Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 324: Topping the European Championship Scorers List

The most significant match of the round of 16 in this European Championship ended with Portugal defeating Belgium 5-4 after extra time. The following day, Italy also advanced by eliminating Spain in another heavyweight clash. The result wasn't a major surprise given the strength of both teams, but the scoreline was unexpected: Italy 2-0 Spain! The defending champions were almost helplessly beaten by Italy.

In the final round of 16 match, England narrowly defeated Hungary 1-0, securing the last quarter-final spot.

At this point in the tournament, the teams in the quarter-finals had shifted significantly from what Bruno remembered. According to the quarter-final matchups, Portugal would face Poland, Wales would take on Iceland, Germany would play Italy, and France would compete against England.

It's evident that the four teams in the upper half of the bracket were generally weaker than those in the lower half. The upper half no longer featured any traditional European powerhouses, while the lower half included all of Europe's traditional football giants.

Portugal was not considered a traditional powerhouse because the Seleção had never won a major international tournament. In today's football world, only Germany, Italy, Spain, France, and England in Europe, and Brazil and Argentina in South America, are recognized as traditional powerhouses. Although Portugal and the Netherlands have always been strong, their status is awkward due to their lack of major tournament victories.

...

Although Portugal's round of 16 match ended relatively late, their quarter-final against Poland was the first of the four to kick off, starting on the evening of June 30. This was the only quarter-final match to begin in June.

Compared to the game against Belgium four days earlier, Portugal made several personnel changes. In defense, Cedric replaced Cancelo, and Eliseu replaced Guerreiro. In midfield, Renato Sanches replaced André Gomes, and Moutinho replaced João Mário.

Portugal lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, with William Carvalho as the lone defensive midfielder, and Bruno, Moutinho, and Sanches in midfield. Bruno played on the right, Moutinho in the center, and Sanches on the left.

Poland's lineup remained unchanged from the round of 16, with Lewandowski and Milik leading the attack.

Just 1 minute and 40 seconds into the game, Cedric misjudged a header, and Grosicki broke through on the left, delivering a low cross to Lewandowski, who scored with a powerful shot.

1-0! Poland had a dream start!

This was Lewandowski's first goal of the tournament, and at 1 minute and 40 seconds, it was the second-fastest goal in European Championship history, behind only Kirichenko's 67-second goal for Russia against Greece in 2004.

...

Trailing in the score, Portugal launched a counterattack.

In the 16th minute, Ronaldo's long-range free kick was blocked by the wall. Poland quickly countered, with Milik breaking down the right and passing to Lewandowski, whose powerful shot from the edge of the box was saved by Patricio.

In the 22nd minute, Poland displayed excellent teamwork, with Blaszczykowski passing to Milik, who let the ball run to Grosicki. Grosicki laid it off to Milik, whose quick pass found Lewandowski, who returned it to Grosicki. However, Grosicki's close-range effort was a pass instead of a shot, and his teammates couldn't connect.

In the 30th minute, Portugal's cross from the left saw Pazdan collide with Ronaldo in the box, but the referee refused to award a penalty. Ronaldo was furious, and BBC commentator Gary Lineker also believed it should have been a penalty, noting Pazdan's clear push in the box.

In the 33rd minute, Renato Sanches combined beautifully with Nani on the left, and the 18-year-old Portuguese prodigy scored with a deflected shot off Krychowiak, making it 1-1!

...

The game then entered a stalemate. Portugal had a slight upper hand, but Poland's counterattacks kept them cautious, preventing an all-out attack.

By the 85th minute, the score remained 1-1.

In the 85th minute, Bruno delivered a precise over-the-top pass to Ronaldo, who broke the offside trap and faced Fabianski, but Ronaldo inexplicably missed the shot!

Having missed several golden opportunities, Ronaldo punched the turf in frustration.

