The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 38

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== Into the Blue Lion's Den ==
On the day following the UEFA Champions League draw, United played their 3rd consecutive match at Old Trafford. This time, the Red Devils defeated a quite stubborn Crystal Palace team in the 6th round of the FA Cup (FA Cup quarterfinals, March 16) by a score of 2-0. After that, club duties with the Manchester United men's senior team were in recess as the 2-week March international break kicked in.
Kakeru and Yusuke were both summoned to join the Samurai Blue in Japan for 2 friendly matches on Japanese soil. But before they were going to leave England, both players took the opportunity to watch their female counterparts play their own quarterfinal in the Women's FA Cup. Nana and Noriko came alongside their respective companions as well.
Sunday March 16
Manchester United Women's vs. Chelsea Women's (Women's FA Cup quarterfinal)
Leigh Sports Village Stadium, Leigh, UK
In front of a little more of 2,300 spectators on that cloudy Sunday afternoon, the Manchester United Women's team had the daunting task of knocking out Chelsea's Women's team with a place in the semifinals at stake. Nevertheless, the fighting spirit of the Red Devils was also found in the women's team as well. After a goalless first half where Chelsea looked more like the dominating side, the action was about pick up in the second half.
In the 57th minute:
David Stowell: Andersson... Zelem got there first...
"Come on, United!" Kakeru shouted.
"Good play, Zelem!" Nana added.
The Chelsea left-back, Jonna Andersson, attempted a pass towards a teammate. However, it was intercepted by United's Katie Zelem inside the Chelsea half. Then the ball was passed into the path of Manchester United forward Ella Toone, who was about to enter the Chelsea penalty area.
David Stowell: Toone...
"Shoot it!" Noriko shouted.
Ella made a dribble before she took the shot. The Chelsea defender tried to block the shot, but the ensuing deflection caught the Chelsea goalkeeper flatfooted as the ball rolled into the bottom corner of the goal to open the score.
David Stowell: Chance to take a spot... A deflection and a goal! And United have a lead against Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the Women's FA Cup. Ella Toone's shot went off Eriksson and rolled into the corner of the goal.
Menwhile in the stands:
"Yatta! (All right!)" Kakeru and Nana exclaimed.
"Against the run of play, but we will take it." Yusuke said.
"That women's team knows how to put up a fight. That's for sure." Noriko replied.
"Hope they will hold on for 33 more minutes." Yusuke said.
However, Chelsea had plenty of experience and talent. They could rely on a number of forwards, especially a German forward named Angelina von Seckendorff. Being the sister of elite Bayern Munich defender Karl von Seckendorff, Angelina also earned a reputation as a ruthless scorer in the women's game. The female German forward was not going to leave the western suburb of Manchester without making an impression against that resilient Manchester United team.
In the 77th minute:
David Stowell: Headed down by Bright... The ball bounces over Green. Now Kirby...
After a long clearance by a Manchester United defender, the ball was headed back inside the Manchester United half by Chelsea defender Millie Bright. The descending ball was a little too far away her teammate Sophie Ingle, but it also took an unexpectedly strong bounce off the pitch and above United midfielder Mollie Green. Finally, it was the diminutive Chelsea striker and England international, Fran Kirby, who recovered the ball to begin an attack.
David Stowell: Kirby... Here's Ingle...
Although under early pressure from a Manchester United player, Fran Kirby made a short pass to Sophie Ingle. The Welsh midfielder ran some distance ahead with the ball while taking on 2 Manchester United players. Nevertheless, Ingle won enough time to make a pass on her left to the arriving Fran Kirby, who then surprised everyone with a one-touch through pass into the path of Angelina von Seckendorff.
"Watch out!" Noriko exclaimed as she saw the danger.
"That's dangerous!" Nana added.
David Stowell: Kirby. That's a very clever ball for Von Seckendorff...
Manchester United goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain rushed forward in a desperate attempt to stop the German striker, but Angelina easily ran around the goalkeeper before she slotted the ball into a yawning cage.
David Stowell: She runs around Chamberlain, and she has equalized for Chelsea! Angelina von Seckendorff has made it 1-1.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Blimey!" Noriko was dejected.
"That's a shame. Everyone forgot about her." Kakeru said.
"Yeah, she keeps finding a way to slip past any defender. A real nightmare of a player." Nana replied.
With the score all squared at 1-1, United and Chelsea delivered a tight and tense battle in which every single blade of grass had to be earned. No genuine scoring chances hit the target, but Chelsea was becoming more enterprising on the attack. The prospect of going into extra time was looming large as full time approached.
In the 91st minute – 1st minute of injury time:
David Stowell: Chelsea have a throw.
In a throw-in situation deep inside the Manchester United half, the Chelsea players played a quick pass-and-go followed by a pass towards South Korea midfielder Ji So-yun. Then Ji launched a through pass for Angelina, and danger was knocking at United's door again.
David Stowell: Great pass by Ji... Von Seckendorff...
But as Angelina was about to shoot, Manchester United defender Millie Turner poked the ball away from the German forward. In a matter of seconds, the players in red moved up on the counterattack as the ball arrived into Ella Toone's feet.
David Stowell: Here's Toone... looking for Isshiki trying to get behind Eriksson...
Taeko, who came in as a substitute shortly after Angelina's equalizing goal, ran after the ball. However, it was Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson who kicked the ball out of play, just before Taeko would have entered the Chelsea penalty area.
On the following throw-in by Manchester United, Katie Zelem threw the ball to right-back Kirsty Smith. Then the Scottish defender attempted a through pass towards Taeko, but it was misplaced. However, Magdalena Eriksson also scuffed her clearing kick a little as the ball only dropped as far as to United's Mollie Green.
David Stowell: Here's Green... Looking for Isshiki...
Despite the presence of 2 Chelsea players in the way, Mollie Green slid the pass ahead for Taeko. The Japanese forward had to resist a tackle from Sophie Ingle, but Taeko held on. Then Taeko made a short pass ahead to Ella, who then completed the give-and-go that propelled Taeko into a gap between 2 Chelsea defenders.
David Stowell: Toone… back to Isshiki...
"COME ON, TAE-SAN!" Nana shouted.
"SHOOT IT!" Noriko added.
