Chapter 173: Advancing Early

Chapter 173: Advancing Early

Ancelotti looked grim, motioning his assistant to set up the tactical board before he began speaking.

"I know many of you are dissatisfied with the referee's decisions in the first half. I'm upset too, but let me be clear—the refereeing is not the reason we're behind 0:2 at halftime!"

"We are Real Madrid, the greatest team on this planet. These white jerseys carry a lot of weight. Unfair refereeing decisions? That's nothing! Those who are real men, fight back in the second half and show the world why the greatest team is indeed the greatest—because nothing can stop them from winning, not even the referees!"

Ancelotti was impassioned, having rehearsed these words in his mind, now finding himself moved by his own speech.

He glanced at his players; the effect was quite positive, at least on Captain Casillas, who seemed touched. Though his relationship with Casillas was strained, Ancelotti had to admit that Casillas was the symbol of Real Madrid. As long as this man was here, Ancelotti had to acknowledge his importance to the team because Casillas truly embodied the spirit of Real Madrid and fought tirelessly for the club.

"Coach is right," Casillas stood up, rallying his teammates, "Forget the first half setbacks. In the second half, we take back what's ours!"

The atmosphere was charged. Ancelotti and Casillas had once been close, but this season's decisions to bench Casillas had caused a rift. However, in crucial moments, the two managed to set aside their differences to find a delicate balance.

Ancelotti then began adjusting tactics for the second half.

"Our wings were completely paralyzed in the first half! Udinese's flanks were threatening, and we can only counter that if our flanks come alive!"

"Marcelo, you were overwhelmed in the first half, you retreated too much, and our left side was effectively disabled."

Marcelo, feeling frustrated but powerless against the continuous assaults from Bruno, Videmont, and Piris, could only respond, "Coach, I understand. I'll perform better in the second half."

Seeing Marcelo clench his fists in commitment, Ancelotti nodded.

"James," he called on Rodriguez, "you need to speed up!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!" the DJ at Bernabeu roared as Benzema ran to celebrate, embracing Marcelo who had assisted him. The Real Madrid fans in the stands cheered and jumped with joy.

Just five minutes into the second half, Real Madrid scored. Rodriguez had carried the ball through the middle before threading a diagonal pass that sliced through Udinese's defense behind Piris.

Benzema, with clever positioning, received the ball, faked a shot to deceive the defender, and then discreetly poked the ball into the net.

1:2! Benzema pulled one back for Real Madrid.

Cheers erupted in Bernabeu, and the press applauded. "That's more like it; that's Real Madrid!"

At the end of the first half, those same journalists had been stunned by the score and the smiling Udinese players leaving the field. Now, with the second half barely underway, Real Madrid had narrowed the gap, restoring normalcy to the match.

Real Madrid's stars celebrated the goal while Udinese's captain, Di Natale, gathered his team.

"Don't panic! We are still one goal ahead."

"We managed to lead 2:0 at Bernabeu in the first half; that's already an excellent performance."

Di Natale tried to stabilize his team, as the early goal from such a formidable opponent as Real Madrid could rattle them.

His authority calmed the Udinese players.

"Don't panic, it's just one goal," Bruno added. "Did we really think we'd shut out Real Madrid at Bernabeu? Let's not get ahead of ourselves!"

Reassured by Bruno's words, Udinese players relaxed. Facing Real Madrid, they knew they couldn't expect to keep a clean sheet; they just needed to score again to widen the gap.

After Benzema's goal, Ancelotti made a substitution, bringing on Welsh star Bale for Rodriguez. Bale had just recovered from an injury and was included in the squad for this match.

His introduction meant Real Madrid's BBC trio was complete on the field.

Guiolin understood Ancelotti's purpose was to use Bale's breakthrough ability and inside shooting to strengthen the right flank attack.

This meant increased pressure on Udinese's left flank, forcing Guiolin to consider whether to reinforce their defense or engage in an attacking duel with Real Madrid.

