Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 26: The Core's Awakening

May 4th, 3 PM, Piola Stadium.

It's the 40th round of the Serie B league, and Novara is hosting Bari at home. This game is crucial for both sides. For Novara, it's a key period as they contend for the league championship, and they can't afford any missteps. On the other hand, Bari, currently 14th in the standings and 9 points above the relegation zone, has a slim chance of direct relegation, but could easily end up in the relegation playoffs.

According to current Serie B relegation rules, the last three teams are relegated directly to Serie C, while the fourth and fifth from the bottom enter a relegation playoff, with the loser being demoted.

Currently, Ascoli and Reggina are 18th and 19th, but Bari is only 5 points above 18th place Reggina, making a slip into the relegation playoffs a possibility.

In the first encounter between the two sides, Novara won 3:1 away, and now returning to their home ground, it seemed only natural to expect another victory. With the championship race against Sassuolo so tight and Novara trailing by just one point, they were more than motivated to seek a win, especially at home.

However, the match started off quite differently from what everyone expected.

Indeed, Novara intended to take the offensive from the start, but Bari was well prepared. They knew that with a midfield maestro like Bruno, allowing Novara to attack would likely lead to their defense being decimated, much like Spezia, Crotone, and Cittadella had previously experienced.

So, from the kickoff, Bari took the initiative, aggressively pushing forward.

In the first ten minutes, Bari held a possession rate of sixty-three percent. Three minutes into the game, a brilliant midfield pass found its way to the right flank, then a direct ball into the box intended for Caputo, but was cleared by a sudden intervention from Novara's central defense.

A minute later, another direct pass from Bari's midfield allowed Caputo to shoot from the middle of the box, but he couldn't muster enough power.

Two minutes later, a pass from Novara's midfield to the right back resulted in a long shot from twenty-five meters out.

In the seventh minute, after intercepting a pass, Bari's right midfielder attempted to dribble into the box but was dispossessed by Novara's captain Rudi.

In the ninth minute, Caputo managed to dribble past a defender outside the box and shot again, only to be saved by the Novara goalkeeper.

One minute later, a Bari midfielder attempted a long shot from over thirty meters, but it was wildly off-target.

For the first ten minutes, Bari dominated, forcing Novara into a defensive posture.

Fortunately, Coach Tesser had prepared for this scenario. Novara's right winger Flavio Lazzari moved inside to double up with Buzigo as defensive midfielders, solidifying Novara's backline.

Bari struggled to break through Novara's defense and resorted to long shots.

The home team didn't regain their composure until the fifteenth minute.

After Lazzari moved to the right, Bruno became the active zone for Novara's attacks. Bari paid significant attention to defending their left flank, but Bruno frequently changed positions to stretch their defense.

The game became a back-and-forth affair.

Novara's most threatening attack came in the thirty-third minute. Captain Rudi made a quick run up the right side and after combining with Bruno, crossed into the box where Gonzalez headed the ball.

Bruno, who had made a sharp run into the box from the right, reached the edge of the small box and attempted a close-range header. However, this easy header was caught by the Bari goalkeeper.

Gonzalez apologetically raised his hand; he hadn't headed the ball cleanly due to pressure from Bari's central defense, making it too high. If he had headed it lower, Bruno could have taken a direct shot rather than using his head.

Everyone on the team knew that heading was not Bruno's strongest skill.

Bruno felt frustrated. The pass from the Argentine forward was instinctively headed by him, but not well-executed, and the Bari goalkeeper was well-positioned, preventing the goal.

After reflecting on this, Bruno continued to patiently look for opportunities.

In the fortieth minute, Gonzalez dropped back to receive a pass and played a through ball behind him. Bruno quickly shook off his marker and broke the offside trap, sprinting into the box. After dribbling past the Bari goalkeeper, he was ready to shoot when a Bari central defender quickly blocked the shot with his body.

At that moment, the defender's hand was noticeably outstretched, causing Bruno's shot to hit his hand and go out of play.

Bruno immediately appealed to the referee, arguing that it was a deliberate handball, as the defender's hand had clearly been extended.

"If his hand hadn't been out, my shot would have gone in!" Bruno asserted confidently.

However, the referee dismissed Bruno's appeal, believing his own judgment was correct, which deeply frustrated Bruno as he turned to walk back.

As the Bari central defender passed by, he lightly patted Bruno's shoulder.

Clearly, he felt guilty; whether intentional or not, his arm had indeed been outstretched.

During halftime in the home team's locker room, Coach Tesser replayed the slow-motion footage. It was clear the Bari defender had handled the ball. Although it was hard to tell if it was intentional, it was undoubtedly a handball.

"That was an undeniable handball! But there's nothing we can do; we can't change the referee's mind. What we need to do now is forget this misjudgment and focus on the second half," Tesser said.

The players were visibly fatigued after forty-five minutes, and Bari was no weak opponent. If not for the deduction, Bari would not be ranked 14th but would be in the top half of the standings, continuing to compete for a playoff spot.

But due to involvement in a betting scandal last season, Bari had been docked seven points, significantly affecting their ranking.

"Frankly, I'm not satisfied with our performance in the first half. We didn't start well, which should have been our initiative. Instead, Bari took the lead, and we failed to implement our pre-game strategy effectively," Tesser said, moving the pieces representing Novara players on the tactical board. "As we discussed before the game, by pulling Bari's midfield from the flanks and the sides, where they often have only one defensive midfielder, if we can draw him out, our players moving up have a chance."

Tesser's strategy not only involved Bruno and Simone Pesce on the flanks but also the team's central routes.

Both Buzigo and Lazzari were adept at moving up and were also proficient at long shots.

"Let me do it!" Bruno stood up, volunteering to take the lead.

Everyone turned to look at him, admiration in their eyes. Facing an opponent like Bari, the courage and responsibility shown by stepping up at such a time was commendable.

"I'll take the lead with the ball, draw the defense's attention, and the rest of you find the gaps," Bruno said.

Often, the core players of a team are not just about scoring; they also take on more responsibilities, especially since they are usually the focus of the opponent's defense.

In the current Novara team, no one else possessed Bruno's ability to attract defensive attention like he did.

While Simone Pesce on the left had good coordination and passing skills, he wasn't strong at dribbling.

As for Buzigo and Lazzari, positioned further back, they couldn't draw defensive attention as easily as Bruno.

On the bench, there were several players who could dribble, but none had the confidence to attract the defense and then distribute the ball as Bruno could.

And Bruno had proven capable of this task many times over the season!

"I'll draw them out up front," Gonzalez also volunteered to take on a task.

Bruno turned to Buzigo and Lazzari, saying, "Keep an eye on the gaps, I'll pass the ball to you."

(End of Chapter)

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