บท 119: Chapter 119: A Killer Schedule
Chapter 119: A Killer Schedule
When the draw for the Europa League semi-finals was announced, Udinese fans were stunned. Clearly, this was the worst possible outcome. Compared to Sevilla and Valencia, who are currently fifth and eighth in La Liga, Juventus is far stronger, leading the Serie A table by a significant margin. What made Udinese fans even more despondent was their upcoming schedule.
At this point in the season, almost all the fixtures had been announced. According to the current scenario, Udinese has to play at least 9 and at most 10 more matches this season. These games include three against Juventus and two against Napoli.
On the evening of April 14th, Udinese will host Juventus at the Friuli Stadium for the 33rd round of Serie A. Five days later, on April 19th at noon, Udinese will face another strong opponent at the Friuli Stadium—this time, Napoli, for the 34th round of Serie A. Shortly after, on April 24th, Udinese's opponent at the Friuli Stadium switches back to Juventus for the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals.
Following this, Udinese will travel to Turin for back-to-back matches. On April 27th at noon, they'll challenge Torino at the Olympic Stadium in Turin, and then on the evening of May 1st, they face Juventus at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. These two matches are part of Serie A's 35th round and the second leg of the Europa League semi-finals, respectively.
Just after their Europa League bout with Juventus, Udinese must rush to Rome to compete against Napoli at the Olympic Stadium in Rome on the evening of May 3rd, vying for this season's Coppa Italia title.
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In 19 days, Udinese faces six matches, each against formidable opponents, each a critical test of survival—they are literally battles for life and death. This is the true definition of a "killer schedule." The success or failure of Udinese's entire season will be decided in these short 19 days.
Even if Udinese successfully navigates this deadly stretch from April to early May, it doesn't mean they are out of the woods. More hardships await them.
On the afternoon of May 6th, at the Friuli Stadium, Udinese will face Bruno's former team, Novara, for the 36th round of Serie A. Four days later, on May 10th in the afternoon, Udinese faces this season's Serie A dark horse, Verona, in the 37th round.
If Udinese triumphs over Juventus in the Europa League semi-finals, they will face the winner between Valencia and Sevilla in the Europa League final at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on the night of May 14th.
The season wraps up on the evening of May 18th at the Friuli Stadium against Sampdoria, in what will be Udinese's final match of the season.
At that point, Udinese's final results for the season will be conclusively determined.
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The Serie A round 33 match against Juventus is a particularly complicated affair for Udinese. After 32 rounds, Juventus leads with 84 points from 27 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses, while second-placed Roma has 71 points, trailing by 13 points.
If Roma loses at home to Atalanta in this round and Juventus wins against Udinese at the Friuli Stadium, then Juventus will be 16 points ahead with only 5 rounds remaining—a scenario that would see Juventus lifting the Serie A trophy right there at the Friuli Stadium!
Such an outcome would be a severe blow to Udinese. Fortunately, Roma managed a 3:1 victory over Atalanta in their Saturday night match. This means that even if Udinese loses to Juventus on Monday night, Juventus won't be celebrating their championship at the Friuli Stadium.
Thus, Guidolin decisively chose to concede this critical Serie A match, including resting key players like Bruno and Dinatale. Without their core players, Udinese predictably lost 0:2 to Juventus.
With this victory over a strong Udinese side, Juventus is just one step away from clinching a third consecutive Serie A title. If they beat Bologna at the Allianz Stadium in Turin in the next round, they will clinch the championship four rounds early.
Furthermore, if Udinese wants to qualify for next season's Champions League, their match against Napoli in the 34th round will be crucial. After 33 rounds, Udinese is third with 66 points, while Napoli is just behind in fourth place with 64 points.
If Udinese loses at home to Napoli, not only would they suffer their first three-match losing streak of the season, but they would also fall behind Napoli and out of the Champions League places.
However, if Udinese wins at home, they will extend their lead over Napoli to five points, which is crucial for qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Therefore, Bruno, who is eager to participate in the Champions League, absolutely will not allow his team to lose at home to Napoli, even though they face Juventus in the first leg of the Europa League semi-finals just five days later.
