Chapter 223: Boiling the Frog Slowly
The TV broadcast immediately gave a close-up of Guidolin. The Udinese coach didn't seem overjoyed; he just clenched his fist. "It looks like Guidolin knows this goal won't change anything. A goal can't make him happy anymore," the Spanish commentator said.
On the field, Di Natale pumped his fist in celebration but didn't overdo it. Instead, he ran into the goal, retrieved the ball, and headed back to the center circle. Even though they had leveled the match, Udinese was still trailing 3-5 on aggregate, so there wasn't much reason to celebrate. Despite only seven minutes having passed in the second half, Di Natale knew how difficult it would be for the team to score three more goals without letting Barcelona score again.
The game had been on for over ten minutes into the second half, and the situation on the field was much the same as it was at the start. Apart from Udinese's goal in the 52nd minute, the game hadn't changed much. Udinese continued to defend strongly but struggled offensively.
Iniesta felt uncomfortable in midfield. He was the one who controlled Barcelona's attacking rhythm, but with constant fouls against him, the rhythm was disrupted. Barcelona's attacks were intermittent and posed little threat. By the 60th minute, the score was still 2-2. Iniesta played awkwardly and was tightly marked, causing him discomfort. Gradually, he slacked off a bit, feeling the match was already in the bag with a 5-3 aggregate lead. The rough defense of the opponent made him even more uncomfortable, so he started to ease off.
When fouled, he would fall and earn a free kick. Although free kicks from midfield were not threatening, they slowed the game's pace. Barcelona's other players also began to accept this slower tempo, feeling like Udinese no longer aimed to score but just didn't want to concede more goals. It was as if a beaten fighter was just trying to avoid further punishment unless provoked.
By the 65th minute, the score remained unchanged. The teams fought hard in midfield, but the overall pace was slow. This frustrated Sky Sports commentator Gary Lineker, who remarked, "Udinese seems to have accepted the 2-2 score. They are showing no ambition." "Udinese has been scared. They are only thinking about not conceding more goals. It's a dull second half," the Spanish commentator said, using impatient words but an excited tone.
In the 66th minute, Iniesta was knocked down again by Bruno near the center circle. The referee didn't issue a card, only giving Bruno a verbal warning. Enrique, initially furious about the referee's leniency in the second half, had become accustomed to it and stopped protesting. His mind was already on the weekend's La Liga match at home against Atletico Madrid. Although Atletico had underperformed this season, they posed a strong challenge, having already defeated Real Madrid home and away. Barcelona had beaten Atletico in their first encounter but had struggled in recent years. Winning this match would allow Barcelona to secure the La Liga title a round early, helping them prepare for the Champions League final and the Copa del Rey final.
Barcelona had a free kick. It was too far from the goal for a direct shot. Iniesta sent the ball forward, and Maguire cleared it. Cancelo beat Busquets to the ball, passing to Kante. Rakitic tried to intercept, but Kante shielded the ball, then quickly passed to Bruno. Bruno adjusted slightly, evading Suarez's challenge, then struck the ball, sending it over the midfield line into Barcelona's half. "Counterattack! Udinese's counterattack!"
Salah sprinted down the left side from his own half, receiving Bruno's long pass. "Stop him!" Barcelona defender Pique shouted. Alves, who had advanced past midfield, sprinted back. Mascherano also moved diagonally to intercept, planning to join Alves in stopping Salah. But Mascherano soon realized it was futile as Alves couldn't catch up, falling further behind Salah. "Speed! This is Salah's speed. Alves can't keep up!"
"Salah is too fast! He started with the ball at the same time as Alves, yet he's outpacing him!" "Udinese's counterattack is on!"
The commentary box buzzed with excitement. In a dull game, such a sudden burst of speed and counterattack was thrilling. Mascherano, seeing Alves couldn't catch up, gritted his teeth and accelerated, trying to intercept from the side. But Salah, without giving Mascherano a chance to get close, accelerated past the Argentine defender.
"Breakthrough!" From the high stands of the Friuli Stadium, it was a spectacular sight: Salah, in black and white, speeding ahead with the ball, chased by Alves and Mascherano, and Pique closing in from the side. Despite being surrounded by three Barcelona defenders, Salah burst into the left side of the penalty area. "He's into the box!"
Pique moved in on Salah. Salah feigned a shot, causing Pique to lunge to block. But it was a dummy; Salah shifted the ball with his right foot, avoiding Pique's challenge. He glanced up, saw Ter Stegen rushing out, and feigned a powerful shot, but at the moment of contact, he aimed a low shot instead. The ball sped along the grass, slipping past Ter Stegen's foot and into the net.
