Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 326: Coordination with Ronaldo

"This is a chance for Portugal!" the commentator shouted.

"Look at that pass… beautiful!"

When João Mário received the ball, he was facing away from the goal. Chester, the other Welsh center-back, quickly moved to block him and prevent him from turning around. He thought that if he could stop João Mário from turning, the threat would be neutralized.

But before Chester could react, João Mário quickly turned and swept the ball with his right foot, sending a low pass across the box.

Welsh goalkeeper Hennessey and Chester watched helplessly as the ball rolled past them to the front of the goal.

Ronaldo, waiting there, simply needed to redirect the ball into the net with a light touch of his foot.

"GOLOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Cristiano Ronaldo! Cristiano Ronaldo!"

"This is Cristiano Ronaldo's fifth goal in six matches of this European Championship! He is in fantastic form, continuously scoring and increasing his record of European Championship goals to 11!"

"Oh… beautiful! Beautiful! Cristiano Ronaldo scores again! Portugal leads 1-0!"

...

At this point, only five minutes had passed since the game started. The Portuguese fans in the stands erupted in cheers, celebrating their team's early lead. Meanwhile, the Welsh fans were in shock; how could their team be trailing so soon after kickoff?

Portugal's early lead after just five minutes left Welsh coach Coleman frustrated. He had planned for Wales to constantly pressure Portugal, believing that his team would score first if they maintained their attacking pressure. If Wales took the lead, he thought, the game would fall into their hands, and Portugal would be forced to play according to Wales' tempo.

But it was Portugal who scored first, and the goal came so quickly and unexpectedly. Coleman hadn't prepared for this scenario and felt caught off guard.

Falling behind, Coleman decided not to change his tactics. He had instructed his team to play offensively and that aligned with their current situation. To equalize, Wales needed to attack.

Therefore, Coleman remained seated on the bench without making any gestures or adjustments. It was only five minutes into the game; he wasn't in a hurry to make changes.

...

Wales attempted to organize a counterattack, but Bruno intercepted the ball. In attack, Bruno could push up to the edge of the opponent's box and make key passes. In defense, he could fall back to shield the backline, forming a reliable barrier in front of the defenders.

His stamina and speed allowed him to be present wherever needed. His leaping ability and heading skills gave him an advantage in aerial duels. His excellent judgment of the ball's trajectory, combined with his awareness, made him a formidable one-on-one defender.

These attributes made it difficult for the Welsh players to bypass Bruno and directly threaten Portugal's defense and goal.

With Wales unable to mount an immediate threat, Bruno led Portugal in continuing their attack. In the 17th minute, right-back Cancelo overlapped and crossed, with Nani attempting a left-footed volley from close range, only for it to be blocked by defender Collins. Nani quickly reacted and shot again from a tight angle, but Hennessey saved it.

Less than a minute later, Bruno sent a long pass from midfield. Ronaldo controlled the ball with his chest at the edge of the box and fired a low shot with his left foot, but Hennessey made another save.

...

After Portugal's relentless pressure, Wales finally managed a relatively successful attack. Ledley launched a long ball from the back, catching Portugal's backline in an offside trap. Bale timed his run perfectly, breaking into the right side of the penalty area and attempting a lob shot, but the ball sailed over the crossbar.

Coleman, who had been getting restless on the bench due to Portugal's sustained pressure, felt reassured by Bale's attack. He knew that Portugal's defenders liked to use the offside trap, but it was a risky tactic. Even if Wales was caught offside many times, a single successful breakthrough could be deadly.

Coleman believed that it was only a matter of time before Wales breached Portugal's goal.

He would later regret this belief.

In the 22nd minute, Bruno and Sanches combined for a one-two pass, allowing Bruno to surge forward again. This time, when faced with Ledley, the Welsh midfielder didn't give Bruno the chance to use his footwork to deceive him and instead fouled him directly.

The referee's whistle blew, and the Welsh fans in the stands cheered for Ledley.

The referee issued a verbal warning to Ledley but did not show a card. He awarded Portugal a free-kick from 23 meters out, slightly to the right.

...

Portugal's primary free-kick taker was naturally Ronaldo. As Ronaldo prepared to take the kick, Bruno approached him and whispered, "How do you plan to take this?"

Ronaldo thought the question was odd. How else would he take it? He would kick it into the goal, of course.

Seeing Ronaldo's confusion, Bruno elaborated, "Let's change it up, like… well, what we practiced the other day."

Ronaldo remembered what Bruno was referring to. The day after their victory over Poland, Ronaldo had stayed back to practice free-kicks when Bruno unexpectedly joined him, suggesting a new tactic. Bruno positioned himself between two movable mannequins in the middle, creating a gap for Ronaldo to aim through, effectively bypassing the wall.

This wasn't a novel free-kick tactic, but the finesse lay in using Bruno as a decoy to distract the defense, allowing Ronaldo to take an unexpected route.

Ronaldo nodded, agreeing with Bruno's plan. "Alright."

Seeing Ronaldo's approval, Bruno walked towards the Welsh wall, preparing to position himself.

Ronaldo recalled the first time he practiced free-kicks with Bruno. He had tried to prank Bruno by unexpectedly kicking the ball towards him, but Bruno had deftly dodged it. Ronaldo still found it hard to believe, as he hadn't shown any signs of his intent beforehand.

He watched Bruno's back and suddenly thought: Why not try it again?

...

The Welsh wall was already set up efficiently. Bruno walked towards it and positioned himself on one side, without squeezing into the middle, even though the Welsh players' eyes were on him.

Bruno stood at the side of the wall, facing the goal.

At that moment, Ronaldo took two steps and shot the ball!

The Welsh players, still watching Bruno, saw movement from the corner of their eyes. Simultaneously, Bruno ducked and lunged forward, creating a clear path for the ball.

The Welsh players barely had time to react as the ball flew past Bruno, over the wall, and towards the goal.

Some Welsh players quickly turned around to see Hennessey leaping in the air, but the ball had already hit the back of the net.

...

Bruno had barely taken a step forward, creating a clear path for Ronaldo's shot over the wall. Hennessey, mid-air, watched helplessly as the ball hit the net.

As Bruno stood beside the wall, Hennessey noticed the green-clad player among the gray shirts. He knew Bruno might be used as a decoy but didn't expect it to be so sudden. Before he could react, Ronaldo had already taken the shot.

"Portugal's free-kick, Bruno and Cristiano Ronaldo discussed something, and now Bruno is approaching the wall… Ronaldo shoots!" The commentator was caught off guard by the quick execution, but immediately shouted, "Goal! Goal! Goal!!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!! Portugal scores again! Cristiano Ronaldo with a direct free-kick! Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful!"

Bruno, who had ducked to make way for the ball, saw it hit the net and knew their plan had succeeded. He clenched his fist and sprinted towards Ronaldo to celebrate.

(End of Chapter)

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