Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Outshining Ronaldo
Chapter 167: Outshining Ronaldo
In that instant, Bruno seemed to see a clear path to the goal.
Between Modric's position and the two central defenders, there was a direct route to the left side of the goal.
Seeing this opportunity, a sudden, unstoppable urge surged within Bruno. Almost instantly, he made his decision, swung his left foot, and unleashed a powerful shot.
The crowd heard a loud "bang" as the football rocketed from Bruno's foot, blurring past the defenders with a beautiful curve, barely missing the left post and slamming into the net behind it.
"GOOOOOOOL!!!"
"World class! Absolutely world class!!"
The entire Friuli Stadium erupted in excitement. Numerous Udinese fans, overwhelmed with emotion, rushed to the barriers, shouting Bruno's name in unison.
Bruno, after making that shot, quickly turned and sprinted towards the Udinese fans below the stands, spreading his arms wide as if to embrace the cheers pouring down from the stands.
"My God, in the 19th minute, just 19 minutes into the game, Bruno cuts in from the right, suddenly unleashing a world-class shot!"
"An earth-shattering long-range effort from twenty-five meters out!"
"Stunning!"
"This is definitely a goal that will be talked about by everyone!"
"Nobody expected Bruno to suddenly take a shot from such a distance and produce such a high-quality world-class goal."
"In Real Madrid's tightly-knit defensive formation, there was just a tiny gap, yet Bruno exploited it perfectly to score the opening goal!"
"Oh Lord, Bruno's form has been simply phenomenal!"
"He has scored in several consecutive matches!"
"It appears he is as eager as the rumors suggest to become the top scorer in the Champions League this season."
"After scoring that world-class goal, Bruno has now increased his total to six goals in this season's Champions League."
After celebrating by the sidelines, Bruno was visibly exhilarated.
He could clearly feel his form improving, not just in how sharply and strongly he played, but in a profound sense of everything happening on the field.
It felt like he could make that long-range shot just as he had envisioned.
He hadn't considered whether it would be a world-class goal or even if it would go in; he just wanted to try.
Guidolin had told him before that he had the freedom to shoot; the team allowed him to choose how to attack, even shoot directly.
That's the special treatment for a key player!
"This goal was spectacular!"
"Oh my, a world-class shot!"
"And with the left foot, I'm almost tempted to worship it!"
"Incredible!"
His teammates swarmed around Bruno, many asking him what he was thinking at that moment.
Bruno couldn't clearly explain it himself; his mind was too full of fleeting thoughts, and in an instant, he had decided to shoot.
"I don't know; I just felt it could go in, so I shot," was all Bruno could say, smiling.
Seeing Udinese players celebrating wildly, Ancelotti felt conflicted.
He had to admit, Bruno's world-class shot was indeed spectacular; the boy was progressing too fast.
From over twenty meters out, to execute such a shot required not only great feeling for the ball and accuracy but also the right strength—this was definitely a testament to a player's overall skill.
From Bruno's decisive action, one could sense his strong confidence, which had been growing with each goal, becoming an invaluable asset for any professional player.
On the field, without confidence, even the best players could crumble.
On the other hand, Bruno had clearly improved in shooting, ball control, and strength.
Although annoyed, Ancelotti quickly adjusted his team's defense.
After the restart, Real Madrid continued with a conservative counter-attacking strategy, still focusing on containing Bruno, especially after that world-class shot. The Madrid players became even more focused, not daring to give Bruno any chances.
Bruno was patient, with a goal in hand, he kept looking for opportunities.
But in the 33rd minute, Real Madrid launched a counter-attack, and Udinese committed a foul on the right, giving the opposition a chance from a free kick.
Real Madrid's set-piece was sent directly into the box.
Ronaldo, overpowering Danilo, scored a close-range header!
Ronaldo provocatively glanced at Bruno, the message clear: Little brother, you can score, and so can I!
Then Ronaldo turned and sprinted towards the corner flag to celebrate, the Udinese fans furiously booing him, only to be met with Ronaldo's further provocation as he gestured for them to be quiet.
Udinese was frustrated by the goal.
Real Madrid was indeed stronger, and high balls had always been Udinese's weakness, given their defensive line's lack of height.
Real Madrid's free kick was clearly aimed at exploiting Danilo, the Brazilian center-back who stood at only 183 cm, with Ronaldo using his superior physicality.
"It's okay, let's push harder before the half ends," Bruno consoled Danilo and suggested.
If the half ended 1:1, Udinese's morale would inevitably be affected. So, no matter what, Udinese needed to be proactive before the half ended.
Statistics show that the ten minutes following a goal are peak times for both conceding and scoring more goals. Either the team that conceded rebounds quickly to equalize, or the scoring team capitalizes and breaks the opposition further.
Bruno's suggestion quickly gained unanimous agreement from his teammates.
As they returned to the center circle, Bruno and Di Natale prepared to restart, with the referee urging Real Madrid's celebrating players to hurry back as the game was about to resume.
"Captain, I'll keep the ball more in the front, you drop out of the box to link up, then I'll cut into the channel," Bruno instructed.
Di Natale nodded, "I'll block the center-backs for you."
"Good," Bruno responded.
The game restarted.
After Udinese kicked off, Di Natale and Bruno quickly charged towards Real Madrid's defensive line.
The visiting team, having equalized, were buoyed and pulled back, waiting for a counter-attack opportunity.
With a tightened defense, Real Madrid was no easy target, especially with fast players like Ronaldo making their counter-attacks quite fearsome. So Bruno, while orchestrating the attack, couldn't simply rush or make risky passes that could lead to turnovers and dangerous counters from Madrid.
Thus, Bruno had to systematically organize the attack, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.
It wasn't until the 43rd minute that Bruno, dropping back, received a pass from Cancello.
Taking the ball, Bruno once again drove inside, still pulling multiple Real Madrid players' attention.
But this time, instead of going alone, he quickly passed to Vedmon.
At that moment, Di Natale also quickly dropped back from the front of the box to close the distance with Vedmon.
Upon receiving Bruno's pass, Vedmon instinctively played it forward, accurately finding Di Natale's feet. The Udinese captain shielded the ball from Real Madrid's center-back Varane and nudged it right, rolling it slowly between Real Madrid's other center-back Pepe and left-back Marcelo.
Both Real Madrid defenders reacted immediately, but as they raced to clear the ball, a swift shadow flashed in front, reaching the ball first with a large stride forward.
At that moment, the entire Friuli Stadium gasped.
Marcelo desperately tried to catch up, but he was always a step behind, unable to do anything but watch as the player in Udinese's black and white number 8 jersey charged into the box.
"Bruno!"
"Bruno drives fast into the box, creating a clear shot!"
"No one to stop him, Bruno shoots directly!"
"The ball is in!!!!"
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!"
"In the 43rd minute, Bruno, on the right side of the penalty spot, shoots right-footed directly into the bottom right corner of the net."
"2:1! Udinese takes the lead again!"
"Bruno's performance looks superb tonight, with a second goal."
"Especially with that earlier world-class shot, it's clear he's playing with full energy."
"Despite Real Madrid's tight defense, they ultimately couldn't stop Bruno. Marcelo couldn't keep up with his pace, just watching him enter the box and score."
When the referee blew the whistle for halftime, the entire Friuli Stadium erupted into deafening cheers.
With Bruno's two goals in the first half, Udinese led Real Madrid 2:1 at the break.
(Chapter ends)
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