Chapter 21: Where Is the Crucial Battle of the King's Mountain?

On April 6, 2013, at 3:00 PM local Italian time, an exciting match of round 35 of Serie B took place at the Piola Stadium, where Novara hosted the league-leading team, Sassuolo.

From the moment the main referee blew the whistle to start the match at the Piola Stadium, there wasn't a second of silence. Over ten thousand fans shouted with all their might, cheering and encouraging their team.

Some say playing at home is an advantage, but it also comes with pressure. This is true, but all the Novara players clearly enjoy playing more at their own stadium because the fans here are the team's best allies!

Tesser's game strategy was basically the same as in the first encounter, including how to mark Vantaggiato and Bellardi. Although there's a saying "to stumble twice over the same stone," Tesser doesn't believe in that.

Within Novara's lineup, Bruno has the greatest tactical freedom. Mohanad must occupy Trapani's space, Gonçalves must press Bianco, and Bruno's task is to attack.

Di Francesco's original idea was simple: control the ball, control the pace, and use the team captain Maniànei's experience to limit Bruno, and then the rest would be easier to handle. This approach had already shown good results in the first encounter against Novara, where Maniànei basically nullified Bruno.

Maniànei is truly a player with a lot of experience and skill; at 28 years old, he's in the golden age of his professional career. If both teams are evenly matched, Bruno would have few opportunities, and that's why Di Francesco dared to bench the veteran Bianco.

Therefore, Bruno changed his strategy, deliberately positioning himself farther back and to the left, trying to lure Maniànei. As soon as Maniànei moved away from his position, Bruno's diagonal and vertical shifts could become a threat.

Maniànei has a lot of experience and knows very well what his strengths and weaknesses are, so he stood firm in his position and didn't move out. But Maniànei soon paid the price for his choice, as Bruno opened the scoring with a shot from outside the box in the first minute of the match, breaking Sassuolo's goal.

In the past six months, Bruno has not only received tactical training under his father's guidance, but he has also received specialized training in his shooting technique, so his shooting ability is no longer comparable to what it was five months ago. Five months ago, Bruno's long-range shots didn't pose a big threat to Sassuolo's goal, but today it was effective.

This completely ignited the atmosphere at the Piola Stadium and at the same time frightened Sassuolo. In the second minute of the match, Novara took the lead at home!

After witnessing Bruno's powerful shot, Maniànei had no choice but to come out, and in the ninth minute, he received the first yellow card of the match. Sassuolo's defensive leader had difficulty dealing with Bruno. And by receiving a yellow card so early, Maniànei became extremely passive in defense.

Then, in the 13th minute of the match, Sassuolo conceded another goal. Again, it was Bruno who initiated the attack, forcing Maniànei to come out and defend him. But this time, Bruno chose to pass the ball back to Bizzaglia, who easily sent the ball into Sassuolo's goal. 2-0! The match had barely begun, and Sassuolo was already trailing 0-2 as the away team, an unexpected situation for everyone.

Where is the eagerly awaited battle between the two top contenders of Serie B? Where is the king's mountain? How come Novara is playing against Sassuolo as if it's an adult playing against a child? The two situations are similar, only the roles of hitting and being hit have been reversed.

Di Francesco didn't make too many adjustments. Bruno speculated that Sassuolo's coach must be very concerned at this moment and even regretting his initial choice of lineup, as he has no way to adjust it. On the counterattack, Bruno carried the ball and forced Maniànei to defend in the penalty area. Kurtić and Missiroli were on the flanks, crucial in the team's play organization and attack, so they couldn't move. At this moment, with Bizzaglia's incursion, Sassuolo had no options.

Bruno had the feeling that it wasn't that Sassuolo was weakening, but Novara was becoming stronger, too strong! Five months is not a long time, but many things can happen, like Novara's transformation! And he himself is key in this transformation of Novara.

Teams like Padova and Bari, which are in the middle of the table, can't stop Novara's momentum, let alone relegation-fighting teams like Varese and Grosseto. Even teams like Empoli, Verona, and Sassuolo, considered strong in Serie B, can't either.

"Novara recovers the ball in midfield!"

"Bizzaglia steals the ball and passes it to Simeoni Pesce..."

"Pesce carries the ball forward, Novara launches a counterattack, pass into the space behind..."

"Bruno..."

The entire Piola Stadium erupted in jubilation. In the first fifteen minutes, Bruno was the most dangerous player on Novara's field. With a shot and an assist, he completely destabilized Sassuolo's defense. And this time, he fell back a bit more and suddenly turned, penetrating into Sassuolo's area. Maniànei followed him, trying desperately to mark him. Especially at the moment he turned, there was even an attempt to pull him, but he soon let go because he realized he already had a yellow card. It was like a sword of Damocles, always hanging over his head.

After letting go, on the one hand, he blocked Bruno with his body to prevent him from moving freely, and at the same time, he relied on his teammates to arrive in time to defend. Since arriving in Italy, Bruno has improved a lot in his physical condition after over half a year of training. Facing Maniànei's body, which is the same height but five kilograms heavier, was a challenge, but Bruno wasn't pushed by his opponent. Especially when he was about to enter the penalty area, he noticed that Maniànei was more cautious in his movements.

That area is very sensitive, a small mistake could result in a penalty. Bruno not only observed the peripheral situation with his peripheral vision but also kept his eyes fixed on Trapani inside the penalty area. Sassuolo's defender was a bit far from Maniànei at that moment, and just then, Muhamedali was approaching him. With just a glance, Bruno could calculate the timing. He was sure! Just after entering the penalty area, Bruno touched the ball with his first touch. Maniànei, with his vast experience, immediately realized that Bruno was going to shoot. The Sassuolo captain had no choice but to dive forward and throw himself to the ground, trying to block Bruno's shot with his body, but Bruno was faster. When Maniànei realized something was wrong, Bruno had already shot!

"Bruno enters the area with the ball..."

"Shoots directly!"

"Goal!"

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!"

"Minute sixteen, minute sixteen, Novara has broken Sassuolo's goal again!"

"It was another slip by Bruno into the penalty area, Pesce's pass was perfect, Bruno received the ball and slid into the area, Maniànei couldn't do anything about it!"

"Trapani was dragged by Muhamedali and couldn't stop Bruno's shot."

"The ball goes directly into the lower right corner of the goal!"

"3-0!"

"An incredible score!"

"Before the match, everyone thought it would be an even match between two forces, but barely sixteen minutes had passed, and the game had completely gone out of everyone's predictions!"

The entire Piola Stadium was immersed in madness. No one expected such a successful start; Novara already had a three-goal lead after only sixteen minutes of play.

"It can be said that Bruno's initial performance was very active, showing great form. His first long-range shot opened Sassuolo's door, surprising everyone in Sassuolo, so Maniànei didn't dare to let his guard down again and had to follow him, but the result..."

"This time, Sassuolo's defense really had some problems, but it was also distracted by Muhamedali."

"The three main characteristics of Novara's attackers on the front line are too evident, and this combination makes any opponent worried." (End of chapter)

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