In the 67th minute, Salah, having outrun Alves, Mascherano, and Pique, scored a low shot past Ter Stegen. 3-2, Udinese took the lead! "Shot! Beautiful—goal! Salah! He pulls one back for Udinese!"
"This is Mohamed Salah! His speed is incredible, especially when dribbling at high speed. Barcelona's three defenders couldn't stop him." "3-2! The aggregate score is now 4-5! Udinese is only one goal behind Barcelona! They seem to have hope."
The commentary box was jubilant. A one-sided game was not what the audience wanted. With Udinese pulling back two goals from a 2-5 aggregate deficit, the match was becoming exciting.
Salah's goal was Udinese's third of the game, and its impact was intriguing. When Di Natale scored seven minutes into the second half, there was still plenty of time, but no one believed Udinese could tie the game, needing two more goals and three to overturn Barcelona's away goal advantage. But Salah's goal in the 67th minute left just over 20 minutes, creating a perception of possibility. The difference between needing three goals versus two was significant.
Even Enrique, who had been calmly watching, couldn't sit still. Barcelona quickly made a substitution, replacing Rakitic with Mathieu. With this change, Mascherano moved up to form a double pivot with Busquets, and Iniesta took the attacking midfield role. Enrique aimed to strengthen the midfield defense to stifle any Udinese resurgence. Guidolin considered making his own tactical adjustments but decided against it for now. Udinese's morale was high, and their attack was gaining momentum, so he saw no need for immediate changes.
(End of Chapter
Chapter 224: A Crazy Game
In the 74th minute of the match, Alves had the ball. Facing Cancelo's pressing, he chose to pass horizontally to Mascherano. "Intercepted! Brilliant!" Alves' pass was clearly too weak. Salah, like a leopard, rushed up, intercepted the ball, and headed straight for Barcelona's goal. The viewers saw a familiar scene. Alves was chasing back, but the Brazilian couldn't keep up with Salah's speed. At the top of the penalty area, Salah powered past Mathieu and suddenly shot with his left foot. The shot was powerful and fast, flying over Ter Stegen's hands and into the top corner of the goal.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!" "Salah! His second!" "4-2! The aggregate score is 5-5! Salah scores again in the 74th minute, and Udinese ties the aggregate score. Oh my God!"
The Friuli Stadium erupted. Over 40,000 Udinese fans jumped from their seats, cheering wildly. Guidolin rushed out of the coaching area, arms wide in celebration. The Udinese bench was also ecstatic. Salah didn't celebrate; he ran into the net, grabbed the ball, and sprinted to the center circle, shouting and waving his arms. His teammates, equally excited, surrounded him. The aggregate score was tied. Now, they only needed one more goal to eliminate Barcelona and advance to the Champions League final. The coach had said they could turn it around, and he was right!
Udinese's side was filled with excitement and high spirits. Barcelona, on the other hand, was stunned. From the 52nd to the 74th minute, they had conceded three goals in just 22 minutes, a significant blow to them.
"4-2! The aggregate score is 5-5!" Sky Sports commentator Lineker shouted excitedly. "Udinese has scored three consecutive goals. This match is incredible!" "Barcelona got complacent after leading 5-2 on aggregate. They played too relaxed, while Udinese played very cunningly," John Motson said. "After the second half started, Udinese didn't seem to be attacking. They stabilized their defense and suddenly exploded, catching Barcelona off guard!"
Enrique looked serious, feeling anxious. Barcelona made another substitution. Veteran Xavi came on for Iniesta. "Enrique's substitution is a bit contradictory," said Lineker, feeling good as Udinese was only one goal behind. "Bringing on Xavi, he should have kept Rakitic on. At 3-2, he thought about defense. Now that the aggregate score is tied, he's thinking about attacking again."
Guidolin snorted, seeing through Enrique's plan. But switching to an attacking player didn't mean they could immediately launch an attack. Barcelona's situation was similar to Udinese's when they conceded two quick goals in the first half; they were clearly a bit panicked. Furthermore, Udinese was now fully fired up and attacking fiercely. At this point, Barcelona was completely suppressed and couldn't attack effectively. Bringing on Xavi wasn't very effective.
Finally, Guidolin made a substitution, replacing team captain Di Natale with the tall striker Thereau.