At that moment, a change occurred on the field.

Isco attempted to coordinate with Arbeloa, but Allan's aggressive interception cut off the pass. The Brazilian immediately switched play with a diagonal pass to the left flank.

Arbeloa, who had just moved forward to support the attack, saw Udinese counter on his flank and hurriedly turned to chase back.

Videmont received the pass and advanced rapidly. His dribbling lured Kroos into a challenge. Videmont suddenly stopped and faked a move, drawing Kroos into a tackle, then nudged the ball on.

Udinese's right-back, Piris, sprinted forward at high speed.

Bruno, following through the middle, signaled for the ball.

Piris glanced at Bruno and lifted his right foot as Ramos rushed up, not to intercept but to play for an offside trap.

With Ramos's sudden charge, Bruno was immediately offside. Just then, Piris sent the ball diagonally.

"Offside!" Ramos shouted, raising his hand.

But the referee's whistle did not sound; he ran, and the linesman also ran.

"Not offside! Varane held back!" exclaimed the commentator from Sky Italy as he stood up excitedly.

"Antonio Di Natale!"

On the left, Di Natale appeared, racing past a momentarily slow Varane to reach the ball.

Boos filled Bernabeu at that moment.

Amid the piercing boos, Di Natale, now clear on goal, shot low, and the ball grazed past Casillas's left side and rolled into the net.

"GOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!"

"3:1! 3:1! Udinese extends their lead! Udinese leads 3:1 against Real Madrid at Bernabeu!"

Guiolin stood on the sideline, watching intensely as Piris made the pass, saw Ramos try for offside, watched Bruno flagged offside, and saw Di Natale beat Varane to meet the rolling ball and shoot it into the net.

Udinese's coach pulled his hands from his pockets, threw them in the air, and ran to celebrate—what a play!

"Di Natale! Di Natale!! Di Natale!!! The 37-year-old Udinese captain scores the third goal for his team in this match, his fifth in the Champions League this season!"

Di Natale ran to celebrate, ecstatic about scoring at Bernabeu—a dreamlike scenario.

But the hostile boos of Bernabeu reminded him: this was real.

His teammates intercepted him, hugged him, and then toppled him in celebration.

On the sideline, Guiolin had returned to his seat, Di Natale's goal significantly easing his concerns.

3:1, two goals ahead, Udinese now had room to maneuver.

Ancelotti cursed from the sideline. He had just brought on Bale, hoping to ride the momentum of their recent goal to launch an offensive wave and quickly equalize, possibly even take the lead, but Udinese's counterattack had just succeeded.

Real Madrid was indeed unlucky today.

After losing their third goal, they intensified their attacks. In the 71st minute, they had a golden opportunity when Bale's 12-yard strike hit the crossbar and bounced back.

Seeing their own goalpost deny their goal, the Real Madrid fans felt a cold chill, a sense that even the gods were not on their side.

This was the closest Real Madrid came to their second goal of the game.

Despite a furious onslaught in the last twenty minutes, with the BBC leading the charge, Real Madrid could not find their second goal.

In the end, a well-stocked Real Madrid, at their home ground, was defeated 3:1 by Udinese, marking the biggest upset of this round of Champions League group play.

After four rounds of group matches, Group B's standings were becoming clear. Udinese, with three wins and a draw, topped Group B with 10 points, followed by Real Madrid with two wins, a draw, and a loss. Basel and Ludogorets, both with a win and three losses, sat at the bottom.

Udinese advanced to the knockout stage with two rounds to spare!

Another surprise of the round was Arsenal, who, despite leading 2:0 at halftime at home, ended up drawing 3:3 with Anderlecht. Falling five points behind Dortmund, Arsenal was almost certainly out of contention for the top spot in their group.

It seems this season's Arsenal continues on a path of self-sabotage.

(End of Chapter)