Chapter 126: Kanté Scores Unexpectedly?

Chapter 126: Kanté Scores Unexpectedly?

"Who told you to shoot?" Allan muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed. It was well-known within the team that Kanté was not skilled at shooting; he was one of the few players who hadn't scored yet.

Bruno had jokingly compared Kanté to Manchester United's "Van No Shoot," calling him "Kanté No Shoot." The nickname had spread quietly within Udinese, a playful jab at Kanté's reluctance to shoot despite his strong defensive skills.

Now, just when Allan expected a simple wall pass, Kanté instead took a shot right in front of him, understandably irritating Allan.

But then, Allan's eyes widened in disbelief.

He watched as the ball traced a beautiful arc through the air, perfectly bypassing both attackers and defenders in the box, curling beyond Napoli's goalkeeper Reina's hands and snugly hitting the inside of the post before finding the net.

Kanté scored? Really?

——————

The vast Stadio Olimpico in Rome fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an explosive cheer. "GOOOOOOOOOL!" the stadium DJ shouted nearly maniacally, while Kanté stood still, seemingly stunned by his own long-range screamer.

Nearby, Bruno, also shocked by Kanté's effort, quickly recovered, running over to embrace him and laughing heartily, "Well done, N'Golo! I've always said you should tell yourself 'Yes, I can!' not 'No, I can't!' Your name is Kanté, not 'can't'!"

Kanté, finally coming to terms with what had happened, still somewhat in disbelief, said to Bruno, "Bruno, did I really score? Can I really do it?"

Bruno nodded affirmatively, "Yes, you scored! You can!" Kanté then burst into laughter and sprinted towards the sidelines, shouting excitedly into a camera, "I scored! I can!"

The Udinese fans in the stands jumped up, raising their arms, some shouting "Goal!" while others yelled "Hurray!" Eventually, all cheers merged into one name: "Kanté! Kanté! Kanté!" Their exhilarated, disbelieving faces told the world of their joy and the shock of that goal.

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"The ball is in! Unbelievable! Just two minutes into the match, and we have a goal. The scorer for Udinese is none other than their defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté, who has not scored this season. Did anyone expect this?" Geraldo Benini shouted, "Udinese takes the lead, and it's Kanté, who hasn't scored all season!"

"N'Golo Kanté's incredible long shot! This defensive midfielder, brought in from Caen in Ligue 2 for just €500,000 last summer, has scored his first goal for Udinese in the final of the Coppa Italia, giving Udinese an early lead—1:0 over Napoli!" Benedetta Masola praised, "Truly a spectacular goal, one of the most beautiful in recent Coppa Italia history!"

"Beautiful long-range goal by Kanté for Udinese! Napoli completely overlooked him, allowing him to shoot unchallenged... a fatal defensive error!" a Sky Sports commentator added.

If Napoli players heard this, they'd be furious. Who could have anticipated that a player who almost never shoots, who hadn't scored all season, would suddenly unleash such a strike from that spot?

"This is Udinese's first goal in a Coppa Italia final in the club's hundred-plus years of history! Of course, this is directly related to this being only Udinese's second time in the Coppa Italia final. Their last final was 92 years ago in the first Coppa Italia, where they lost 0:0 in extra time to Vado!"

"Kanté! Kanté! Udinese's hero!"

"Udinese has scored within just two minutes of the start. What a perfect start to the match!"

Broadcasters around the world were shouting excitedly, celebrating the goal.

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On the sidelines, Guidolin was also celebrating, completely surprised his team had scored so early and that it was Kanté who delivered such a brilliant goal. "Francesco, we're leading!" his assistant, Gabriele Ambrosini, cheered.

"Yes, we are," Guidolin smiled brightly. "It's only now, at this moment, that I truly believe this is the Coppa Italia final, and we've scored."

Udinese, though a small club compared to the giants of Serie A, had made it to the Coppa Italia final after 92 years and started with a dream. Ambrosini, who had been with Guidolin at Udinese for four years, could hardly believe it.

"Not just leading with a goal, but we'll lift the trophy too!" Guidolin said to his assistant.

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While Udinese celebrated, Napoli's coach, Benitez, was less than pleased with his team conceding first. He leaped from his seat, waving his arms and complaining loudly. He was particularly upset about the defense allowing Kanté to shoot unmarked, forgetting his own pre-match tactical analysis which had almost disregarded Kanté's offensive abilities.

Surely, the players on the field were responsible; after all, no one had been marking Kanté when he took his shot.

While Udinese celebrated, Benitez was on the sidelines, shouting, dragging his captain Hamšík aside for immediate tactical adjustments.

"Napoli played against Juventus two days ago, and the players are exhausted. Now that we are leading, they will surely defend and counterattack, pulling back their defense line. This means we'll face less pressure on our defense and must push forward to attack and aim to equalize soon," Benitez analyzed, making his tactical deployment.

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Guidolin observed Benitez pulling Hamšík aside for tactical instructions and guessed Benitez's thoughts—likely strengthening their attack.

"Do you think Benitez is telling Hamšík we'll pull back to defend, so Napoli can focus more on attacking?" Guidolin's assistant suggested.

"Are we not going to counterattack?" Ambrosini asked in surprise.

"Of course... yes," Guidolin smiled. "Since Benitez guessed we would defend, and I've guessed that he guessed my plan, I'm not planning to change."

"We're leading 1:0. The urgency is on Napoli's side, not ours," Guidolin noted. "Besides, many of our players were involved in the game two days ago; their stamina isn't optimal. We can't fully engage Napoli in an attacking match."

Then, Guidolin shouted instructions from the sidelines, calling Bruno over to convey a new tactical directive—just one sentence: strengthen the defense against Hamšík.

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As the match restarted, Napoli, shocked by the early goal, launched a furious attack. With players like Hamšík, Callejón, Insigne, and Higuaín, Napoli's offensive firepower was only behind Juventus, Udinese, and Roma this season in Serie A, not to be underestimated.

Under their relentless assault, Udinese had to retract their lines and adopt a defensive posture. Notoriously, this Udinese team was not known for its strong defense, generally considered mid-to-lower tier in Serie A in terms of defensive capability.

Nine minutes into the game, Udinese paid the price defensively; Allan fouled Hamšík and received the match's first yellow card. Two minutes later, Udinese conceded a goal. Napoli's offensive weapon took effect; Hamšík, retreating towards his own goal, made a long dribble from the backfield, then cleverly passed diagonally to Insigne on the left, who curved the ball with the arch of his foot into the far corner of the goal.

The score was now 1:1!

Seeing his team quickly equalize, Benitez felt as if he had foreseen everything, managing the match perfectly. He chuckled, "Guidolin thinks he can defend after a 0:0 with Juventus, forgetting how weak his team's defense has been all season! By choosing to retreat after taking the lead, they've set their own trap. Now, it's just a matter of time until we take the lead."

(End of Chapter)