Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 315: First Goal of the Euro Cup

"Coach Halgrímsson was too conservative," Alan Hansen remarked.

"He was cowardly," John Motson, the veteran commentator, said bluntly. "Halgrímsson's cowardice stands in stark contrast to Portugal's coach Santos, who was determined to win. That's likely why Portugal has now scored again to take the lead."

"When you settle for a draw and hope to end the game tied, you're essentially scared of losing. And when you're afraid of something, that's exactly what will happen," John Motson criticized sharply, speaking rapidly.

...

2-1!

This was the final score. After conceding the goal, Halgrímsson hurriedly brought on Gudjohnsen to strengthen the attack, but Iceland's desperate counterattack in the final moments was ineffective. When the referee blew the final whistle, the score remained unchanged. Portugal had narrowly defeated Iceland 2-1 at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, securing three hard-fought points.

At the post-match press conference, Santos was not modest. He praised his players lavishly.

"Iceland is a team worthy of respect. They are strong and aggressive. Winning against them is difficult. So, I want to commend all my players. They performed brilliantly, and I am proud of their fighting spirit and effort, as well as their competitive state," Santos declared.

While Santos was praising his players, some journalists were unimpressed, while others nodded in agreement, feeling invigorated. The former group consisted of Icelandic media, while the latter included not only Portuguese media but also Austrian and Hungarian media, who were pleased to see Iceland lose.

Portugal is considered the strongest team in Group F, boasting superstars like Ronaldo and Bruno. They are one of the favorites to win the Euro Cup. Austria and Hungary are unlikely to compete with Portugal, so Iceland's loss was a welcome result for them. Ideally, they would have preferred a draw, but Iceland did not meet their expectations.

...

In Group F's first round, Portugal narrowly defeated Iceland 2-1. In the other match earlier that day, Hungary beat Austria 2-0.

As a result, Hungary topped the group with 3 points, ahead of Portugal due to goal difference. Despite the loss, Iceland showed great fighting spirit against the group's strongest team, making them a team to watch.

Indeed, four days later in their second group match, Iceland drew 1-1 with Hungary at Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, who had previously beaten Austria, ranked tenth in the world.

About an hour after that game, Portugal faced Austria at Parc des Princes in Paris. This was the clash between the two strongest teams in Group F!

Before the Euro Cup, Portugal was ranked fifth in the world, while Austria was tenth. Although Austria did not have top-tier stars, their biggest name being Bayern defender David Alaba, the team was strong overall. They finished the qualifiers unbeaten, topping their group ahead of Russia and Sweden.

However, Austria performed poorly in their opening match, losing 0-2 to Hungary.

...

This loss put Austria in a difficult position. They had to go all out against the group's strongest team, Portugal. A second consecutive loss would severely hurt their chances of advancing to the knockout stage. While finishing third in the group could still allow for qualification, given Iceland's strong performances against Portugal and Hungary, Austria had no guarantee of winning their final group match.

Therefore, Austria needed at least a draw against Portugal to have a clearer path to the next round. Though they lacked confidence in beating Portugal, they believed they could manage a draw.

Their confidence stemmed from a solid defense, featuring Bayern's Alaba, Leicester City's Fuchs, Gladbach's Hinteregger, Stuttgart's Klein, and Watford's Prödl. This defense had only conceded five goals in ten qualifying matches, making it one of the best.

Facing Austria's 4-2-3-1 formation, Portugal struggled. By the 60th minute, the score was still 0-0.

...

In the 67th minute, midfielder André Gomes intercepted the ball and launched a counterattack. Bruno shook off an Austrian defender and quickly advanced.

"Portugal's quick counterattack!"

"Bruno is charging forward alone, with Austrian players coming to defend him."

"Bruno shakes off the Austrian defenders and continues forward, passing to the right..."

As Bruno charged forward, Ronaldo quickly moved to the right wing, both to create space for Bruno and to position himself for a pass. Bruno saw Ronaldo and passed the ball to him.

Ronaldo used his body to shield the ball from a defender, then passed it to Cancelo, who was overlapping on the right.

Cancelo took long strides and charged towards the baseline.

"Portugal with a fast counterattack. Cancelo is driving towards the baseline..."

While dribbling, Cancelo glanced at Bruno. The Austrian defenders were quick to track back, cutting off the ground pass between Cancelo and Bruno.

A high cross?

Cancelo hesitated. Austria's defense was strong in the air, and Bruno might not have an advantage.

But if he didn't cross, a rare counterattack opportunity would be wasted.

At that moment, Bruno pointed to his head, signaling for a high cross. Cancelo understood immediately.

Without reaching the baseline, Cancelo sent a high cross towards the far post.

...

The ball sailed over the heads of the Austrian defenders and quickly dropped towards the far post.

Bruno, moving swiftly, charged into the box and positioned himself for the incoming ball.

Focused entirely on the ball, he seemed to forget everything around him, including the defenders and the goalkeeper.

He noticed the Austrian goalkeeper, who had initially been positioned to the right, quickly moving to the left. Sensing the goalkeeper's anticipation, Bruno made a decision.

Reaching the left side of the six-yard box, Bruno stayed grounded, slightly leaning back. As the ball approached, he leaned forward and headed it towards the far corner, back towards the right side of the goal.

Using all his strength, the ball's trajectory changed sharply, catching the goalkeeper off guard. As Bruno stumbled and fell, he saw the ball hit the back of the net.

...

"Goal!!!!"

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!!!!"

"In the 68th minute of the second half, Portugal finally scores!"

"Goal by Bruno Fernandes!"

Bruno quickly got up and ran to the sidelines, arms wide open, filled with emotion.

This was his first goal in the Euro Cup!

Portuguese fans in the stadium erupted in celebration, chanting Bruno's name.

"Bruno! Bruno! Bruno!!!"

"When Portugal was in crisis, Bruno stepped up again! This 21-year-old prodigy, words can't describe him. He's undoubtedly the hope of Portuguese football, not just the present but the future!"

"Thank you, Bruno! Thank you for that header!"

"Let's replay that goal."

"Bruno received the ball, skillfully evaded the Austrian defenders, drove forward, and passed to Ronaldo."

"Ronaldo, holding up the ball, set up Cancelo on the overlap. This seems to be Portugal's attacking pattern."

"From the slow-motion replay, we see Austria's quick defensive recovery, blocking the ground pass. Bruno signaled for a high ball."

"Cancelo crossed to the far post, where Bruno headed it in..."

"The header was brilliant. As the goalkeeper moved left, Bruno headed it back to the right, leaving the goalkeeper helpless. The ball went in."

"1-0!"

(End of Chapter)

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