章 134: Chapter 134: Counterattack Gamble
Chapter 134: Counterattack Gamble
"GOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!!!!"
"Bruno Fernandes! He scores after receiving Dinatale's pass! That's the Portuguese's 12th goal in the Europa League this season, tying him with Soriano!"
"1:0, Udinese takes the lead with a quick counterattack, showing us what speed in a counter really means!"
The Allianz Stadium in Turin resounded with cheers from Udinese fans alone, as they saw their hopes of standing atop Europe increase.
The stadium, capable of holding 41,000 spectators, was dominated by Udinese fans due to the final being held in Italy. Two-thirds of the area was clad in the black and white of Udinese.
Guidolin was elated on the sidelines, reassured by the goal.
......
Behind in the score, Sevilla began to push harder on the offense.
Sevilla's winger Vitolo received a long pass from midfielder Carriço in midfield, chested the ball down, and then flicked it over Makhrez's head, sprinting past the Algerian with a twist of his waist.
"Makhrez is beaten!" exclaimed Martin Tyler.
Makhrez being bypassed so easily disrupted Udinese's defensive alignment.
"Go!" Danilo shouted to Cancelo.
Cancelo rushed up, but as Vitolo saw the Udinese right-back approach, he dragged the ball sideways and glanced towards the goal, feigning a long shot.
"Don't let him shoot!" Cancelo, startled, immediately reacted with a sliding tackle.
"Fool!" Bruno almost cursed out loud, watching this reckless, even foolish decision.
The nimble and agile Vitolo easily evaded Cancelo's sliding tackle and then carried the ball into the box.
The cheers of Sevilla fans momentarily overwhelmed those from Udinese as they saw a scoring opportunity arise.
Bacca was already positioning himself; Vitolo raised his foot to make a diagonal pass, then suddenly a foot appeared in front of him!
"Bang!"
The two collided, and the ball bounced up. Without any hesitation, the player twisted his body, blocked the spot, and awkwardly kicked the ball out to the sideline.
"Ngolo Kante!" exclaimed the Italian commentator, "Key moment, it was Kante who rushed back to block Vitolo's pass and successfully thwarted the attack!"
......
Minutes later, during a break in play, Guidolin pulled Bruno and Kante aside for a quick strategic talk.
"Press harder on Vitolo," Guidolin pointed at Sevilla's number 20, "This kid is agile, tell everyone, don't give him any more chances to break through easily."
He paused before adding, "Focus on pressing Carriço, he's a key outlet for Sevilla's midfield and a defensive shield."
"Also, Bruno needs protection during attacks," Guidolin noted Sevilla had stepped up their pressing against Bruno.
"When Bruno has the ball, make sure to cover him," Guidolin instructed Kante, "Protect him from being easily encircled. If we lose the ball, immediately press; yes, you press, and Bruno, quickly drop back to organize the defense."
"Tell Makhrez to stay closer to the middle, leave space on the flank for Cancelo to sprint."
Bruno and Kante replied in unison, "Understood, coach."
"Be smart in interceptions," Guidolin added to Kante.
"Got it," nodded Kante.
Guidolin gave them a final look, seemingly confirming Kante understood, then patted their shoulders, adding, "The midfield is key. You two, one defend solidly, the other organize the attacks well, and we'll take this game."
He sent them back onto the field, encouraging, "Go for it!"
......
Minutes later, Sevilla created a scoring chance, but a long shot by Bacca was blocked by Danilo. Alan kicked the ball forward, and Makhrez tried to head it to Cancelo but inadvertently set it up for Carriço.
Carriço had just received the ball and was about to turn when he was pushed down from behind.
"It's a tactical foul by Kante," praised the Italian commentator.
Carriço had the ball, and Vitolo and Reyes were positioning for a pass that could have been threatening.
The referee awarded Sevilla a free-kick in their attacking half but did not card Kante; his actions were minimal and not severe enough for a booking, though he received a verbal warning from referee Bruch.
Sevilla's coach Emery was furious, thinking a card should have been issued.
Udinese had used a minor foul to stop a dangerous attack from Sevilla, effectively getting away with it, much to Guidolin's approval.
Sevilla's offense was picking up, with Reyes later making a cutting shot just outside the box and Bacca forcing a spectacular save from Canizares.
Canizares' performance pleased Guidolin.
Throughout the season, Udinese's goalkeepers had been somewhat unreliable. But as the season approached its end, the Greek keeper began to perform more consistently and secured his spot as Udinese's starting goalkeeper.
......
However, what pleased Guidolin even more was the next counterattack from Udinese.
After a simple one-two with Dinatale, Bruno passed to Makhrez, who feinted a pass to McSueal on the left, then suddenly passed outside. Alan, joining in from behind, took a long shot that sailed high.
While the shot wasn't crucial, what caught Guidolin's attention was the lack of Sevilla defenders challenging Alan; even Mbia, known for his aggression, was late in responding after Alan's shot.
Trying to press forward, Sevilla's defense exposed significant gaps.
Guidolin smiled, seeing Sevilla's aggressive push leaving vulnerabilities at the back, while Udinese also took risks, leaving their own defense exposed. It was now a matter of who would capitalize on these opportunities first.
With a goal already in hand, Guidolin felt confident enough to gamble on the offensive.
Even if Sevilla managed to equalize, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but if Udinese could extend their lead to 2-0, that second goal would be a devastating blow to Sevilla's morale.
Such a high-stakes offensive gamble was something Guidolin was prepared for, given the season's experiences.
......
"The team's attacking momentum is good," Sevilla's sporting director Monchi said happily, "If we can equalize before the end of the first half, the situation will change significantly."
Emery shook his head, "We still need to be careful. Udinese's counterattacks are very sharp; they almost succeeded just now."
Almost as soon as Emery finished speaking, another goal occurred on the field.
Carriço attempted to pass to Rakitic, but his intentions were too clear and intercepted by Kante.
After the steal, Kante quickly passed to Alan, sparking another fast break for Udinese.
Alan drove the ball forward at high speed, with Bruno coming up in support. Mbia moved to defend, and Fazio was there to back him up.
At that moment, Dinatale approached, drawing another center-back, Pareja, towards him.
Simultaneously, Makhrez moved to that side, drawing Sevilla's left-back Moreno over to protect the wing.
As Sevilla's defensive focus shifted to the left, Alan suddenly sent a diagonal pass.
Then, everyone saw Udinese's right-back, Cancelo, sprinting forward.
Sevilla's defense became chaotic due to the strong diagonal ball and Cancelo's incursion.
Moreno abandoned Makhrez and turned to rush at Cancelo.
Cancelo feigned a cutback, drawing Moreno further in, also pulling Pareja over to protect.
At that moment, the right side of Sevilla's penalty area suddenly opened up, and Cancelo smoothly rolled a diagonal back pass.
Udinese's left winger, McSueal, appeared right in front of the ball.
......
"Beautiful pass."
The Allianz Stadium erupted in cheers.
Receiving the ball, McSueal looked up to gauge Dinatale's position, deceiving Sevilla's goalkeeper Beto into glancing towards Dinatale. But in the next moment, the Brazilian took a direct shot.
The ball skimmed the grass at high speed towards the goal. Beto might have been able to save it, but his momentary distraction looking at Dinatale meant he was too late to react.
Everyone saw the ball roll past Beto's legs, hit the far post with a "clang," and then bounce out.
Dinatale saw the ball rebound right to his feet. He wound up for a shot, Mbia stretched a leg to block, only to be surprised as the Udinese captain passed instead.
Then, everyone saw Udinese's number 18, easily blocking the ball into Sevilla's net.
2:0!
(End of Chapter)
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