Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 294: Bruno-Bauer

Giroud quickly got another chance because Arsenal was constantly attacking Udinese's penalty area. After Bruno headed the ball away, Udinese's defenders pushed out to create an offside trap.

Giroud ran back, knowing his team would regain control and send in another cross soon. He wasn't worried about his teammates passing the ball; Wenger substituted Sánchez with Welbeck to enhance their aerial threat in the box, signaling more crosses.

Looking back, Giroud saw Coquelin pass to Ramsey on the wing. Ramsey tried to break through but couldn't, so he passed to Özil, who moved to support him on the wing. Özil stopped the ball, clearly preparing to cross.

Giroud checked his position—onside but not ideal. He moved back a bit to get a better run-up. As he did, Özil crossed the ball!

Giroud spread his arms to block whoever was behind him, not caring who it was, as long as they couldn't easily take the position. Then he jumped to head the cross into Udinese's goal.

Bruno saw Giroud take position and knew it was too late to adjust. He jumped up to challenge him. The tall striker was indeed skilled, but Bruno wasn't panicked. He leapt into the air, waiting for his chance.

As Giroud locked onto the ball, Udinese's players felt a chill. Even goalkeeper Karnezis felt a twinge of despair. A big guy like Giroud, jumping from such close range, seemed almost certain to score.

But Bruno didn't give up. Although he couldn't reach the ball first, he could still disrupt Giroud. He squeezed in mid-air, pushing towards the Frenchman. He stuck his head out to block the path between Giroud and the goal, aiming to block the header.

Özil's cross wasn't an outswinger but an inswinger, meaning it curved straight towards the far post. This kind of ball was more dangerous, with a higher chance of scoring.

Giroud slightly misjudged the ball's path and, combined with Bruno's interference, failed to make contact. Bruno seized the opportunity, lightly flicking the ball up and over the crossbar. It went out for a corner.

After landing, Giroud swung his arm at Bruno, believing Bruno's interference had caused him to miss the ball. If it had been any other player, they'd likely clutch their face—regardless of whether they were hit—and fall to draw the referee's attention, possibly getting Giroud sent off.

But Bruno dodged, avoiding Giroud's swing. Badu, witnessing this, raised his hand to the referee: "Look at what he's doing, ref!"

Giroud defended himself: "He was pulling me during the jump!" He pointed at Bruno and gestured with his arm.

Bruno spread his hands innocently. The referee approached and said, "Watch your actions."

Bruno nodded obediently, while Giroud frowned, annoyed: Why was he also being warned when Bruno started it? Fine, next corner, let's see if you can beat me fair and square, you sneaky player...

Before the corner kick, players jostled for position in front of Udinese's goal. Koscielny and Maguire received verbal warnings for their rough positioning.

In contrast, Bruno and Giroud were unusually calm. They stood shoulder to shoulder, with Giroud on the outside and Bruno closer to the goal, four meters away.

Standing side by side, the height difference was clear. Giroud was nearly a head taller, making one wonder if Bruno could outjump the tall French striker.

Giroud, looking down at Bruno, was determined: This time, I'll crush him!

Once order was restored, the referee signaled for the corner to be taken. Özil gestured and kicked the ball towards the goal.

As the ball flew in, Bruno and Giroud jumped simultaneously. There was no contact or interference; Giroud was confident he'd win this aerial duel. But suddenly, his vision dimmed as if something blocked the light.

"Wow!" the commentator exclaimed, "He's jumped so high!"

The "he" wasn't Giroud, but Bruno! Both jumped together, but Bruno's explosive power made him jump even higher than Giroud.

Bruno, high above, headed Özil's cross out of play, while Giroud's header met only air. He stared in shock at the Udinese number eight, his mind blank.

Udinese's players weren't surprised. Bruno, capable of dunking a basketball from a standing jump, had few peers in football for his jumping ability. If he were ten centimeters taller, he might have had a career in the NBA...

"Since joining Udinese, Bruno has been the team's midfield core, orchestrating their attacks. His cooperation with Di Natale and Théréau is seamless. But his offensive prowess makes people forget his defensive skills. His one-on-one anticipation and aerial ability are exceptional... A nearly flawless midfielder, a coach's dream superman..."

Wenger couldn't believe the player who beat Messi and Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or could also play center-back so well. His tactical adjustments were completely countered by Guidolin.

Facing this situation, the professor was at a loss.

As the match neared its end, Arsenal continued their siege but couldn't score. The score remained 1-3, with Arsenal trailing by two goals at home.

"Udinese is just three minutes away from defeating Arsenal at the Emirates!"

The fourth official signaled three minutes of injury time.

"Scoring two goals in three minutes to draw is almost impossible for this Arsenal team..."

"Udinese fans are setting off fireworks, celebrating their team's advance to the semifinals early!"

Udinese fans, far from home, cheered loudly from their section, supporting their team.

Ramsey, seeing their adjustments were ineffective and time running out, decided to break through the middle instead of crossing. He was unlucky; when he attacked from the wing, Bruno played fullback. Now, attacking through the middle, Bruno was at center-back.

Facing Bruno again, Ramsey hesitated, unsure what to do next. He knew his feints wouldn't fool the composed player, and Bruno's speed made a direct run difficult.

Ramsey was stuck.

As he hesitated, Bruno tackled decisively, taking the ball from Ramsey's feet. Ramsey lost balance and fell forward.

It was a clean tackle. Bruno's move drew no reaction, but Ramsey's confusion puzzled the commentator: "He didn't move at all, just let Bruno take the ball! He looked like a scared child!"

Bruno, inspired, didn't pass but accelerated with the ball.

He ended his run with a long shot from thirty-five meters, which sailed high. Still, he turned to the Udinese fans, waving his arms to pump them up.

His gesture was met with enthusiastic cheers from Udinese fans, who chanted his name. Arsenal fans, of course, booed loudly.

"Bruno is rallying the Udinese fans! His solo run shows Arsenal that even in the final moments, they can't press us!"

"This run reminds me of Beckenbauer. Maybe we should call him Bruno-Bauer!"

(End of Chapter)

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