Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 18: Forward, Novara!

In the last match of February, Novara traveled to Terni to challenge Ternana.

This was a mid-table team, currently ranked thirteenth in Serie B. However, Ternana was not an easy opponent, as this season they had been executioners of teams from the top of the table like Napoli, Modena, and Spezia.

In fact, in the first encounter between Novara and Ternana, if it weren't for Bruno's outstanding performance, who contributed with a goal and an assist, Novara would have been defeated.

The final result of that match was 2-2, and Novara managed a tough draw at home.

Facing Ternana again, head coach Tesar was somewhat worried about the condition and performance of the players, and even Bruno feared that his previous good run would be interrupted.

They say good things don't work and bad things do, and after a tense first half, Bruno finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, helping Novara to break the deadlock.

Just as Novara was gaining momentum and preparing to extend their lead, in the 75th minute, Ternana's newly introduced forward, Ricardo Manero, scored an own goal, surprising Novara and unexpectedly tying the score.

Novara's coach, Tesar, was stunned on the sidelines. He had brought in Manero as an offensive reinforcement, but he never imagined that the guy would not only fail to contribute in the attack but also gift a goal to the opposing team.

The own goal clearly affected Novara's morale. Their offense, which had been so powerful, suddenly stalled. Meanwhile, Ternana, with the support of their home fans, launched a fierce attack on Novara's goal.

Fortunately, Novara's defense stood firm today, resisting Ternana's counterattacks.

...

As the match time progressed, the score remained 1-1 on the field.

Just when many thought Novara's winning streak would stop at ten games, Bruno came back into play.

Under Bruno's leadership, rejuvenated Novara began to press Ternana in the final stage of the match.

However, after attacking for more than ten minutes, Ternana failed to find their way to Novara's goal once again after Novara began their counterattack, deciding to retreat completely to hold the 1-1 draw until the end of the match.

For Ternana, who had managed to equalize with a team that had won ten games in a row, that was already enough.

In the 92nd minute of the match, when the three-minute injury stoppage time was about to end.

At that moment, all eleven players, including Ternana's forward, retreated to the penalty area, determined to secure a point.

Novara still relentlessly attacked, but for Ternana's fans in the Mario Liberti stadium, Novara seemed to be fighting in vain.

Bruno sent a direct pass from the center of the field, Novara's central forward, Ricardo Manero, who had scored an own goal in the last match, jumped to head the ball and divert it, while Bruno carried the ball down the right flank, dodging Ternana's defender who tried to intercept him and then delivered a perfect back pass.

At the edge of the area, Bruno stopped the ball with his chest, bypassed the local central defender, and shot directly with his foot, sending the ball straight into the upper left corner of the goal.

2-1, Novara took the lead again!

Ternana's fans in the Mario Liberti stadium were stunned, while the hundreds of Novara fans who traveled with the team were ecstatic. They had already mentally accepted the draw as a result, but Bruno had given them another surprise.

...

On March 2, in round 29 of Serie B, Novara hosted Reggina at the Piola stadium.

In the 39th minute of the first half, Novara's full-back, Simone Pesce, scored a long-distance goal, breaking the tie on the scoreboard.

In the second half, Novara continued to press Reggina.

Just when the situation seemed quiet, an intense conflict erupted. Novara's midfielder, Andrea Lisuzzo, brought down Reggina's midfielder, Corucci, in defense. After getting up, Corucci ran towards Lisuzzo, and both got into a fight on the field, resulting in both being sent off by the main referee.

Initially, each team lost a player, so numerical equality remained. But there was another decision that was difficult for Novara to accept: the main referee also awarded a penalty to Reggina.

Novara's players protested this decision, as they believed the foul was outside the penalty area and that Corucci was pushed into the area after the foul, which should have been a simple free-kick.

The over ten thousand Novara fans in the stands also loudly booed, and many of them even loudly criticized the referee, alleging that he was biased and that someone didn't want to see Novara win anymore.

However, the main referee ignored Novara's protests and upheld his penalty decision. Reggina then converted this penalty, tying the score.

The referee's decision angered Novara's players, and after the game resumed, they launched a fierce attack on Reggina's field.

Reggina, currently ranked twentieth in Serie B, was clearly at a disadvantage compared to Novara. Furthermore, their momentum was also suppressed by Novara, and the situation became very complicated.

Ten minutes later, Bruno was brought down by a Reggina defender while dribbling the ball. He himself took the free-kick, which hit the post and bounced back, and Argentine forward Pablo González completed the rebound with his knee, sending the ball into the net. This marked his sixteenth goal in the league this season and helped Novara take the lead again.

...

On March 9, in round 30 of Serie B, Novara traveled to face Brescia.

At the Mario Rigamonti stadium, where players like Baggio and Balotelli had fought before, Novara had a dream start. In the 9th minute of the match, Bruno passed the ball through the center and Novara's 21-year-old Swiss forward, Haris Sefirovic, scored in the area.

However, Brescia was a tough and determined opponent. They currently occupied eighth place in the league, but were only 5 points behind sixth-placed Napoli. With 13 games left in the league, they still had hopes of playing in the promotion playoffs.

After conceding the goal, Brescia launched an immediate counterattack and, in the 30th minute, in a corner kick, their central defender, Scalera, scored a header from close range, equalizing the score.

The match remained deadlocked.

Until, in the 85th minute, the score was still 1-1. For almost an hour, both teams struggled to find the goal.

Finally, Brescia's coach couldn't stay still any longer. He approached the sidelines, shouting and waving his hands forward: Attack! Attack! Don't rush! Don't rush! Attack patiently!

Upon hearing the coach's shouts and seeing his palpable anxiety, the players were puzzled: are you asking us to hurry or not to hurry?

The Brescia player who had the ball in the center of the field originally planned to maintain possession, but upon hearing the coach's shouts, he had no choice but to advance, raised his head, and sent a long pass looking for the forward.

The Brescia forward was preparing to receive the ball, but Bruno, who had been watching from the side, made a beautiful sliding tackle and regained possession.

After regaining the ball, Bruno passed it to Simone Pesce, who was retreating to receive it. Immediately, Pesce moved the ball to the right, where Bruno was active.

Bruno delivered an elegant pass, dodging the rushing Brescia defender, and then quickly accelerated. The poor Brescia defender, who turned slowly, was exposed by his lack of speed, and when he finally turned to try to chase him, he was already too far away.

Bruno, running down the right side, in front of Brescia's desperate defender, feigned going inside but instead delivered a beautiful curved pass into the area.

Ricardo Manero, who had scored an own goal in the last match, outpaced another defender, jumped, and executed an elegant lion-like header.

It was a powerful and determined header, the ball whizzed over the fingers of the Brescia goalkeeper and quickly entered the net, with a clear "snap."

Goal! 2-1!

With less than 10 minutes remaining in the match, Novara finally broke through Brescia's defense once again, taking the lead.

This was the final result of the match.

Winning three consecutive games by a narrow margin of 2-1, Novara gave the impression of being a destined-to-be-unbeatable child.

(End of the chapter)