Chapter 242: In Top Form
Bruno thought the Champions League draw was favorable, but the public dubbed it the "group of death" because all four teams were of similar strength, making it tough for any team to easily advance.
As the seed and defending Champions League winners, Udinese should have been the group's top team. However, due to significant player losses and lackluster signings over the summer, their strength had notably declined.
Manchester United, in the second pot as the fourth-placed team in the Premier League last season, remained a formidable team despite struggling in the two seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement. Under the leadership of renowned manager Louis van Gaal in his second season, expectations for United were high.
Wolfsburg, the third-pot team and last season's Bundesliga runners-up, were also strong contenders. Although they lost their midfield star Kevin De Bruyne over the summer, their other transfers were promising, making them a team to watch.
CSKA Moscow, a traditional powerhouse in the Russian Premier League, were no pushovers either.
Overall, the group had no superpower team, but the evenly matched strength of all four teams made the group genuinely challenging, as any team could potentially advance or be eliminated.
Udinese was deemed to be in the "group of death," and the other Italian teams didn't fare much better.
Lazio was knocked out of the Champions League in the playoffs by last season's third-placed Bundesliga team Borussia Mönchengladbach and had to settle for the Europa League. This meant that Serie A had already lost one Champions League spot before the season began.
Juventus and Roma, who directly qualified for the group stage, also ended up in tough groups.
Juventus found themselves in a group with La Liga giants Barcelona, former French champions Lyon, and Belarusian side BATE Borisov.
Roma was grouped with Zenit Saint Petersburg, Valencia, and Belgian team Gent, forming another evenly matched group.
The media speculated that after two seasons of resurgence, Italian teams were now being targeted by UEFA.
After the draw, Guidolin and Di Natale shared a wry smile but remained undaunted.
In a subsequent interview, Bruno cheerfully remarked that with the teams being so closely matched in strength, no match would be particularly difficult.
"We need to take each match step by step and ensure we perform well to secure our advancement from the group stage."
Following the draw, betting companies like William Hill released their odds, with Barcelona being the top favorite to win the Champions League, followed by Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Manchester United.
As for the defending champions, Udinese, their odds ranked them between eighth and tenth across major betting companies, clearly not favored to win again, even ranking below Juventus, who were generally placed seventh.
However, these odds suggested that while Udinese was not expected to win the championship, they were still considered likely to reach the knockout stages.
Shortly after returning to Italy from Monaco, Udinese faced Palermo at the Stadio Friuli in the second round of the Serie A season.
This match marked Bruno's first appearance after being named UEFA's Best Player of the previous season, and his first home game of the season. As he and his teammates emerged from the tunnel, Udinese fans filled the stadium with chants of his name, cheering him on.
Despite rumors suggesting Bruno's stay might be temporary, Udinese fans were proud to have him.
"Everyone is eagerly waiting to see if Bruno, by staying, can lead Udinese to challenge for the league title and Champions League glory again, and whether he can replicate last season's outstanding form and momentum."
Bruno raised his hands to applaud the fans, looking relaxed as he hopped around the field, showing no signs of pre-match tension.
However, Palermo's coach Iachini was very nervous, knowing that such ease in a player of Bruno's caliber often led to a sudden spark that could change the course of the game. He warned his players to be extremely cautious.
Palermo's defenders, having faced Bruno's sharp attacks before, were on high alert from the start, fearing any slip-up.
Even so, Bruno quickly posed a threat.
In just the second minute, Bruno forcefully broke through on the left, dribbling past two Palermo players before crossing to the far post, where Di Natale's shot was acrobatically saved by goalkeeper Sorrentino.
Udinese continued their aggressive push.
First, Widmer received the ball on the right and crossed it, with Maguire heading just wide from inside the box.
After Palermo took a goal kick, Udinese quickly won the ball back. Iturra made a diagonal pass to the left, and Bruno, without stopping the ball, volleyed it towards the edge of the box, where Théréau's follow-up shot went just wide.
A minute later, Bruno took a shot from 30 meters out, but it went well over the bar.
Udinese kept up the pressure, with Bruno creating numerous threats, forcing Palermo to commit heavily to central defense, which left the flanks exposed for Udinese's wings.
Bruno played more restrained, using himself as a decoy to draw defenders' attention and allow his teammates to join the attack.
This shift frustrated Palermo's defenders, who couldn't afford to let their guard down against Bruno.
In the seventh minute, Bruno orchestrated an attack, with Cancelo cutting inside the box and passing to Iturra, who was fouled, earning Udinese a free-kick at the edge of the box.
Bruno confidently stepped up to take the free-kick, with Iturra acting as a decoy. Despite Palermo's meticulous defensive setup, Bruno's shot curled beautifully over the wall and dipped sharply, leaving Sorrentino wrong-footed and nestling into the net.
1-0!
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!"
"A brilliant free-kick goal from Bruno Fernandes!"
"Just seven minutes in, Bruno scores a fantastic free-kick, striking a blow to Palermo."
"Bruno's first home game of the new season and he's already on the scoresheet, showing excellent form."
"Scoring within seven minutes is a great start for Udinese."
Bruno's goal ignited the passion of the Udinese fans.
As the game resumed, Udinese pressed high and quickly regained possession.
Bruno passed back to Iturra, who sent a diagonal ball to Adnan on the left. Adnan controlled it and executed a splendid dribble past Palermo's left-back, crossing from the left side of the box.
In the box, Théréau's close-range header made it 2-0!
The Udinese fans were ecstatic.
Eight minutes, two goals, a dream start!
Udinese maintained their pressing and attacking intensity.
Just before halftime, Bruno created another chance. Cancelo's cross to the middle was met by Bruno's quick through ball to Di Natale, who coolly finished to make it 3-0!
Udinese ended the first half with a three-goal lead.
In the second half, Iachini made defensive adjustments, which initially stabilized Palermo's defense. For the first 30 minutes of the second half, they managed to hold off Udinese's attacks.
However, after the 70th minute, Udinese's dominance began to show again.
In the 70th minute, Struna's tackle on Bruno Fernandes earned him a second yellow card, reducing Palermo to ten men.
In the 79th minute, Bruno dropped deep to receive the ball, and Iturra promptly passed it to him. Bruno's right-footed pass split the defense, allowing Di Natale to dive and head the ball into the net, making it 4-0!
The entire Stadio Friuli erupted.
With a goal, two assists, and creating the red card incident, Bruno was directly involved in three goals and instrumental in the second goal.
After two games into the new season, Bruno had already recorded 1 goal and 3 assists!
(End of Chapter)
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