Chương 151: Chapter 151: Bruno's Real Debut for Portugal
Chapter 151: Bruno's Real Debut for Portugal
On the evening of September 1, 2014, European summer transfer windows closed, but the widely speculated transfer of Bruno to Real Madrid had not been announced. Fans realized they had been misled by the media throughout the summer. However, Udinese fans were thrilled, as this meant Bruno would remain with the team for another season.
Meanwhile, Bruno had already flown back to Portugal, but instead of returning to his home in Porto, he went straight to Lisbon. During this international break, Portugal had only one match, their first game in the 2016 European Championship qualifying group stage, where they would host Albania.
In the group stage draw, Portugal was placed in Group I along with Albania, Denmark, Serbia, and Armenia. This was the only group with five teams among the nine groups. With the expanded format of the European Championship finals, increasing from 16 to 24 teams, the qualification rules had also changed significantly. The top two teams from each group, along with the best third-placed team, would directly qualify for the finals. The remaining eight third-placed teams would face off in two-legged playoffs, with four winners also advancing.
... For Portugal, the sole aim was to top the group. Despite dropping from fourth to eleventh in the FIFA rankings due to their poor World Cup performance, they remained the highest-ranked team in Group I and the strongest on paper. However, their group opponents were no pushovers. Denmark was ranked 26th, Serbia 31st, Armenia 36th, with Albania ranked the lowest at 70th.
Regarding this European Championship, Bruno remembered Portugal's journey to the finals, often mocked for progressing mainly through draws and C Ronaldo's limited time due to injury in the final match. However, he was unsure about the qualifying stage details. Nonetheless, given Portugal's superior strength, securing the top spot seemed feasible.
The bad news for Portugal was the absence of their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, due to injury. The good news was that Santos had called up Bruno, who had been performing exceptionally in Serie A, and had no hesitation in placing him in the starting lineup. The usual starting midfielder, Moutinho, was benched.
They say a new broom sweeps clean. Although the squad list did not differ much from Bento's, Santos made several changes to the starting lineup. The midfield trio was entirely new, all from the 90s: William Carvalho (1992), Andre Gomes (1993), and Bruno (1994).
... For Bruno, this was a very special day. The match began at 7:45 PM local time on September 7 in Portugal, just over four hours before his 20th birthday. The outcome of the game would be his birthday gift to himself.
However, as the match commenced, Bruno quickly realized something was amiss. The Portuguese team felt entirely unfamiliar to him. The only relatively familiar faces were Andre Gomes, with whom he had played in the Toulon Tournament and U-20 World Cup the previous summer, and defenders Pepe and Coentrão, who had played against Bruno in the recent UEFA Super Cup.
The rest of the players had only practiced briefly with Bruno two days before the match, leaving him unfamiliar with their playing styles. Conversely, Albania played with great cohesion. Fortunately for Portugal, Albania's limited talent and one-dimensional tactics allowed the Portuguese team to regain their composure quickly, thwarting Albania's attempts to exploit spaces behind the defense.
Portugal's players engaged in extensive running and pressing in the attacking third, unsettling Albania and causing frequent errors. The most significant of these occurred in the 12th minute when Bruno and Nani combined, leading to Nani's shot from outside the box being saved by the Albanian goalkeeper.
Nine minutes later, a defensive lapse from Portugal almost allowed Albania to capitalize on a long pass, but the Albanian attacker mishandled the ball, squandering an open goal opportunity. The first half ended goalless.
... During halftime, coach Fernando Santos praised the team's performance but urged them to continue their efforts, emphasizing Portugal's superior individual talents over Albania's, making victory achievable.
Before the second half, Santos replaced the underperforming winger Vieirinha with the young Cavaleiro, hoping the change would improve the team's performance. Albania adjusted their tactics to press more aggressively in midfield, disrupting Portugal's passing and triggering frequent turnovers, leading to dangerous counterattacks.
In the 51st minute, Roshi's right-wing cross found Balaj, who broke free from Pepe's marking and volleyed into the net. Portugal was now trailing 1-0 at home. Santos responded by substituting the error-prone William Carvalho with Ricardo Horta, aiming to boost the attack.
... Throughout the match, Bruno faced intense scrutiny from Albania. They clearly recognized his talent and focused on containing him, but Bruno noticed significant gaps in their defense, easily finding open spaces.
In the first half, Bruno had delivered several good passes, but his teammates failed to capitalize due to a lack of understanding of his playstyle. Similarly, Bruno struggled with the timing and accuracy of passes received from his teammates.
Realizing Albania's defensive focus on him, Bruno decided to use this to his advantage by drawing defenders away and creating opportunities for his teammates. This strategic shift revitalized Portugal's attack, with Bruno actively finding open spaces and distributing the ball to less guarded areas.
... As the saying goes, "a tree casts a long shadow." Bruno's achievements with Udinese were well-documented by the Portuguese media, earning him great respect from his national teammates. They frequently passed to Bruno, and his role shift immediately energized Portugal's offensive play.
In the 60th minute, Bruno found space on the left wing and called for the ball. Nani passed to him, and Bruno skillfully controlled it, turning to face the defense. His sudden movement caught the Albanian defenders off guard, and three of them rushed towards him, leaving Nani unmarked on the right. Bruno quickly sent a precise through ball to Nani, who raced to the ball and found himself in open space with teammates ready in the box.
Nani crossed to Eder near the penalty spot, who calmly slotted the ball into the Albanian net. The score was now 1-1, just three minutes after Portugal had conceded. The crowd erupted in applause.
Eder ran to Nani, embracing him tightly, while the rest of the Portuguese team swarmed around them. This goal was crucial, as they knew a home loss to Albania would bring immense post-match pressure.
... With the game tied, Albania grew desperate and committed more players to their attacks, but Portugal, known for their counterattacks, found it easy to defend against Albania's one-dimensional play.
The solid defense paved the way for effective counterattacks. In the 68th minute, right-back Pereira advanced with the ball. Bruno, again calling for the ball, received it and after a quick touch, delivered a diagonal pass to Nani on the left. Unmarked, Nani took the shot and scored, putting Portugal ahead 2-1.
Bruno's vision and passing ability were instrumental, seamlessly shifting play from the right to the left and catching Albania off guard. Five minutes later, Bruno received the ball near the edge of the box, dodged a defender, and passed to Pereira on the right, who crossed it back for Bruno to tap into the net.
The score was now 3-1, with Bruno contributing significantly to all three goals, showcasing his skill and intelligence on the field.
(End of Chapter)
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