Bab 208: Chapter 208: A Legend
Chapter 208: A Legend
Udinese's 2-1 comeback victory over Genoa garnered significant attention. Not only was it the 18th time this season Udinese won a Serie A match by just one goal, but it was also their eighth comeback win after being behind. This means Udinese had clawed back 24 points from losing positions this season!
True football enthusiasts understand that victories when everything goes smoothly are rare. The real test for a team comes in closely contested matches, or when they have to fight back from a deficit.
In its report, La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote, "To come back from behind and win 2-1 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris against Genoa truly showcases Udinese's maturity and resilience. Being able to stay strong and overturn the score in such tight matches is key to achieving good results over a long season."
The Times added, "A successful team needs to secure points consistently when in favorable conditions, but more importantly, they need to have the ability to win in adversity. Ferguson's Manchester United dominated the Premier League due to this quality. This season's Udinese shows a glimpse of this trait."
Even Tuttosport, the mouthpiece for Udinese's direct rivals Juventus, reluctantly admitted, "This season's Udinese is terrifyingly consistent. No matter the circumstances, they always seem to come out victorious. They appear invincible."
Udinese's consistent performance in Serie A had put tremendous pressure on Juventus. Coupled with their desire for success in the Champions League, Juventus decided to shift their focus to the European competition.
Thus, in the 30th round of Serie A, playing away against Parma, Allegri made extensive rotations in the lineup. Allegri probably thought that even with a rotated squad, Juventus could easily beat Parma, who were struggling with financial troubles and had been poor all season, sitting bottom of the table with just 13 points (due to a 3-point deduction for financial reasons) from 4 wins, 4 draws, and 21 losses.
However, driven by the allure of staying in Serie A, Parma put up a strong fight and scored a goal on a counterattack to secure a surprising 1-0 win over Juventus.
For this match, La Gazzetta dello Sport had the headline: "Juventus' second team performs poorly. Parma celebrates: A great feat." The report highlighted that Juventus were distracted by their upcoming Champions League quarterfinal against Monaco, leading to their third league defeat. Extensive rotations and injuries had exposed the squad's weaknesses, and young player Mauri's brilliant goal sealed Juventus's defeat.
Tuttosport carried the headline: "Juventus too relaxed," with the subheading: "A vacationing Juventus loses at the Tardini Stadium." The report expressed concern over the poor performances of several players, noting Llorente's continued slump, Vidal's regression, Coman's disappearance in the game, and Ogbonna's performance making fans miss Bonucci.
Corriere dello Sport also had a dramatic headline: "Shocking Tardini Stadium, Parma defeats Juventus." The report echoed similar sentiments, stating that the team's focus was on the Champions League match in three days, leading to a lackluster performance and a deserved win for Parma.
The desire to perform well in the highly influential Champions League was not limited to Juventus. Udinese also shared this ambition. With Juventus making a mistake and now trailing Udinese by 10 points despite having played an extra game, Udinese had more room for error.
This meant that even if Udinese lost their 30th-round match against Palermo, they would still lead Juventus by 10 points with eight matches remaining in the season.
Despite knowing that their chances of advancing past Bayern Munich in the Champions League were slim, Udinese decided to take their chances at home. After all, dreams must be pursued, and who knows, they might come true?
Just like in this Serie A season, without the continuous effort from Udinese's players, they wouldn't be in their current position. If you don't dare to dream, you'll end up with nothing.
So, for the Serie A match against Palermo on April 12, Guidolin made a decision similar to Allegri's, opting for extensive rotations and fielding a backup lineup.
Guidolin's thinking was similar to Allegri's because Palermo had not won in six Serie A matches and were in poor form. Facing such a team, if Udinese could win with a rotated lineup, it would allow the main players to rest and prepare for the crucial Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Bayern Munich.
Even if Udinese lost, their significant lead in the standings meant they could afford it.
Guidolin faced a situation much like Allegri's, but with a thinner bench, resulting in Udinese trailing Palermo 0-3 just over an hour into the match.
In the 15th minute, Dybala provided a brilliant pass, and Lazaar scored with a long-range shot into the top right corner, giving Palermo a 1-0 lead.
In the 21st minute, Dybala assisted again, with Rigoni shooting into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.
In the 66th minute, Rispoli crossed, and Jajalo headed into the top left corner, increasing Palermo's lead to 3-0.
At this point, Guidolin finally woke up, making substitutions to bring on key players like defensive anchor Kanté, midfield organizer Bruno Fernandes, and attacking leader Di Natale.
Guidolin knew that while Udinese could afford to lose this match, they could not afford a crushing defeat.
The introduction of Bruno and the others quickly stabilized Udinese, preventing a total collapse and initiating a comeback.
In the 81st minute, Bruno made a through ball, and Di Natale scored from the right side of the penalty area, making it 3-1.
This was Di Natale's 20th goal of the season, marking his sixth consecutive Serie A season with at least 20 goals. It was also his 225th Serie A goal, tying him with Gunnar Nordahl for third on the all-time Serie A top scorers list.
Even though Di Natale didn't celebrate and instead retrieved the ball to rush back to the center, the 40,000 fans at the Stadio Friuli stood up to applaud the legendary striker. Even the 2,000 Palermo fans present joined in the applause, recognizing the respect due to such a remarkable player.
Despite a frantic final 10 minutes, Udinese's efforts to equalize were thwarted. Palermo defended resolutely, setting up a defensive wall that Udinese's tired and less experienced players couldn't penetrate again.
After five minutes of added time, the match ended 3-1. The referee had given Udinese every chance, but the hole they dug for themselves was too deep to overcome.
At the end of the match, Di Natale led his teammates around the pitch to thank the fans. The Udinese supporters stayed behind, continuously applauding to celebrate Di Natale's milestone.
The only blemish was that Udinese suffered a defeat on such a significant day. Now, Di Natale only trailed the "Eternal Roman Prince" Totti, who had 241 goals, and Silvio Piola, who had 274 goals.
However, surpassing these two legends would be extremely difficult for Di Natale. Although Totti was only 16 goals ahead, the "Wolf King" was still playing and in good form, with six goals already this season. No one knew when Totti's remarkable career would end.
As for Piola, who was still 49 goals ahead, even if Di Natale maintained his current scoring rate, it would take at least two more seasons to surpass him. Given that Di Natale was born in October 1977 and would soon turn 38, it was almost impossible to keep scoring at this rate until he was 40. That would be beyond human limits!
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