บท 81: Chapter 81: A Stunning Strike
Chapter 81: A Stunning Strike
After De Sciglio was outpaced, Mahrez found himself with a clear path ahead, looking directly at Juventus's goal with no one to stop him. Where were the other Juventus defenders? They had been drawn away by Di Natale and Bruno's movements. Until De Sciglio was bypassed, Juventus still seemed more focused on defending against Di Natale or Bruno, so the other defenders were out of position, scrambling to close down on Mahrez. But with the speed Mahrez had just shown, by the time they got close, the Algerian would already be in the penalty area.
Mahrez's tendency to drive the ball inwards indicated he was going to cut inside to the box. This made the remaining Juventus defenders desperate; they could no longer concern themselves with Di Natale or the other Udinese players and converged on Mahrez instead.
The scene on the field was dramatic: Mahrez drove the ball from the flank to the middle, with Juventus players closing in from several directions. Chiellini moved to cover the flank to prevent Mahrez from making another break; Bonucci was ready in the center to intercept; the retreating Marchisio approached first; Barzagli was positioned at the top of the arc; and a fiercely backtracking Pogba went to mark Di Natale.
From above, it appeared as three black and white figures converging on one blue figure, with the blue figure racing ahead, a clash imminent.
Mahrez had already passed De Sciglio, and now faced three Juventus defenders and a defensive midfielder. Was he really going to challenge Juventus's entire backline alone?
"An exciting moment is upon us," the commentator from Italian Sky Sports exclaimed, "Mahrez faces the entire Juventus backline!"
Could one man take on a whole defense? As Bruno ran forward, he kept his eyes on Mahrez. The first to confront Mahrez was Juventus's midfielder Marchisio, rushing back to defend.
"Mahrez! Watch out!" the Udinese local TV commentator shouted.
Marchisio, known for his tenacity as Juventus's midfield shield, didn't hesitate to go in hard with a side tackle. It was a necessary skill for a fierce midfielder, a crucial moment to play tough! This also served as a deterrent to the opponent: either dodge and lose the ball or stay and risk leaving the pitch limping, perhaps even on a stretcher.
When Juventus fans saw Marchisio launch himself into a flying tackle towards Mahrez, cheers erupted from the stands at the Allianz Stadium. In their view, the little Udinese player would surely dodge. After all, losing the ball was not as bad as getting hit by Marchisio.
"Beautiful! Mahrez, that's beautiful!" the commentator from Italian Sky Sports yelled, his voice straining.
"Good!" Bruno, running forward to support Mahrez, couldn't help but clench his fist and shout.
The cheers from the stands at Allianz Stadium instantly turned into gasps.
As Marchisio came sliding in, Mahrez was alert. He flicked the ball up and jumped over the slide tackle, landing slightly off-balance but quickly steadying himself and chasing down the ball.
That's the advantage of a smaller player: lower center of gravity and quicker adjustments. Bruno, relieved, cheered as if to catch his breath, thinking if Mahrez had been injured by Marchisio, he might have felt murderous.
"Marchisio, second man!" the Udinese local TV commentator called out.
Having dealt with Marchisio, Mahrez caught up with the ball and drove it straight into the penalty area.
"His speed, it's increased again!" shouted the commentator from Italian Sky Sports.
Everyone saw it: Riyad Mahrez, after catching up with the ball, seemed to have motors in his legs, picking up even more speed.
Just as he entered the box, Barzagli approached to defend. Facing the Juventus and Italian national team's defensive stalwart, Mahrez made a motion as if to shoot. Barzagli's strength was face-to-face defending, but in this high-speed situation, he had few options but to react.
Reacting defensively, Barzagli immediately moved to block the shot. Mahrez, however, simply pulled the ball back, gliding past Barzagli cleanly.
Mahrez had passed three Juventus players!
At this moment, only Juventus's last central defender, Bonucci, was left.
As Mahrez moved past Barzagli, Bonucci suddenly pressed forward. It was as if Mahrez had already anticipated this next move. He nudged the ball forward, then twisted his body, brushing past the onrushing Bonucci.
He didn't even give Bonucci, known as one of the top defenders in football, a chance to engage him closely.
Under the shocked gaze of all present, the only obstacle remaining between Mahrez and the goal was Juventus goalkeeper Buffon.
This was the final and most difficult barrier.
Buffon, considered one of the finest goalkeepers in football, had intimidated many forwards who faced him one-on-one. Moreover, Buffon was in excellent form today, having neutralized three dangerous shots from Udinese earlier in the match.
Besides Di Natale's attempt in the first half, at the 52nd minute, Buffon had made a miraculous double save. Bruno had sent a ball into the box from the right, spinning it toward the near corner in a freakish manner. Buffon reacted swiftly, moving quickly and diving to push the ball away just before it crossed the goal line.
The ball was controlled by the forward-charging Di Natale, who shot from 9 meters, only to see Buffon, still on the ground, heroically block it again.
Buffon's excellent saves had fully warmed him up, and now facing Mahrez, who had bypassed four players, he decisively chose to advance.
At this moment, Mahrez was very close to Buffon, and the angle for the shot was extremely tight.
Some commentators sighed, thinking Mahrez had carried the ball too far. Perhaps it would have been better to shoot from distance when facing Barzagli or to pass. Now, he had almost no angle left to shoot.
Yet, the past sequence of dribbling past four players was truly spectacular.
Then, everyone's eyes widened.
Facing the onrushing Buffon, Mahrez flicked the ball with his left foot.
At the moment of the shot, Mahrez had no time to consider much. He was only aware that Buffon was advancing, and the far corner on the goalkeeper's left was the only viable shot path.
He didn't even have time to think about how difficult that shot path was; his mind was filled with one thought: score!
The ball was struck, and as Mahrez was about to collide with Buffon, he instinctively made a dodging maneuver. Still, he couldn't avoid Buffon completely, stumbled, and then fell to the ground, rolling.
Lying on the ground, Mahrez saw the net shake.
"GOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!"
"Mahrez! Mahrez!! Mahrez!!! After bypassing four Juventus defenders, the Algerian scores an incredibly crazy goal!"
"Incredible goal, Mahrez, he did it, he stunned everyone!"
The vast Allianz Stadium fell eerily silent at that moment, so quiet that you could almost hear a heartbeat.
All the home fans were stunned by Mahrez's crazy goal, staring dumbfounded as Udinese players celebrated wildly in front of them.
Then, a massive chorus of boos rose from the stands, though it was unclear whether they were booing the Udinese players or their own.
(End of Chapter)
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