Limitless Pitch

The Friuli Stadium was already rumbling before the teams even emerged. The crisp Italian night air carried the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sort that made Thiago think of childhood kickabouts back in Brazil — except this was nothing like those lazy afternoons. This was the Europa League, away in Udine, and every single seat in the stadium seemed filled with white and black stripes.

Thiago sat on the bench, zipped up in his black Borussia Dortmund jacket, watching the starting eleven line up in the tunnel. He wasn't nervous — not exactly. The energy was there, though, that twitchy feeling in the legs, the way you start bouncing your knees without realising.

Klopp stood a few feet away, hands buried in his coat pockets, eyes fixed on the tunnel entrance. The man looked like he could sprint onto the pitch himself if needed.

The referee gave the signal, and the teams stepped out together. The roar hit them like a wave — deafening, vibrating in Thiago's chest even though he wasn't on the pitch. The stadium lights painted the grass a rich emerald, every blade catching the glow.

From his seat, Thiago could see the traveling Dortmund fans wedged in one corner of the stadium, yellow flags waving furiously. Their chants tried to compete with the Udinese ultras, who had drums pounding like war signals.

Kickoff.

Udinese started strong. Within seconds, they pushed forward down the right flank, their winger Isla darting past Marcel Schmelzer.

"Udinese coming out quick here!" The Italian commentator's voice carried faintly over the stadium speakers for those near enough to hear.

Schmelzer held his ground, poking the ball away for a throw-in. Klopp clapped hard on the sideline, shouting encouragement.

The first ten minutes were scrappy — both teams fighting for control in midfield. Sahin and Bender worked hard to close down space, but Udinese's captain Di Natale was already showing signs of danger, dropping deep to receive the ball and then accelerating forward.

In the 12th minute, Dortmund had their first real chance. Kuba cut inside from the right, slipped a clever ball through to Barrios. The Paraguayan turned sharply and hit it low towards the near post.

"¡Buena, Lucas!" Thiago muttered under his breath.

The Udinese keeper, Handanović, got down quickly, parrying the shot wide. The away fans roared. Klopp punched the air.

From the bench, Thiago felt that itch again — the one that came when the game opened up and you wanted to be out there, running into space. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, eyes locked on the pitch.

Udinese responded quickly. In the 17th minute, Asamoah burst through the middle, playing a neat one-two before slipping the ball to Di Natale.

Di Natale didn't need much space — a quick feint, a shift onto his right, and he unleashed a curling effort from outside the box.

"Di Natale! Ohhh, just wide!" the commentator's voice rang out. The ball missed the far post by inches.

Thiago exhaled slowly. That was a warning.

The pace of the game began to rise. Dortmund tried to stretch Udinese by switching play from wing to wing. Sahin, floating between midfield and attack, danced past one challenge and earned a free kick near the edge of the box in the 23rd minute.

Sahin stepped up. The stadium quieted for a moment. He ran up, whipped the ball over the wall — and it dipped wickedly, forcing Handanović into another diving save.

"Ah, come on…" Thiago muttered, shaking his head. Dortmund were threatening, but not finishing.

On the sideline, Klopp was all movement, directing traffic with wide arm gestures, urging the press.

But Udinese's defence was tight. Zapata and Benatia, their centre-backs, weren't letting Barrios turn easily. Every pass into the box was met with a hard challenge.

The 29th minute brought another scare for Dortmund. Isla overlapped on the right, whipping in a dangerous cross. Di Natale ghosted between Hummels and Subotić, flicking a header toward goal.

"Great ball! Di Natale… saved by Weidenfeller!" The Dortmund keeper reacted brilliantly, tipping it over the bar.

The Udinese fans erupted in chants, sensing their team was getting closer.

From the bench, Thiago saw sven glance toward Klopp, as if looking for reassurance. Klopp just clapped and shouted something Thiago couldn't catch.

The corner came in — punched clear by Weidenfeller. Dortmund tried to counter quickly, but Asamoah tracked back to shut it down.

By the 34th minute, the pressure was building again. Udinese worked the ball patiently around the edge of Dortmund's box. Bender slid in to block one shot, but the rebound fell to Armero on the left. He took a touch, looked up, and swung in another cross.

This time, Di Natale timed his run perfectly. Hummels was a fraction late, and the striker rose to meet it. The header crashed into the back of the net.

"Goooool di Udinese! Antonio Di Natale!" The stadium exploded, black and white scarves waving wildly.

Thiago sat back, jaw tight. He could feel the shift — the way the home fans doubled their noise, the way Udinese's players suddenly ran with even more energy.

Klopp immediately turned to the bench, speaking to his assistants, but didn't signal for anyone to warm up yet.

The scoreboard now read 1–0.

Dortmund tried to respond quickly. Sahin drove forward in the 37th minute, slipping the ball to Barrios. The striker danced past two defenders and laid it off to Großkreutz, who fired a shot from distance. It stung the keeper's hands, but Handanović held onto it.

Thiago could hear Klopp yelling: "Keep going! Keep going!"

Udinese weren't content to sit back after the goal. In the 39th minute, they nearly doubled their lead. Asamoah broke through the middle, threading a pass to Sanchez, who had just come on the overlap. Sanchez cut inside, unleashed a low strike — and Weidenfeller saved with his legs.

The clock hit 40 minutes. Thiago leaned forward again, heart thumping. Dortmund were still in it, but Udinese had the momentum. The next few minutes before halftime were going to be critical.