Entering the Chelsea penalty area with speed, Taeko got herself half of a yard ahead of Eriksson. But even though the shooting angle appeared to be narrowing quickly, the Japanese forward surprised Chelsea goalkeeper Carly Telford with a blast by the near post and into the top corner of the goal.
David Stowell: Isshiki goes for goal and GETS IT! They have certainly won it!
The crowd of 2,300+ inside Leigh Sports Village Stadium jumped off their seats to celebrate. The whole Manchester United bench also ran to celebrate with the heroine of the moment.
"Well done, Tae!" Ella was the first to congratulate Taeko.
"Thanks! Nice pass too, Tooney!" Taeko replied.
David Stowell: Deep in stoppage time, it's the veteran striker from Japan, Taeko Isshiki, who pushes United into the semifinals of the Women's FA Cup.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"We did it!" Nana and Noriko exclaimed together.
"Great goal, Isshiki-san!" Kakeru added.
"Well done! There's no way Chelsea will recover from that." Yusuke said.
"Not a chance. They look crushed." Noriko replied.
Indeed, there was not much time left to play when Taeko broke the deadlock. The Chelsea Women's F.C. players were also shell-shocked after conceding important both Manchester United goals against the run of play. In the end, the women in red were the ones in the semifinals of the Women's FA Cup.
Some time after the match, Kakeru and his friends came to meet with Taeko just outside of the stadium.
"Hey, guys!" Taeko said.
"Onee-san!" Noriko greeted back.
"Noriko! Nice to see you." Taeko said as she hugged Noriko.
"You picked quite the time to become a heroine."
"I may be a veteran player, but I can still pull some old tricks."
"In any case, it is a big result thanks to you." Kakeru said.
"I'm always happy to see this team doing well and you being part of it." Nana added.
"Thanks." Taeko replied.
"I really enjoy watching this team." Yusuke said.
"We will always look to play entertaining soccer. It is what this club has always been about after all." Taeko replied.
"True." Kakeru said.
Then Ella Toone came to have a one-on-one chat with Nana.
"Hey there, Witch!" Ella greeted.
"Hey, Tooney! Nice game today." Nana replied.
"Thanks."
"You scored the first goal and assisted the second today. You're becoming quite a leader despite your age." Nana said.
"I can hope. Tae is still a very good leader even as a substitute." Ella replied.
"Yeah, she is. But still, don't be too modest with yourself."
"OK. It is really great to see you here to support us today." Ella said.
"Anytime, Tooney." Nana replied. "See you next time."
Seconds later, Manchester United Women's head coach Casey Stoney came up.
"Hello there, Mishima."
"Coach Stoney."
"I have never been your coach, you know." Stoney said.
"Well, I say that by great respect to the job you're doing with this team. Great win today for the club today." Nana replied.
"All credit to the players. They are the ones who put up the fight."
"They are a very good group indeed."
"You know you're eligible to play in it if you want to. Besides, we could do some good preparation with you at The Cliff." Stoney said.
Nana chuckled. "I don't think Andrew Butler would want to loan me to the Women's team for a match, but I can convince him for me to train with the girls during the international break and also ahead of the semifinals in the Women's FA Cup."
"We will see. It's always good to see you around."
"Same feeling for me. See you soon, Coach." Nana finished.
The Manchester United Women's team left the stadium. However, the Chelsea Women's team did not leave just yet. Kakeru, Nana, Yusuke, and Noriko were about to leave when Nana spotted Angelina next to the Chelsea team bus.
"Wait here, guys. I have to talk to someone." Nana said before she walked her way towards the German striker.
"I thought I'd see you here." Angelina said.
"You caused some trouble for us with that equalizer. Chelsea could have won the game." Nana replied.
"We should have, but it just wasn't our day after all."
"So what's up with you?" Nana asked. "I thought you would be following Mai with a push into the men's team."
"Me? I was never really interested into that even though you opened up the door for women. My friend and teammate, Mina Meier, is making the most of it though."
"She's playing with your brother at Bayern Munich, right?" Nana asked.
"Yes, and Bayern are dominating the Bundesliga right now." Angelina replied.
"Well, we will see how they do first against Tottenham in the Champions League. Spurs knocked Dortmund out by 4-0 in the previous round."
"Tottenham, Real Madrid, Manchester United, or anybody else, it doesn't matter." Angelina said. "No matter who stands in the way, that Bayern team has everything they need to go all the way to the European Cup."
"Should I see that as a challenge?" Nana asked.
"Not from me; it's from both my brother and Mina. Also I'm sure Toru Asuka would love to step up against you as well... if you can get past Real Madrid first." Angelina replied.
"Hard work gets us through adversity. Forged in industry, striving for glory – that is what they teach us here."
"We'll see. First, you better be ready if you want to survive the lion's den in 2 weeks. You know it is at Stamford Bridge." Angelina said.
"We will get something out of there, one way or the other." Nana replied.
"Yeah, sure." Angelina finished.
Then Angelina got on her team's bus.
"What did she say?" Kakeru asked.
"She's really confident that Bayern Munich would beat anybody and win the Champions League." Nana replied.
"Really bold statement." Kakeru said.
"Her brother, Toru Asuka, and Mina Meier are with Bayern. Of course, she will vouch for them." Noriko replied.
"Not surprising. But as a former Borussia Dortmund academy player, I will make sure that will not happen." Yusuke added.
"Anyway, there still a long way to go before that." Nana replied.
"Yep. First, we play 2 international matches, and then Chelsea are next. Let's do this one game at the time." Kakeru finished.
During the international break, Japan fielded a very young squad as part of the auditions for the upcoming Copa America, which would feature the eventual Olympic team for Tokyo 2020. With both matches at home, Japan lost 0-1 to Colombia (March 22) after missing out on several scoring chances before they won against Bolivia by a score of 1-0 (March 26). Kakeru and Yusuke saw some action, but Raimond van der Meijde preferred to give more playing minutes to the younger and less experienced players. Hence the only thing Kakeru and Yusuke had to worry about on their return to England was the jetlag.
Back in England, Kakeru and Yusuke returned to training alongside Nana for their following Premier League match in London. And as usual, a match in London means that United spent the night before the match at the Landmark London hotel.
Sunday March 31
The Landmark London, City of Westminster, UK
In the early morning, Kakeru was the first to wake up. He immediately went forward with a morning workout that included easy and energizing moves. When Nana woke up, Kakeru was already doing a 30-second round of bicycle crunches.
