บท 113: Chapter 113: An Excellent Situation
Chapter 113: An Excellent Situation
Jorge Jesus, who has coached Benfica for five years, commands significant respect among the players, and they generally follow his tactics. However, not every player is entirely convinced by Jesus, including the young defensive midfielder, André Gomes. The 21-year-old Portuguese player, who had fought alongside Bruno in last summer's U20 World Cup, knows him well. Despite their acquaintance, Gomes doesn't feel inferior to Bruno, although their current circumstances are vastly different. Bruno is now a commanding midfielder for the Serie A side Udinese, hardly missing a game and well-known across Europe as an emerging talent. Gomes, despite being a regular in the U20 World Cup, has had limited opportunities at Benfica, though he has performed well when given the chance. His start in this match is primarily because he knows Bruno well, so Jesus assigned him specifically to mark Bruno.
In the game, however, Bruno, Udinese's attacking midfielder, retreats too far back, almost aligning with the defensive midfield, which complicates Gomes' task of marking him. As Udinese's playmaker, Bruno enjoys a great deal of freedom, something Gomes as a young, positionally insecure midfielder at Benfica, cannot afford. Consequently, Gomes fails to contain Bruno, allowing him to help Udinese take the lead and push Benfica into a tight spot.
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Gomes feels responsible for the goal conceded and senses the change in how his teammates and coach look at him, as well as the distrust from the Benfica fans in the stands. Unwilling to accept defeat, Gomes resolves to show Bruno that he cannot just stroll through midfield, passing and organizing at will as if Benfica's midfield is absent. Despite his nearly 1.9 meters of height and being a product of Benfica's youth academy, Gomes possesses good technical skills. He can contribute precise tackles and robust interceptions in defense and also advance with the ball to assist in attacks.
Soon to turn 21, Gomes sees his chances at Benfica dwindling, though he isn't short of suitors and plans to leave this summer to seek opportunities elsewhere, such as with the La Liga team Valencia, who have already contacted his agent. But before he departs, he wants to leave a mark in this game.
When Bruno next receives the ball, intending to pass forward, Gomes closes in on him. Bruno is unable to turn and thus cannot pass forward as he intended. Surprised, Bruno, who had studied Gomes and knew his strengths and weaknesses, expected to have more freedom. He had positioned himself deeper in the field than usual, knowing Gomes wouldn't be able to shadow him closely throughout the game due to his slower pace.
The first thirty minutes before the goal proved his strategy effective, with Gomes focusing more on defending against Maksuél and others, rarely pressing Bruno over twenty meters. But now, Gomes's persistence seemed driven by an unwillingness to accept defeat.
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Unable to turn, Bruno passes the ball back, and Gomes doesn't follow but stays close by, ready to press again if the ball returns to Bruno. If Bruno tries to pass or carry the ball forward, Gomes is prepared to intercept or commit a foul without hesitation. Initially pressured, Bruno quickly finds a way to deal with Gomes's solo effort, as Benfica's team doesn't coordinate with Gomes's sudden defensive push, leaving them somewhat disorganized—an opportunity for Udinese.
Gomes's original position is left unguarded. With Benfica fielding two defensive midfielders, the other being the Serbian Ljubomir Fejsa, they now face the challenge of Maksuél and others without sufficient coverage.
Bruno signals Maksuél and others to close the gap, but to prevent Benfica's defenders from pressing forward, Dinatale must continue to stretch their defense by staying up front. Bruno then begins to direct the play.
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As Bruno receives the ball, Gomes bumps into him, causing a slight stagger, but Bruno maintains control. If this encounter had occurred two years earlier, Bruno might have lost the ball, but two years of intensive training, particularly his experience in Serie A, have significantly improved his physical resilience. He slightly moves the ball away and passes it to Kanté next to him.
Despite Gomes sticking close, he is fully aware that Bruno is the tactical core for Udinese; freezing him is akin to paralyzing the whole team, so he doesn't pay much attention to anyone else. Kanté, initially intending to return the ball to Bruno, changes his plan on Bruno's gesture and instead passes it directly to Maksuél.
Kanté glances forward, immediately grasping Bruno's intent. With Gomes out of position and fixated on Bruno, Maksuél finds himself unguarded. Benfica's defense, having conceded earlier, refuses to follow Maksuél, fearing another exploitation of gaps by Bruno, thus leaving Maksuél with considerable freedom.
Kanté quickly passes the ball to Maksuél before the defense can react. As Maksuél receives the ball, no Benfica player approaches to defend. Gomes, realizing his critical mistake, abandons Bruno and rushes toward Maksuél.
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"Maksuél receives the ball, and incredibly, he is unguarded... Benfica makes another defensive error at such a crucial moment!" Gomes dashes back, seeing Maksuél preparing for a direct shot. Indeed, unmarked and facing the goal, Maksuél, who loves shooting, wouldn't pass up such an opportunity. Although it's a long shot, not one of those "blind" ones prohibited by Dinatale earlier in the game, no opportunity for a long shot could be better than this.
Maksuël plants his supporting foot on the slightly slick surface and swings his right foot. Gomes attempts a desperate slide to block the shot, but he's just a tad late. Maksuël's foot connects with the ball, sending it spinning through the air, cutting through the rain, spinning off the droplets.
Artur dives to save, but the ball's curve is too much, bypassing his stretched fingers and brushing past the post into the net.
"2:0! Fantastic! With a total score of 4:1, Udinese extends their lead!!" "More importantly, Udinese now holds the advantage with away goals! For Benfica to overturn Udinese, scoring three goals to equalize is no longer sufficient; they need four, while ensuring Udinese scores no more!"
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Gomes's slide tackles nothing but air; Maksuél's ball is already gone, and he leaps up, dodging the late challenge. Lying on the ground, Gomes is frustrated, not anticipating that Bruno could orchestrate an effective attack without passing.
Maksuél rushes to the camera at the corner flag, vigorously punching the air in celebration of his goal. The Udinese players swarm him, knowing the weight of this goal. Now with the advantage in away goals and leading by three on aggregate, the situation signifies that Benfica must score at least four more goals while preventing any further scores by Udinese.
"Udinese! Udinese!! Udinese!!!" The Udinese players huddle, shouting and jumping in celebration.
Meanwhile, the Benfica players stand rooted to the spot, shocked that they've fallen into such a dire situation before even half-time. Truly a predicament! With less than an hour remaining, Benfica needs to score four goals and keep Udinese from scoring—a daunting challenge.
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Benfica fans in the stands express their dissatisfaction and anger at the team's performance, giving rise to boos, a first directed not at Udinese but at their own team's lackluster display.
"Attack! Attack! Attack!" "What are you hesitating for, Jorge?! We're three goals down; aren't you going to attack? You coward! Have you forgotten how you led Benfica before?! Have you forgotten how we topped the Primeira Liga? Courage, we need the courage to attack! Jorge!!" The fans shout at coach Jorge Jesus.
Jesus, hands cradling his head at the sideline, looks incredulous. He never anticipated such a poor defensive performance, allowing the opponent to exploit gaps successfully. While his tactical choices were not necessarily wrong, why did they fail to yield results? With the game unfolding this way, he's at a loss for words. What adjustments should be made during the half-time break? His mind goes blank... (End of Chapter)
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