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Faced with Bruno's eagerness to compete, Guidolin hesitated only briefly before agreeing to his request. If possible, Guidolin also hopes that Udinese can play in the Champions League next season.
In the past two seasons, Udinese had the potential to participate in the Champions League but were eliminated in the play-offs due to insufficient strength, forcing them to compete in the Europa League instead.
Now, with Bruno enhancing Udinese's capabilities, Guidolin is eager to experience the atmosphere of the Champions League proper.
After the match started, Udinese players seemed somewhat distracted. For the first half-hour, they failed to score, and at the 31st minute, Badu missed a golden opportunity. At the 38th minute, Udinese was dealt a blow when Zapata threw in a ball, and Callejon volleyed it into the net from the air within the box.
1:0, Napoli took the lead away, and moved above Udinese to third place in the live standings. This goal was a wake-up call for Udinese.
Realizing the situation, Udinese regained their composure, but with little time left in the first half, they couldn't equalize before the break.
As the second half began, Udinese's performance normalized significantly. Cheered on by their fans at the Friuli Stadium, they firmly controlled the game. All they needed was a goal to stabilize everyone's nerves and get the match back on track.
But when would that goal come?
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At the 54th minute, Udinese was controlling the ball outside Napoli's box, and Bruno received the ball. He passed it to Muriel, then made a run forward, signaling Muriel to pass it back.
With his back to the attacking direction, Muriel held off the Napoli defender marking him and then flicked the ball sideways.
Bruno received the ball at the edge of the large box, feinted a shot, fooling Napoli's defender Fernandez, and gently flicked the ball with the outside of his left foot, darting past him into the box.
"Bruno!! Beautiful dribble!" exclaimed the local Udinese TV commentator, as the stands at the Friuli Stadium erupted in cheers.
After dodging Fernandez, Bruno drove into the box. Facing a swarm of Napoli players rushing towards him, he chose not to pass but to shoot himself.
He swung his right foot at the ball in a side stance, aiming for the far corner—a technique he excels in. So, when Napoli's goalkeeper Reina saw Bruno leaning back, he assumed Bruno was aiming for the far corner again and shifted his weight to that side.
But when Bruno's foot hit the ball, it wasn't a curling shot with the inside of his foot, but a straight strike with the laces!
The ball was driven towards the near post, and it was incredibly fast!
By the time Reina tried to shift his balance to cover the near post, it was too late. He could only freeze in place, watching the ball fly into his net.
The goal that could bring everyone back on track had finally arrived!
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"Bruno——!!" The Friuli Stadium's DJ drew out Bruno's name as the stands erupted into a tidal wave of noise.
After the goal, Bruno turned to celebrate, but before he could, Muriel grabbed him, nearly ripping his shirt, and then Bruno was tackled to the ground, with more players piling on top of them.
They celebrated wildly in front of the Napoli goal.
Following Bruno's goal, the entire Udinese team returned to normal. Soon after, Udinese launched a fierce assault on Napoli's goal, and in the 63rd minute, Muriel scored another goal from Bruno's pass.
2:1—Udinese reversed the score!
In the 81st minute, it was Bruno again. Under close pressure from an opponent, he managed an awkward through pass to Muriel at the edge of the box. Muriel chose to lob the ball, sending it over the head of the advancing Napoli goalkeeper Reina and into the net.
"3:1! Udinese has completely secured the victory! With today's two assists, Bruno's league assist tally has reached 21!"
"This number may still be short of the 32 assists he achieved last season at Novara, but now he's playing in Serie A, not Serie B!"
"Adding his 7 assists in the Europa League and 2 in the Coppa Italia, Bruno has a total of 30 assists this season, a unique achievement across Europe. And by the end of the season, his total assists might even surpass last season's 32!"
"In addition to his 17 league goals and 11 Europa League goals, Bruno has managed to perform better this season in Serie A, a much tougher league than Serie B. It's undeniable—Bruno is a phenomenal player!"
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