"Ohayou, Kakeru."
"Ohayou, Nana. I already took the lead in the morning workout." Kakeru said.
"It's all good, but I think the Boss will consider the fact that you had to recover from the jetlag after Tuesday's game. So I don't think you will start today." Nana replied.
"I know, but I really want to make sure I will be ready if I have to come on. We haven't earned too many positive results in that place."
"Good point."
"And since Arsenal and City drew yesterday, this is our chance to go further ahead of everyone." Kakeru said.
"You're right. We need all of our chances on our side today." Nana replied.
Then Kakeru finished his routine a very short time later while Nana was beginning hers before they took a shower. Following a good breakfast, the players were convened to attend a final pre-game team talk at the hotel. After that, the players went to begin their respective pre-match routines. For Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke, they decided to go for some jogging just outside of the hotel for a change.
"Ready for the run?" Kakeru asked.
"Anytime." Nana replied.
"Let's do this." Yusuke added.
Then Andrew Butler make sure to remind his 3 Japanese players to be careful.
"Make sure to be careful out there. Don't give anything for the tabloids to feed upon." Andrew said.
"We never did, Boss, and we won't start today." Kakeru replied.
Then the 3 Japanese players got their way out of the hotel before they started their jogging run in the neighboring streets in the City of Westminster for nearly 30 minutes. At one point towards the end of their jogging run, their course led them to stop in front of what is now legally known as 221B Baker Street.
"I don't think I've ever seen this before." Kakeru said.
"Me neither." Nana replied. "This is the 221B Baker Street, otherwise known as Sherlock Holmes' house."
"Well, I didn't expect this place to be this real." Yusuke said.
Since 1990, the place is known as the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Although located geographically on what should be 239 Baker Street, and because the house resembles the 221B described in the stories, the museum has been granted the permission to bear the number 221B by the City of Westminster.
"I used to read Detective Conan when I was younger, but to see a cultural impact like this... It is something else." Kakeru said.
"Same feeling for me." Yusuke replied.
"Well, we can add this on our list for the next time we will visit London with no club obligations." Nana replied.
"We can also disguise ourselves into Sherlock Holmes and John Watson on the next Halloween." Kakeru said.
All 3 Japanese players laughed before they got on their way back to the hotel.
Chelsea vs. Manchester United (Premier League match 32)
Stamford Bridge, London, UK
4:21 PM BST
In the context of the race for the Premier League title, the confrontation between Arsenal and Manchester City at he Etihad Stadium ended in a draw on the previous day. It meant that Manchester United had the opportunity to extend their lead over Arsenal from 2 to 5 points with 6 League matches left to play afterwards. However, the upcoming task was daunting as the Red Devils also have demons of their own to exorcise. Between August 1992 and May 2018, United defeated Chelsea only 5 times out of 27 Premier League matches at Stamford Bridge. Historically, "The Bridge" has never been kind to any opposition, not even to the strongest Manchester United teams led by Sir Alex Ferguson. For Kakeru and his teammates, a match at Stamford Bridge was like entering the lion's den.
Manchester United sent the following starting XI: Jan Farkas (goalkeeper), Joel Muamba (right-back), Chris Clarke (centre-back), Matthias Köhler (centre-back and captain), Jeremy Williams (left-back), Nana Mishima (central midfielder), Liam McGregor (central midfielder), Nikolaj Kristiansen (central midfielder), Santiago Araya (right forward), Marius van Leeuwen (striker), and Anthony Laurent (left forward). Because Kakeru and Yusuke had to recover from the jetlag following international duty and thus skip some practices, they were chosen as substitutes. With Aleksandar Rukavina, Erik Johansson, and Andrew Shaw also out with minor injuries sustained on international duty, Andrew Butler had to make changes to his regular matchday squad.
For Chelsea, the team composition looks as: Kepa Arrizabalaga (goalkeeper), César Azpilicueta (right-back and acting captain), Antonio Rüdiger (centre-back), David Luiz (centre back), Emerson Palmieri (left-back), N'Golo Kanté (central midfielder), Jorginho (central midfielder), Ross Barkley (central midfielder), Pedro (right forward), Olivier Giroud (striker), and Mai Murasaki (left forward). The Belgian superstar, Eden Hazard, was not available due to an injury. In the context of a dire need to win points in a race to finish in 4th place of the Premier League, which would earn them a ticket for next season's UEFA Champions League campaign, Chelsea had to deal without their best player while relying on Mai as his replacement.
In the players' tunnel, both teams were lined up ready to walk out at any moment's notice. Regardless, the main focus was on the 2 Japanese women who were about to become the first female players to start on opposing sides of a league match in one of the best (and almost exclusively male) European leagues. Nana and Mai were standing side by side.
"This time, you and I are starting the match. How does it feel to make history?" Nana said.
"I didn't think bout that, Witch. It's all about who wants to win the most." Mai replied.
"Never said the contrary."
"Last time, you had Kakerucchi and Saeki to help you win. But this time, it's you and me." Mai said.
"I have beaten tougher than you on my own before." Nana replied.
"And I want to win, just like anyone else wearing blue in this stadium. United will come out of this place in disappointment like so often before."
"What's up with you today?" Nana asked.
"I'm good at getting into my opponent's head. You already know that. I'm playing the game, and this is my edge." Mai replied.
"Nice try, but I have seen enough to become immune to it."
"We will see. See you on the field." Mai said.
"You bet you will." Nana finished.
Moments later, both teams walked their way onto the pitch. Kakeru, Yusuke, and the other 6 Manchester United substitutes made their way on the away team's bench by turning on their right as they exited the tunnel under the East Stand.
"For all the times I have played here and saw us walking out with a disappointing outcome, I would have given anything to start this one." Kakeru said to Yusuke.
"I can imagine. All we can do now is to wait, to trust our teammates, and to trust the Boss." Yusuke replied.
"Yeah. For as long as we keep things tight, we can earn something out of this."
"Kuwabara kuwabara." Yusuke finished.
At 4:30 PM, the Manchester United kicked the match off. For several minutes, both sides played a rather conservative approach to make sure no one would commit an early and costly mistake. After 15 minutes gone and a few shots off target on both sides, the first genuine opportunity on either goal belonged to Chelsea.