Thereau, standing almost 1.9 meters tall, had a significant presence on the field. In the 83rd minute, Udinese found another opportunity in front of Barcelona's goal. Bruno, after a high-speed dribble on the flank, suddenly passed horizontally. The tall Thereau headed the ball on, and Salah, who received it, dribbled to near the baseline, then suddenly cut inside, ready to break into the box. Alves instinctively reached out but remembered he was in the penalty area and quickly withdrew his hand. In that moment, Salah cut into the box. Facing the advancing Ter Stegen, Salah passed horizontally. Thereau squeezed past Pique and got a foot on the ball, which bounced up and into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!" "Cyril Thereau! The substitute scores a crucial goal for Udinese!" "5-2! The aggregate score is 6-5! My God! Udinese has turned the game around!"
The massive Friuli Stadium was in a frenzy, as if an earthquake had hit. Guidolin jumped up at the sideline, fists clenched, shouting. The Udinese bench was also in a frenzy. On the field, Barcelona players were stunned. On the sidelines, Enrique looked on in disbelief.
"5-2! Udinese scores four consecutive goals! This is one of the rare great comebacks in Champions League history!" The stadium was buzzing with excitement. The commentary box was equally ecstatic.
"This is unbelievable," Lineker said, shaking his head in amazement. "Guidolin's tactics and substitutions are fantastic. Udinese has shown incredible resilience and fighting spirit." "Barcelona has been taught a lesson by Udinese. They once led by three goals but failed to score again to kill the game," John Motson said, pausing, "Actually, with a three-goal lead and away goals advantage, who would have thought the game wouldn't be over? It's not that Barcelona didn't play well; it's that Udinese was too crazy!"
Enrique's frustration was evident. He looked at the bench and loudly called for Pedro to warm up. Two minutes later, Barcelona substituted Pedro for Mascherano. Barcelona switched to a 4-2-4 formation, with Enrique deciding to go all out. Guidolin immediately made adjustments as well. He substituted Widmer and Guilherme for Badu and Pinzi.
The two young wide players had almost exhausted their energy after nearly ninety minutes. Guidolin clearly hoped the experienced veterans would help the team withstand Barcelona's desperate counterattacks.
The game continued. "Enrique brings on Pedro, fielding a lineup with Suarez, Messi, Neymar, and Pedro, aiming to score again to win the match," Lineker said. "But from the past few minutes, it doesn't seem to be working." "Barcelona is in chaos. Having more forwards doesn't mean they can attack effectively. Udinese's morale is through the roof, and they are completely suppressing Barcelona now," Motson said.
"I must also praise Bruno," Motson continued. "He's incredibly versatile. Now, partnering with Kante as a double pivot, they're completely shutting down any potential Barcelona counterattacks." "And Cancelo, this young man is fierce and powerful. He and Salah are constantly attacking Alves on the left, making it tough for Alves."
Indeed, Alves, hailed by the media as the best right-back in football today, was struggling. Salah was relentless, constantly using his speed to attack. Coupled with the young bull-like Cancelo, it was overwhelming.
Just moments ago, Cancelo had charged forward with the ball. Alves intercepted, and the two collided. Alves was sent sprawling. Although the referee called a foul on Cancelo, the collision left Alves feeling complicated. What kind of monsters were these players on Udinese's left side? He couldn't handle them.
There were three minutes of added time. The massive Friuli Stadium was in chaos, a scene of contrasting emotions. The few hopeful Barcelona fans were leaving disappointed, some covering their faces in disbelief, many forgetting to boo. The 40,000 Udinese fans were in a frenzy, hugging, shouting, jumping, and screaming.
They couldn't believe their eyes. At halftime, Udinese was trailing 1-2 and 2-5 on aggregate. The players were dejected and even despairing. The 40,000 Udinese fans felt the same. They had no hope for the match, trailing by three goals with the away goals rule against them. This was an almost impossible situation for any professional team to recover from, especially against Barcelona, considered the strongest team in football today.
Everyone was in despair. Some Udinese fans even feared their team would concede more goals and suffer a humiliating defeat. Then, Di Natale stepped up, scoring a goal seven minutes into the second half, leveling the match and slightly easing the hearts of Udinese fans.
Next, Salah stepped up. His first goal reduced the deficit to two goals, bringing hope to the team. This young Egyptian, with his talent and relentless pursuit of attack, helped the team achieve one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.
"This is a miracle. I now believe in miracles!" veteran commentator John Motson said excitedly, almost incoherently. "Mohamed Salah! He is the undisputed hero!"
In the second half, Di Natale scored the first goal for Udinese, assisted by Bruno, but it was Salah who created the corner. In the following game, Salah scored two goals, assisted on Thereau's goal, and created the opportunity for another. Out of the five goals, he had two goals and one assist, and he created another chance. Salah etched his name in the night of the Friuli Stadium.
"After this match, Mohamed Salah will become the offensive talent that all of Europe wants!" Lineker said with a sigh.
(End of Chapter)
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GOT IT