Bab 117: Chapter 117: The Decisive Strike
Chapter 117: The Decisive Strike
As Benfica's midfield commander returned to his position, the team's performance on the field improved, and Udinese was momentarily suppressed. By the 71st minute, Enzo Perez passed the ball from the midfield to Salvio on the right, who then crossed it to Rodrigo, scoring his second goal of the match.
The score was now 2:2, with Benfica evening up the match! The fans at Estádio da Luz were ecstatic, almost seeing the scene of a complete comeback unfold before them.
Bruno's expression turned serious; he began to consider how to change the currently passive situation. A comeback by Benfica would definitely spoil the fun.
Udinese, feeling the pressure, soon gave away a free kick just outside their own box. Bruno went back to help form the wall, standing out with his height of 1.85 meters, making him one of the taller players in the Udinese squad.
Mahrez, standing next to Bruno, whispered, "Hey Bruno, if there's a chance for a counterattack, pass the ball to me. Their number 16 is easy to get by; it would be a waste not to exploit that!"
Bruno nodded in acknowledgment.
The referee cleared the area, signaling that Benfica could take the free kick. Due to the rain, Perez slipped while taking the direct shot, losing his balance, and the ball flew high over the bar, prompting a burst of retaliatory laughter from the Udinese fans.
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Following this free kick, Udinese had a chance to go on the offensive. Bruno first checked the situation on Mahrez's side. Clearly, Benfica knew that Sequiera alone couldn't handle Mahrez, so they had Perez, who had just come on as a substitute, assist in the defense.
The fearless Mahrez didn't back down despite facing two defenders. He signaled to Bruno to pass him the ball. This was too obvious...
Bruno didn't pass the ball to him but instead sent it to the overlapping right-back, Cancelo. When Cancelo advanced with the ball, he drew Perez's attention away from Mahrez. Now, Mahrez was only facing Sequiera.
Cancelo then passed the ball back to Mahrez, who easily broke past Sequiera but unfortunately hit the side netting with his shot.
"Sequiera has been torn apart by Mahrez... If I were Jesus, I'd consider taking him off," commented a Benfica fan in the stands.
However, Jesus's view differed from that of the English commentators. He valued Sequiera's stamina and fighting spirit, essential when the team was behind, so he did not consider substituting him.
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Though Mahrez's shot did not result in a goal, Udinese fans weren't upset; instead, they were optimistic. Only Bruno was somewhat dissatisfied—he felt that if Mahrez had been a bit cooler, that could have been a goal.
Now, with the match score even, Udinese led by only one goal on aggregate. Although Benfica still needed two more goals to turn the game around, allowing them another would tie the aggregate score, making a surging Benfica tough to handle.
Thus, Udinese needed to keep scoring. With about 20 minutes left in the match, maintaining a two-goal lead would be safer.
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As Rodrigo attempted to maneuver away from Kante, Bruno positioned himself directly in his path, and with Kante's help from behind, they sandwiched Rodrigo. Kante distracted him while Bruno timed his tackle to steal the ball.
After intercepting the ball, Rodrigo reacted quickly, clinging to Bruno to prevent an easy pass. Bruno nudged the ball to Kante at his side. As Rodrigo turned to challenge Kante, Kante passed back to Bruno, who had advanced forward.
Receiving the ball, Bruno didn't look up to pass or turn back; instead, he chose to break through directly! As Gomes approached to block, Bruno sharply braked, pulled the ball back, and then quickly knocked it forward.
Gomes missed the tackle and lost his balance on the slick turf. Bruno accelerated smoothly, bypassing Gomes.
After getting past Gomes, Bruno continued with the ball until the freshly substituted Perez rushed up to him. Before Perez could reach him, Bruno passed the ball off to Maxsuell.
Bruno, having passed to Maxsuell, didn't stop running but kept moving forward. Perez hesitated, then directed the defender Luisao to cover Bruno while he went for Maxsuell.
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Maxsuell didn't carry the ball or shoot directly. Even though the Benfica goalkeeper, Artur, was tensely prepared to block a shot, Maxsuell passed the ball back to Bruno, who was now facing Luisao.
Luisao's primary goal was to block Bruno's shot. Aware of Bruno's powerful shooting ability from previous encounters, especially given the rainy conditions ideal for long shots, the Brazilian defender maintained a prudent distance to prevent an easy breakthrough and be ready to close in if Bruno attempted a shot.
He thought this would suffice to halt Bruno, waiting for teammates to help enclose him. Bruno didn't pause; he feinted as if to break through on the left, pulling Luisao slightly off-balance.
"Don't forget to cover the others! Watch for his passes!" shouted goalkeeper Artur.
Artur and the Benfica defenders were all too aware of Bruno's deadly passing ability. Luisao, not wanting to become just another player beaten by one of Bruno's brilliant assists, instinctively checked his side for Dinatale as Bruno shaped to shoot.
Just then, Bruno suddenly struck with his left foot!
The shot came without warning, not only catching Luisao off guard but also surprising goalkeeper Artur, who didn't even attempt a save. The ball rocketed into the net!
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"Bruno drives inward and then… what is this?..." Even the commentator was taken by surprise, only exclaiming after the ball hit the net, "Oh! It's in! It's in! The third goal for Udinese in this match!!"
The ball flew just over Artur's head into the goal, and by the time Artur reacted, it was too late. He fell backward with the ball, defeated not by the strike itself but by the realization that his hopes were dashed.
Progressing further seemed futile now; to advance, Benfica would need three goals in less than twenty minutes remaining. As the 78th minute ticked by, with stoppage time approaching, Artur felt the semifinals slipping away.
Bruno's unexpected shot silenced the previously jubilant Benfica fans, stunned into disbelief. The stadium quieted down.
Only in one corner, the two thousand Udinese fans erupted in cheers.
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Nobody had anticipated Bruno's rapid shot after his feint, leaving both Luisao and Artur unprepared. As the ball passed Luisao, he realized too late that it was a shot, not a pass.
And Artur, though a goalkeeper should always be vigilant, had been too focused on potential passes due to Bruno's previous playmaking. He'd overlooked Bruno's capacity as a prolific striker, a threat just as potent with his passing.
In this season alone, Bruno had scored 26 goals across all competitions, making him one of the top scorers in Serie A and the Europa League.
Yes, Bruno had already clinched this season's Europa League top scorer title. Before today, he had netted 10 goals in 12 matches, trailing only Jonathan Soriano of Red Bull Salzburg with 12. Now, with his 11th, and Red Bull out of the competition, Bruno was set to claim the top scorer's boot.
But that was not Artur's concern as he lay there, beaten, rain washing over his face, with the ball lying just in front of his eyes.
Behind him, the Udinese fans in the stands jumped and cheered, delighting in the goalkeeper's misfortune.
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