In the 16th minute:
Martin Tyler: Chelsea have a free kick from quite an interesting position here.
On a previous play, Liam fouled Ross Barkley a few yards away from the Manchester United penalty area. The shooting angle was not the most conventional as the point of infringement was a few yards to the left (to Jan's right) of the preferred window for direct free kicks. However, Chelsea had someone who could take dangerous shots from that position.
Martin Tyler: So here we are with David Luiz. He will think within range with his special technique.
Gary Neville: He likes to use the inside of his right foot to hit it with the curl to his right.
Inside the Manchester United penalty area, the players in red set up a 4-man wall while 2 Chelsea players were acting as distractors near the wall. The other players stood by in case the shot would be a pass instead.
PEEP!
As expected, David Luiz ran almost in a straight line to hit the ball with the outside of his right boot. The shot flew by the wall and appeared to be going towards the inside of the far post.
Martin Tyler: There it is…
Fortunately for United, Jan managed to block the shot. However, the ball bounced back towards an area where a Chelsea player could recover it inside the penalty area and then take a diagonal shot on goal.
Martin Tyler: Parried away by Farkas…
Without any hesitation, Pedro hit the volley towards the Manchester United goal. However, Jan caught the shot in front of the goal line, and made sure the ball would remain in his grasp and out of goal.
Martin Tyler: Back to PEDRO! Goalkeeper does well again. He does very well because it wasn't even a corner. He held it on the second attempt.
Gary Neville: Farkas held his ground well there. The first shot by David Luiz had power and swirl. Then Pedro struck the rebound cleanly with the volley. Those were 2 quality saves by Jan Farkas.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench:
"I'm glad that Wolf stopped those shots." Yusuke said.
"I have seen David Luiz score a few goals like that. It was always going to be difficult for any goalkeeper, so he had to be very quick to stop both shots." Kakeru replied.
"So far, we are not quite in the game yet. Hope this will change soon."
"First of all, we must make sure they won't take advantage of the momentum." Kakeru finished.
However, Chelsea played as the more controlling team on the pitch as their strength resided in their fast pace of their possession-based style of football, which strived on Stamford Bridge's small pitch. In a matter of a few more minutes, Chelsea came back for more.
In the 22nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Well recovered by McGregor… Ball forward for Kristiansen…
Recovering the ball deep inside the Manchester United half, Liam attempted a pass ahead for Nikolaj. The Dane attempted a roulette to move past Jorginho and run with the ball, but then appeared to be tripped by the Chelsea midfielder.
"Hey! Hey!" the Manchester United players demanded a free kick, but the referee let the play continue instead.
Martin Tyler: The referee had a look at that, but didn't think Jorginho committed the foul.
Because of the non-call, Chelsea continued to maintain the pressure inside the Manchester United half. The loose ball was recovered by Azpilicueta, who then passed it to Pedro, then to Jorginho, then to Olivier Groud, and finally back to Pedro in a series of quick passes. Then the Spaniard passed the ball towards Mai on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: But here's Murasaki...
Mai was quickly confronted by Joel on the edge of the penalty area. The Japanese woman in blue attempted to dribble her way past the English right-back in red, but the man nicknamed as "Spider" used the full length of his long legs to tackle the ball away from Mai.
Martin Tyler: Muamba got the ball, which was imperative in that situation.
However, the loose ball was recovered by Emerson, who was overlapping Mai. But instead of crossing the ball straight into the Manchester United penalty box, the Brazilian left-back chose to scoop the ball and pass it back towards Ross Barkley.
Martin Tyler: Barkley… Chelsea are getting their attacking play into the groove.
In a series of passes, Barkley passed the ball backwards to David Luiz, who then passed it to N'Golo Kanté on the right, and then to César Azpilicueta on the right flank.
Martin Tyler: Azpilicueta…
The Spanish right-back was still a long way out from the Manchester United penalty area, but he decided to cross the ball towards an area between the 2 central defenders in red. Having escaped Chris' man-marking for a split second, Olivier Giroud jumped high to deflect the ball goalwards.
Martin Tyler: AND GIROOOUUD!!!
The deflected shot bounced out of Jan's reach and into the bottom corner to his right. And suddenly, the vast majority inside Stamford Bridge rose on their feet as Chelsea opened the score against United for the second time in the season.
Martin Tyler: Chelsea draw first blood here, at Stamford Bridge! Nothing wrong with that play except for the marking, or the lack of it, on Olivier Giroud! The last thing that Manchester United wanted, but it has been coming.
While the Chelsea players celebrated, the Manchester United players looked in disgust at the outcome.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"Bloody hell!" Noriko exclaimed in disbelief.
"So far, it is not a good 20+ minutes for us. And now that goal makes things worse." Sarah replied.
"You're right. We didn't get started yet."
"We better get into gear soon. Otherwise, this could be another of those nightmare matches at Stamford Bridge again." Sarah said.
"If we don't wake up fast, it will be a long day indeed." Noriko replied.
But instead of remaining numb after the goal, the Manchester United players found a second wind to wake up from their slumber. In the following minutes, they started to play with more intent and more drive. Within a handful of minutes, the Red Devils pushed Chelsea back on their heels.
In the 26th minute:
Martin Tyler: United might fancy something here. Kristiansen… on the left to Williams…
Arriving a few yards in front of the Chelsea penalty area, Nikolaj was confronted by 2 Chelsea players. Hence the Dane passed the ball on the left to Shawzy, who was ready to cross the ball inside the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: That's a good ball in…
The cross was intended for Marius, but Emerson came in to head the ball away. However, the ball was pushed across the width of the Chelsea penalty area and into a position for Nana to take a shot.
Martin Tyler: Cleared as far as MISHIMA!!
Nana struck the left-footed volley in front of César Azpilicueta, who threw himself against the shot. The ball went off the Chelsea captain before it forced the Chelsea goalkeeper to parry it away.
