Chapter 118: Reaching the Semifinals
Chapter 118: Reaching the Semifinals
After scoring, Bruno ran past the stunned Luisao towards the stands behind the advertising boards, where a sea of deep blue awaited him. He had no fear of celebrating wildly; the crowd there wouldn't hurt him with thrown objects.
He reached the front of the boards, pumping his fists enthusiastically at the fans—he was ecstatic, knowing Udinese had advanced to the semifinals.
"Turin! Turin!! Turin!!!" chanted the Udinese fans, ambitiously calling out the name of the city hosting this season's Europa League final, as if their team had already made it.
Estádio da Luz could hold 64,000 people, and this game saw about 60,000 Benfica fans, with just over 2,000 Udinese fans and a few hundred neutrals just there for the show.
Before Bruno's goal, Estádio da Luz was dominated by Benfica fans singing, cheering, and booing. Like dogs marking their territory with urine, Benfica fans used these sounds to tell the visiting Udinese fans that this was their turf, warning them not to try anything clever.
But after Bruno's goal, their territorial claims were voided; the stadium turned into Udinese territory. They sang and jumped around, cheering for their team's advance to the semifinals.
——————
As Bruno fist-pumped towards the Udinese fans under the stands, his teammates rushed up, encircling him, slapping his back, shoulders, and head.
"Haha, well done, Bruno! That was damn beautiful! Did you see those Benfica players gawking? I love their expressions!" one teammate exclaimed.
"They've lost all hope now; they need to score three goals in the remaining time, but that's impossible!" another added.
"Exactly, if we let Benfica score three times in a few minutes, it would be the biggest insult to us!"
"We've got this, guys! It's in the bag!"
"Where to next? Turin?"
"Let's go! To Turin! To the Allianz Stadium!"
——————
After celebrating the goal, Udinese players dispersed and returned to their positions, ready to resume the game.
"Bruno has scored his eleventh goal in this season's Europa League, putting him second in the scoring chart, just one goal behind Soriano. If he scores again in the semifinals, he could become this season's top scorer," the announcer said.
"This goal has locked the victory. If Benfica wants to advance, they need to score three goals in the remaining time and prevent us from scoring again. Even the most ardent Benfica fans must think this is impossible…"
"Bruno's goal has essentially pronounced the death sentence for Benfica! As harsh as it might sound to Benfica fans, I have to say: from this point on, we're just filling time."
"The goal was crucial; while there was still plenty of game time left, Benfica players still had the confidence to even the score. But now, with just about ten minutes left, and needing three more goals to turn it around…"
"Bruno's goal has completely shattered the confidence of the Benfica players! Scoring three consecutive goals? I think that's simply not feasible!"
——————
Commentators from various countries shared their thoughts on Bruno's goal, overwhelmingly praising him.
——————
After play resumed, Benfica's players clearly hadn't recovered from the shock of the third goal, their movements sluggish as if sleepwalking. Coach Jorge Jesus was also out of sorts, standing on the sidelines, unsure how to adjust his team.
Indeed, no adjustment seemed worthwhile at this point—scoring three goals in about fifteen minutes was highly improbable.
What did sleepwalking look like for Benfica players? Consider that their midfield linchpin Perez accidentally passed the ball directly to Kante, illustrating their state of confusion.
Kante, surprised to receive the ball, wasn't sure what to do next, then he heard Bruno shouting from behind, "Pass it back to me!" Quickly, Kante heel-flicked the ball back to Bruno.
Bruno, after receiving the ball, orchestrated another attack, and soon Dinatale had the ball. Dinatale attempted a turn and shot, but although Artur got a hand to it, the ball hit the post and bounced back, landing right back in Artur's arms—he hadn't moved, but the ball returned to him.
"Ah! Benfica's lucky there; otherwise, it would have been 4:2! That's too bad!"
"The entire Benfica team is sleepwalking, only their goalposts are still fighting… What irony!"
