Chapter 154: The Tiger Bares Its Fangs
The camera then focused on the Udinese players on the field, particularly zooming in on Bruno.
"Bruno looks somewhat fatigued; clearly, last weekend's battle with Juventus took a toll on him!" the commentator noted. "Three days of rest have not been enough to return him to peak condition."
On the sidelines in the tactical area, Ludogorets' coach, Georgi Dermendzhiev, glanced at Bruno, confident with the lead his team held. He didn't believe that Bruno, just three days removed from a grueling 90-minute match against the Italian giants Juventus, could pose a significant threat in his tired state.
Dermendzhiev clenched his fist forcefully, a broad smile on his face, enjoying the feeling of having everything under control.
As the first-half whistle blew, Udinese found themselves trailing 0:1 at their home ground, Friuli Stadium. Coach Guidolin, without turning back, headed straight down the tunnel as the cameras captured his displeasure.
… Far away in the East, the game was also being broadcasted by Xinlang Sports, with famous commentators Zhan Jun and Zhang Lu providing the commentary.
"Ah, Guidolin is angry," said Zhang Lu.
"If I were Guidolin, I'd be angry too," Zhan Jun added. "Udinese played terribly in the first half. Although their attacks seemed fierce, they rarely threatened Ludogorets' goal, and they were caught off guard by a sneak attack!"
"If you had to score the performance of the Udinese players in the first half, who would be at the bottom?" Zhang Lu asked his partner.
"Di Natale!" Zhan Jun replied without hesitation. Throughout the first half, he had been critical of Di Natale's performance.
It wasn't that Di Natale lacked effort; in fact, the nearly 37-year-old veteran covered as much ground as the average Udinese player, not falling behind. But Zhan Jun was dissatisfied with Di Natale's tendency to fall too easily in the game.
As the captain of Udinese and the only player with Champions League experience, having played in all ten of Udinese's matches in the 2005-2006 season and scoring four goals, Di Natale was expected to lead by example. Guidolin had confidently started him and had arranged for the dynamic young duo of Guilherme and Videmon to flank him, adding punch to the attack.
… As the sole focal point on Udinese's attack line, Guidolin hoped Di Natale could hold his position upfront, serving as the bridgehead for the team's assaults. However, Di Natale's physical confrontations with the opponents were often resolved by him falling to the ground, leading to frequent scenes of him sitting on the pitch, gesturing in complaint—ignored by the referee.
Perhaps Di Natale's intentions were good, aiming to win free kicks for his team, but the referee's leniency meant that such minor contacts were not being penalized.
As the match continued, Di Natale persisted with his easy falls, an approach unbefitting an experienced veteran. Initially, the referee would explain his decisions to Di Natale; later, he merely gestured for Di Natale to get up and walked away without giving the Udinese captain another glance.
Di Natale's performance was so lacking that it stymied Udinese's attacks, leading Guilherme, Videmon, and Bruno to eventually take matters into their own hands, trying to breach the solid, well-organized Ludogorets defense through individual efforts.
… In the locker room at halftime, Di Natale confronted his teammates, "Hey, why did you stop passing to me?" he complained to Videmon, Guilherme, and Bruno.
Bruno frowned, sensing that Di Natale was off his game but withheld criticism out of respect. Videmon simply spread his hands, implying, "Captain, you know what's going on with yourself, right?"
Guilherme, ever straightforward, blurted out, "Passing to you didn't help; you couldn't keep the ball anyway!"
Di Natale was about to retort when Bruno cut him off, "Enough, the coach is coming."
Guidolin quickly reviewed the first half's problems and made immediate substitutions. "Antonio, you're resting the second half," he announced to Di Natale, ignoring his shocked expression, then turned to Sterlian Tairo, a forward on loan from Chievo: "Sterlian, warm up now. You're going in when the second half starts."
This change, although surprising to some players, was accepted after considering Di Natale's poor performance, perhaps exacerbated by the recent tough game against Juventus or other factors.
Di Natale, unprepared to be substituted at halftime, opened his mouth to speak but ultimately remained silent.
Guidolin then detailed tactical adjustments for the second half, allowing a few minutes for the players to prepare. During this time, Di Natale handed the captain's armband to Bruno, muttering, "It's on you now," before walking away.
Bruno patted Di Natale's shoulder, unsure of how to comfort his captain.
… As the second half began, Ludogorets' coach, Dermendzhiev, was surprised to see Guidolin substitute Di Natale so early but felt a sense of pride that his team had disconcerted Udinese enough to force such a change. However, he signaled his players to close down on Tairo, not giving the tall Frenchman any comfortable chances to receive the ball.
"Just stop their focal point up front, and a tired Bruno won't be much of a threat," thought Dermendzhiev.
The second half started with Udinese increasing their pace, quickly drawing a foul from Ludogorets. Bruno took a quick free kick, passing to Guilherme on the left, who drew the defense before cutting back to Alan in the middle, who then passed it to Videmon on the right.
Videmon stopped the ball at the edge of the large box, pulled back, and then lofted a pass. Bruno, positioned just outside the box arc, received the ball, holding off Ludogorets' defender Minyev and turned neatly.
As Minyev and another defender, Ivanov, closed in to double-team, Bruno deftly maneuvered the ball, feinting a pass to Videmon, drawing Ivanov's movement. He then pulled the ball back, holding off Minyev's challenge, and found a gap in their defense.
Without hesitation, Bruno lofted a beautiful arc over the heads of Minyev and Ivanov, sending the ball sailing into the far corner of the net. Ludogorets' goalkeeper Borjan was motionless, his neck craning as he watched the ball hit the net.
1:1! Just two minutes into the second half, Bruno scored, leveling the match for Udinese.
(End of Chapter)