Martin Tyler: Very good save! Mishima's after the ball…
The ball was still in play despite the save, and Nana ran after it while Azpilicueta was getting up on his feet. Following her instinct, the Little Witch looped the ball towards the edge of the 6-yard box. However, David Luiz got his head on the ball, which was then bouncing high for a couple of seconds. Marius was looking to get to the ball, but Ross Barkley came in to try heading the ball outside of the Chelsea penalty area in panic.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen was waiting, but Barkley got a head to it…
The Chelsea fans were still screaming for a whistle as Emerson was still lying down on the edge of the 6-yard box before the Chelsea goal. Mai ran after the loose ball to try kicking it out of play, but Joel arrived a fraction of a second quicker before he immediately took the shot. Mai turned her back as she tried to block Joel's shot, but the ball went off Mai's back and flew in straight line towards Marius' hip. With a quick and instinctive move, Marius stopped the ball with his hip before he unleashed a right-footed strike from point blank within a mere fraction of a second.
Martin Tyler: And it's put in by Van Leeuwen! And it is 1-1! Chelsea's lead only lasted 4 minutes. They have bowed to Manchester United's pressure, and Marius van Leeuwen took his chance.
"COME ON!!!" Marius shouted.
"Well done, Roman!" Nana congratulated Marius.
"That's it, Big Guy!" Nikolaj added.
"Let's keep going, lads! Let's keep going!" Matthias said.
On the Manchester United bench, it was joy.
"Well done, Roman!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"That's it! Let's go!" Yusuke added.
Meanwhile, the Chelsea players were protesting against the referee as they believed that a whistle should have been blown because one of their defenders (Emerson) remained down on the grass, which momentarily created an unfair disadvantage (according to them).
"How can you let the play go? We had a player down!" Azpilicueta protested.
"He was fouled by Van Leeuwen." Mai added.
"Emerson was not fouled. He went on his own to head the ball away and then landed on the grass. I didn't see a foul nor any head injury that deserved to stop the play." the referee replied.
"That's ridiculous, and you know it." Azpilicueta said.
"That's a real joke!" Mai exclaimed out loud in Japanese.
Then Nana walked by to give her 2 cents on the protests.
"You play until the game is blown dead, Mai-chan. Tell that to your teammates." Nana said.
"Why you…" Mai replied.
TV replays show that the referee was indeed to let the plat continue. When Emerson headed the ball away and landed on the ground, the Brazilian rolled theatrically to make it look like he was pushed by Marius. Then Emerson remained still on the ground. However, the man disadvantage was Emerson's own fault due to naïve belief that the referee would take the bait.
Gary Neville: Well, first time Manchester United sustained attacks in this match to put Chelsea under real pressure. It starts with the cross from Shaw. Emerson gets in there and lands on the ground. Chelsea claim that the whistle should have been blown, but the referee was right to let it go. It was embarrassing by Emerson. Mishima's shot was stopped by Arrizabalaga, but she didn't stop there. After that, David Luiz and Ross Barkley fail to clear the ball. Muamba's shot goes off Murasaki and then to Van Leeuwen. He stops the ball and takes the quick shot. No chance for Arrizabalaga.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"Well done, Van Leeuwen!" Noriko exclaimed.
"Did you see that Chelsea player down?" Sarah asked. "He looks foolish now."
"That will teach him a lesson. Defenders go down and expect a whistle too often nowadays." Noriko replied.
"True, true. You think we can take advantage of the momentum now?"
"I don't know. Scoring against Chelsea at the Bridge is already a tough task in itself, so I guess everything will be a game of chess from now on." Noriko said.
"Well, we better make sure we keep playing with the same drive." Sarah replied.
Following the equalizing goal, both teams reverted into a conservative mindset. So it became difficult for either team to get serious attacks on goal. For a moment, the best way to get a scoring chance was on set pieces. In those circumstances, one ball that gets through is potentially dangerous.
In the 34th minute:
Martin Tyler: Araya trying to run past Emerson… can't. It's a corner.
Manchester United earned themselves a corner kick against Chelsea. When both teams moved into positions, Chelsea surprisingly got all of their 11 players defending the corner kick. In response, United had Matthias, Chris, Marius, Liam, Anthony, and Nikolaj ready to attack. At last, the referee gave the signal.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Mishima takes…
Instead of whipping a high and curling ball towards the mass of players, Nana sliced a lower ball that went away from both Liam McGregor and Ross Barkley in front of the far post. Nevertheless, the ball arrived into Nikolaj's feet.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen…
Unfortunately, Nikolaj was mostly surprised to receive the ball at his feet. Hence he was not ready to take the shot right away. Furthermore, the Dane was almost losing the ball when 3 Chelsea players rushed towards him before he made a short pass towards Anthony on the left and slightly behind. Then the French forward immediately struck the low shot towards the Chelsea goal.
Martin Tyler: LAURENT!!!
The shot was blocked off the line by Mai, but the rebound was bouncing back into a dangerous area where Matthias could strike the rebound.
Martin Tyler: KÖHLER!!! Saved by Arrizabalaga off the crossbar and out!
The rebound was struck with aplomb by Matthias, but the ball was stopped by Arrizabalaga before it bounced off the crossbar. Then Mai kicked the ball out of bounds, much to the disbelief of the Manchester United players and supporters alike.
On the Manchester United bench:
"Come on! I don't believe this!" Kakeru lamented.
"That was such a good strike by Skipper. We should have scored there." Yusuke said.
"Yeah, we can't afford to miss chances like that."
"Aizawa, Saeki, Kamara... You lads get warmed up now." Andrew ordered.
"Yes, Boss!" the 3 players replied.
Kakeru, Yusuke, and Didier made their way on the touchlines to start their warm-up routines. Meanwhile, the game started to open up a little more. United and Chelsea moved onto a game of cat and mouse. Mostly silent since they scored the opening goal, Chelsea started to push men closer to the Manchester United goal again.
In the 37th minute:
Martin Tyler: Barkley… finds Murasaki…
Inside the Manchester United half, Chelsea players passed the ball between themselves. When Mai received the ball from Barkley, she had her back facing the Manchester United goal on top of being sandwiched by Chris and Nana.
"You're not going anywhere." Nana said.
"Damn it! Hate being pushed around by you." Mai replied.
Nana tried to take the ball away from Mai, but the Chelsea player held it long before she passed it towards Emerson, who made an overlapping run on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: Emerson running down on the left…
The cross was more of a rolling ball moving towards the near post. Olivier Giroud ran after that ball while Chris was shadowing him to deny any shooting attempt. However, the French striker in blue surprised everyone when he made a flick with the back of his heel on the ball to make a layoff pass in front of the Manchester United goal.
