Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 332: Pursuing the Advantage Relentlessly

When Bruno entered the penalty area, the French fans in the stands immediately erupted in boos. The combined sound of tens of thousands of people booing was deafening.

Despite this intense pressure, Bruno remained unfazed. He firmly took his first step into the box, using his left foot to drag the ball outward, dodging the defender Umtiti who lunged to intercept.

After evading Umtiti, Bruno didn't continue dribbling forward. Instead, while on the run, he swung his right leg and unleashed a powerful shot.

He straightened his toes and struck the ball hard with the instep of his foot, sending it rocketing towards the near top corner of the goal like a cannonball.

Hugo Lloris was guarding the near post. He lowered his center of gravity and prepared to block the shot as soon as Bruno dodged Umtiti.

Although Lloris knew there would be Portuguese players in the center to receive a pass, any goalkeeper's first instinct in such a situation is to block the shot rather than cover the center.

Lloris's posture was perfect, but his height was insufficient. Bruno's shot didn't skim the grass nor fly low; it headed straight for the near top corner of the goal.

With his center of gravity low, Lloris realized too late that the ball wasn't rolling towards his legs. By the time he tried to leap, it was too late.

He could only wave his hand upwards, hoping to tip the ball away.

But the ball was too fast. Before his hand could reach it, the ball had already soared past, nestling into the net.

Even amidst the overwhelming noise, Lloris could clearly hear the ball brushing against the netting—swish!

...

"Wow! Goal!!"

"In the 17th minute! Bruno Fernandes has given Portugal the lead!!"

"Despite the suffocating boos, Bruno's powerful strike momentarily silenced the crowd!"

"1-0! Portugal takes the lead!"

The same French fans who were booing wildly just moments before paused for a second, then erupted into even louder boos.

Amidst the deafening noise, Bruno ran to the sidelines, provocatively cupping his ears as if to listen to the boos more clearly.

This celebratory gesture is typically used by players at home to soak in the adulation of their fans. By doing this in front of thousands of hostile French fans, Bruno's intent was clear: "Boo all you want! The louder you boo, the more it fuels me!!"

"Portugal takes the lead at the Stade de France, leading 1-0 against France!"

"Bruno scores! This is his sixth goal in this European Championship, tying him with Ronaldo and Griezmann for the top scorer!"

"What a beautiful goal! His breakthrough was incredibly sharp! After experiencing the European Championship matches, his performance has reached a new level. His confidence is sky-high! Faced with the opposing central defender, his breakthrough and shot were executed with utter determination!"

Bruno once again became the subject of praise for many commentators.

...

Amidst the overwhelming boos, Bruno finished taunting the French fans and returned to his teammates.

They patted his shoulders and praised his performance, even with their tired eyes.

"Great job, Bruno!"

"You must have slept well last night, right?"

"You little rascal..."

...

Bruno took this opportunity to set higher expectations for his teammates. A one-goal lead was far from safe. The game had only been going for 17 minutes, leaving plenty of time for France to equalize or even take the lead.

He concluded, "So we need to keep scoring, guys! 1-0 isn't safe! Keep pushing, don't relax!"

"Bloody hell!" Pogba cursed angrily after conceding the goal.

He wasn't cursing his defense; he was cursing Bruno.

Since Bruno snatched the World Youth Championship from him three years ago, and after three years of rivalry in Serie A, Pogba seldom got the better of Bruno. This made him resent Bruno deeply.

Seeing Bruno score right under his nose, he couldn't hide his anger.

"Our defense was too slack!" Captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris scolded his teammates loudly, "Blaise, what were you doing!"

Blaise Matuidi, whose mistake led to the goal, hung his head silently.

There was nothing he could say; his mistake had caused the goal. He could only mutter to himself, "F**k, who knew that kid would react so quickly?!"

...

"Are they really tired?" Griezmann was puzzled by Portugal's performance.

A team that hadn't slept well should be performing like this? Shouldn't they be exhausted and playing like zombies?

That's what most French players imagined before the match.

When they stepped onto the field, the Portuguese players looked listless, some even bleary-eyed.

When the game started, they expected to run circles around the sluggish Portuguese players, who seemed unable to keep up with the ball.

As they imagined dribbling past Portuguese defenders like cones and effortlessly scoring past a beleaguered goalkeeper...

But the reality on the field was completely different, catching them off guard. The Portuguese players not only looked full of energy but also highly motivated, scoring a goal within 17 minutes...

As the game resumed, the French players struggled to recover from the shock of conceding the goal.

It wasn't just the goal that shocked them, but the stark contrast between reality and their expectations.

They were momentarily at a loss on how to deal with their opponents.

Meanwhile, Portugal capitalized on their hesitation, launching even more ferocious attacks.

Having gained significant experience and confidence from six intense matches in the European Championship group and knockout stages, the Portuguese team felt emboldened.

Moreover, having defeated France twice in the past two years, they felt no hesitation in playing against them.

They knew how to exploit the opponent's distraction and continue their onslaught.

...

Just five minutes after the goal, Portugal had another excellent opportunity. Nani's corner kick to the near post was flicked on by William Carvalho, and Pepe headed the ball into the net.

But the goal was disallowed by referee Clattenburg for offside!

"Offside?" The commentator, like the Portuguese players, was surprised. From his experience and instinct, the goal seemed perfectly valid.

Television replays confirmed it was a clear mistake.

"This was a bad call! Portugal should be leading 2-0 against France!"

"Clattenburg is having a poor game. First, he ignored Sagna hitting Nani's face. Then he ignored Payet injuring Ronaldo. Now, he's disallowed a perfectly good goal for offside!"

The Portuguese fans in the stands loudly booed the referee's decision.

The Portuguese players appealed to Clattenburg and his assistant, but the decision stood. France had escaped again.

"They should thank Clattenburg; otherwise, they would be 0-2 down!"

"These two teams have a history, but who expected this match to be so one-sided so far? Analysts predicted Portugal's fighting spirit would be at best 40%. But today, we're seeing a Portugal giving 120%!"

"Bruno is the core of this team. When he performs well, the whole team shines."

"Perhaps other Portuguese players are affected by lack of rest, but Bruno shows no signs of it..."

...

As the game resumed, the narrow escape seemed to agitate the French players.

Unable to break through and conceding two goals (one disallowed), they grew increasingly frustrated. Their actions on the pitch became more aggressive.

But the Portuguese players were not pushovers. When the French players turned up the physicality, the Portuguese matched them, neither side willing to back down.

The tension on the field rose.

In the 30th minute, Bruno clashed with Pogba and knocked down Matuidi. Instead of helping Matuidi up, Bruno turned and walked away.

An infuriated Matuidi got up, grabbed Bruno by the shoulder, and demanded, "Can't you play cleanly?!"

Bruno responded, "I play clean. It's your guys who don't!"

Seeing the altercation, the French fans chanted, "Go to hell! Idiot!"

Amidst the cursing and booing, Matuidi shoved Bruno hard.

Nani quickly intervened, pushing Matuidi away and shouting, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Players from both teams rushed in, some trying to separate them, others shouting insults.

The referee arrived, showing yellow cards to both Matuidi and Nani.

Had Bruno fallen when Matuidi shoved him, Matuidi might not still be on the pitch. But Bruno disdainfully avoided such antics.

(End of Chapter)

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