Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Bruno's Masterstroke
Chapter 155: Bruno's Masterstroke
Ludogorets' goalkeeper, Borjan, was completely unprepared for Bruno's quick, no-backlift strike. He had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the football flew into the net behind him.
"GOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!" the DJ at Friuli Stadium screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Bruno has equalized for Udinese! He's scored his first goal in the Champions League proper!" the commentator exclaimed.
"Brilliant, Bruno! Beautiful footwork and a stunning shot! Not even the double teaming by two Ludogorets defenders could stop him!!!"
Amidst the cheers of the commentators, Bruno sprinted towards the corner flag to celebrate his first Champions League proper goal. Although he had scored three goals in the preliminary rounds, those were not counted in the Champions League scorer's table or its history. Those were noted separately.
Now, his career tally in European competitions had reached 17 goals, including 13 in the Europa League, three in Champions League qualifiers, and now one in the Champions League proper.
…
"Bruno Fernandes's shot was unexpected and full of imagination, a true display of a superstar's talent," praised Zhan Jun.
"Hehe, his goal has really punched Ludogorets! It reminds them, this is Friuli Stadium!" Zhang Lu added.
After completing his celebration, Bruno was embraced by his teammates, who all joined in the celebration of the goal. Above them, the Udinese fans were jumping for joy, the entire Friuli Stadium resonating with cheers.
The dismal mood of the home fans from the first half had been completely reversed by the goal, reinforcing the idea that as long as Bruno was there, there was nothing to worry about.
Ludogorets' coach, Georgi Dermendzhiev, looked on with a rigid expression, unable to fathom how his well-positioned defenders, Minyev and Ivanov, had failed to stop the Portuguese from scoring.
Damn it!
On the sidelines, Guidolin clapped his hands. Even with his confidence in Bruno, he hadn't expected him to equalize so quickly.
Bruno's timely goal had a stabilizing effect on the team. Guidolin even wondered if only there had been a bit more stoppage time in the first half, could Udinese have gone into the break even?
From the bench, Di Natale watched Bruno's performance with mixed feelings.
…
Bruno's goal was a significant blow to the confidence of the Ludogorets players. They had performed well in the first half and even took the lead, boosting their confidence: they felt they could possibly take a win from Friuli Stadium. Their coach, Georgi Dermendzhiev, had been instilling a belief in victory during the halftime break.
But this belief was severely shaken by Bruno's equalizing goal.
"We need more than one goal! We need to take the lead quickly," Bruno told his teammates gathering around to celebrate.
"Exactly!"
"This is Friuli Stadium! Let's show them what we're made of!"
The Udinese players agreed enthusiastically. The crowd and viewers quickly noticed that the second-half Udinese team looked entirely different from the first half. Their attacks were more organized and threatening.
With the tall striker Tairo leading the line, Guilherme and Videmon on the wings, and Bruno occasionally pushing forward to organize attacks, Udinese's offensive setup caused significant trouble for Ludogorets.
Behind this quartet, Kante and Alan swept back and forth, snuffing out any Ludogorets counters, fortifying Udinese's defense as nearly impregnable.
…
Under the onslaught from Udinese, the second goal came quickly. Alan received the ball in midfield and passed to Bruno.
Bruno feigned a pass to the wing, drawing Ludogorets' midfielder Yakov off-balance, then suddenly pushed the ball forward, breaking through the middle with speed.
Unprepared for Bruno's quick advance, Yakov could only watch as Bruno sped past. The Ludogorets players scrambled to organize a second line of defense, while Udinese's forwards pressed high.
Tairo, Guilherme, Videmon, and Bruno stretched the defense to breaking point, pulling Ludogorets apart at that moment.
As Bruno slowed down to deal with the approaching Ivanov, he suddenly flicked the ball with the outside of his left foot to the left flank. The sliding defender, Kakara, attempted to intercept but Guilherme was quicker, getting to the ball first before Kakara could reach it.
"Kakara slides in! That was a reckless and wrong choice!" Zhan Jun sighed.
…
With Kakara down, a broad space opened up for Guilherme to accelerate. Facing the hastily positioned Ludogorets central defender Moti, Guilherme stopped abruptly, cut inside, and then burst forward.
He then swept the ball across to the center of the box. Tairo tried a sliding shot at the near post but missed the ball, yet managed to distract the defenders.
In the ensuing chaos, Minyev tried to clear the ball haphazardly, but it went straight to Videmon at the far post. Videmon didn't hesitate, knocking the ball towards the penalty spot.
Rushing defender Alexandrov of Ludogorets lunged to clear the ball, but a shadow flashed by, beating Alexandrov to the punch. Bruno, with a deft touch, poked the ball as Ludogorets' goalkeeper Borjan went to ground.
The goalkeeper's reaction was too slow; Bruno's poke was quick and hidden, and before Borjan could fully reach the ground, the ball skimmed across the turf and into the net.
Goal! Bruno scored his second!
Zhan Jun exclaimed excitedly, "It's a goal!"
"In less than nine minutes, from 0:1 to 2:1! This is Bruno! This is the power of Europe's golden boy! All of Ludogorets' efforts quickly vanished in front of his burst!"
Zhang Lu also shouted excitedly, "2:1! The home team Udinese has taken the lead! With the way things are going, Bruno and Udinese still have chances to score!"
…
Ludogorets defender Alexandrov watched Bruno celebrate the goal, feeling somewhat helpless and frustrated. He thought he had reacted quickly enough, rushing to clear the ball as he was the closest to it. But he hadn't expected the Portuguese to be so fast, getting there before him.
Not only was Bruno fast, but he also managed to shield the ball cleverly, quickly executing a poke shot. Alexandrov felt powerless; even though he had tried his hardest, he still couldn't stop Bruno, a sentiment that can demoralize any defender.
The coach had said the gap between them and Udinese wasn't vast, and the first-half performance had convinced Ludogorets' players of this. But after a fifteen-minute halftime break, Udinese seemed transformed, unfamiliarly strong.
And all this change was due to that Portuguese man.
Is there really a player in the world who can change the game all by himself?
…
The turnaround boosted the entire Udinese team; they felt unstoppable, and Ludogorets was completely outplayed. In the 71st minute, Udinese earned a free kick in the attacking third.
With Di Natale substituted and Bruno wearing the captain's armband, his free kick was powerful and forced Ludogorets' keeper Borjan to tip it over the bar.
Udinese then won a corner. Bruno took a short corner, leading to a sequence of passes before the ball was whipped into the box. Tairo flicked it on with a header at the near post, and Maguire headed at goal from the center. The ball, slightly deflected by Borjan, fell in front of the goal, where Videmon, reacting fastest, bundled it into the net with his body.
3:1!
This goal completely demoralized Ludogorets. Their coach, Georgi Dermendzhiev, covered his face with his hands. At this point, he had to accept defeat prematurely; an Udinese with a superstar like Bruno was simply beyond the reach of his team.
For the rest of the half, Ludogorets was entirely passive. The team that had competed evenly with Udinese in the first half and even led the scoreline didn't get a single shot in the second half. All they could do was desperately try to prevent further goals.
In the 77th minute, Bruno received the ball outside the box. He feinted a pass to the winger Videmon, but then unexpectedly lobbed the ball in the opposite direction, over the defenders and into the box.
Then, a tall figure leaped high, meeting the incoming ball with a header. The ball flew past the outstretched arm of the onrushing Ludogorets goalkeeper Borjan and into the net.
4:1!
(End of Chapter)
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