Chương 224: Chapter 224: A Crazy Game
Chapter 224: A Crazy Game
In the 74th minute of the match, Alves had the ball. Facing Cancelo's pressing, he chose to pass horizontally to Mascherano. "Intercepted! Brilliant!" Alves' pass was clearly too weak. Salah, like a leopard, rushed up, intercepted the ball, and headed straight for Barcelona's goal. The viewers saw a familiar scene. Alves was chasing back, but the Brazilian couldn't keep up with Salah's speed. At the top of the penalty area, Salah powered past Mathieu and suddenly shot with his left foot. The shot was powerful and fast, flying over Ter Stegen's hands and into the top corner of the goal.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!" "Salah! His second!" "4-2! The aggregate score is 5-5! Salah scores again in the 74th minute, and Udinese ties the aggregate score. Oh my God!"
The Friuli Stadium erupted. Over 40,000 Udinese fans jumped from their seats, cheering wildly. Guidolin rushed out of the coaching area, arms wide in celebration. The Udinese bench was also ecstatic. Salah didn't celebrate; he ran into the net, grabbed the ball, and sprinted to the center circle, shouting and waving his arms. His teammates, equally excited, surrounded him. The aggregate score was tied. Now, they only needed one more goal to eliminate Barcelona and advance to the Champions League final. The coach had said they could turn it around, and he was right!
Udinese's side was filled with excitement and high spirits. Barcelona, on the other hand, was stunned. From the 52nd to the 74th minute, they had conceded three goals in just 22 minutes, a significant blow to them.
"4-2! The aggregate score is 5-5!" Sky Sports commentator Lineker shouted excitedly. "Udinese has scored three consecutive goals. This match is incredible!" "Barcelona got complacent after leading 5-2 on aggregate. They played too relaxed, while Udinese played very cunningly," John Motson said. "After the second half started, Udinese didn't seem to be attacking. They stabilized their defense and suddenly exploded, catching Barcelona off guard!"
Enrique looked serious, feeling anxious. Barcelona made another substitution. Veteran Xavi came on for Iniesta. "Enrique's substitution is a bit contradictory," said Lineker, feeling good as Udinese was only one goal behind. "Bringing on Xavi, he should have kept Rakitic on. At 3-2, he thought about defense. Now that the aggregate score is tied, he's thinking about attacking again."
Guidolin snorted, seeing through Enrique's plan. But switching to an attacking player didn't mean they could immediately launch an attack. Barcelona's situation was similar to Udinese's when they conceded two quick goals in the first half; they were clearly a bit panicked. Furthermore, Udinese was now fully fired up and attacking fiercely. At this point, Barcelona was completely suppressed and couldn't attack effectively. Bringing on Xavi wasn't very effective.
Finally, Guidolin made a substitution, replacing team captain Di Natale with the tall striker Thereau.
Thereau, standing almost 1.9 meters tall, had a significant presence on the field. In the 83rd minute, Udinese found another opportunity in front of Barcelona's goal. Bruno, after a high-speed dribble on the flank, suddenly passed horizontally. The tall Thereau headed the ball on, and Salah, who received it, dribbled to near the baseline, then suddenly cut inside, ready to break into the box. Alves instinctively reached out but remembered he was in the penalty area and quickly withdrew his hand. In that moment, Salah cut into the box. Facing the advancing Ter Stegen, Salah passed horizontally. Thereau squeezed past Pique and got a foot on the ball, which bounced up and into the net.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!" "Cyril Thereau! The substitute scores a crucial goal for Udinese!" "5-2! The aggregate score is 6-5! My God! Udinese has turned the game around!"
The massive Friuli Stadium was in a frenzy, as if an earthquake had hit. Guidolin jumped up at the sideline, fists clenched, shouting. The Udinese bench was also in a frenzy. On the field, Barcelona players were stunned. On the sidelines, Enrique looked on in disbelief.
