Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 295: Bruno Equals Four World-Class Forwards

Bruno kept waving his arms as he ran back. His actions even inspired his Udinese teammates on the field. As Bruno passed by Immobile, he gave his new teammate a firm pat on the shoulder. Immobile responded with a thumbs-up, indicating that Bruno had done well. Badu waited for Bruno to come back and high-fived him. Maguire patted Bruno's head, saying, "Well done, Bruno!"

"The way Udinese is playing today, they are unbeatable, even against Arsenal!" the commentator exclaimed with excitement.

He was right. Today, Udinese seemed invincible, despite having doubts before the game.

The three minutes of added time flew by. Arsenal didn't manage to score again. In the final minute, Bruno led his team in passing the ball around in their own half, wasting time. Arsenal's players, realizing victory was out of reach, showed little interest in pressing for the ball.

When the referee blew the final whistle, a huge wave of boos erupted from the Emirates Stadium. The home fans could only express their displeasure this way. The Udinese substitutes, however, ignored the boos, rushing onto the field to embrace their teammates and celebrate their victory!

The TV cameras once again focused on Bruno in the crowd, making it clear who the star was.

A 3-1 away win over Premier League giants Arsenal meant Udinese was almost through to the Champions League quarter-finals. This significantly boosted Udinese's confidence and morale. After returning to Italy, they secured three consecutive league wins.

On the afternoon of February 21, Udinese played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, narrowly beating Genoa 3-2 in the 26th round of Serie A. Bruno scored one goal and assisted another, helping Udinese come from behind twice and securing the win in the final moments.

In two other key matches, Juventus was surprisingly held to a draw by Bologna, ending their 15-game winning streak. Napoli and AC Milan drew 1-1.

After 26 rounds, Udinese led the table with 67 points, nine points ahead of Juventus. Napoli, trailing by 13 points, was effectively out of the title race.

After a week's rest, Udinese faced Verona at the Friuli Stadium on February 28. In this top versus bottom clash, Udinese easily won 2-0.

In the 31st minute of the first half, Bruno initiated an attack, Di Natale assisted Badu, who scored with a long shot. Udinese led 1-0. In the 56th minute of the second half, Bruno drove the ball through the middle and found Théréau with a through ball. The French striker easily slotted the ball past Verona's goalkeeper.

With this victory, Udinese had won five consecutive league games, reaching 70 points. However, they didn't extend their lead as Juventus beat Inter Milan 2-0, maintaining their nine-point deficit to Udinese.

Inter Milan, who had started the season strongly, had now fallen to sixth place, 23 points behind Udinese.

Di Natale scored in this round, his 12th goal of the season, putting him third on the top scorers' list, behind the in-form Bruno and Higuaín. This was also Di Natale's 240th Serie A goal, just five behind Totti.

On the evening of March 4, Udinese faced Frosinone at the Stadio Benito Stirpe in the 28th round of Serie A. Frosinone, fighting relegation, showed great resilience, while Udinese, resting players for the upcoming Champions League match, struggled.

The home team scored early, with Ciofani netting from outside the box in the 12th minute. Udinese suffered another blow in the 15th minute when Felipe, a Brazilian center-back, was injured and had to be substituted by Danilo.

Felipe, 31, had joined Udinese in the summer of 2002 and transferred to Fiorentina in 2010. After playing for several Serie A teams, he returned to Udinese as a free transfer last summer. This season, he had been a rotational player but performed well when given the chance. His injury further depleted Udinese's defensive options as they balanced domestic and European commitments.

Udinese couldn't equalize in the first half but finally scored early in the second half. The scorer was Bruno, who netted a beautiful free kick.

However, Frosinone regained the lead in the 60th minute. Ertô, making a rare appearance, committed a foul, giving Frosinone a good free kick position. The resulting free kick led to Udinese's second goal conceded.

But Udinese soon took control of the game. In the 66th minute, Bruno delivered a precise through ball, allowing Di Natale to beat the offside trap and equalize.

With the score level again, Frosinone grew anxious and launched a fierce attack. However, they couldn't threaten Udinese's goal, and Udinese successfully countered.

In the 80th minute, Udinese launched a quick counter-attack, with Bruno chipping the ball over the advancing Frosinone goalkeeper, Leali, from the edge of the box.

Udinese led 3-2 and held on for the win despite Frosinone's desperate efforts in the final minutes.

Four days later, Udinese hosted Arsenal in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 at the Friuli Stadium.

In the pre-match press conference, Arsenal manager Wenger first praised his opponents: "Udinese has been fantastic in the league, and Mr. Guidolin's team is impressive. We lost the first leg at home, putting us in a difficult position."

However, Wenger then expressed confidence in his team: "In the past, we've come close to overturning big deficits three times. We won't fall at the final hurdle a fourth time."

Bruno summarized Wenger's remarks as: "We're Arsenal, seasoned pros in the Champions League knockout stages. We'll crush you, little rookies!"

But when the referee blew the final whistle, the Friuli Stadium erupted in cheers. Captain for the match, Bruno, raised his arms and led his teammates in a lap of honor to celebrate the victory.

A dejected Wenger covered his face, unable to face the public. The scoreboard showed the final score: Udinese 2-0 Arsenal.

The aggregate score was 5-1!

In the first half, Arsenal, who lost the first leg 1-3, started aggressively. But Udinese quickly showcased their attacking prowess. Bruno, playing in a new position, scored twice, effectively knocking Arsenal out.

Yes, Guidolin had assigned Bruno a new position: right winger!

This season, Bruno had played almost every position except goalkeeper: center-back, full-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder, and forward!

Wenger faced severe criticism from the media after Arsenal's early exit from the Champions League once again.

The media especially highlighted a statement Wenger made in December: "I don't understand why fans are disappointed. We have Giroud, and besides him, we have world-class forwards like Walcott and Sánchez, as well as Danny Welbeck."

Losing 2-0 at the Friuli Stadium was expected, but Arsenal's 20 shots compared to Udinese's 17 (8 on target) highlighted their lack of finishing ability.

In essence, Arsenal lacked a world-class forward. Despite creating 20 chances against Udinese, they failed to score.

Wenger had to face the embarrassing reality of his previous statement, especially when the best example of a world-class forward was on the opposing team, scoring a goal that Arsenal's forwards couldn't.

In the 65th minute, Cancelo crossed from the right, and Bruno, unmarked at 12 yards, acrobatically volleyed the ball into the net, making it 2-0.

This was Bruno's 12th Champions League goal of the season, bringing his total to 51 goals for the season!

Since the start of 2016, Arsenal had gradually fallen out of contention in various competitions, largely due to their lack of a clinical striker. Despite creating numerous chances against Udinese, they couldn't find the net.

Wenger's statement intended to encourage his players, but he had to face the reality: Arsenal's four so-called world-class forwards had only scored 13 goals in 2016, the same as Bruno's tally for Udinese.

In short, Arsenal's four forwards equaled one Bruno.

(End of Chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10