Chapter 510: One-on-One
Chelsea began their attack, and Manchester United didn't retreat to defend but courageously met Chelsea head-on. With only thirteen minutes left in the game, the match entered an intense phase. Both teams went back and forth in a lively exchange.
Lukaku had just forced De Gea into a diving save with a shot, and on the other end, Mbappe got a shooting opportunity. Chelsea's Brazilian midfielder, Matic, was pushing forward aggressively, looking more like an attacking midfielder. Meanwhile, Bruno was playing like a shadow striker...
Conte stood on the sidelines, watching the game intently with a stern face, while Mourinho also left his seat, pacing nervously in the coaching area. The fans in the stands cheered passionately for their respective teams. Though fewer in number, the Manchester United fans sang "Glory Glory Man United!" loudly, while the Chelsea fans chanted, "Blue Is The Colour!"
Television broadcasts tried to show replays of the exciting shots, but they had to quickly cut back to live coverage due to the fast-paced action on the field. Eventually, they stopped showing replays altogether unless absolutely necessary, to avoid missing any action.
...
Commentators had no time to reflect on the game's atmosphere. If they diverted their attention even slightly, another exciting moment would force them to describe the action non-stop, like machine guns firing on full auto.
"Here comes Mbappe's charge... He's gotten past Alonso! But the tenacious Spaniard deflects the ball out of bounds! Manchester United takes the throw-in quickly, continuing their attack... Bruno! The ball is at his feet again. Every time this happens, we start to... Direct pass! Harry Kane couldn't get to it! So close!"
"Chelsea's quick counterattack, Hazard takes the ball down the wing, his strong body and surprising speed easily outpace Valencia, crosses! At the back post! Matic—shoots wide!"
"Oh—what a shot! Bruno's free-kick hits the crossbar! Manchester United nearly sealed the win against Chelsea!"
"This is Chelsea's seventh corner of the game. Christensen and Rudiger are both up in Manchester United's penalty area, De Gea looks a bit nervous... A short corner? Fabregas crosses again! The ball is headed out of bounds, another corner... Goal kick? The referee gives a goal kick!"
...
Even Manchester United fans watching from around the world nervously bit their fingers as they watched the broadcast, feeling no pain from their tense grips.
The screen suddenly showed the match time and score, making everyone realize the game had already reached the 80th minute. Based on both teams' performances, it was hard to predict what might happen in the final ten minutes.
Both teams were going all out, creating more space on the field. Opportunities were plenty, and it was all about who could seize them.
...
In the 84th minute, Chelsea forced a corner with consecutive shots. Fabregas went to take the corner while De Gea urgently directed his defenders.
At this stage, no fan was seated; all 41,000 spectators were on their feet, cheering for their team.
Seeing Chelsea get two shots off and win a corner excited their fans, who filled the stadium with chants of "Blue Is The Colour!"
Tall players like Christensen and Rudiger rushed to Manchester United's goal to contest the corner, increasing the tension in United's penalty area.
Harry Kane and Rashford, both tall players—Kane at 1.88 meters and Rashford at 1.85 meters—were useful as makeshift center-backs during corner defense.
Everyone's focus was on the penalty area; no one noticed that Bruno wasn't defending the goal but positioned outside the penalty area.
The jostling in front of the goal led to some physical clashes, but the referee's whistle calmed things down, though subtle shirt pulls and body blocks continued.
Knowing they couldn't waste too much time on these scuffles, the referee quickly blew the whistle to resume play.
...
Fabregas sent the ball into the chaos of the penalty area. Amidst the scramble, De Gea leaped and punched the ball out!
The ball landed at Rashford's feet. As soon as it reached him, Chelsea's Alonso and Matic charged at him, giving him no time to control or adjust the ball.
They aimed to win the ball high up the pitch and launch a second wave of attack.
Rashford, unsure where to kick the ball, saw a red figure flash in the space behind Matic and Alonso. Without thinking, he headed the ball forward.
The ball squeezed between the two Chelsea players and flew ahead.
When everyone realized who the ball had reached, they were shocked: it was Bruno!
From De Gea's punch to Rashford's header to Bruno, the entire sequence took only a few seconds. Players like Mbappe and Kane were still near the penalty area, but Bruno was already near the halfway line, the furthest forward.
This indicated he had never planned to defend in the box but was ready to counter-attack from the start!
...
"Fall back!"
Seeing Bruno with the ball, Courtois, who had been observing from near the halfway line, immediately turned and sprinted back towards his goal, fearing a long-range lob from Bruno.
Given Bruno's precise long-passing ability, this wasn't impossible!
But Bruno didn't attempt a lob, as he wasn't entirely unmarked. Azpilicueta had stayed back, the first defender Bruno would encounter.
Chelsea's other players hoped Azpilicueta could delay Bruno enough for them to recover.
Azpilicueta lowered his center of gravity, retreating slowly instead of charging in. He waited for Bruno to approach, hoping to delay and disrupt him.
"Come on, kid! Let's see if you can get past me!" he thought.
But Bruno had no intention of taking on Azpilicueta one-on-one. As he ran, he suddenly passed the ball to the left flank!
With Chelsea's players still tracking back, the field had large open spaces. Bruno's pass seemed to head towards an empty area, making it look like a mistake. But the ball curved and slowed down, perfectly meeting Cancelo's run near the touchline!
As De Gea cleared the ball, Cancelo, an attacking full-back by instinct, sensed this might be United's counter-attack chance and sprinted forward. Bruno's pass found him; his gamble paid off!
Seeing the ball move to Cancelo, Azpilicueta and Chelsea's players stopped chasing Bruno and turned to close down Cancelo.
...
Cancelo sped towards Chelsea's goal. As Moses and Azpilicueta closed in, he suddenly braked and used the outside of his right foot to pull the ball back, then crossed it horizontally!
Meeting his pass in the center wasn't Kane, Mbappe, or Rashford, but Bruno.
Bruno had sprinted from United's penalty area to Chelsea's, covering the distance in eleven seconds, including time for receiving, carrying, and passing the ball.
United's counter-attack was lightning fast!
However, Bruno seemed to be advancing alone. His teammates, except for Cancelo, were still trailing behind, unable to keep up.
Bruno received the ball and surged into the penalty area. Courtois, having returned to his goal, now rushed out to block Bruno's shooting angle.
"One-on-one!" the commentator shouted.
The roar at Stamford Bridge could have lifted the roof.
Seeing Bruno face Chelsea's goalkeeper one-on-one, everyone screamed. United fans cheered Bruno, while Chelsea fans tried to distract him.
"Go, Bruno! Get past him! You can do it!"
"Miss it! Miss it! You bastard, you won't score!!"
...
Flashes from photographers on the sidelines went off rapidly, focusing on Bruno and Courtois.
Conte widened his eyes, feeling a sense of foreboding but too engrossed in the moment to dwell on it.
In the penalty area, Bruno received Cancelo's pass, dribbled in, and met Courtois near the penalty spot.
Courtois dived for the ball at Bruno's feet, while Bruno swung his left leg back.
"Too slow!" Courtois thought, feeling smug.
In one-on-one situations, lifting the entire leg for a shot, Bruno showed he was a midfielder, not knowing the difference between a forward and a midfielder.
Forwards know space and time are tight in the box and don't get to swing their legs fully, while midfielders, often having more space and time, do.
Using a long-range shooting technique in front of an oncoming goalkeeper would only lead to...
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