Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 269: The Five-time Champion

On December 14th, another globally anticipated event took place: the draw for the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.

As the entire Udinese team boarded a flight to RB, Udinese's general manager Giaretta headed to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, to attend the draw.

The draw resulted in Udinese facing Premier League team Arsenal, which was considered the worst possible outcome for Udinese. Among the eight runners-up, Arsenal was one of the strongest teams Udinese could face, alongside Paris Saint-Germain. Arsenal, with its rich experience in European competitions, was just as formidable as the French champions.

Not only did Udinese face a tough draw, but the other two Italian teams also drew difficult opponents. Juventus was pitted against Bayern Munich, the German giants, while Roma drew Real Madrid, the Spanish powerhouse.

The draw results sparked an uproar in the Italian media, with many suggesting that UEFA was targeting Serie A. All three Italian teams that advanced to the Champions League knockout stages faced strong opponents. Additionally, in the Europa League Round of 32 draw, the three Italian teams there also got tough draws. Lazio drew Porto, Fiorentina was up against Tottenham Hotspur, and Napoli faced Villarreal from La Liga.

Given these matchups, it seemed likely that all Serie A teams could be eliminated in the first knockout rounds!

Other Round of 16 matchups included Barcelona vs. Gent, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea, Benfica vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg, Manchester City vs. Dynamo Kyiv, and Atlético Madrid vs. Wolfsburg.

...

For now, Udinese couldn't afford to focus on their Champions League clash with Arsenal. They had to prepare for the upcoming Club World Cup.

The 2015 Club World Cup returned to its predecessor, the Toyota Cup's host, RB, with a format unchanged from recent years. The champions of six continents and a host team, totaling seven teams, competed.

According to the rules, the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores winners automatically advanced to the semifinals. The other five teams played two rounds of knockout matches to determine the other two semifinalists.

The first knockout round featured one match between the host team and the Oceania champions. In the second round, the winner of the first match joined the champions of Africa, Asia, and CONCACAF. The winners advanced to the semifinals, and the losers played a fifth-place playoff.

The two semifinal winners then faced the Champions League or Copa Libertadores winners, with the victors advancing to the final and the losers playing for third place.

Overall, the Club World Cup consisted of eight matches. As last season's Champions League winners, Udinese would start from the semifinals and play two matches, regardless of the outcomes: one semifinal and one final.

Before Udinese's departure, the Club World Cup had already begun on December 10th.

Udinese's first match, the semifinal, was scheduled for December 17th at 7:30 PM local time in RB, against last season's AFC Champions League winners, Taobao.

If they defeated Taobao, Udinese would play in the final on December 20th at 7:30 PM local time.

...

This was Udinese's first participation in the Club World Cup, while Taobao was competing for the second time. In the 2013 Club World Cup, under the guidance of Marcello Lippi, Taobao defeated Egypt's Al-Ahly 2-0, earning a match against Bayern Munich, but lost 3-0 in the semifinals.

In this year's Club World Cup opener, goals from Zheng Long and Paulinho helped Taobao secure a dramatic 2-1 comeback win against Mexico's América, earning the right to face Udinese.

Taobao's lineup against Udinese was almost the same as the one they used against América, with the only change being Zheng Long replacing Robinho.

Two hours before the match, it was announced that Di Natale would miss the game due to illness, but Bruno would still start. The match turned into a personal showcase for Bruno, who scored a hat trick to lead Udinese to a 3-0 victory over Taobao.

Taobao was unfortunate once again. Two years ago, they faced the collective might of Bayern Munich, and now they witnessed the ultimate display of individual heroism from Bruno. For Bruno, playing against a Chinese team felt strange, but he had no intention of holding back. No one knew that the core player Taobao faced had a Chinese soul. Moreover, Bruno wanted to show them how strong he was when giving his all.

Bruno's hat trick in the semifinal brought his total goals for 2015 to 60.

...

If Bruno's performance against Taobao showcased individual heroism to the Chinese, then the Club World Cup final three days later displayed it to the entire world.

Facing Copa Libertadores champions River Plate, Bruno once again dominated the match.

In the 36th minute, Udinese broke the deadlock. Bruno made a breakthrough and passed the ball, Cancelo crossed from the right, Di Natale headed it back from the far post, and Bruno volleyed it in with the outside of his left foot from 10 yards. Udinese led 1-0.

In the 49th minute, Udinese doubled their lead. Iturra made a diagonal pass during a counterattack, and Bruno, successfully beating the offside trap, shot from 14 yards, the ball slipping through Barovero's legs and into the net, making it 2-0.

In the 52nd minute, Udinese nearly scored a third. Bruno's through ball found Di Natale, who crossed it back from the left side of the box. Bruno's shot was saved on the goal line by the heroic Barovero.

Sixteen minutes later, Bruno sealed the victory. Adnan made a diagonal cross from the edge of the box, and an unmarked Bruno headed it in from close range. Udinese led 3-0.

With a three-goal lead, Udinese relaxed, giving River Plate a chance.

In the 77th minute, River Plate almost scored. Vangioni's cross found Alario, whose header from 11 yards was tipped over the bar by Karnezis.

Ultimately, Udinese won 3-0 against River Plate, claiming the 2015 Club World Cup. This was Udinese's fifth trophy of 2015.

Bruno's goal tally for 2015 ended at 63, with Ronaldo in second place with 57 goals, and Messi third with 49 goals.

(End of chapter)

Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.

You can also buy the book if you are only interested in reading the novel.