Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 300: The Rise of Udinese

"The referee holds up two fingers. This means twice now. Third time, and he won't be lenient."

"The referee has indeed been lenient. Slow motion shows that Koulibaly did kick the player. A yellow card wouldn't have been too much. Coach Guidolin is furious on the sideline, protesting."

Guidolin was, of course, furious. To him, it was undoubtedly a yellow card, which would have sent Koulibaly off with a second yellow. The referee not sending Koulibaly off seemed biased in favor of the visitors.

"Isn't that a yellow card?" Guidolin roared from the sideline, lifting his right foot in a kicking motion.

Napoli's assistant coach, Luca Gotti, was relieved. He had been worried that the referee would pull out a second yellow card. Seeing it was only a verbal warning, he sighed in relief. If the main coach had been sent to the stands in the first half and then their key center-back was sent off early in the second half, Napoli would have faced a devastating defeat.

Udinese had a free-kick opportunity. Bruno stood at the spot, assessing the distance, angle, and goalkeeper's position, deciding whether to shoot directly or pass.

Bruno chose to trust his shooting ability. After his run-up, he shot directly at the goal. Napoli's goalkeeper Gabriel made a fantastic save, tipping the ball over the bar.

Corner kick for Udinese on the left side. Bruno walked to the corner flag. Players from both teams crowded the box.

The corner was taken. Immobile shrugged off Koulibaly and charged toward the near post. Koulibaly realized the danger but was too late. Bruno's kick reached the near post, where the unmarked Immobile headed it, flicking it towards the right side.

"Di Natale!"

Unmarked on the edge of the box, Di Natale met the ball with a low volley, skimming it along the grass. Izaghi dived to block, but the ball flew past his foot. Gabriel, moving from near to far post, was too late, watching the ball slip past the post into the net.

"GOOOOOOOOL!!!"

"Antonio Di Natale, a brilliant long shot! He secures the win for Udinese!"

"Immobile's headed flick found the unmarked Di Natale, who struck it perfectly!"

The Friuli Stadium erupted, with Udinese fans leaping from their seats, arms raised, cheering the goal.

"Napoli's defense made a mistake. Immobile, who should have been tightly marked, made an unchallenged header, allowing Di Natale an unmarked shot."

"Koulibaly should take the blame for this goal. He was marking Immobile, but where was he when the Udinese striker headed the ball?"

With Udinese leading 4-1, the game became tense. Napoli, frustrated, played more aggressively. The referee, aware of Napoli's situation, was lenient. However, this leniency angered Udinese players, leading to tit-for-tat fouls.

Three minutes after Di Natale's goal, Vidic made a harsh tackle on Higuain, earning a yellow card. Then, Widmer's fierce tackle floored Insigne, sparking a small conflict between the teams.

The referee booked Widmer and the heated Kuzmanovic. Jorginho, who pushed Widmer, also saw yellow.

"Seven yellow cards in total, with Udinese getting three and Napoli four. At this rate, a red card is almost inevitable."

Soon after, Higuain fouled Udinese right-back Cancelo.

"Oh, there's a commotion! It looks like Higuain tripped Cancelo out of frustration after Cancelo's tackle. Udinese players are furious, and both teams are clashing."

"Yellow card for Higuain! And now a red card! He's been sent off."

"Both teams are in a scuffle, and Bruno also gets a yellow card."

"Red card was inevitable. Both sides are still at it, with the linesman stepping in to maintain order."

Slow motion showed Cancelo's slide tackle on Higuain, who, after losing the ball, tripped Cancelo as he rose to continue his run.

Seeing this, Bruno shoved Higuain, escalating the conflict.

Higuain's red card angered Napoli. Backup goalkeeper Reina was booked for dissent. Assistant coach Luca Gotti protested to the fourth official, arguing it was accidental, but to no avail.

Higuain left the field dejected, glancing back at Cancelo in frustration.

With ten men and no substitutions left, Napoli faced the final minutes a player down.

Udinese, having secured the win, didn't push further. Guidolin made substitutions to rest key players for their upcoming Champions League quarter-final against Atlético Madrid.

After three minutes of added time, the referee blew the final whistle.

In the 2015-2016 Serie A, league leaders Udinese defeated third-placed Napoli 4-1. With seven matches left, Napoli, 15 points behind, effectively exited the title race.

The Serie A title race now seemed a duel between Udinese and Juventus. Udinese's players, led by captain Bruno, celebrated with fans.

As Udinese's match ended, Juventus also won 1-0 against Empoli, staying six points behind Udinese.

"Udinese is Serie A's New Power!"

Following Udinese's win over Napoli, French sports newspaper "L'Équipe" published an article. Vincent Garcia, a senior columnist for "France Football," argued Udinese had earned the title of Serie A's new powerhouse.

Garcia wasn't referring to traditional powerhouses or temporary title contenders but established top teams. He grouped Udinese with Juventus, Napoli, and Roma, suggesting a new Serie A "BIG4."

AC Milan and Inter had struggled for three seasons, finishing outside the top five the past two seasons. Inter had shown promise early this season but had fallen to sixth, while AC Milan continued to struggle.

In contrast, Napoli and Roma had consistently secured European competition spots, prompting Garcia's "BIG4" proposal.

While fans of the Milan clubs disagreed, Udinese fans were delighted. Recognition from "France Football" was prestigious, and being placed above the Milan clubs was gratifying.

Despite some resistance to the new "BIG4" concept, Udinese's rise was undeniable. Before the season, some pundits had predicted Udinese's previous success was a one-off, especially after selling several key players and making few significant signings.

However, as the season neared its end, Udinese had surprised everyone, leading Serie A by six points and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals, proving to be the best-performing Italian team of the season.

(End of chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10