"I'll rate Benfica's goalposts as the highest-performing members of their team after the game!"
Being on the losing side, everyone could freely mock them—who cared if they played poorly?
——————
Dinatale was visibly disappointed at not scoring, hands on his head. Benfica fans booed: "You've already scored three goals, what more do you want? Isn't that enough?"
Roused by Dinatale's shot, Jesus rushed to the sidelines, shouting at his players, "What are you doing! Snap out of it! Attack, attack!!"
Benfica players felt they had indeed been too amateurish earlier. Regardless of the final outcome, the game wasn't over yet; they needed to give their all.
At least they'd have no regrets if they tried their hardest.
Thus, Benfica launched a desperate counterattack amid their fans' singing, launching wave after wave of assaults on Udinese's goal.
Kante and Alan, as Udinese's defensive midfielders, faced tremendous pressure.
At this moment, Guidolin made his first substitution of the game, bringing on vice-captain Basta for Mahrez to bolster midfield defense.
Udinese shifted to a 4312 formation, with Basta, Kante, and Alan forming a line in front of the defense.
They were now firmly in defensive mode.
With the team leading 3:2 away and 5:3 on aggregate, Guidolin wasn't taking any chances with a more aggressive style of play. Victory was all that mattered.
——————
In the remaining minutes, Benfica continued to press, but Udinese held firm, with Guidolin even substituting Dominguez for McSweyn to further strengthen the defense.
As the game moved into stoppage time, Benfica still attacked relentlessly, supported by their fans' cheers.
But everyone knew it was just a last-ditch effort; turning the game around and reaching the semifinals was no longer possible.
They just wanted to show they hadn't lost without a fight, that they had battled to the very end.
Yet when the final whistle blew, the score remained 2:3, away team listed first as per tradition.
"The game is over! The game is over! Udinese has defeated Benfica, winning 3:2 away, thus advancing to the semifinals with a 5:3 aggregate score!"
"In past seasons, Udinese often played the role of an easy opponent in European competitions, always exiting early. Who could have imagined that they would reach the semifinals of the Europa League this year?"
"This transformation is largely due to the genius midfielder Bruno Fernandes, whom Udinese signed last summer for 25 million euros, setting a club record. This young man has played 48 games this season across all competitions, scoring 27 goals and providing 28 assists, making him one of Europe's top-performing midfielders this season!"
"In the Europa League, adding today's goal and two assists, Bruno has now scored 11 goals and made 7 assists, playing a key role in Udinese's campaign to the semifinals."
"If Udinese hopes to go further in the Europa League, to reach the final at Turin's Allianz Stadium on May 14, they'll continue to rely heavily on this super talent."
The cameras lingered on Bruno, clearly identifying him as the match's focal point.
——————
Around the same time as Udinese's victory over Benfica, the other three quarterfinals of the Europa League were also decided.
Juventus overcame Lyon 2:1 at home, completing a double victory with a 3:1 aggregate score.
Sevilla, after losing 0:1 away to Porto, secured a 4:1 victory at home, eliminating their opponents with a 4:2 aggregate score.
The last to be decided was the match between Valencia and Basel. After a disastrous 0:3 loss away, the Bats avenged themselves at home. They won 3:0 in regular time, then added two more goals in extra time, knocking out the Swiss champions with a 5:3 aggregate score.
With these results, the season's Europa League semifinalists were set—two teams from La Liga and two from Serie A.
The semifinal draw held on April 11 at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, set up two intra-league battles: Valencia vs Sevilla and Juventus vs Udinese.
The Udinese fans' chants of "Turin" at Estádio da Luz turned prophetic, though not for the May 14 final—they would head there earlier for the April 24 semifinal.
In the draw, Udinese, unfortunately, got to play the first leg at home again. If they managed to eliminate Juventus in the semifinals, they would still be the away team in the final.
(End of Chapter)