Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Passing Without Looking
Chapter 101: Passing Without Looking
Bruno, ignoring Mahrez's waving and signaling that he was unmarked, kept his back to Mahrez. Alkmaar's players thought Bruno would pass the ball in that direction, so they shifted their defensive focus accordingly.
At that moment, Bruno suddenly half-turned and executed a lofted pass over the top, aiming for Mahrez, whom he had been facing away from all along. The ball flew over the head of Alkmaar's left-back, Vergeweil. Even though the Alkmaar captain jumped, he couldn't reach the ball unless he used his hands.
After making the difficult half-turn pass, Bruno lost his balance and sat down. From the ground, he watched the ball sail over Vergeweil's head, landing in the vast space on the left side of the field where Mahrez, as if having received a signal, ran forward and intercepted the ball mid-air.
Mahrez controlled the ball excellently, not stopping it dead but cushioning it to his inside, which allowed him to continue pushing the ball into the penalty area. Once Mahrez got into the box, there was a high chance of a successful outcome.
Indeed, as Bruno predicted, Mahrez dribbled the ball into the box with a swift move like lightning. When Mahrez broke into the penalty area, there were no Alkmaar players close by because Bruno's pass had been so unexpected that Alkmaar's defense hadn't reacted in time.
With no one marking him, Mahrez drove straight into the penalty area, and from there, his only thought was to shoot. Facing the goalkeeper Alvarado, who had managed to close down the angle but had a look of despair, Mahrez decisively kicked the ball.
Mahrez struck the ball with the tip of his foot, sending a ground ball skimming over the grass, lightning-fast toward Alkmaar's goal. Alvarado had expected a high shot since many players opt for lofting the ball under tight angles because it exploits the space above the goalkeeper's head.
When Alvarado realized the shot was a ground ball, he quickly lowered his center of gravity, trying to block the ball with his body or legs. He nearly succeeded.
The ball sneaked through his legs, bounced off his right heel, and flew into the net!
"Udinese leads 2:1! They've scored again within five minutes! At Alkmaar's home ground, AFAS Stadium, the Italian team has turned the game around with two quick goals after being down by one!"
Bruno, sitting on the ground, straightened up, raised his arms, and smiled broadly, fueled by the captain's armband and his excellent form as previously noted by the commentator.
Bruno's two brilliant assists had given Udinese the lead away from home, ending the first half with a score of 2:1. Back in the locker room, he received praise from Coach Guidolin and admiration from his teammates. With the current score, Udinese led the aggregate 4:2, almost stepping into the Europa League Round of 16.
Even if Alkmaar managed to score two goals in the second half, the two away goals would still help Udinese progress. With a two-goal aggregate lead and the advantage of away goals, the mood during halftime was relaxed for Udinese.
Coach Guidolin made no adjustments, simply instructing the team to continue with the first-half tactics—solid defense with decisive counterattacks.
As the second half began, Udinese continued the same rhythm, while Alkmaar intensified their attacks and pace. However, Udinese was prepared for this with their defensive counterattacking strategy.
As the match progressed, the score remained 1:2. The home team always goes first in the scoreline. Alkmaar players grew increasingly anxious as they struggled to change the score, leading to more aggressive play.
Ortiz, in particular, made Bruno work hard with his tough defensive style, committing fouls to stop Bruno's passes and dribbles. Despite receiving a yellow card in the 48th minute for a foul from behind on Bruno, Ortiz did not restrain himself and continued to commit fouls.
In the 62nd minute, Ortiz tackled Bruno from the side as he advanced with the ball, causing Bruno to roll several times on the ground to avoid injury. Although Bruno wasn't seriously hurt beyond the pain from the fall, the referee blew the whistle for a foul by Ortiz but showed no intention of issuing another card, which upset the Udinese players.
Mahrez protested to the referee, "That's a foul! A clear foul! And he already has a yellow card!" Muriel also gestured for a card.
The referee shook his head, still not reaching for a card, disappointing the Udinese players.
The Dutch commentator expressed concern, "Ortiz needs to be careful. He already has a yellow card! His aggressive defending is alarming because it often leads to cards."
Mahrez helped Bruno up, asking, "How are you? Are you hurt?"
Bruno shook his head, "Not really."
"F**K! That should have been a serious foul, even a red card wouldn't have been out of place!" Mahrez resumed complaining after seeing Bruno was okay.
Bruno speculated, "Maybe the referee didn't want to send him off since he already had a yellow. Maybe that's why he was lenient?"
"That's no excuse! If that tackle doesn't warrant a card, what does? Breaking your leg?" Cancelo interjected.
Bruno glared at Cancelo, annoyed, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Cancelo sheepishly smiled, "Just joking...just joking..."
The game continued with increasing physicality from the home team, leading to escalating tensions. To cool down the game, the referee had no choice but to issue yellow cards. From the 63rd to the 67th minute, he gave one yellow card to each team and also called the captains to urge them to control their players' tempers.
Bruno internally criticized the referee, believing the situation had escalated because the referee had not adequately penalized Alkmaar's initial severe foul. His so-called balance had indulged the home team's poor conduct, indirectly escalating the conflict.
Nevertheless, Bruno controlled his temper and gathered his teammates, advising them to keep their actions in check to prevent the match from spiraling out of control.
On the other side, Alkmaar's captain Vergeweil also calmed his team, and the Alkmaar coach noted that Bruno was targeting Ortiz, leading to the Paraguayan midfielder being fouled out within minutes.
In the 70th minute, Alkmaar made a substitution, bringing on forward Fernando Luis to replace Ortiz, indicating a shift to a more attacking stance.
Alkmaar strengthened their offense and managed to score in the 73rd minute, evening the score and reviving hopes of a home victory. However, advancing seemed unlikely for Alkmaar, as even another goal would not overcome the away goals rule if the aggregate reached 4:4.
Alkmaar needed to score two more goals to make the score 4:2 in this match to eliminate Udinese.
Three minutes after conceding, Guidolin made a substitution to reinforce the defense, switching to a 541 formation with Brazilian defender Silva replacing Pereira, clearly intending to hold the current advantageous situation.
Guidolin's strategy worked, and despite Alkmaar's fierce attacks fueled by their home crowd in the final nearly twenty minutes, they couldn't breach Udinese's robust defense. In fact, in the 87th minute, they were caught on a fast break by Udinese, and if not for Muriel's poor final shot, Alkmaar's goal might have been breached a third time.
Ultimately, Udinese drew 2:2 at Alkmaar's home ground, advancing in the Europa League with a total score of 4:3. In the draw the next day, Udinese was paired with Russian team Anzhi, facing another challenging schedule with the first leg at home.
The two legs were scheduled for March 13 and March 20.
(End of Chapter)
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