Chapter 626 An Unexpected Attack

After completing the relevant procedures of the pre-match ceremony, Bruno and his teammates returned to their own half to prepare for the start of the game, while the captain C Ronaldo went to guess the side before the game.

Soon, C Ronaldo ran back and gestured to them: "The other side kicked off, be careful."

He gave C Ronaldo a thumbs up, which meant: "Don't worry, leave it to me."

He had entered the game state in advance.

The referee on duty today was the Argentine Nestor Pitana. For well-known reasons, this was not good news for Bruno and the Portuguese team.

Pitana signaled the French players to enter the center circle to prepare for the kick-off, and Giroud stood in front of the football.

The game is about to start.

As the referee Pitana blew the kick-off whistle, Giroud kicked the football out, and Griezmann passed the ball back to Pogba behind.

The game has begun!

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France lined up a 4231 formation in this game, with Giroud as the single striker, Mbappe, Griezmann and Matuidi ambushing behind, and Pogba and Kante as double defensive midfielders. On the defensive line, Varane and Umtiti partnered as central defenders, Hernandez and Pavard were on the left and right, and the goalkeeper was still Lloris.

For Portugal, Santos continued to line up the 4321 Christmas tree formation, with Patricio as the goalkeeper, Cancelo, Pepe, Fonte and Guerrero forming the defensive line, William Carvalho, Moutinho and Joao Mario as the three defensive midfielders, Bruno and Bernardo Silva as the double front midfielders, and Ronaldo as the single striker.

After controlling the ball, the French team did not rush to launch an attack. Pogba adjusted the ball, looked at the Portuguese formation that had not been broken up in front, and turned the ball to the central defender Umtiti behind. The purpose of this move is to draw out the players of the Portuguese team and stretch their originally compressed formation, so that there will be a gap that can be used.

As expected, Ronaldo, who served as a striker, and Bernardo Silva, the right front midfielder, ran up, they crossed the French team's midfield and rushed straight to the French team's defense line.

Umtiti knew that he was the opponent's target, and if he held the ball again, he might be intercepted. He didn't want to be the kind of defender who often appeared in "The Most Stupid Football Mistakes in History" and was ridiculed.

He passed the ball to Pavard, the right back on the wing.

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As soon as Pavard received the ball, he found that Bruno was less than ten meters away from him.

The young Pavard was a little surprised. He wanted to do something for a while but didn't know what to do. In short, there was a "brain short circuit".

When he realized that he should pass the ball to the teammate in front, Bruno had already rushed to him and kicked the ball away!

The Luzhniki Stadium suddenly erupted with a huge noise. The cheers of the Portuguese fans and the exclamations of the French fans mixed together. It was hard to tell whether they were cheering for the steal or shouting in fear.

At this time, Pavard's brain suddenly reacted very quickly. He knew what to do, and he didn't hesitate at all-he stretched out his hand and pulled Bruno who was about to break through!

Referee Pitana blew the whistle, and Pavard, the right back of the French team, committed a foul, and Portugal was awarded a free kick in the front court.

"Wow, the game just started, and Portugal got a free kick in the front court! Unlike the analysis of the media before the game, Portugal showed a fierce momentum after the game started!" The commentator exclaimed.

They were indeed surprised, because before the game, the media generally believed that Santos would take a defensive counterattack in this game and wear down the French team.

This tactic has been proven to be very useful in many key games. Unexpectedly, Portugal adopted an active tactic of pressing in the front court at the beginning of the game, which caught the French team off guard.

This mistake was very embarrassing.

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Bruno was basically responsible for the free kicks on the front side, but this time, Bruno did not run up to take the free kick, but found Moutinho and said, "Joao, you take the free kick, I will go to the penalty area to compete for the header."

Moutinho was a little surprised and hesitated, "But I have to defend."

"Leave it to William and Mario. I can go up and give the opponent a surprise. This season we have not let you take the free kick in the set-piece tactics. You are an unexpected surprise that they absolutely cannot expect and are not prepared for." Bruno winked at Moutinho.

Moutinho understood that this move was indeed very clever. After Bruno went up, the French team would lack ways and candidates to deal with him. They would not be able to find anyone to defend him for a while. Then as long as the ball he kicked landed at the right place, Bruno would be able to cause trouble for the opponent in front of the French team's goal.

Time waits for no one, so he nodded and ran up, ready to take the free kick.

Bruno first ran to William Carvalho and said to him: "You and Mario, pay attention to defense."

After that, he accelerated and ran towards the French team's penalty area.

