章 121: Chapter 121: The Early Advantage
Chapter 121: The Early Advantage
"Ooo! Juventus player fouls... it's Marchisio; he has collided with Udinese's young player, Silvan Widmer, and a penalty is given!" exclaimed Martin Tyler, a commentator from Sky Sports UK, caught up in the excitement.
Marchisio, accused of the foul, rushed to the referee to defend himself, arguing, "How is that a foul? I didn't hit him... it was just a slight contact. Is that really considered a foul now?"
Feeling unjustly penalized, Marchisio believed his challenge on Widmer was a fair physical contest, typical of the game. Meanwhile, other Juventus players surrounded the referee, vehemently protesting the decision.
Encircled by the Juventus players, the Udinese players gathered together. After helping Widmer to his feet, Bruno embraced him warmly.
"Well done, Silvan!" they congratulated Widmer, who was making his Europa League debut. The timing of the penalty couldn't have been better. If converted, it would break the deadlock on the field.
With Juventus now trailing, they would be compelled to open up and attack, presenting Udinese with more opportunities to counter and possibly score more goals.
The protests from Juventus were in vain; once a penalty decision is made, it is rarely reversed, especially decisions that could influence the scoreline. The referee stood by his decision, awarding Udinese a penalty at their home ground.
Taking the penalty was captain Di Natale, who powerfully struck the ball past goalkeeper Buffon, who dove the wrong way, misjudging the shot.
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After taking the lead, Juventus began to press forward more in search of goals. Losing away is not the end of the world, but securing an away goal is crucial. If the score had remained tied, Juventus could afford to play more conservatively, ideally maintaining a 0:0 draw until the end of the game.
However, now trailing, they could no longer afford to play cautiously. A 0:1 defeat would pose significant challenges back at their home ground.
The more Juventus pushed forward, the better it became for Udinese. Right before the end of the first half, Udinese won a corner kick. Bruno's delivery from the right met Naldo unmarked in the middle, who headed the ball into the net.
Naldo, a Brazilian center-back known for his offensive contributions, used his height and heading ability to full effect in this attack.
"Naldo! Naldo! He scores! Udinese now lead Juventus 2:0 at home! They are getting closer to the final!" The stadium erupted with cheers for Turin, ringing out for the first time.
Udinese fans' cheers continued into the halftime break.
As the second half began, Juventus launched a frenzied counterattack, hoping to secure an away goal and ideally level or even reverse the scoreline. Udinese, however, hoped Juventus would play this way, as it offered more opportunities for counterattacks.
Muriel and Widmer, both fast players, were ideal for counterattacks. With Bruno's precise passing in midfield, Udinese's quick breaks were a daunting prospect for any team. This season, Udinese had scored the most goals from counterattacks in Serie A.
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In the 64th minute, Bruno capitalized on Juventus' aggressive push forward. From his own half, he launched a long pass that crossed the pitch, landing ahead of Muriel.
The Brazilian winger's pace was electric, and Bruno's pass was perfectly placed to give him room to sprint. Muriel ran onto the ball, beating Lichsteiner, who was trying to catch up, and looked up to see goalkeeper Buffon charging out.
Seeing Buffon's advance, Muriel slowed just enough to control the ball, then lobbed it over the goalkeeper's head. Despite Buffon's 1.91m frame, he couldn't reach the ball, which sailed past him into the net.
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"Wow—what a beautiful lob! A spoon! Muriel secures the victory for Udinese with that goal, ensuring a win in today's match!" the commentator shouted as the stadium roared with excitement.
"This goal was scored with such ease, it was almost expected! Udinese's powerful attack has scored three goals against their opponents in this match!"
"What an unexpected scoreline!"
"Just two weeks ago, Juventus beat Udinese 2:0 on this very field, but that was clearly not the true Udinese, as key players including Di Natale and Bruno did not participate. Now, with their full strength, Udinese has taught Juventus a lesson!"
"Like the match at Allianz Stadium, although Juventus dominated possession, they are once again significantly behind!"
As Muriel's spoon goal sailed into Juventus' net, cheers thundered throughout the Friuli Stadium.
Every Udinese fan now had only one thought—progressing to the Europa League final was merely a matter of time.
The Udinese players were ecstatic, and Muriel, after scoring, rushed to the stands, waving his arms to encourage the fans to cheer even louder.
His teammates swarmed him from all directions, engulfing him in celebration.
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Trailing by three goals, Juventus was pushed into a corner. If they couldn't manage to score one or two goals back in today's game, they would almost certainly be knocked out over the two legs.
It wouldn't be easy to turn around a 0:3 deficit in the second leg at home. Udinese was not AC Milan!
The 1:3 situation made Juventus realize they had to fight back, and in the 73rd minute, after Kante fouled Pirlo, Juventus got a free-kick in a promising position.
Pirlo's delivery into the box was headed by Bonucci but saved, leading to a second wave of attack. Asamoah passed back from the left, and Tevez controlled the ball, dodging Naldo and Danilo to shoot from 8 meters out, sneaking the ball under goalkeeper Scuffet.
1:3! Juventus pulled one back.
Cheers from the Juventus fans filled the stands.
"Tevez! Tevez! Juventus scores, we're now only two goals behind, just two goals! The mighty Juventus will be the final victor!" exclaimed the commentator from Turin, revived after more than an hour of frustration.
Guidolin was not overly agitated by the goal. Facing a strong team like Juventus, conceding goals was expected, and considering Udinese was ahead 3:0 before, he was more annoyed than angry.
This goal was purely a display of Tevez's individual brilliance, and against such a player, Guidolin had little to complain about.
Conte was exhilarated, jumping from his seat and shouting hysterically, eventually ripping open his tie to vent his emotions. The situation of being 0:3 down had once seemed hopeless, but Tevez's goal had revived him.
Guidolin just pouted, thinking, "It's just a goal, why the excitement?"
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Seeing Juventus's increasing aggression, Guidolin felt it was time to play conservatively and secure the win defensively.
Before the match restarted, Udinese made their first substitution, with right-back Cancello replacing right winger Widmer. Basta moved up to midfield alongside Kante and Allan, forming a three-man defensive midfield as Udinese shifted to a 4-3-2-1 formation.
Seeing Guidolin set up a defensive fortress at home, Conte was almost driven to rage.
"Can you show some dignity? What happened to the promised attacking football?!"
In the last twenty minutes, Juventus struggled significantly. Facing Udinese's defensive setup, they found it difficult to break through. Moreover, they couldn't afford reckless attacks as Udinese still posed a significant counterattacking threat.
Conte paced anxiously on the sidelines. He had used all three substitutes, bringing on Giovinco, Osvaldo, and Padoin, forming a three-forward setup with Tevez, Giovinco, and Osvaldo, but to little effect.
In the 82nd minute, Guidolin also used his final substitutions, Muriel replacing captain Di Natale and Eto'o replacing Naldo, further bolstering the defense and counterattacking potential.
Finally, as the three minutes of stoppage time elapsed and the referee blew the final whistle, Juventus was unable to score a second goal.
Udinese defeated Juventus 3:1 at home, gaining the upper hand in the two-legged Europa League semifinal. (End of Chapter)
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