Chapter 226: Rome

Chapter 226: Rome

Udinese's unexpected victory over Barcelona to advance to the Champions League final set off a media frenzy in Italy. One day later, Juventus managed a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu, eliminating Real Madrid with a 3-2 aggregate score and securing a spot in the Champions League final alongside Udinese. This triumph sent Italian media into a euphoric state.

Having two Italian teams in the Champions League final was seen as a sign of Italian football's resurgence. Some media outlets even began to dream of Italian teams sweeping both European competitions, although the likelihood of such an outcome was slim. After all, Fiorentina had suffered a 0-3 defeat to Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals.

Yet, with Udinese's incredible home comeback, who could rule out the possibility of similar miracles?

However, the results of Thursday night's Europa League semifinals were disappointing for Italy. Fiorentina not only failed to overturn their deficit but also lost 0-2 at home to Sevilla, resulting in a humiliating 0-5 aggregate defeat. Sevilla's victory served as a slap in the face to the Italian media, restoring some pride for Spanish football.

In the other Europa League semifinal, Napoli lost 0-1 away to Dnipro, resulting in a 1-2 aggregate elimination. Despite having two Italian teams in the semifinals, both were knocked out.

Even so, Italian media remained elated. With Udinese and Juventus securing spots in the Champions League final, Italy overtook the Bundesliga in UEFA's coefficient rankings, reclaiming the third place. This meant that Serie A would have four Champions League spots for the next season, a significant achievement after losing the third spot to the Bundesliga in 2011.

Bruno didn't concern himself much with Serie A's position in the UEFA rankings. He was still reveling in the excitement of Udinese's upset victory over Barcelona. As someone familiar with the strength of this Barcelona team, Bruno knew just how formidable they were. This was a team that had achieved a treble and, with the MSN trio, was considered even stronger than Guardiola's sextuple-winning side.

When Udinese lost 1-3 away in the first leg, Bruno had been pessimistic about their chances of advancing. Even at halftime of the second leg, with Udinese trailing 1-2, Bruno felt a sense of despair.

But the words and actions of the Barcelona players on the way back to the locker room deeply stung him, motivating him to fight back in the second half. Still, without Salah's explosive performance in the second half, Bruno had little hope of a comeback. Barcelona was just too strong, and Udinese's deficit too large.

Salah's second-half heroics were unexpected even for Bruno, but they led to a remarkable comeback. Thinking back, it all felt like a dream.

After Juventus' draw against Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League final, Bruno calmed down and began to focus on the upcoming matches. Udinese's next game was an away match against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night. With three rounds left in the league and Udinese seven points ahead of second-placed Juventus, a victory against Roma would secure their first-ever Serie A title with two games to spare.

Given the five-day gap since the Champions League semifinal, most players had recovered, and Guidolin aimed to clinch the league title early by taking all the key players to Rome. However, captain Di Natale did not make the starting lineup due to some muscle discomfort detected during a pre-match medical check. To avoid risking injury, Guidolin excluded him from the starting eleven.

Understandably, Di Natale agreed with this precautionary measure. After all, even if they lost this match, winning one of the remaining two would still secure the title. On the other hand, risking Di Natale could lead to injuries that might rule him out of crucial future matches, especially the Champions League final.

With Di Natale out, Bruno wore the captain's armband for the match against Roma.

When the Udinese team arrived in Rome, Juventus had already won the first match of the 36th round, defeating Inter Milan 2-1 at the San Siro, keeping the title race alive. Had Juventus lost, Udinese would have clinched the title even before their match against Roma.

Juventus' victory kept the spotlight on the Stadio Olimpico, where the world awaited to see if Udinese could beat Roma and secure the championship early. Under the global gaze, Udinese performed impressively, taking control from the start and launching a strong offensive against Roma. By the 19th minute, they broke through Roma's defense to take the lead.

Théréau, replacing Di Natale in the starting lineup, was particularly energetic. In the 19th minute, he dispossessed Manolas and took a shot that De Sanctis saved at the near post, only for Salah to pounce on the rebound and score from 5 meters out.

Salah's goal was his eighth in Serie A since joining Udinese mid-season and his 11th overall, including three in the Champions League.

This goal ignited Udinese's excitement, making the Serie A title seem within their grasp. However, the team's heightened emotions led to a lapse in concentration, giving Roma a chance to fight back.

(End of Chapter)