Chapter 900: Champion's Mentality
When the Italian player was getting ready to take the penalty, Bruno was already observing closely. He noticed that the Italians seemed overly excited because of the penalty decision—almost all of their players had crossed into Portugal's half, eagerly waiting to celebrate the goal.
Bruno immediately realized that if Rui Patrício could save the shot and the ball stayed in play, there would be a perfect opportunity for a counterattack!
When that thought flashed in Bruno's mind, he exchanged a glance with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Great minds think alike. There were no words exchanged, but Cristiano Ronaldo instantly understood Bruno's idea. He then stepped back, found Diogo Jota, and whispered something to him with his hand covering his mouth.
Among all of Portugal's players on the field, Jota was the fastest—undoubtedly the best candidate to lead the counterattack.
Bruno's dribbling speed was also excellent, but in this planned counterattack, he had another role to play. He couldn't be the spearhead this time.
"Counterattack! Counterattack! Portugal are on the counter! Italy missed the penalty, and Portugal are breaking forward!"
Bruno cleared the ball away, and people initially thought it was just a clearance. But then they saw Cristiano Ronaldo winning possession from Marco Verratti in midfield. Without even looking up, Ronaldo half-turned and flicked his ankle, sending the ball forward!
Jota was already sprinting. He received the pass and charged down the field at full speed, while the Italian players scrambled to chase him.
"Go, Diogo!" shouted the Portuguese fans at the stadium, thrilled beyond words. Saving a penalty and immediately launching a counterattack—it was pure magic!
Fans watching on TV in Portugal also roared together: "Go, Diogo!"
...
When Italy were awarded the penalty, head coach Roberto Mancini was ecstatic. He felt like the happiest man in the world.
But then, the penalty was missed—and Portugal launched a counterattack. Mancini was stunned.
At that moment, he rushed to the touchline, frantically waving his arms and shouting instructions to reorganize the defense.
The Italian players had indeed relaxed too much. They were ready to celebrate the goal before it even went in.
Now, in Italy's half, only center-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci remained, along with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Mancini could only pray that Chiellini and Bonucci could stop Jota.
On the opposite sideline, Fernando Santos was excited. Standing with his hands in his pockets, body leaning slightly forward, he watched intently toward Italy's half.
"Jota's advancing with the ball. Bonucci stands in his way, while Chiellini holds position at the edge of the box as the last line of defense."
"That's a smart move. Chiellini's experience is invaluable—staying back is the wise choice."
...
But just as the Italian commentator finished speaking, Jota blew past Bonucci.
A sudden change of pace combined with a quick touch on the ball—and Bonucci was left behind.
Chiellini immediately braced himself.
Everyone thought Jota would continue dribbling, trying to beat Chiellini and go one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
That would be the usual and safest decision for most forwards—get closer to goal before shooting.
But no one expected Jota to do something entirely different. Right after passing Bonucci, he made a small adjustment and suddenly swung his leg.
He was shooting?!
Chiellini was shocked. He wanted to rush forward to block the shot, but it was too late. All he could do was watch as the ball lifted off the ground, curving beautifully toward the goal behind him.
Now all hope rested on Donnarumma.
Chiellini turned to look, just in time to see the ball flying toward the goal. Donnarumma spread his arms and dived—but the ball slipped right between his hands, dipped, and landed in the net.
It was in!
...
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLL!!!!!"
"Jota! Jota!! Diogo Jota!!! Incredible! What a strike! Jota scores a world-class goal! 2–1, Portugal take the lead!"
"What drama! What pure football theater! Italy's penalty by Federico Chiesa was missed, and Portugal immediately counterattacked—Cristiano Ronaldo's assist, and Jota's stunning strike! What should've been 2–1 for Italy turns into 2–1 for Portugal in an instant!"