When Ronaldo saw him running in and squeezed together with the opponent's players, he laughed. He knew what this kid wanted to do. In order to cooperate with him, he had to create more chaos inside, so he was not honest and kept changing positions in the crowd, making Varane, the Real Madrid teammate who was responsible for defending him, dizzy. Following Ronaldo's shuttle in the crowd, he also disrupted the French team's own defense.

Pepe also cooperated with Bruno, and his header should not be underestimated.

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Bruno saw the chaos on the penalty area line and knew what his teammates were doing. So he hid behind Ronaldo and Pepe, relying on them to attract the French team's defensive attention, while he lowered his head and was as low-key as a transparent person.

As expected, the French players did not notice him. They were more concerned about Ronaldo and the two central defenders Pepe and Fonte who rushed up.

Moutinho also understood what Bruno was going to do. He carefully placed the football on the ground and then stepped back.

The free kick location was near the sideline, and the straight-line distance from the goal was 39 meters, which was not far from the penalty area line.

This kind of free kick basically kicked an outspin ball, and used a similar footwork to send the football to the penalty spot in the penalty area to facilitate his teammates to head the ball.

When Moutinho placed the football, he waited for the referee's whistle to sound.

The referee Pitana saw that the situation in the penalty area was basically stable, so he blew the whistle in his mouth.

At this time, the game time on the TV screen was one minute and thirty-eight seconds.

Moutinho started to run up, then hit the ball hard, and the ball flew into the air, drawing an arc and flying towards the French team's penalty area!

At this time, Ronaldo and Pepe sprinted to the left and right, making a gesture to head the ball.

The French players who were marking the two of them ran away with them, and just like that, a crack suddenly appeared in front of Bruno, as if the tightly closed door was pushed open by Ronaldo and Pepe, and the front was suddenly clear!

This is the best opportunity! Now!

………………

Bruno looked up at the ball and started running at the same time.

One step... The ball flew in the air and was close to the penalty area.

Two steps... The ball passed the first person, Mbappe, the left forward of the French team. Mbappe did not head the ball. His header this time was more like a show.

Three steps!

Jump!

The ball finally entered the densely populated area.

Ronaldo jumped, and Varane, the French team's central defender, also jumped high, trying to head the ball out.

The two men interfered with each other, and in the end, no one hit the ball!

Bruno, who was not marked, jumped in the air, very high, and the people below could only look up at him.

The football flew over the heads of Ronaldo and Varane, and then arrived in his airspace!

Bruno in the air obviously had a time to stay in the air. He began to tighten his abdomen and twist his waist, making his body like a spring that was compressed to the limit, just waiting for the ball to come and bounce out!

Bruno's eyes were fixed on the football, and the landing point of the football flashed in his mind. Everything was in his expectation, exactly.

When watching the football arrive at the expected landing point, Bruno's spring also ejected, kicking his legs, swinging his hips, twisting his waist, shaking his head... The power was transmitted from top to bottom to his forehead, and then hit the football hard!

………………

"Moutinho kicked the football into the penalty area... Bruno! It's Bruno! He jumped up... and headed for the goal--!!" The Portuguese commentator suddenly shouted excitedly, because he saw Bruno jumping high in the air, and there was no French player around him!

He headed the ball into the goal without any interference!

Next, the football was like a silver meteor, which was hit by Bruno's head in the air, changing its flight path and crashing into the goal.

French goalkeeper Lori made a desperate save, but Bruno's header was too powerful and the speed was so fast that he caught nothing except a gust of wind...

"GOLO! GOLOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"

Amid the roar of the Portuguese commentator, the silver meteor hit the white net hard.

The ball went in!

In the first half, the French goal was right under a stand where Portuguese fans gathered, so the attack in which Bruno participated was clearly seen by Portuguese fans at a very close distance.

They saw Bruno jump high and head the ball into the goal in the air.

Then all the Portuguese fans raised their arms and jumped up from their seats!

"The ball went in!! It's incredible! The ball flew into the French team's goal just one minute and fifty seconds after the start of the game! This is the fastest goal in the history of the World Cup final! Did anyone think of it before the game?"

"Bruno's header! The French team didn't mark him at all, letting him shake his head calmly in the air... This is really a fatal mistake for the French team!"

"Bruno! Yes, it's Bruno! Bruno again! He always scores for the team in such a crucial game! This is his sixth goal in this World Cup! He tied Harry Kane and ranked first in the scorer list of this World Cup!"

"A beautiful header! He jumped higher than anyone! Bruno, who was high above, headed Moutinho's pass into the goal!"

"Bruno! Bruno!! Bruno!!! The hero of Portugal!"

"Portugal scored a goal two minutes into the game. They got off to a good start. This is really a great start!"

...

The commentators and announcers of various TV and radio stations were shouting excitedly.