Martin Tyler: Coming towards Giroud with the layoff…
In front of the 6-yard box, N'Golo Kanté arrived in full speed to take the shot from point blank. But just as the diminutive French midfielder struck the ball, Matthias arrived with a desperate sliding tackle in front of him. As a result, Kanté's shot rolled just wide to goal, leaving 37,000+ in the attendance at Stamford Bridge in total disbelief.
Martin Tyler: ...into KANTÉ! And somehow he missed the opportunity to put Chelsea 2-1 up!
"Oh, I don't believe that!" Mai shouted out loud.
'That was too close for comfort.' Nana thought.
Gary Neville: That was a brilliant play by Giroud to find Kanté in front of goal. Emerson's pass didn't give Giroud any room for a shot, but he was clever to flick it in front of goal. Kanté was arriving and... what a challenge by Köhler to stop almost a certain goal. Köhler lunges his legs just enough to deflect the ball out of play just as Kanté took the shot.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"Oof! Good thing our captain was there to save the day." Sarah said.
"Yeah. Giroud surprised everyone, and that would have been a goal 99% of the time." Noriko replied.
"I saw that Kakeru and Yusuke have both been sent by Butler to warm up. Think we could see them in the second half?"
"I think Butler is preparing to. As for Kakeru and Yusuke, it means they are ready to play at any moment's notice despite the long travel and the jetlag."
"That would be good. I feel we have been lacking some bite so far." Sarah said.
"Especially in midfield. I know that McGregor is working hard, but he's only starting in that position because we have a player injured and Yusuke coming back from Japan. If Yusuke comes on, I think we will stand a much better chance against their midfield." Noriko replied.
"The sooner, the better." Sarah finished.
From that moment onward and until the end of the first half, both teams played a few intense minutes. Chelsea appeared to be reinvigorated towards the end of the first half, but United did enough to stop their opponents in their tracks and then to attempt a few counterattacks of their own. But by the time the first half ended, neither team was able to score another goal. For both teams, the message at halftime was clear though: the next goal or the last goal of the match would have a strong incidence on both teams' respective objectives at this stage of the Premier League season.
The second half started with no changes being made on either side yet. Nevertheless, Chelsea were the ones starting the period on the front foot. The Blue Lions didn't waste time in putting the pressure on United, and thus earned the first scoring chance after halftime.
In the 48th minute:
Martin Tyler: Jorginho…
Running after a loose ball in the middle of the field, Jorginho retrieved it while Nana was running after him along the halfway line. Nikolaj was also arriving in a position to try stopping him. However, Jorginho surprised everyone by cutting a 90-degree run to start pushing in full speed inside the Manchester United half. Chris made a rush forward to stop Jorginho as well, but the Italian midfielder skipped past the veteran defender as well.
Martin Tyler: ...runs past Kristiansen… past Clarke...
Just as Jorginho arrived inside the final third of the pitch, he passed the ball ahead for Olivier Giroud. Covering for the gap left by Chris, Liam was following Olivier Giroud to try denying any shooting opportunity as the Frenchman was attempting to slip in between Liam and Matthias. However, Giroud surprised Liam with a sudden stop in his run that opened up some space before the Frenchman moved the ball onto his dangerous left foot. There was danger as Giroud was then just inside the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Here's Giroud... making space for himself!
The Frenchman fired the ball towards the left bottom corner, to the goalkeeper's right. But Jan made a quick save by parrying the ball onto the post.
Martin Tyler: Saved, onto the post...
However, the rebound was rolling quickly towards Mai, who had a good sight on goal while Jan was still down. Fortunately for United though, Joel arrived with a quick sweeping tackle to clear the ball out of bounds.
Martin Tyler: And cleared away by Muamba! That was important with Murasaki close to get on the rebound.
In the aftermath, Matthias was not shy in voicing his displeasure at Chris for leaving the position with a rookie mistake.
"What the hell was that, Clarkey? You left a hold because you stepped forward." Matthias said.
"I thought I could get to Jorginho. I made a mistake." Chris replied.
"You hold the line alongside me! Focus!" Matthias set the record straight.
Gary Neville: All eyes have to go on Chris Clarke because that was ridiculous defending from him. McGregor ends up as a centre-back... chasing back, but Giroud just stops his run to get some space. That was a very good shot from Giroud, but Farkas does just enough to deflect it off the outside of the post. Then Muamba times his challenge right before Murasaki gets to the ball.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"What the hell was that? That was such a rookie mistake by Clarke." Noriko said.
"That almost cost us a goal. McGregor did his best to cover, but he's only a sophomore." Sarah remarked.
"Thank God we don't have to rely on Clarke as much as we used to, but he can't do that as a veteran." Noriko replied.
"I can't remember how many times I raged after him for the mistakes he made."
"He's living on borrowed time. I believe he will be off somewhere else at the end of the season, especially with the younger Adewale Makinde looking better and better when he plays. We can't keep Clarke on the bench with those wages for much longer." Noriko said.
"I hope so too, but the higher-ups have too often been sentimental with certain players." Sarah replied.
"Not with Butler at the wheel." Noriko finished.
Chelsea took the first chance on goal in the second half, but United were somewhat expecting that early display of energy from their opponents. The Red Devils didn't let Chelsea repeat that period of domination from the first half. Instead, the visitors took the initiative back against the home side.
In the 54th minute:
Martin Tyler: Here's Kristiansen... now Laurent...
Taking the action inside the Chelsea half, Nikolaj made a short pass ahead for Anthony. The French forward in red was being shadowed by César Azpilicueta, but Anthony managed to get rid of the Spaniard with a well-timed roulette with the ball.
Martin Tyler: He gets around Azpilicueta...
Then Anthony rushed forward with the ball until he arrived on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area before he passed the ball towards his right. Nana appeared to be in a position to receive the ball, but she played the dummy to let the ball roll towards the arriving Marius.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen...
Confronted by both David Luiz and Rüdiger inside the Chelsea penalty area, Marius instinctively made a layoff pass for Nana to pick up. From there, Nana was trying to get around the Chelsea players to get a shot.
Martin Tyler: Mishima... Araya is free...
