Chapter 133: Europa League Final

Chapter 133: Europa League Final

On the morning of May 11th, Bruno, after an early morning workout, bought several newspapers from a vending machine and casually flipped through them. The headlines of the morning's papers not only highlighted Juventus' new record for the highest single-season point total in Serie A but also prominently featured news of Udinese's likely qualification for next season's Champions League. However, the focus of several articles was the upcoming Europa League final in three days.

Italian media overwhelmingly supported Udinese, the hometown team, as they faced the Spanish team Sevilla. This support was not only due to national pride but also because Udinese's squad was considered slightly stronger than Sevilla's.

Udinese had been performing well all season. In Serie A, they had been consistently near the top of the standings, now virtually secured in third place with 73 points, a record for the highest point total in the club's history. In the Coppa Italia, Udinese had already won, securing the first major title in the club's century-long history.

In the Europa League, Udinese had eliminated strong teams including AZ Alkmaar from the Netherlands, Russia's Rubin Kazan, last season's runners-up Benfica from Portugal, and top-tier team Juventus to reach the final.

In contrast, Sevilla's journey to the Europa League spot was considered somewhat accidental. Their opponents in the knockout stages were not as formidable as those Udinese faced, involving teams like Maribor, Real Betis, and an aging Valencia, with only Porto in the quarter-finals presenting a significant challenge.

In La Liga, Sevilla was in fifth place with 60 points, indicating a less impressive season.

Interestingly, the final was to be held at Juventus' home stadium, practically making it a home game for Udinese. Even the major European betting agencies favored Udinese to win.

After briefly reviewing the media's predictions, Bruno quickly returned his focus to training. Udinese did not travel to Turin early but flew there after lunch on May 14th, following their morning training session.

Upon arriving in Turin, Udinese went straight to the Allianz Stadium for a familiarization training session before heading to their hotel for dinner. Given the match's late start at 8:45 PM, players rested in their rooms after dinner until it was time to leave for the stadium at 7:30 PM.

However, fans of both teams had started gathering at the Allianz Stadium in the afternoon. Over fifty thousand fans traveled from Udine alone, significant given the city's population of about one hundred thousand. Indeed, entire families had traveled to Turin, many using the fast train service that linked the two cities in just under five hours.

Including local fans and those from other parts of Italy and abroad, nearly one hundred thousand supporters were expected, though not all could attend the match due to the limited capacity of the Allianz Stadium, which holds about forty-one thousand people. Each club received twelve thousand tickets, with the remainder distributed by UEFA to sponsors and neutral spectators.

As the Udinese team bus arrived at the stadium at 7:45 PM, the area was already buzzing with excitement. This match meant a great deal to the fans, who had long anticipated such a moment.

The match kicked off with Udinese displaying intense offensive intent. Their first attack came close, with Dinatale heading the ball to Makhrez, who crossed it into the box. Bruno took a shot under pressure from Sevilla's Pareja, narrowly missing the target.

Sevilla's coach, Emery, noted Udinese's aggressive start. Emery, known for his offensive strategies, welcomed the challenge. Sevilla was also adept at counter-attacking, boasting players like Rakitic, Vitolo, Reyes, and Bacca.

As the game proceeded at a fast pace, Sevilla found it hard to string together more than three passes due to Udinese's tight defense. A critical moment came when Kante intercepted a pass meant for Reyes, triggering a swift counterattack.

"Udinese's counterattack!" the stadium roared in anticipation.

Showing remarkable speed, Makhrez received Bruno's long pass, dodged a defender, and after a one-two with McSueal, curled a shot towards goal. Dinatale, managing to fend off Pareja, redirected the ball towards the far post where Bruno, unmarked, prepared to shoot.

As the crowd held its breath, Bruno executed a perfect strike, shooting the ball over Sevilla's goalkeeper Beto's head into the net.

This goal exemplified the culmination of Udinese's relentless pressure and strategic gameplay, marking a pinnacle moment in the match as Udinese continued to dominate the proceedings. (End of Chapter)