Chapter 620: The Winning Goal!
Nacho reacted quickly. He abruptly stopped his sprint, turned around, and reached out, trying to grab Bruno by the arm. No matter what, he couldn't let Bruno get to the ball.
But as soon as Nacho stretched out his hand, Bruno fiercely swung his own arm, smacking Nacho's hand away with a loud slap. The force caused Nacho's entire left arm to fling backward. At the same time, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance, stumbling onto the grass. All he could do was watch helplessly as Bruno chased down the ball, deftly controlling it with his right foot and charging into the penalty area.
"What a fantastic touch!"
"Bruno's stunning control on Portugal's right wing completely leaves Nacho behind!"
"Let's see how he handles this opportunity..."
Bruno now faced Busquets. He attempted to dribble past him but was unable to shake him off, so he passed the ball back to the edge of the box.
"Cristiano Ronaldo steps up—he shoots!"
"Too direct! De Gea punches it away!"
"The ball hasn't gone far—it's still in the penalty area!"
"Bruno..."
When the ball deflected off De Gea and flew toward him, Bruno froze for a moment.
Too sudden!
He had been convinced Ronaldo would score. But De Gea's save caught him off guard, and now the ball was coming straight at him. For a split second, his mind went blank. Instinctively, he reached out with his foot to stop the ball.
The ball didn't go far, settling right in front of him. At that moment, it felt as if time had stopped. The air around him seemed frozen, and everyone else's movements slowed to a crawl.
He saw Busquets turning back toward him after lunging at Ronaldo. Busquets was slow.
De Gea, sprawled on the ground, was shouting something and sluggishly pulling his hands back to try and get up.
Ramos, stationed in the middle, was preparing to slide tackle.
As for Nacho, he had only just managed to get back on his feet after his earlier fall.
In the stands, countless fans looked on with disbelief. Portuguese fans were overjoyed; Spanish fans were horrified. Everyone was shocked by the sudden turn of events.
On Spain's bench, Hierro's face twisted in rage as he yelled, "Stop him!"
On the sideline, Santos' eyes widened in astonishment. He shouted, "Shoot!"
All these chaotic images flooded into Bruno's mind in that fleeting moment. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality, swung his right foot, and struck the ball forward.
Busquets spun around, Ramos slid in, and De Gea struggled to rise...
But none of it mattered. The sound of the ball being struck rang out—a sharp, crisp bang—as Bruno's right foot connected. The ball rocketed off the ground like a lightning bolt, smashing into the net, which was practically undefended.
As soon as Bruno struck the ball, he was certain it was going in.
The sensation was overwhelming. It was as if the ball was an extension of his entire being. He didn't need to hear the referee's whistle to confirm it. The moment the ball left his foot, he roared in triumph and sprinted away in celebration.
Behind him, the referee finally blew his whistle to signal the goal.
The stadium erupted. Portuguese players and fans alike were jolted out of their stunned silence. Bruno had already dashed toward the stands where the Portuguese fans were gathered, throwing himself into their ecstatic cheers.
Portugal's players lost their minds with excitement. Whether they were on the pitch, on the bench, or part of the coaching staff, everyone surged toward Bruno, shouting and embracing him in a frenzied celebration.
Nobody had expected this. Nobody could have predicted that Bruno would be the one to score.
But at this stage of the game, it didn't matter who scored. All that mattered was that Portugal had scored!
In the stands, countless Portuguese fans wept tears of joy.
Portugal's triumph in the 2016 European Championship and their stellar performance over the past two years had placed them above Spain in FIFA's rankings. However, in their head-to-head history, Spain had been overwhelmingly dominant.
Out of 35 encounters, Portugal had only managed 6 wins, 13 draws, and 16 losses—a dismal record.
Eight years earlier, in the Round of 16 at the South Africa World Cup, Spain had knocked Portugal out 1-0. This was their first meeting in the World Cup finals.
Now, eight years later, Portugal had the chance to avenge that defeat.
No Portuguese fan in the stands could remain seated. Everyone was on their feet, singing and shouting, eagerly awaiting the moment of victory.
"Heroes of the sea, noble people,
Brave and eternal nation,
Let Portugal's glory shine again today!"
Their song echoed across the Sochi night sky, spurring the Portuguese players to fight until the very last second.
The three minutes of injury time passed in a flash.
Santos stood on the sideline, surrounded by players from the bench, all of them anxiously waiting.
Finally, Isco took one last shot, barely evading William Carvalho's challenge. The ball deflected off Pepe's foot and went out for a corner.
Isco hurried to pick up the ball, preparing to take the corner kick.
But there was no time left.
The referee blew his whistle—once, twice, three times. By the third, the roar of Portuguese fans had already drowned it out. The stadium erupted in wild celebration.
"The match is over! The match is over! A last-minute goal! A comeback! An unbelievable turnaround!"
"4-3! Portugal, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick and Bruno's winning goal, defeats Spain!"
"Miracles! Miracles belong to Portugal!"
As the referee blew the final whistle, cameras panned to the stands, capturing fans screaming, hugging, stomping, jumping, and even crying tears of joy.
On the pitch, Santos pointed to the sky, overwhelmed by emotion. Behind him, reporters swarmed in. Every word he said could become a headline tomorrow.
Pepe, the veteran defender, collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent. At 35 years old, he had fought tooth and nail to keep Spain at bay. Despite conceding three goals, he and his fellow defenders had given their all.
Bruno, too, fell to the ground, raising his arms in triumph before being swept into a bear hug by Ronaldo. The proud captain shouted in Portuguese, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
If not for Bruno's goal-line clearance, Thiago might have scored, and everything would have been lost. If not for Bruno's winning goal, Portugal would have had to settle for a draw.
Portugal's players ran with their arms outstretched, celebrating as if they had just won the World Cup.
Santos straightened his suit and approached Hierro.
"Congratulations," Hierro said.
"Thank you."
The two shook hands briefly before parting ways.
Reporters flocked to Santos, eager for his comments.
"Did you ever think this kind of comeback was possible?"
"Of course," Santos replied confidently.
Gesturing toward his players, Santos declared, "Because of them! They are the best. They are warriors who never stop fighting. Even when people said we had lost, they proved them wrong!"
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