Nana dribbled her way past David Luiz and then past Emerson. Ross Barkley followed Nana from behind, but couldn't do much unless he wanted to concede a penalty. After Nana sidestepped her way across the Chelsea players, the goalkeeper was the only obstacle left standing. The Little Witch took a shot that went above Arrizabalaga, but the ball also struck the crossbar and out of play.
Martin Tyler: But Mishima took it on herself and hit the top of the crossbar!
Nana and her teammates could only stand with their hands on their heads in disbelief while the crowd inside Stamford Bridge was still buzzing. She came really close of giving her team the lead.
"Shimatta! (Damn it!)" Nana cursed.
Meanwhile on touchlines, Kakeru and Yusuke were sent to warm themselves up again ahead of their imminent arrival in the match.
"Damn! I thought Seven had it." Kakeru said.
"Me too. That was almost like against Newcastle earlier this season." Yusuke replied.
"She gave such a great effort. I wish it paid off."
"Just a little longer, and then we will come to help her." Yusuke said.
"Yeah. Let's get ready." Kakeru replied.
For a little less than 8 minutes, both teams resumed the game of cat and mouse that was seen in the first half. Both teams worked as hard to find gaps as they stood their ground defensively. However, it was Chelsea who came the closest to goal again.
In the 62nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Headed back in by David Luiz…
After an attempted clearance by United, David Luiz headed the ball in the opposite direction to try maintaining the pressure on United. The ball then bounced off Ross Barkley's head before it went a little further ahead for Olivier Giroud. Surrounded by Matthias and Jeremy, Giroud made a layoff pass behind for Pedro to take and run with it.
Martin Tyler: Now Pedro...
When Pedro received the pass, his first touch was slightly off. As a result, both Matthias an Pedro ran after the ball before the German tackled the ball away. Meanwhile, Pedro was tripped in the follow-through motion just outside of the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Köhler with the challenge...
However, the loose ball rolled towards César Azpilicueta, who had all the space and time to launch a cross far on the left.
Martin Tyler: Only as far as Azpilicueta...
In that area, Mai was the only Chelsea player who could receive the ball. Knowing that she didn't have much time to think with Joel arriving to mark her, Mai threw herself in the air to initiate a bicycle kick on the ball.
Martin Tyler: Good ball in for MURASAKI!!!
Mai's shot appeared to be flying across and towards Jan's left. Fortunately for United, the Slovakian goalkeeper jumped to his left and stretched his arms just enough to parry the shot away.
Martin Tyler: Terrific save by Farkas!
The rebound was still free for a second, but Matthias kicked the ball up the field and out of play. The Manchester United players and their 3,000 players sighed in relief while the vast majority of the 37,000+ Chelsea supporters stood with their hands on their heads in disbelief.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"Some save, that!" Sarah exclaimed.
"Great piece of goalkeeping indeed." Noriko replied.
"Good thing he was there. Can't believe Murasaki had the guts to try that."
"Definitely the kind of player who is a thorn in the side of anybody." Noriko said.
"There's activity on the bench." Sarah replied.
Martin Tyler: Well, with less than half of an hour left, Andrew Butler will send Kakeru Aizawa and Yusuke Saeki to try breaking the deadlock.
"Here we go." Noriko said.
"This will be interesting." Sarah replied.
Back at Stamford Bridge, the substitutions proceeded. Andrew Butler sent Kakeru and Yusuke to replace Anthony and Liam at their respective positions. Only a few minutes later, Chelsea replaced Pedro and Jorginho with Brazilian right winger Willian and English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek at their respective positions. The changes took some time to have any effect on either side as the rare opportunities ended being shots off target. Nevertheless, the chemistry started to operate quicker for Manchester United. Before the clock would enter the final quarter of an hour, the Red Devils were about to knock at the door.
In the 74th minute:
Martin Tyler: Williams... to Aizawa...
Moving with the ball beyond the halfway line and on the left wing, Jeremy passed the ball ahead to Kakeru. Then the Japanese forward advance a short distance before he passed the ball on the left to Nana, who was briefly interchanging with Nikolaj's position in midfield.
Martin Tyler: Here's Mishima...
Nana ran with the ball until she came within 2 yards from the Chelsea penalty area. There were 4 Chelsea players around Nana, but none of them tried to tackle her because of the fear that she might pull off a tricky feint like she is capable of. Then Nana passed the ball back to Kakeru, who came up facing César Azpilicueta. Meanwhile, Nana, Marius, Santiago, and Nikolaj were arriving inside the Chelsea penalty area in support.
Martin Tyler: Manchester United have got plenty of players forward here.
'Azpilicueta is not the most mobile opponent I have faced. Let's cut inside.' Kakeru thought.
Kakeru briefly feinted going on the outside (to his left) before he cut his run to the inside (to his right). After a couple of yards, Kakeru spotted the gap between Azpilicueta and Kanté before he unleashed a right-footed strike towards the top corner at the far post. However, the Chelsea goalkeeper stretched his arm in the midst of his jump to deflect the ball out of play.
Martin Tyler: Well... He didn't really look for support, Kakeru Aizawa, who has already scored 33 goals this season. He almost got Manchester United's noses in front here.
"Damn!" Kakeru cursed.
"Good try, Kakeru! Good try!" Nana cheered Kakeru up.
Gary Neville: Well, Chelsea should have seen more than enough of Aizawa to know that they shouldn't let him cut inside onto his right foot. That was a beautiful strike, but it is a top class save by Arrizabalaga.
Martin Tyler: Manchester United have a corner though.
The Red Devils moved men inside the penalty area for the upcoming corner kick. Standing by the corner flag to Arrizabalaga's left, Nana was ready to proceed.
PEEP!
Nana whipped the ball in a way that it would swirl a little away from the edge of the 6-yard box. With Marius and Matthias being marked by Rüdiger and David Luiz respectively, Nana was aiming her shot towards Yusuke. Despite Azpilicueta's man-marking, Yusuke managed to jump towards the ball.
Martin Tyler: Saeki...
Unfortunately for United, Yusuke's attempt at redirecting the ball flew wide to the far post. Mai, who guarded that post, let the ball fly away from the moment she was certain that it would miss. The Manchester United could only watch and grimace at the result, which was a goal kick for Chelsea.
Martin Tyler: ...goes wide, but it was only just. Goal kick for Chelsea.
"Man! I should have done better." Yusuke said.
"That was not easy. You did the best you could." Kakeru replied.
