Friends if you want to read the next 100 chapters you can buy it on my patreon.

Chapter 112: The Turnaround

Bruno's sudden forward thrust followed by an unexpected chip pass caught Benfica off guard. Maksuél's run was perfectly in sync, thanks to their understanding. When Maksuél halted the ball in Benfica's penalty area, unchallenged by any defender, the outcome seemed inevitable. The moment he hammered the football into Benfica's net, the few thousand Udinese fans in the stands erupted in a massive cheer. They could almost see their team advancing to the Europa League semifinals.

After making a historic entrance into the quarterfinals of a European competition, Udinese was now poised to go even further—to the semifinals, much to the delight of their fans. Just two months earlier, Udinese had reached the final of the Coppa Italia for the first time in 92 years, which had already thrilled their supporters. Now, two months later, the players were bringing them an even bigger surprise: a potential spot in the semifinals of a European competition. This season, Udinese was not only consistently in the top three in Serie A and had reached the final of the Coppa Italia, but now they were also making a mark in Europe. It was perhaps the best performance in the club's century-long history, even surpassing seasons where they finished second in Serie A.

———————

"Actually, everyone was talking about away goals before the match, but they all forgot that Udinese had won at home in the first leg," a Portuguese commentator pointed out, adding to the frustration of Benfica fans. Those who couldn't make it to the stadium and were watching from bars or at home showed their displeasure at their screens with middle fingers and curses.

In Portugal, Benfica has always had the most fans and is seen as the representative of Portuguese football. Despite Porto's dominance since the Primeira Liga was renamed the Liga NOS in 2002, Benfica still holds the record with 29 championships compared to Porto's 26. However, in the Liga NOS era, Porto has been overwhelmingly successful, winning 9 out of 11 titles, while Benfica has only won twice, along with one UEFA Champions League and two UEFA Europa League titles. Today, when people speak of Liga NOS, they think of Porto, not Benfica.

———————

Benfica fans had been disillusioned for many years with their team's performance. This season, seeing their team likely to win their 30th league title, they began to dream of a fantastic season. They hoped the team could break through, not only to win the league but also to succeed in the Europa League and surpass José Mourinho's Porto, which won the treble, by becoming the first team in history to win four major trophies in one season. They saw a great chance against an Udinese side they perceived as weaker than other giants like Juventus, Valencia, and Lyon. Despite a 1-2 defeat away, Benfica fans remained hopeful, believing a 1-0 win at home would be enough to eliminate Udinese.

———————

Half an hour into the match with no significant attack from Benfica, largely due to coach Jorge Jesus's tactical setup, the Benfica fans grew increasingly restless. They urged the team to abandon their conservative counter-attacking strategy and attack bravely against Udinese.

The match was 30 minutes in, and Benfica hadn't created substantial opportunities, a situation clearly linked to the tactical demands of their coach. At that time, he believed that if they could just keep a clean sheet and capitalize on Udinese's mistakes to score just once, victory would be theirs. But now that mindset had to change.

Benfica fans hoped Jesus would correct his mistake and lead the team back to the attack-focused approach that had characterized the most successful periods of his tenure. Since taking over in the summer of 2009, Benfica's best performances had always been built on strong offenses, not defenses. Their league title in 2010 was built on having the best attack in the league, and this season they were leading the scoring charts again.

———————

As sixty thousand Benfica fans chanted for offense, Jesus hesitated on whether to push forward immediately. He knew Udinese's attacking strength and worried that pressing forward might expose his team to dangerous counter-attacks. Right now, with Udinese just having scored and their morale high, pushing forward could likely lead to conceding more goals. His priority was to secure the defense, ensuring that Udinese's momentum was contained before trying to find two goals to level the aggregate score in the remaining time.

With this in mind, Jesus walked to the sideline. But as Benfica fans expected him to signal an all-out attack, he instead instructed his players to tighten their defense and not concede any more goals before halftime. He planned to make more detailed adjustments during the break to address Udinese's defensive setup.

———————

As the match resumed, Benfica fans quickly realized that Jesus hadn't made any offensive adjustments; the team continued to let Udinese control the game with backfield passes, lacking the aggressive forward drive needed.

"This is truly rubbish!" a Benfica fan complained in the stands, "Who's really behind in the aggregate score? Why does it feel like it's Udinese?"

"Such a tragedy for Benfica!"

"Jorge is old! He's no longer the man who once proudly flew the banner of attack!"

"When Porto fans boast about their football in front of me, I have no comeback because our football really is boring!"

"We need goals! Does Jesus think we can advance to the semifinals with this score?"

Some defended Jesus: "Guys, he's afraid of making mistakes, afraid of taking risks. He's pretty good in the league... it's just this game is too important. I might be even more conservative if I were him..."

Despite being generally well-liked, Jesus faced harsh criticism from fans whose high hopes were dashed by the bitter experience of falling behind.

"There's no victory without risk in football! If he's so afraid, he might as well crawl back into his mother's womb!"

As Benfica fans lamented Jesus's cautious approach on the stands, Udinese supporters cheered for their team's performance.

"Just keep this up, and we'll surely make it to the final in Turin!"

"Let Benfica die, haha!"

"Ooh, ooh, ooh, Benfica are cowards! Ooh, ooh, ooh!"

Udinese fans celebrated their team's display.

———————

Udinese noted that Benfica wasn't pressing aggressively but instead continued to defend their half, slightly increasing their pressing range. Although Benfica didn't push forward, it made scoring more difficult for Udinese. However, Bruno was patient. He had been patient for thirty minutes and could continue to be so. With the situation now tilted in Udinese's favor, no longer worried about Benfica's away goal advantage and leading by two on aggregate, they could afford to play even more cautiously. For Bruno, it wasn't about the quantity of attacks but the quality. He wanted to avoid the frustration of making numerous attempts without success, something he had endured while watching Manchester United games before his time travel.

Now, having changed his approach to playing, Udinese often held high possession stats, a large part of which was built in the midfield and backfield, contributing little in practical terms. Once they moved into the opponent's thirty-meter area, Bruno would accelerate the pace, and the team's possession stats would drop sharply. Spotting a weakness, they aimed for a decisive strike.

Bruno wasn't concerned by Benfica's defensive tactics. As long as his teammates kept moving, they would always create opportunities—it was just a matter of seizing them.

(End of Chapter)

Friends if you want to read the next 100 chapters you can buy it on my patreon.