Chapter 160: Chapter 159: A Feeling of Reassurance
Chapter 159: A Feeling of Reassurance
"Streller—ohhhh! He heads it in! Goal! Basel scores!"
"GOOOOOOOALLLL!!! Streller with a header! Basel scores with their first real threat to Udinese's goal all game, and it's in!"
"1:2! Just seven minutes into the second half, and Basel pulls one back, putting the game back in suspense!"
In the press section of St. Jakob-Park, journalists from around the world erupted. They thrived on one-sided matches, and they loved drama, hoping the teams would go all-out against each other for a good story.
Now, with Basel scoring early in the second half to pull one back, the suspense was alive again, much to their delight.
Streller was visibly thrilled after the goal, celebrating wildly. He even glanced at Bruno on the far side before running to the stands, pumping his fists toward the Basel fans.
"Karnezis made an unforgivable error!" criticized the Italian Sky Sports commentator harshly. "Karnezis's lack of command in the air was glaring here—he completely misjudged the trajectory of the high ball!"
On the other side of the globe, commentator Jian Jun from Xinlang Sports echoed, "The quality of Basel's free kick wasn't particularly high here; it wasn't fast. Karnezis should have controlled the ball, but he missed it, exposing Udinese's weakness in handling high balls."
His co-commentator Zhang Lu added, "Haha, Streller's goal—look how excited he is! Scoring at this moment is definitely critical for Basel."
Jian Jun nodded. "This game just got interesting!"
Udinese's Allan had been underperforming offensively, and Guidolin promptly adjusted the strategy, pulling Bruno slightly back from Basel's box to give him more room to operate.
Allan passed the ball horizontally to Widmer, who received it.
Bruno signaled for the pass, and Widmer sent it to him.
Bruno prepared to take the ball as two Basel players, Xhaka and Suchy, closed in on him.
The ball rolled over the grass, and as it arrived, Bruno made as if to trap it but simultaneously half-turned, avoiding close contact from the defenders, and nudged the ball with the inside of his foot, threading it perfectly between Xhaka and Suchy.
"A surgical pass!" exclaimed Jian Jun in admiration.
Bruno's through ball sliced open Basel's defense, allowing Guilherme to surge down the flank. Advancing along the sideline, Guilherme suddenly cut inside and took a shot.
Basel midfielder Fabian Frei attempted to block it, but the ball deflected off his leg and continued toward the goal.
Basel's goalkeeper Vaclík had already started moving to intercept, but the deflection caught him off guard. He scrambled to his left and just managed to get a hand on the ball.
"Guilherme! The shot! Deflection! Saved!" Jian Jun shouted rapidly, "But it's not over! Bruno Fernandes! B-Fernandes! Follow-up shot! Goal!"
Vaclík's desperate save had barely kept the ball out, leaving Bruno and Basel's defensive midfielder Serey Die scrambling. Bruno's explosive speed allowed him to reach the ball first.
Without hesitation, Bruno launched a powerful shot, sending the ball rocketing into the net, where it struck hard and rippled the back.
3:1!
Just five minutes after Basel had closed the gap to 1:2, Bruno's quick reaction inside the box restored Udinese's two-goal lead!
Udinese players erupted in jubilant celebration.
Having conceded a goal at the start of the half, Udinese had felt the pressure, fearing a potential equalizer. But Bruno's goal quickly dispelled their anxiety.
It was a huge relief!
Guidolin, clapping on the sidelines to celebrate, was pleased but also a bit troubled.
Though Udinese's attack had been successful, validating his adjustments, the midfield remained a point of concern. As the season progressed, Guidolin had begun to notice Udinese's limited squad depth, especially in midfield.
Allan and Kanté still needed development, and while Bruno was reliable, there was no adequate backup for any of them on the bench.
Udinese's midfield was thin. Pinzi was aging, his form in decline, while Badu and Hallberg were unreliable. Widmer and Guilherme were confined to the wings. If any of these three main players were sidelined, Udinese's midfield strength would plummet.
This was the reality for a small club like Udinese. Despite their strong showing last season and a net profit of over €40 million from the summer transfer window, it was practically impossible for them to replicate last summer's €25 million investment in Bruno.
It wasn't just a matter of finding two or three million for a single player. Even for a player valued over €10 million, Guidolin wouldn't get the owner's approval.
So this summer, Udinese had only been able to sign free agents and loan players, filling out the squad with low-cost newcomers, with little hope of immediate impact.
Truthfully, Guidolin had become enamored with larger investments. Though expensive, the results were undeniable. The signing of Bruno, for example, had greatly boosted Udinese's scoring ability.
With a playmaker and scorer like Bruno, Udinese's attacking potential was astonishing.
Guidolin began to consider whether they could make some midfield reinforcements during the winter transfer window.
While Guidolin was pondering winter signings, Basel's coach Paulo Sousa stood not far away, his expression tense.
He had just received news from another stadium: Ludogorets were currently holding Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw at home.
The course of the match between Real Madrid and Ludogorets was unexpected. Ludogorets had scored early, and Real Madrid had only managed to equalize with a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty in the first half.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, despite their relentless attack, Real Madrid had yet to break the deadlock, with the score still tied.
This score was causing anxiety for Sousa.
In the group with Udinese and Real Madrid, Basel's goal had been clear: Real Madrid was likely to top the group, so Basel's focus was to fight Udinese for the second spot.
But now, an hour into the game and down 1:3 to Udinese, Basel was feeling the strain.
If they ultimately couldn't surpass Udinese, Basel's fallback was to secure third place and advance to the Europa League round of 32.
But this Real Madrid-Ludogorets scoreline was unsettling. Even third place in the group wasn't a sure fallback anymore.
Sousa's concern deepened.
If Ludogorets could hold Real Madrid at home, why couldn't Basel do the same?
Basel had to fight for victory here, or at the very least, ensure they didn't lose!
"Bruno Fernandes scores a brace! 3:1! Udinese restores their two-goal lead!" exclaimed Jian Jun.
Zhang Lu analyzed the play: "This goal was brilliantly executed; Udinese's fast build-up shredded Basel's defense in a few quick passes, with Bruno's through ball as the standout. It dismantled Basel's backline, and after Guilherme's shot was saved, Bruno followed up with a seamless strike. Udinese's attack was multi-dimensional, putting sustained pressure on Basel's goal. Guidolin's efforts to reshape Udinese are clearly paying off; they're on the right track."
"His second goal! That's Bruno's fifth goal this season in the Champions League!" Jian Jun noted. "In the opening group game against Ludogorets, he scored a hat-trick, and now a brace here. The Portuguese player is quickly racking up goals in his Champions League debut season!"
"Haha, Bruno is a unique midfielder. At Novara, he won the Serie B Golden Boot as a midfielder; last season with Udinese, he was the top scorer in the Europa League, also as a midfielder; and now in the Champions League, he's clearly aiming for the Golden Boot again!" Zhang Lu chuckled.
Back on the pitch, Basel's striker Streller felt deflated. He hadn't expected Bruno to score again so soon after his own goal, making his celebratory glance toward Bruno seem trivial and almost childish in hindsight.
He half-expected Bruno to look back at him, perhaps to flaunt his goal, knowing his own celebratory stare must not have gone unnoticed.
But the moment he was hoping for didn't come. Streller's frustration grew, deepened by a sense of futility. There's nothing more demoralizing than being utterly ignored by your rival, who instead focuses entirely on the game.
(End of Chapter)
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