Bruce took a few steps back to create a proper run-up, then inhaled deeply twice to calm his nerves.
At that moment, boos erupted from the Anfield stands — and surprisingly, Bruce felt a little flattered.
After all, the difference in strength between the two teams was huge, and Liverpool had already secured a massive advantage in the first leg. Because of that, the atmosphere at Anfield hadn't been as intense as people had claimed.
But this time, right when Bruce was about to take the free kick, the boos suddenly grew louder.
Bruce thought to himself, "Looks like my previous performance really left some impression on these Liverpool fans. In that case, I should push harder and leave them with an even better 'impression' this time."
Beep — the Belgian referee blew his whistle, signaling that Bruce could take the free kick.
Bruce raised his right foot slightly, rotated his ankle twice to loosen it, placed his supporting foot firmly on the ground, and began his run-up.
"Judging from Bruce's positioning, he probably intends to shoot directly at the goal..."
"Bruce... takes a running start... and shoots!!!"
Bruce accelerated toward the ball. As he approached, he slightly slowed his steps, leaned his body for balance, swung his right leg high behind him, then whipped it forward with power like a heavy lash. His instep struck the ball cleanly.
In that moment, Bruce felt perfect contact. He pressed down on the ball with enough force, and just before the ball left his foot, he flicked it with just the right touch.
The ball launched at extreme speed, spinning violently as it flew past the defensive wall in an instant, carving a sharp arc through the air as it bent toward the near post.
Liverpool did not field their first-choice goalkeeper, Reina, in this match. Instead, they started their substitute goalkeeper — Australian Brad Jones.
Jones initially stood somewhat casually in front of the goal, thinking it was a low-threat free kick, given the poor angle and the fact that the taker was only 17 years old.
But the moment the ball flew out, Jones realized he was wrong.
The ball was traveling at extremely high speed, giving him almost no time to react. He instinctively shifted toward the far post in the direction the ball first seemed to be heading — but then the ball suddenly curved back, arcing through the air and spinning viciously toward the near post, before smashing into the net at the tight gap between the crossbar and the post.
When Jones saw the ball bend in midair, he immediately sensed something was off — but this was a hard-earned starting opportunity, and he didn't want to let it go. So he tried to readjust and shift his weight back to save it.
But with his center of gravity constantly being pulled back and forth, he couldn't stabilize his feet. His knees gave out, and he ended up kneeling in front of the goal.
His head was still turned away and he could do nothing but watch as the ball flew into his net.
"Goooooooal~~~~~~~~!" Mortenson let out a long shout.
"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"
"Bruce delivered an unparalleled free kick. It was absolutely beautiful; a perfect free kick with a perfect curve."
"Look at the Australians' reaction — faced with such a near-perfect free kick, the goalkeeper could only kneel helplessly in front of the goal, completely powerless."
"Bruce's goal reminded me of David Beckham. That free kick just now had the same characteristics as Beckham's: extremely fast speed and a huge curve, which maximized the viewing experience of a curved free kick."
"Even the motion at the moment of the strike had similarities."
"I'm sure this kid has been studying Beckham's free-kick technique…"
The moment the ball bent around the wall, Bruce knew it was in the bag. He didn't believe for a second that the Australian goalkeeper could stop his free kick. For that brief instant, he felt an overwhelming sense of dominance — as if no goalkeeper in the world could stop it.
Before the ball had even actually flown into the net, Bruce had already turned around, taken two steps forward, jumped up, and thrown a powerful punch into the air.
This was his signature goal celebration — one he had been doing since he was a child.
On the sidelines, head coach Peter Houston and assistant coach Toby Harrison hugged each other and celebrated excitedly, with Harrison even spitting a little saliva as he shouted.
On the field, Bruce was also being dragged around and surrounded by his teammates, all of them shouting and celebrating wildly.
"Bruce! That was insane! That shot!!"
"You're our Dundee United Beckham!!!"
In the bigger context of the series, this was just a small goal — highly entertaining, yes — but it didn't have much impact on Dundee United's actual advancement.
But for Dundee United, that goal proved they were right.
They managed to score against a much stronger Liverpool team — and the goals they scored were genuinely beautiful.
After the wild celebrations died down, there wasn't much time left in the match.
Liverpool had no intention of pushing forward anymore, as their qualification was already secured. Dundee United, on the other hand, wanted to take advantage of the moment to score another, but given the difference in strength, they didn't have any practical ideas to execute.
So, in the final few minutes of the match, both teams played rather listlessly.
As a result, Bruce's goal was repeatedly shown on the broadcast.
Bruce's deep breaths during preparation, his tiptoeing and ankle rotation, his run-up and strike, and his goal celebration were all replayed in slow motion.
Finally, after two minutes of added time, the referee blew the final whistle.
Dundee United drew 1–1 with Liverpool at Anfield, but were eliminated from the UEFA Cup with an aggregate score of 1–4, ending their season.
Liverpool fans at home were celebrating their team's advancement to the next round, but the celebration wasn't particularly enthusiastic, because Bruce's goal made it feel like something was missing.
The few Dundee United fans who traveled for the away game were disappointed because their team was eliminated — but there was a small sense of comfort in that disappointment: Bruce's goal.
※※※
Bruce did not attend the post-match press conference, but that did not stop him from becoming the center of attention.
In a match where the odds were heavily against them and the outcome was all but certain, Bruce's free kick stood out as the only memorable moment. Riding on the fame of Liverpool, a Premier League powerhouse, Bruce became a household name overnight.
"That goal was indeed beautiful, but it doesn't change the result of the game. We've advanced to the next round, and that's what matters," Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson said simply, without elaborating further.
Dundee United manager Houston, on the other hand, had plenty to say. It was the first time in his managerial career that he had faced so many British journalists, and he wanted to make his point clear.
"I had already planned to play Bruce, which is why he was on the roster. My intention in bringing him on was to help the team win, not to concede the game. Although we didn't manage to win, securing a draw at Anfield is an acceptable result."
"We had been keeping an eye on Bruce when he was still at Crystal Palace. After I became the team's head coach in the summer, I immediately pushed for a plan to bring him in. Unfortunately, we couldn't agree on the price, so we could only loan him temporarily, but we included a buy-out clause."
"He used to play as a defensive midfielder at Crystal Palace, but after he joined our team, I moved him to the wing based on his technical characteristics, and he did not disappoint me."
"This was Bruce's first professional game, and against a top-tier team, he scored his first goal. There's no doubt he has a bright future ahead of him."
In Peter Houston's words, he has become the undisputed mentor of Bruce, the genius who became famous overnight.