Guidolin's ability to rally his team.

Despite their resurgence, Busquets and his teammates, including Iniesta, didn't believe Udinese could come back. They were mostly focused on defending, even after winning the ball, opting for back passes rather than counter-attacks. Udinese seemed more concerned with not conceding further.

The first half ended. Alves and Suarez walked off, arm in arm, both expressing disappointment. They had expected a tough match against Serie A's top team, but Barcelona had broken Udinese's spirit in just six minutes.

To Barcelona, with a 5:2 aggregate lead, Udinese was already defeated.

"Really boring," Alves said. "Keep your spirits up," Suarez patted Alves' shoulder. "5:2 isn't enough. Let's get five more."

Suarez knew scoring five more was unrealistic, especially with Udinese regrouping during halftime. But he said it just to boast and keep the mood light.

(End of Chapter)