Chapter 403: 75 and 120
Defoe was just inches away from Bruno. He could see Bruno looking up, observing the situation behind him, while seemingly neglecting the ball at his feet.
This was a chance to intercept!
Defoe stretched his foot out to poke the ball, but at that moment, Bruno moved. He pulled the ball back with his right foot, causing it to bounce off his supporting left foot and roll forward.
Bruno pushed off with his left foot and lifted his right foot, evading Defoe's attempt to steal the ball. He then sprinted forward, slipping between Defoe and Anichebe.
Having bypassed both players, Bruno didn't try to dribble past anyone else. Instead, he launched a long pass!
He had noticed that as Defoe attempted to intercept, Sunderland's two full-backs had also rushed forward, hoping to replicate their previous goal success by attacking.
Both fists were finally thrown.
Sunderland's central axis was now exposed, wide open!
Bruno's vision stretched beyond the Sunderland players and his own teammates, focusing on Ibrahimovic. The experienced veteran had not run in a straight line; he had curved his run towards the flank as he passed the opposing midfielder.
Bruno's vision projected a scenario eight meters ahead in the flank area, predicting that Ibrahimovic would arrive there, behind the entire Sunderland defense. The closest Sunderland defender, Kone, was raising his hand to signal offside.
...
The scene snapped back to reality.
Bruno knew his intuition was correct. He had to act before it happened; otherwise, Ibrahimovic would be offside if he waited for the play to unfold.
He needed to calculate the timing, estimate Ibrahimovic's speed, and determine the exact force needed for the pass so the ball would land precisely at Ibrahimovic's feet at the right moment.
All these calculations were done in an instant as Bruno bypassed Defoe and Anichebe.
He swung his leg and passed!
The ball soared high, not towards the middle but slightly to the side, heading for the anticipated open space.
Bruno didn't continue running forward. Whether this attack succeeded or not, it was up to his teammates to follow through.
...
Ibrahimovic saw the gap in Sunderland's defense created by their advancing full-backs. If he reached that spot, he'd be unmarked, but also offside by then.
He hoped Bruno would spot the gap and pass the ball in advance.
Without looking back, the Swedish forward continued sprinting into the open space.
As he passed Kone, finding himself alone within five meters, he turned his head for the second time. A ball suddenly appeared in his vision, already very close!
He angled his foot, cushioning the incoming ball with the outside of his foot, letting it drop gently.
With the ball at his feet, Kone raised his hand, signaling offside.
Ibrahimovic ignored him, focusing on the ball and advancing towards the oncoming goalkeeper Pickford.
...
"Ibrahimovic has the ball! From Bruno's long pass!"
"Sunderland players are signaling offside... but the referee isn't reacting!"
As Ibrahimovic controlled the ball, Pickford rushed out, thinking the veteran would try to dribble past him, presenting a chance to intercept.
To his surprise, Ibrahimovic shot immediately after two steps, catching Pickford off guard!
The ball rolled tightly along the grass, and Pickford, caught off balance, could only drop his body, hoping to block it with his legs.
But the ball's speed outpaced Pickford's movement, slipping between his legs before he could close them!
Feeling a sudden chill between his legs, Pickford then heard the roaring cheers of Manchester United fans, mixed with some laughter.
He had been nutmegged, conceding the goal through both the main and secondary gates.
Pickford, kneeling on the ground, jumped up, raising his arms to signal offside to the referee, but saw no flag from the linesman.
Kone also appealed to the referee, Martin Atkinson, claiming Ibrahimovic was offside before scoring.
The referee shook his head.
...
"No offside! No offside! Ibrahimovic was not offside! Great goal, brilliant!"
"Manchester United just conceded a goal, but they quickly extended their lead again from the kickoff!"
"Bruno's long pass was perfectly timed, like a precision-guided missile!"
"Let's look at the replay... indeed, no offside. Bruno passed the ball before Ibrahimovic went past Sunderland's last defender. The referee got it right, no doubt about this goal!"
...
Commentators worldwide chimed in.
Ibrahimovic didn't check for offside after scoring. Instead, he spread his arms and ran towards the stands, embracing the fans' cheers.
Bruno, along with other teammates, ran towards the goal scorer Ibrahimovic, punching the air towards the stands.
As the ball rolled through Pickford's legs into the goal, the young England U21 goalkeeper heard the mocking laughter from some Manchester United fans.
Sunderland had briefly hoped to turn the game around after scoring, only to have their hopes dashed by Manchester United's immediate response.
The goal was like a downpour, not only extinguishing Sunderland's hope but also soaking them, mocking their futile resistance.
...
After this goal, Sunderland completely lost hope of winning, even though there were over twenty minutes left. They couldn't threaten Manchester United's goal again.
Only their coach, Moyes, hadn't given up. He substituted Tunisian international Khazri and 17-year-old Swedish forward Joel Asoro.
These were Moyes' only offensive adjustments.
Sunderland's lineup left Moyes with few options. Today, he couldn't even fill the 18-man squad, having only six substitutes: backup goalkeeper Mannone, Love, O'Shea, Khazri, Asoro, and Honeyman.
Former Manchester United players O'Shea and Honeyman were defensive midfielders, Love had already played, Mannone was a goalkeeper, so Moyes had only these two options left.
Among them, only Khazri was a viable immediate asset. Young Asoro had never played for Sunderland's first team; he was drafted from the youth team due to a lack of available players, unexpectedly becoming Moyes' hope.
Moyes hoped the Swedish youngster could make an impressive debut like Manchester United's Rashford last season, saving Sunderland and himself.
However, not every young player is Rashford.
...
Despite Moyes' offensive substitutions, his players had lost their fighting spirit. No matter how many attackers he put on, it was hard to turn the game around.
Meanwhile, Manchester United had several more scoring opportunities, but their attackers failed to capitalize.
In the 77th minute, substitute Gundogan crossed from the right. Kone blocked it to Lingard, whose right-footed shot from seven meters was saved by Djilobodji.
In the 90th minute, Bruno intercepted a dribble from Sunderland's substitute Khazri and passed to Gundogan. Gundogan broke through on the right again and crossed low. Substitute Rashford's shot from eight meters went straight to Pickford.
After this attack, the referee added three minutes of stoppage time.
In these three minutes, Sunderland made a final effort, not aiming to win but to score another goal.
Khazri's long shot was deflected slightly by Kante's thigh, missing the post.
...
After this shot went wide, referee Martin Atkinson blew the final whistle.
"Full time! Manchester United secured an unquestionable victory at home! Bruno scored a goal, provided an assist, and initiated the second goal... outstanding performance! The broadcast is focusing on him, and he appears to be the man of the match!"
"With this goal, Bruno has scored 75 goals in 2016, tying Pele's record for most goals in a single season set in 1958. Only Gerd Muller, with 85 goals, and Messi, with 91 goals, remain ahead of him!"
"Bruno has now directly contributed to 120 goals in 2016, including 75 goals and 45 assists!"
(End of the chapter)
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