Chapter 819 – A Formidable Opponent
Because Bruno was positioned between Lisandro, Schuurs, and Blind, the nearest defender, Schuurs, stepped out to press Luke Shaw, leaving Bruno to Blind and Lisandro.
As expected, once Schuurs advanced, Luke Shaw quickly slipped the ball to Bruno.
Bruno controlled on the left edge of the box, facing both Lisandro and Blind. It looked like another one-against-two, but this time both defenders were primed.
Suddenly, Bruno burst inside from the left, seemingly set to beat Lisandro with pace.
Lisandro, no slouch, turned and stayed with him — only for Bruno to slam on the brakes and hint at an inside cut.
Startled, Lisandro stopped sharply, wary of being spun like before.
The moment he halted, Bruno dragged it back again and poked forward with his left, accelerating toward the byline.
Though only 1.75 meters, the Ajax center-back was agile, quick, and fully focused. Matching Bruno's rapid feints and changes of speed, he refused to be shaken off.
...
Ajax had signed the Argentine to replace Matthijs de Ligt when the latter left for Juventus. Lisandro, however, was a different profile — shorter, less of a classic stopper, fond of carrying the ball in tight areas, which had caused problems early on. Ten Hag initially used him in midfield before settling him back at center-back as he adapted to the Eredivisie.
Bruno had hoped to create a sliver of space with pace — if not to shoot, then to whip a cross to the center or far post, where Rashford, Harry Kane, and Mbappé were arriving.
But Lisandro stuck tight. With no other option, Bruno fired a hurried cross — it struck Lisandro's outstretched leg and went behind for a corner.
Bruno's momentum carried him off the pitch, nearly into the hoardings.
He returned with a rueful smile. This was a problem.
His sharpness wasn't quite there — and Lisandro's sticky, relentless defending was a nightmare.
In England, he was used to towering, slower-turning center-backs; he seldom faced someone this short yet so explosive.
Even back-to-back feints and bursts hadn't opened daylight — frustrating in the extreme.
...
As Bruno turned back, he noticed Lisandro still down by the byline, clearly in pain.
"Trouble!"
"Lisandro's last-ditch block looked all-out — he stopped Bruno's attack, but seems to have paid the price."
"The referee signals for Ajax's medical team."
"So far, Lisandro's been excellent. Tracking Bruno's rapid changes and holding firm — but that final block may have tweaked something."
"Likely," Davids said. "He's only 22 — young — and can't quite match a top-tier star like Bruno over successive explosive actions. He kept up physically — but the cost might be injury."
Van Persie added, "Those violent stops and starts were vintage — it reminded me of peak Ronaldo. And this isn't the first time Bruno's feints have injured a marker."
Van der Vaart agreed: "Players like Bruno, Robben, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo — they're nightmares to defend. It happens."
...
Bruno, apologetic, stood on the fringe as Lisandro was treated. There had been no contact, but the injury came from defending him.
Part of Bruno's concern traced back to memory — in two years, Lisandro would join Manchester United and become his teammate, earning Bruno's admiration.
Ajax's doctors soon stretchered Lisandro off — the injury looked serious.
Daley Blind walked over and gave Bruno a consoling pat.
He knew Bruno's look — the concern was genuine. But injuries are part of the profession, and Lisandro always played on the edge.
Ajax brought on Lassina Traoré for Lisandro.
It was clear the center-back's knock was significant — but the game had to go on.
Bruno felt a pang of guilt yet knew there'd been no foul play.
...
With Traoré on, Ajax reshaped. Blind dropped into defense to partner Schuurs; Tadić slid deeper to join Klaassen and Gravenberch in midfield; Traoré led the line.
Ajax now mirrored a 4-3-3, bringing Bruno closer to Tadić.
They eyed each other.
Bruno had little personal history with Tadić — their clubs seldom pitted them head-to-head. After moving from Southampton to Ajax in 2018, the Serbian veteran bloomed.
In 2018–2019, Ajax's domestic and European surge owed much to Tadić's explosion.
He played every Eredivisie match, producing 28 goals and 13 assists; in the Champions League, he played all 12, with 6 goals and 4 assists.
Those numbers earned him Ballon d'Or and The Best nominations — the hallmark of a late bloomer.
He inherited the captain's armband after De Ligt's departure.
Last season, despite the Eredivisie being voided, he kept a goal-or-assist-per-game rate: 11 goals and 14 assists in 25 league matches, though his European tally was just three assists in eight games.
Even at 31, it was impressive.
Still, Bruno couldn't fathom Tadić's hostility. Maybe it was the captain's burden, Ajax's repeated setbacks against United — or just psychology to rattle United's fulcrum.
...
Seeing Ajax's shift, Mourinho reacted immediately, instructing Rashford and Mbappé to attack the channels with pace, and urging Shaw and Cancelo to overlap more.
He knew Blind well — a fine footballer who could fill at center-back, but not a natural there, and lacking height. Pairing him with Schuurs — tall but slow to turn — presented chances for Rashford and Mbappé.
The tweak paid off; Bruno began to see more of the ball.
In the 42nd minute, Kane's flicked header sent it left. Bruno and Tadić both chased the second ball, but Bruno was quicker and nudged it forward.
As he accelerated, his shirt yanked from behind — he stumbled and fell.
The whistle blew. The card came out. Yellow.
Tadić protested at length, claiming Bruno slipped — but the referee wasn't persuaded.
"As captain, Tadić needs to rein it in."
"United's plan is obvious — funnel through Bruno. Ten Hag must adjust."
"Bruno's threat is rising."
"With five or six minutes including stoppage time, Ajax need to steady themselves."
The pundits all weighed in.
(END CHAPTER)
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