Chapitre 122: Chapter 122: Advancing to the Final
Chapter 122: Advancing to the Final
Juventus was not satisfied with their loss at the Friuli Stadium. They believed the referee's penalty decision was too harsh. Without that penalty, they argued, the outcome could have been different, and a draw might have been possible even if they couldn't secure a win.
Udinese paid no attention to Juventus's complaints, considering it nothing more than the whimpering of sore losers.
Over the weekend, during the 35th round of Serie A against Torino, Guidolin decisively rotated his squad. Predictably, the reserve team of Udinese lost 0-2 away to Torino. However, due to Napoli's draw with Inter Milan at the San Siro, Udinese remained in third place in Serie A with a four-point lead over Napoli.
On May 1st, at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Udinese once again clashed with Juventus. In this match, Guidolin unsurprisingly parked the bus and gave team captain Di Natale a rest. With a 3-1 lead from the home leg and less than 48 hours until the Coppa Italia final, Guidolin had no hesitation in conserving energy.
In the cold rain of Turin, Juventus gave their all but couldn't break through Udinese's bus parking tactics. After 90 minutes of struggle, the score remained 0-0. Juventus missed their best chance to clinch the Europa League title at home, ultimately only paving the way for someone else to take the trophy.
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Over two thousand Udinese fans gathered in the stands, chanting "Turin! Turin!" The Udinese players didn't rush back to the locker room but instead, led by captain Bruno, went to the stands to celebrate this historic moment with their fans. The media joined the celebration, interviewing the Udinese players.
Bruno was the most sought-after player for interviews.
"Talk about the match. Did you expect to reach the final?"
"We always had the belief that we would win, no matter who the opponent was."
"What are your hopes for the final?"
"To win the championship."
"Are you that confident?"
"It's not just confidence; it's a mindset. If you don't even have the mindset to win, you shouldn't be in the final. If you're in the final and not aiming for the championship, are you going for the runner-up instead?"
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After celebrating on the field, the Udinese players returned to the locker room, planning to continue their celebration. But they were greeted by their coach's stern face.
"Time for celebration is over, boys," Guidolin said. "Calm down now... Antonio, put the champagne away."
Di Natale, looking a bit embarrassed, set down the bottle of champagne.
"If you celebrate like this for reaching the final, how will you celebrate when you win the championship? Save your energy for then. Don't think that reaching the final is the ultimate victory. Did you forget? Our goal isn't just to reach the Europa League final but to win the championship!"
His words sobered everyone up.
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"The final step is the most important. Stay focused until the end, and then you can laugh. Now, return to the hotel and rest. Training resumes as usual tomorrow!"
Usually, after a victory in the Europa League knockout stages, Guidolin would give the team a day off as a reward, regardless of the upcoming league match. But not this time. He wanted his players to know it wasn't time to relax and celebrate yet.
In less than 48 hours, Udinese would face Napoli in the Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. It would be Udinese's second appearance in the Coppa Italia final, and Guidolin hoped it would be the match where Udinese would win their first major trophy in club history.
After instructing the players to pack up and return to the hotel, Guidolin, accompanied by Bruno, went to attend the post-match press conference. This was a mandatory task for the coach after every match.
When Guidolin arrived at the press conference, all eyes from the journalists turned towards him.
The media were naturally very interested in Guidolin, as he was the key figure behind Udinese's rise in recent seasons. This Udinese team, which had reached the Europa League final, was his creation.
As Guidolin sat down, questions started pouring in from the journalists.
"I am very satisfied with the team's performance. Every one of them was outstanding. I've known this for a long time; my players are the best!"
"And the final? We certainly hope to win the championship. Reaching the final is not the ultimate goal; the championship is."
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After leading Udinese to make history, Guidolin was full of pride and confidence, making bold statements that the media loved, as these were sure to attract attention.
Meanwhile, Juventus coach Conte once again aimed his criticism at the referee.
"This is a disgrace. Referee Clattenburg allowed the opponents to waste time continuously. The match was fragmented. In the last 10 minutes, Udinese players spent 6 minutes on the ground delaying the game, and the referee did nothing. He kept signaling for the stretcher, even when there were no serious collisions. It's unbelievable that he couldn't see Udinese was wasting time. I'm very disappointed."
"Clattenburg enabled Udinese to keep wasting time. If he had shown a yellow card to Bruno when he was down, maybe they wouldn't have continued. But he had no authority. The game became a farce. Moreover, the referee missed a clear penalty for us. The penalty given to them in the first leg shouldn't have been. We've been very unlucky."
Despite being eliminated by Udinese, Conte remained defiant, telling reporters, "Look at the statistics for the 180 minutes of these two legs. We dominated most of the game. We deserved to be in the final more than Udinese. They don't deserve to be in the final. My players gave their all. From the first to the 95th minute, we always wanted to win. That's exciting, but we lacked the crucial moments of luck. We tried our best but couldn't score, and in the end, the opponents wasted time, and the game was interrupted multiple times. In this aspect, the opponents were very lucky."
After criticizing the referee, Conte shifted his focus to the match itself. "We played very patiently, continuously putting pressure on them. After they had a player sent off, they started to defend deeply, packing nine players in the penalty area. This gave us no space to attack. It wasn't like a football match. They showed a lot of experience, including wasting time. We were unlucky. I'm really disappointed. The referee allowed them to succeed."
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Udinese's elimination of Juventus and their historic advance to a European final was a significant upset. While most Italian media were surprised by this outcome, they were somewhat consoled that the team that defeated Juventus was also an Italian team.
Turin's local newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, expressed disappointment with the headline: "What a Disappointing Result. Juventus Draw 0-0, Ten-Man Udinese Advance to the Final. No Goals Despite Juventus's Dominance, and They Missed the Chance to Advance."
La Gazzetta dello Sport also expressed regret: "Inaction. For Juventus, the dream of playing in the Europa League final in Turin remains unfulfilled. When the score was fixed at 0:0, the entire Allianz Stadium fell silent. But in Udine, tens of thousands of Udinese fans gathered at the Friuli Stadium, celebrating their team's historic first advance to a European final."
Italian Football had the headline: "Udinese Shatters Juventus's Dreams." The article read: "Juventus will not play in the Europa League final. Despite controlling the game against ten-man Udinese, they couldn't find a way to score. Udinese effectively utilized their home advantage and eliminated the strong Juventus with a total score of 3:1, advancing to a European final for the first time in history."
Slow Motion had the headline: "Juventus Bids Farewell to the Europa League, Udinese Advances to the Final." The article noted, "Conte's team failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority, with the final score fixed at 0:0. Juventus couldn't turn around the 1:3 loss from the first leg and were eliminated just one step away from the final. Despite maintaining their unbeaten home record this season, it meant nothing for the Europa League."
Rome Sports News had a simple headline: "Juventus Out of the Europa League, Udinese Advances to the Final."
Local newspapers in Udine were ecstatic about their team's historic first advance to the Europa League final, praising everyone from coach Guidolin to the players. But the star on the front page was Bruno. (End of Chapter)
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
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