Chapter 279: Never Give Up

Chapter 279: Never Give Up

Juventus, with a commanding lead, firmly controlled the game, but in the 41st minute, Udinese conceded their fourth goal of the match. Dybala passed the ball to the center, and Alex Sandro cut in from the left and scored a beautiful curling shot from 15 meters, making it 0-4. Dybala's contributions this season have accounted for 49% of Juventus's total goals.

At halftime, Guidolin considered substituting Bruno out. Given the current situation, Udinese had no chance of a comeback today. It seemed more practical to rest Bruno for upcoming matches. After all, only 20 rounds of Serie A had been played, with almost half the season remaining. Udinese needed to plan for the long term. Even if they lost today, they would still be 9 points ahead of Juventus.

However, Bruno refused Guidolin's suggestion. As this was his first game after winning the Ballon d'Or, it was supposed to be his personal celebration. Ending the game in such a manner would make him a laughingstock. Today, even if Udinese lost and were humiliated, he had to stay until the end. He would rather die standing than live kneeling!

At the start of the second half, Juventus slowed their pace. They had a Coppa Italia quarter-final against Lazio next week, which would not be an easy match. With victory already in their grasp, they saw no need to continue pressing Udinese aggressively. Allegri soon substituted Cáceres for Chiellini, shifting from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 formation to strengthen their defense.

Cáceres, the main left-back for the powerful Uruguayan national team, was just a substitute in this star-studded Juventus lineup, which featured top internationals from various strong footballing nations.

Despite Juventus having the game well in hand, Bruno refused to give up. He tirelessly ran up and down the pitch, seizing every opportunity. He felt like he was back in the Boavista youth academy, running around the field like a headless chicken, searching for chances.

He deeply understood the disparity in strength between the two teams. Sometimes, all you can do is keep running.

Bruno knew that no team in the world was unbeatable, but he didn't want his team to lose like this. Being dominated so thoroughly without putting up a decent fight would be a crushing blow for Udinese.

Maybe inspired by Bruno, or perhaps driven by their own frustration, Udinese's players gradually reignited their fighting spirit. Led by Di Natale, Badu, and second-half substitute Heurtaux, they began to press Juventus and launch counterattacks whenever possible.

In the 77th minute, Juventus were in possession, attacking. Dybala had the ball in the front, with Badu and Ednilson closing in from different directions to defend. Before they could close the trap, Dybala passed the ball, but Badu, anticipating the move, intercepted it.

"Great job!" Guidolin shouted from the sidelines. Juventus were pushing forward, making it a perfect time for a counterattack. Badu immediately passed the ball to Bruno. Without exceptional passing skills, Badu's pass went directly to Bruno's feet rather than ahead of him, which would have leveraged Bruno's speed advantage.

Bruno received the ball, took a touch forward, and began to accelerate. At the same time, Di Natale and Immobile were making quick runs forward.

"Watch their counterattack!" Allegri yelled from the sideline.

Lichtsteiner felt a surge of relief; he was glad he had suppressed his urge to push too far forward. Had he not restrained himself, Juventus's right flank would have been wide open now. Lichtsteiner stepped up to Bruno, thinking he could intercept the ball and launch another counterattack for Juventus. If successful, Juventus would be 5-0 up against Udinese. Although a 4-0 or 5-0 result both yield the same 3 points, a bigger margin of victory would be a much greater blow to Udinese.

Just as Lichtsteiner thought he could intercept the ball and help Juventus strike again, he was stunned. Bruno didn't slow down; he sped up. As they were about to collide, Bruno nudged the ball forward and swerved around him, accelerating past.

Lichtsteiner instinctively tried to grab Bruno, intending to make a tactical foul to stop a threatening counterattack. But he underestimated Bruno's speed. He missed completely as Bruno whizzed past him. By the time Lichtsteiner turned around, Bruno was already four or five meters ahead, making it impossible to catch up.

"Damn, this guy's a beast. Running like this after over seventy minutes!" Lichtsteiner was amazed.

"Bruno! Brilliant move past his man! Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant!" The local Udinese TV commentator shouted excitedly.

With Lichtsteiner beaten, Bruno had a clear path ahead. He looked up and saw the Juventus goal, with no obstacles in sight. The other Juventus defenders were drawn away by the runs of Di Natale, Immobile, and Iturra.

Before Lichtsteiner was beaten, Juventus still believed Udinese's strategy was to cross from the flanks. With Di Natale and Immobile, two poachers in the box, they were the perfect decoys. The other Juventus defenders were now scrambling to catch Bruno, but given Bruno's speed, he could be in the box before they closed in.

Bruno's trajectory indicated he was cutting inside, which panicked the Juventus defenders. They abandoned marking other Udinese players and converged on Bruno.

From an aerial view, three blue shirts were closing in on the black-and-white figure sprinting towards the goal.

The stadium was filled with roaring chants and waving flags. It was the sound of battle drums. Such a scene made everyone hold their breath!

Bruno had beaten Lichtsteiner and was now facing Juventus's entire defense line. Could he single-handedly take on the entire Juventus backline?

"It's a thrilling scene. Bruno, the newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner, is now up against the whole Juventus defense!"

One man against an entire defense! What would be the outcome?

The first to challenge Bruno was the retreating Juventus midfielder Khedira.

"Bruno! Watch out!" The local Udinese commentator cried out.

Khedira, known for his defensive prowess, didn't hesitate to make a sliding tackle. It was a classic move of a tough defensive midfielder, ready to make a decisive stop.

This was also a form of intimidation: either you leave the ball and dodge, or you get hurt and leave the field limping, or worse, on a stretcher.

Seeing Khedira's fierce slide, many Udinese fans in the stands gasped. If this tackle hit Bruno, he could be out for months.

The stands erupted in loud boos.

"Beautiful! Bruno! Beautiful!" The gasps turned into cheers.

Bruno saw Khedira's slide coming. He lifted the ball over Khedira and jumped, avoiding the tackle. He stumbled a bit upon landing but quickly regained his balance and chased the ball.

Guidolin let out a long breath of relief. Had Bruno been injured by Khedira, he would have been furious.

"Khedira! Second defender!"

Having evaded Khedira, Bruno caught up to the ball and charged into the penalty area.

"He's speeding up even more!"

Everyone saw that Bruno, now with the ball, seemed even faster, his legs like they were powered by small motors.

Just inside the box, Cáceres came to challenge him.

Bruno feinted a shot.

(End of chapter)

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