"5-2! Udinese scores four consecutive goals! This is one of the rare great comebacks in Champions League history!" The stadium was buzzing with excitement. The commentary box was equally ecstatic.
"This is unbelievable," Lineker said, shaking his head in amazement. "Guidolin's tactics and substitutions are fantastic. Udinese has shown incredible resilience and fighting spirit." "Barcelona has been taught a lesson by Udinese. They once led by three goals but failed to score again to kill the game," John Motson said, pausing, "Actually, with a three-goal lead and away goals advantage, who would have thought the game wouldn't be over? It's not that Barcelona didn't play well; it's that Udinese was too crazy!"
Enrique's frustration was evident. He looked at the bench and loudly called for Pedro to warm up. Two minutes later, Barcelona substituted Pedro for Mascherano. Barcelona switched to a 4-2-4 formation, with Enrique deciding to go all out. Guidolin immediately made adjustments as well. He substituted Widmer and Guilherme for Badu and Pinzi.
The two young wide players had almost exhausted their energy after nearly ninety minutes. Guidolin clearly hoped the experienced veterans would help the team withstand Barcelona's desperate counterattacks.
The game continued. "Enrique brings on Pedro, fielding a lineup with Suarez, Messi, Neymar, and Pedro, aiming to score again to win the match," Lineker said. "But from the past few minutes, it doesn't seem to be working." "Barcelona is in chaos. Having more forwards doesn't mean they can attack effectively. Udinese's morale is through the roof, and they are completely suppressing Barcelona now," Motson said.
"I must also praise Bruno," Motson continued. "He's incredibly versatile. Now, partnering with Kante as a double pivot, they're completely shutting down any potential Barcelona counterattacks." "And Cancelo, this young man is fierce and powerful. He and Salah are constantly attacking Alves on the left, making it tough for Alves."
Indeed, Alves, hailed by the media as the best right-back in football today, was struggling. Salah was relentless, constantly using his speed to attack. Coupled with the young bull-like Cancelo, it was overwhelming.
Just moments ago, Cancelo had charged forward with the ball. Alves intercepted, and the two collided. Alves was sent sprawling. Although the referee called a foul on Cancelo, the collision left Alves feeling complicated. What kind of monsters were these players on Udinese's left side? He couldn't handle them.
There were three minutes of added time. The massive Friuli Stadium was in chaos, a scene of contrasting emotions. The few hopeful Barcelona fans were leaving disappointed, some covering their faces in disbelief, many forgetting to boo. The 40,000 Udinese fans were in a frenzy, hugging, shouting, jumping, and screaming.
They couldn't believe their eyes. At halftime, Udinese was trailing 1-2 and 2-5 on aggregate. The players were dejected and even despairing. The 40,000 Udinese fans felt the same. They had no hope for the match, trailing by three goals with the away goals rule against them. This was an almost impossible situation for any professional team to recover from, especially against Barcelona, considered the strongest team in football today.
Everyone was in despair. Some Udinese fans even feared their team would concede more goals and suffer a humiliating defeat. Then, Di Natale stepped up, scoring a goal seven minutes into the second half, leveling the match and slightly easing the hearts of Udinese fans.
Next, Salah stepped up. His first goal reduced the deficit to two goals, bringing hope to the team. This young Egyptian, with his talent and relentless pursuit of attack, helped the team achieve one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.
"This is a miracle. I now believe in miracles!" veteran commentator John Motson said excitedly, almost incoherently. "Mohamed Salah! He is the undisputed hero!"
In the second half, Di Natale scored the first goal for Udinese, assisted by Bruno, but it was Salah who created the corner. In the following game, Salah scored two goals, assisted on Thereau's goal, and created the opportunity for another. Out of the five goals, he had two goals and one assist, and he created another chance. Salah etched his name in the night of the Friuli Stadium.
"After this match, Mohamed Salah will become the offensive talent that all of Europe wants!" Lineker said with a sigh.
(End of Chapter)
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