Chapter 684: The Psychological Battle
At that moment, Bruno had only one player left to beat—Jonjo Shelvey, who had recently come off the bench.
As Bruno advanced rapidly, Shelvey retreated, trying to maintain his positioning. The distance between them closed quickly, with the penalty box looming behind Shelvey—he had no space left to give.
Reluctantly, Shelvey halted and stepped forward to challenge Bruno.
Bruno, dribbling with precision and seemingly instinctive steps, was fully aware of the situation. He knew Shelvey had no choice but to confront him. Without giving Shelvey a moment to react, Bruno decided to make his move.
Shelvey noticed Bruno dip his left shoulder—his left foot was just as dangerous as his right.
"Damn! He's going to cut inside for a shot!"
Reacting instinctively, Shelvey shifted to block Bruno's potential inward move, but Bruno abruptly shifted his momentum outward. Shelvey's balance faltered as he tried to recover. By the time he adjusted, Bruno was already past him. In desperation, Shelvey grabbed Bruno's jersey from behind and yanked hard.
Bruno lost his balance and fell to the ground as Shelvey cleared the ball out of play.
As Shelvey made his clearance, the referee's whistle echoed across the stadium.
"Out of bounds?" Shelvey thought.
But within moments, the atmosphere at St. James' Park exploded. The crowd of 50,000 Newcastle fans erupted into deafening boos and cheers of disbelief.
Referee Martin Atkinson ran toward the penalty box and straight to Shelvey, reaching into his pocket and raising a red card high into the air.
"Red card!"
"Penalty!"
The stadium was in chaos.
"Martin Atkinson has issued a red card to Shelvey! Not only is this a penalty for Manchester United, but Newcastle is now reduced to ten men!"
"From the replays, it's clear Shelvey grabbed Bruno's jersey inside the box. Bruno's run had already taken him into the penalty area, leaving the referee with little choice but to award the penalty and send Shelvey off."
"With just under 30 minutes left, Newcastle faces a monumental challenge—down a man and trailing by two goals."
Newcastle's players surrounded the referee in anger, with captain Jamaal Lascelles and defender Fabian Schär leading the protests. They argued that the punishment was too harsh.
Atkinson, unfazed, pointed to his eyes, insisting that he had seen everything clearly.
"There's no question—it's a blatant foul," the commentators agreed. "Newcastle needs to control their emotions. They can't afford to lose another player."
Meanwhile, Harry Kane approached Bruno, who was still on the ground. He extended a hand, pulling his teammate to his feet.
"Well done, mate. That was brilliant."
N'Golo Kanté added, "Perfectly executed."
The penalty and red card were game-changing. Bruno's calm and decisive play had put United in a commanding position.
As Bruno adjusted his jersey, which had been visibly stretched by Shelvey's foul, he reflected on how quickly the situation had unfolded. Shelvey likely hadn't realized Bruno had already entered the penalty box.
On the sidelines, the contrasting reactions of the two managers were striking.
Rafa Benítez raged, shouting at the officials: "You're killing the game! Don't you see what you've done?"
Meanwhile, Mourinho celebrated exuberantly, recognizing the importance of the penalty and red card.
"The referee stood firm under pressure," the commentators noted. "This decision is pivotal for Manchester United."
Newcastle's goalkeeper, Martin Dúbravka, stood at the goal line, preparing for the penalty. The 6'3" Slovak had a reputation for saving penalties, but he was acutely aware of Bruno's impeccable record from the spot.
Bruno, unfazed, carefully placed the ball on the penalty spot. Before retreating, he glanced at Harry Kane and called him over.
"Does Dúbravka have any tendencies when facing penalties?" Bruno asked, maintaining eye contact with the goalkeeper.
Kane replied thoughtfully, "Not really, but he seems to favor diving to his left."
Bruno nodded deliberately, then turned back to face Dúbravka with a small smile.
Dúbravka couldn't help but notice the exchange. "What did Kane tell him?" the keeper wondered, overthinking the potential strategy.
Bruno stepped back, taking a deep breath. The referee blew the whistle.
As Bruno began his run-up, Dúbravka focused on his movements. When Bruno appeared to aim for the right side of the goal, Dúbravka committed early, diving to his left.
But Bruno subtly paused mid-stride and calmly chipped the ball straight down the middle.
"GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL!!!"
"Bruno Fernandes does it again! A perfectly executed penalty, deceiving Dúbravka and slotting it straight down the middle!"
"Manchester United leads 2-0! This penalty could seal the match."
Bruno sprinted towards the corner flag, celebrating wildly. The psychological battle had been exhilarating—a gamble he had won.
"It was all mind games," Bruno thought, grinning. Dúbravka had been overthinking, influenced by the conversation with Kane. In reality, Kane's information was irrelevant, but it had planted a seed of doubt in the goalkeeper's mind.
The thrill of outsmarting an opponent, combined with the team's crucial lead, was immensely satisfying for Bruno.
(END CHAPTER)
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