This was Ronaldo's third missed golden opportunity in the second half. The first was in the 56th minute when Bruno's through ball sliced open Poland's defense, but Ronaldo's shot hit the side netting from a tight angle. The second miss came in the 60th minute when Bruno's pass to Nani led to a cross, but Ronaldo somehow missed the ball entirely.

...

After Portugal's repeated misses, Poland sensed an opportunity. Their coach, Adam Nawalka, instructed Lewandowski to attack more aggressively, focusing on Pepe.

The Polish fans in the stands also saw hope and sang loudly. The Polish players, buoyed by the support, launched a fierce attack on Portugal's goal.

William Carvalho brought down Milik, giving Poland a free kick in a dangerous position.

"I have a feeling Poland's go-ahead goal is coming soon," said the Polish commentator.

Poland took a quick free kick, with Krychowiak carrying the ball down the wing.

A figure darted forward.

It was the recently substituted Cancelo, who executed a perfect sliding tackle to dispossess Krychowiak.

The ball stayed in play, and Quaresma quickly recovered it and passed to Moutinho.

Moutinho sent a long ball to Nani.

Nani sprinted down the wing.

"Counterattack!"

Before the Portuguese commentator could finish, Nani's diagonal pass was blocked by Maczynski.

Renato Sanches got the ball and passed it to Bruno.

Bruno sped down the right wing.

Jedrzejczyk moved to intercept.

Bruno passed to Ronaldo, who was in support.

...

After passing to Ronaldo, Bruno didn't stop; he kept running forward. If Ronaldo passed back, it would be perfect. If not, his run could draw some of Poland's defensive attention.

However, Bruno had a gut feeling that Ronaldo would pass the ball back. This intuition stemmed from their two years of close cooperation in the national team.

As Bruno ran parallel to Poland's defense, he glanced over and saw the ball rolling toward him.

Pazdan, alarmed, moved to intercept, but Bruno deftly flicked the ball inside and squeezed past Pazdan's body.

He was in the box!

Without hesitation, Bruno fired a shot with his right foot, curling the ball into the near corner!

Portugal's counterattack was lightning fast.

Or rather, Bruno's advance was so rapid that Poland's defenders and even the goalkeeper couldn't react in time. Bruno was already in the box, shooting directly.

The ball zipped past Fabianski's left foot into the net.

"GOLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

"Fabianski was helpless against Bruno's cool finish!"

"Incredible! In the 90th minute, just at the 90th minute, Portugal scored again!"

"2-1! Portugal takes the lead!"

"Bruno Fernandes! That's his fifth goal of this European Championship, putting him at the top of the scorers' list!"

"A brilliant one-two, lightning speed, and a decisive finish," the Portuguese commentator stood up, shouting excitedly.

...

Trailing 2-1 for the first time in the match, Poland's coach Nawalka finally lost his composure. He brought on Bruno's old teammate from Udinese, Zielinski, as a substitute.

Poland launched a desperate assault on Portugal's goal.

Santos quickly responded with a substitution, bringing on Danilo Pereira for Nani, reuniting the "black and tough" defensive midfield duo with William Carvalho.

Four days earlier, this duo had stopped Belgium's desperate attacks. Today, they again successfully held off Poland's frantic last-minute push, maintaining the 2-1 score until the final whistle.

Portugal became the first team to reach the semi-finals of this European Championship!

This also marked Portugal's consecutive semi-final appearance in the European Championships!

In the first quarter-final match in July, the clash between the two biggest underdogs of the tournament saw Bale's Wales defeat Iceland 3-1, halting Iceland's fairy-tale run while continuing their own.

In the showdown between Germany and Italy, two of Europe's football powerhouses, the match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes. Neither team scored in extra time, and Germany won 6-5 in the penalty shootout.

The final quarter-final match saw hosts France edge out England 2-1 after 90 minutes.

Thus, the semi-final lineup for this European Championship was set: Portugal would face Wales, and Germany would play France.

(End of Chapter)

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