"This is football! THIS is football!! The beauty of the game! In just one minute, everything changed—unbelievable!" shouted Chinese commentator He Wei. "Rui Patrício's save, Bruno's clearance, Ronaldo's genius assist, and Jota's unexpected decision to shoot from range—perhaps he thought that a long-range shot would be even more dangerous for Donnarumma than going into the box?!"
Commentators from around the world went wild, yelling in different languages.
They had all covered countless matches and seen dramatic moments, but scenes like this were truly rare.
...
This goal was a massive blow to Italy.
Missing a penalty and immediately conceding on the counter—it was a two-goal swing, a complete reversal of momentum.
The contrast was so huge that some Italian players looked completely disoriented, questioning their own fate.
Jota sprinted to celebrate, running straight toward the captain who had assisted him—Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo waved to Bruno from afar, signaling for him to join the celebration.
As Jota and Ronaldo embraced, more Portuguese players gathered around, celebrating wildly. Meanwhile, the Italians were heartbroken.
If Federico Chiesa had scored that penalty, it would have been them celebrating now.
But there are no "ifs" in football.
Chiesa stood with his hands on his hips, silently watching the scene.
Three minutes later, Mancini made a substitution—Chiesa off, Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi on.
As he walked off, Chiesa ignored Mancini's extended hand and headed straight for the tunnel.
Reporters in the media stands were thrilled, already imagining headlines and stories in their minds.
...
Italy's morale was shaken, and their play became disorganized.
Portugal, known as one of the most opportunistic teams in the world, didn't waste any time taking advantage.
Three minutes later, Jorginho passed to Verratti in midfield.
The pass was too predictable. João Palhinha lunged forward, forcing Verratti into a rushed pass—and Bruno, who had been waiting for it, intercepted.
Portugal immediately launched another fast counterattack.
From the interception to the final shot, it took only four passes. Jota sent a low cross, and Bernardo Silva muscled past Chiellini to score from close range.
"GOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!"
"Bernardo Silva! Bernardo Silva!! Bernardo Silva!!! That could seal it! 3–1!"
"Sixty-five minutes in, Portugal lead Italy 3–1! Two goals ahead—they're closing in on defending their European Championship title!"
...
On the touchline, Santos high-fived his coaching staff in celebration.
That goal allowed him to finally relax.
Not only because Portugal were two goals ahead, but because he could see Italy's panic. They weren't completely collapsing, but they were clearly shaken.
In recent years, Italy had struggled with a lack of top talent, which had hurt their results in major tournaments. Missing the 2018 World Cup was a huge blow.
Since Mancini took over, Italy had shown signs of revival—ten straight wins in the Euro qualifiers, and three wins out of three in World Cup qualifying. Their record looked impressive, and many claimed Italy were "back." But Santos didn't think so.
In his eyes, Italy hadn't yet faced true elite opponents. Their Euro qualifying group included Finland, Greece, Bosnia, Armenia, and Liechtenstein; their World Cup qualifiers—Northern Ireland, Bulgaria, and Lithuania—were hardly powerhouses.
Even in this Euro tournament, Italy hadn't met any top-tier sides: group stage opponents were Wales, Switzerland, and Turkey; in the Round of 16, they faced a disastrous Netherlands team; in the quarterfinals, "qualifying kings" Belgium; and in the semifinals, a transitional Spain.
Santos didn't mean to belittle Italy, but the biggest difference between them and Portugal was simple: they didn't know how to fight through adversity.
Put bluntly—they lacked the mentality of champions.
This Portuguese squad had won multiple major international titles in recent years, forging a battle-hardened core of veterans.
Those championships had given Portugal an unshakable confidence—they feared no one. Even if they were down by two or three goals, they would never lose their composure.
Italy, on the other hand, clearly hadn't reached that level.
Their last major championship came in 2006—fifteen years ago. That generation of champions had long since retired.
In other words, not a single player in this Italy squad, including their coach Mancini, had ever lifted a major trophy.
(END CHAPTER)
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