Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 331: Ronaldo's Injury

Bruno had his own thoughts, but he didn't voice them in front of Coach Santos. Instead, he waited until they were on the field.

After Ronaldo and French captain Lloris completed the coin toss and gathered their teammates for the pre-match ritual, Bruno spoke up: "Listen, guys. We still need to attack in this match."

"Defense is hard enough; I can't even think about attacking, Bruno…"

"But the coach told us to defend."

Bruno's words surprised everyone, and they all started talking at once.

"No worries, on the field, I call the shots," Bruno said, pointing to himself.

Some players grinned. They knew that Santos would likely support Bruno's decisions, so they didn't mind.

Clenching his fists, Bruno continued, "We need to attack because we must win this match."

Standing in the center of the circle, Bruno bent down and addressed everyone: "When we were woken up by their fans early this morning, I heard a lot of you cursing them. But what was the result? Their noise got louder!"

It's not that Bruno wasn't affected by the disruption—he had been woken up too and hadn't slept well, so he was just as frustrated. However, he knew that cursing wouldn't help; it would only make him angrier without achieving anything.

But now things were different.

...

"Now we have a great opportunity to get revenge! We need to show those jerks that their actions were useless and only made us angrier!"

"If we lose this match because of what they did, then every time we come here, we'll never be able to sleep. So, we have to show them that it was pointless!" Bruno shouted.

This pre-game ritual seemed a bit long. The French players were already in position, waiting for the Portuguese team to start, while the Portuguese players were still huddled.

Bruno looked around at his teammates and said again, "So, we must win! Because any result other than victory will let them mock us. They can attack us all they want, but we will beat them!"

"Think about what happened this morning. Don't you all feel angry?"

Cancelo shook his head and said, "Of course I'm pissed off, Bruno!"

Fiery Pepe added, "I hate being woken up when I'm sleeping. F**k! I wanted to jump down and kill them!"

Bruno said, "We can't do that, but we can destroy their favorite team on the field! So, we must win! I know everyone is tired and exhausted. But even so, we must win!"

The French players were unhappy with the Portuguese team's delay and complained to the referee: "Look at them…"

The referee had no choice but to intervene: "Hey, you guys…"

He barely reached the edge of the Portuguese circle when he heard a loud shout from within: "Victory——!!"

...

To be honest, the fans causing trouble outside the Portuguese hotel early that morning wasn't orchestrated by the French team, but the team was delighted when they heard about it. They believed it would help them secure a big win over Portugal.

They thought they would beat Portugal; now they believed they would crush them.

They assumed Portugal would perform poorly due to exhaustion, having not rested well the night before. So, they were surprised when Portugal launched a sharp offensive.

Bruno controlled the ball, faking out Sissoko before delivering it to a dangerous area.

Guerrero crossed the ball, and Ronaldo almost headed it in!

"The game has just started, and France has the momentum, but it's Portugal who created the first threat!"

Hugo Lloris clapped his hands, urging his teammates to focus on the Portuguese forwards. However, none of them took the Portuguese team seriously, believing they were too exhausted to play well.

In the minds of the French players, the entire Portuguese team was likely as ineffective as if they had stayed up all night before the match.

Why worry about such a weak opponent?

...

Portugal's aggressive attacks caught France off guard. They had expected an easy match but found themselves under unexpected pressure.

Logically, the exhausted Portuguese team should have been easy prey, but they were surprisingly assertive.

Unable to comprehend this, France watched as Portugal, fueled by Bruno's pre-game pep talk, pushed hard towards their goal.

The Portuguese players, still angry about the morning's disturbance, channeled their frustration into their game, making France their outlet.

The French players couldn't foresee the consequences of their fans' actions, which had only fired up Portugal.

From the start, Portugal created several chances.

Ronaldo missed a header, then Nani, after outpacing Sagna, crossed the ball, only for Ronaldo's diving header to miss the target.

A minute later, Ronaldo's left-footed shot from the edge of the box lacked power and was saved by Lloris.

The lack of rest was affecting the players.

If they were in peak condition, Ronaldo's three attempts would have been more threatening.

Even without scoring, these efforts would have posed a real danger to France's goal.

...

Seeing this, Santos was surprised, as he had instructed the team to play defensively.

"It seems Bruno changed your plan," an assistant coach remarked.

"I didn't expect the team to have the energy to attack…" Santos shrugged. "They must be frustrated by last night and want to vent."

"Should we adjust?" the assistant coach asked.

Santos shook his head. "No. The players know themselves best. If they're willing to follow Bruno's lead and attack, it means they can do it. No need to adjust. Let them attack."

...

As France realized Portugal wouldn't be easy to beat, the match became more intense.

First, Sagna hit Nani in the face with his hand while dribbling, causing Nani to fall in pain. The referee only issued a verbal warning to Sagna.

This upset the Portuguese players, who surrounded the referee, demanding an explanation. The referee ignored them and signaled for a free kick.

Then, Ronaldo was tackled by Payet during a run, but again, the referee didn't react.

Seeing Ronaldo on the ground, Bruno knew this wasn't good; the match was unfolding as expected.

Sure enough, Ronaldo sat on the pitch, looking dejected, shaking his head and crying. After the referee stopped the match, he walked to the sideline for treatment.

On the sidelines, Santos had Quaresma warming up.

After some treatment, Ronaldo returned with a bandaged left knee but struggled to run and eventually sat down, signaling for a substitution.

France continued their attack despite Ronaldo's injury, with Sissoko's shot from the edge of the box being blocked over the crossbar.

Portuguese fans at Stade de France booed Sissoko loudly.

Ronaldo, frustrated, took off his captain's armband and lay on the pitch.

Seeing this, the referee had to stop the match and signal for a stretcher, allowing Portugal to make the substitution.

Ronaldo tearfully handed the captain's armband to Nani before being stretchered off.

Quaresma came on as a substitute.

...

Ronaldo's injury was a huge blow to Portugal, leaving the players even more frustrated. Cedric was booked for a retaliatory foul on Payet.

Bruno knew the team was exhausted. If they couldn't score early and take control, their fatigue would show as the match wore on. France would then realize Portugal's attack was a bluff, and Portugal would be in trouble. So, they needed to score early.

A goal would further motivate his teammates, preventing them from slacking and boosting their morale. Bruno desperately looked for scoring opportunities, whether by shooting himself or assisting teammates.

In the seventeenth minute, Bruno finally found a chance. He intended to pass to Nani on the wing, but Matuidi intercepted the ball. Reacting quickly, Bruno immediately pressed forward. Matuidi, caught off guard by Bruno's speed, lost the ball just after intercepting it. Bruno seized the opportunity and advanced into the box.

"Oh! Bruno wins the ball back in the attacking third! He's done it!"

(End of Chapter)

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