章 148: Chapter 148: The Third Title of the Year
Chapter 148: The Third Title of the Year
Real Madrid, pressing forward aggressively, managed to pull one back after thirteen minutes, but just three minutes later, Udinese widened the gap again.
During an attack, Bruno had just crossed the midfield when he was brought down by Kroos. The referee blew the whistle and awarded Udinese a free kick in the attacking half. Udinese quickly took the free kick; Kanté passed the ball, Muriel headed it on, and Guilherme, who usually roamed the left flank, had unexpectedly switched to the right and charged at Kroos.
Guilherme skillfully nudged the ball with his left foot, accelerated, stopped abruptly, nudged again, and accelerated once more, leaving Kroos gasping for air. On Guilherme's third burst of speed, Kroos could only watch helplessly as Guilherme charged forward with the ball.
The 24-year-old German midfielder, fresh from lifting the World Cup with Germany and then transferring to Real Madrid, hadn't rested at all over the summer and was visibly drained after nearly 90 minutes of play today.
His foul on Bruno was a result of not being able to keep up with Bruno's pace. Guilherme drove the ball forward, evading both Isco and Marcelo before drawing Ramos to intercept, then passed the ball across.
Facing the advancing Casillas, Muriel didn't hesitate and selflessly passed the ball to Bruno, who was in a better position. Bruno took the shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom right corner of the net.
4-2!
Bruno scored Udinese's fourth goal of the match, completing his hat-trick and extending the lead to 4-2.
… "4-2! Udinese extends their lead again!" "Goal scored by Udinese's number 8, Bruno Fernandes, completing his hat-trick in this match!" "An incredible game! An incredible Bruno Fernandes! An incredible Udinese!"
… The media area at Cardiff City Stadium erupted in various languages. If last season's double of the Coppa Italia and the Europa League, along with a third-place finish in Serie A, made the world take notice of this dark horse, then today's match against the superclub Real Madrid, where Udinese scored four goals and led by two, truly made people sit up and take notice.
"I've said it before, don't view Udinese as just a dark horse. Coach Guidolin has built this team over four years, and they absolutely have the capacity to shock everyone. They've been at the top of Serie A for the past three seasons. Last summer's signing, Bruno Fernandes, was the final piece of the puzzle for Udinese, transforming them from disruptors to champions!"
"I want to praise Muriel. The Colombian was incredibly selfless; he could have gone for goal himself, but instead, he passed to Bruno Fernandes, who was better positioned. That's Udinese for you, that's Coach Guidolin's team, the atmosphere within the team is really fantastic."
… The cameras zoomed in on Bruno hugging Muriel, thanking his Colombian teammate for the selfless assist.
… The cheers from the stands of Cardiff City Stadium continued from the moment Bruno completed his hat-trick until the end of the match. Later, Guidolin substituted in Badu and Pinzi for Guilherme and Videmont, aiming to bolster the defense.
Compared to the more attack-oriented Guilherme and Videmont, Badu and Pinzi brought more experience and defensive solidity. With victory nearly secured, Guidolin wisely chose to consolidate his gains.
Although the Serie A season would start on the last day of August and the Italian Super Cup wasn't scheduled before the season, Udinese's season was effectively kicking off today. Over the next two weeks, before the season opener, Udinese still had to play two UEFA Champions League qualifiers against last season's fourth-placed La Liga team, Athletic Bilbao—a tough Basque side. Udinese needed to beat Athletic Bilbao to participate in the upcoming Champions League group stage.
With a busy season ahead, it was crucial for Udinese to conserve as much energy as possible, even though the season was just beginning.
… Ancelotti shouted instructions from the sidelines, with Real Madrid trying everything to score. Although the UEFA Super Cup was essentially a pre-season match, a loss to Udinese would definitely subject his team to intense scrutiny and pressure.
However, Real Madrid couldn't break through Udinese's defense again and had to settle for a 2-4 defeat. When the referee blew the final whistle, Cardiff City Stadium erupted in cheers; over ten thousand Udinese fans celebrated, embracing and shouting in jubilation.
Facing the star-studded superclub Real Madrid, Udinese managed a 4-2 victory—could you believe such a result in the past? But now, this scene was unfolding before the world.
On August 12, 2014, Udinese defeated Real Madrid 4-2 in the UEFA Super Cup, securing the championship trophy. This was Udinese's third trophy in 2014.
… Cristiano Ronaldo, standing before Bruno, offered a handshake with a stern face: "Congratulations, you won."
Bruno, about to respond with a smile, was interrupted by Ronaldo waving him off: "Don't console me. I don't need insincere comfort."
"Uh…"
Bruno wasn't sure what to say next; Ronaldo was notoriously temperamental. He'd meant to offer some consolation.
Well, since Ronaldo had put it that way, Bruno simply responded sincerely: "I understand. I know what it's like to stand on the runner-up podium."
Ronaldo gave a bitter smile. He despised second place—the notion of giving silver medals at all, he thought, was just rubbing salt in the wound.
At least that's what Ronaldo believed at that moment.
Regardless, Bruno's demeanor seemed to satisfy Ronaldo, who appreciated that the younger man didn't boast in victory.
But that was typical of Bruno. In his two call-ups to the Portugal national team last year, he'd been respectful to all his seniors.
After shaking hands and parting, Ronaldo suddenly realized something. As far as he recalled, Bruno had never been runner-up in anything significant in his career!
Ronaldo pondered this as Cancelo asked Bruno, "When did you ever finish second?"
Having been teammates since last summer's Toulon Tournament, Cancelo didn't remember any such instance.
"Never," Bruno shook his head.
"Then how do you know what it feels like to be runner-up?" Cancelo pressed.
Bruno replied seriously, "I watched it on TV, empathized with it."
Pausing, Bruno added, "Imagine it's you receiving that silver medal. It makes you want to win even more, to cherish every moment until the final whistle."
Cancelo was struck by the insight and asked, "What if we had lost to Real and only won silver?"
"Failure is the mother of success. Life goes on even after a loss," Bruno said nonchalantly, clapping his hands.
… Real Madrid players were the first to receive their medals.
Bruno chatted with Ramos, the Real Madrid captain, at the sidelines. Having spent his early career at Sevilla, Ramos felt the sting of defeat both as a spectator and now on the pitch.
"It's okay, you'll get used to it," Bruno joked.
"You're asking for it," Ramos responded dryly.
Bruno just laughed heartily, enjoying the banter. Teasing the Real Madrid captain felt great!
The Real Madrid captain extended his hand: "We lost today, but if we meet in the Champions League, we'll win it back."
"Looking forward to it," Bruno grinned.
Ramos found Bruno's smile annoying, much like Cristiano and Pepe. Was it something about the Portuguese?
… After Real Madrid received their silver medals, it was Udinese's turn on the podium.
"Didn't expect to see you again so soon, Bruno," UEFA President Michel Platini greeted him warmly, shaking his hand. "Fantastic performance, a hat-trick! You deserve this victory and the trophy!"
"Thank you," Bruno replied politely.
The climax of the ceremony arrived. Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale received the UEFA Super Cup trophy from Platini and lifted it high after a countdown from his teammates.
Confetti in black and white showered over the podium as the players ran about, lifting the trophy again and again to the cheers of the fans.
(End of Chapter)
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