"I still have to do better though."
"Don't worry about that now." Nana rallied her teammates. "Let's keep the pressure on them."
"She has a point. Let's go after them." Kakeru said to Yusuke.
"Yeah. Let's do this." Yusuke finished.
Meanwhile Mai was looking at her Japanese opponents in red.
'This could be dangerous for us if Kakerucchi, Witch, and Saeki are allowed to pick up the pace. We have to hold the line against them no matter the cost.' Mai thought.
From that moment forward, United started looking like the more incisive side on the pitch thanks to their 3 Japanese players. The Red Devils were taking the action mostly inside the attacking half where Chelsea were trying to hold their ground as much as possible. However, a random duel between Nana and Mai was about to take an unexpectedly dramatic turn upon the course of events.
In the 81st minute:
Martin Tyler: Mishima with the corner...
PEEP!
On a corner kick for Manchester United, Nana whipped the ball towards the mass of players in front of the Chelsea goal. However, Antonio Rüdiger was the first to get to the ball before he cleared it outside of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Cleared by Rüdiger. It's Muamba...
Waiting for the ball around 10 yards away from the edge of the Chelsea penalty area, Joel promptly flicked the ball on the right wing and towards Nana, who was still lurking in that area after the corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Sending back in for Mishima...
But just as Nana received the ball from Joel, Mai quickly came up face-to-face against her.
"You're not getting past me, Witch." Mai said.
"Let's see it then." Nana replied.
In the distance, Kakeru was watching the moment.
'Take her on, Seven.' Kakeru thought.
Picking her spot, Nana attempted a roulette feint to her left. However, Mai followed as well.
"Can't fool me." Mai said.
But then Nana switched in the other direction to complete the Witch Turn. However, Mai was still not falling for it.
"Again?" Mai asked.
But then Nana quickly moved the ball between her feet before she flicked it from behind and then above both her and Mai; it was the rainbow flick. The Little Witch then started running past Mai on the outside.
"What?" Mai was surprised.
Martin Tyler: Lovely play!
Almost out of instinct, Mai grabbed Nana's left arm while in pursuit. The Little Witch was trying hard to run with the ball towards the Chelsea penalty area with some free space in sight, but Mai was still clinging to her.
'Gotta stop her!' Mai thought.
Knowing that any further ground gained by Nana would mean a greater risk, Mai let herself go down while tightening the arm lock on Nana. In the process, Nana landed on the top of her shoulder really hard.
"HEEEEEEEYYYY!!!" the Manchester United players and their 3,000 supporters shouted altogether.
Martin Tyler: Murasaki brings her down, and the Chelsea player has taken one for the team by conceding a free kick.
"Murasaki, that was a professional foul. You're in the book for that." the referee said he dished the yellow card against Mai.
Meanwhile, Nana was still lying on the grass, holding her left shoulder. Needless to say, the end result of that foul was extremely painful for her. Her facial expression was on the verge of shedding tears as well, and Kakeru knew that it took something serious for Nana to get to that point.
"DOC! Come here!" Kakeru screamed as he made a sign asking for the doctor and the physio to quickly intervene.
The referee also made the sign to demand immediate medical assistance.
Martin Tyler: Mishima is hurt. She is in some distress here.
Kakeru came in quickly to make a quick first assessment of Nana's injury.
"Where does it hurt?" Kakeru asked. "Tell me, Seven."
"I... I can't move my left shoulder at all. If I do, it's really worse." Nana replied.
"Where? Try to give me a better hint."
"Outer part of the collarbone."
"Oh, dear. Any other place where it hurts?"
"No, that's the place."
"Just hang in there." Kakeru replied before he switched to his thoughts: 'If that's in the outer part of the collarbone, it could be a shoulder separation. But how severe is it? That's the real question now.'
Then Dr. Ridley Nolan and the Manchester United physiotherapist arrived to provide their own assessment of the injury.
"What did she tell you?" Ridley asked.
"It's the outer part of her left collarbone where it hurts. The pain gets worse if she moves her shoulder. That's all about I could get." Kakeru replied.
"OK. We will check for more now." Ridley replied.
Meanwhile, Mai was only starting to realize what she had just done. She tried to apologize to Nana.
"Witch, I... I'm really sorry." Mai said.
"JUST GO AWAY!" an angry Kakeru shouted back.
Stunned by Kakeru's reaction, Mai walked away even though she was genuinely concerned. Furthermore, she had to endure all the accusatory looks from the Manchester United players and from the 3,000 away supporters against her.
Gary Neville: Murasaki didn't have any malice when she took Mishima down. There was an arm lock there. Then it was an awkward landing on her left shoulder, but it got worse because Murasaki hung on to Mishima's arm. One thing for sure is that Nana Mishima won't play again today.
Martin Tyler: There's the signal for the substitution to the bench. With a number of big matches coming their way, this could be a devastating blow to Manchester United.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"This is really, really bad. From what I can see on replays, that could be a shoulder separation. I can't bloody believe it." Noriko lamented.
"I hope it's not serious. We could be in trouble if she's injured for a long time." Sarah said.
"It depends of the type of injury. Beyond the ligament damage, we must wonder if there is a fracture too. That would be a huge problem." Noriko replied.
"Do you think Murasaki did that on purpose... like Sergio Ramos on Mo Salah?"
"No. It was reckless, but I don't think there was ill intent here. Nana and Murasaki are friends."
"Kakeru just yelled at her though." Sarah said.
"He's angry for now, but I think the dust will settle down after the match." Noriko replied.
Back to Stamford Bridge:
"OK. Let's get this checked in the dressing room." Ridley said.
After a few minutes to make sure that nothing would put the injured shoulder at further risk, Nana finally got up and started walking towards the exit tunnel. She didn't need an improvised sling to protect the shoulder, but she was in tears as she was escorted by Kakeru and by the medical staff on her way out.
"I'm really sorry, guys." Nana said.
"Stay strong, Seven. We will fight to get a result." Kakeru replied.
"The lads will be going after them. Don't worry." Ridley added.
Nana walked off the Stamford Bridge pitch under very respectful applauses from the entire crowd. Nevertheless, the Manchester United supporters looked very concerned as they knew nothing about the nature nor the severity of the injury at the time. In replacement for Nana, Aidan Whelan was sent into the action. With Nana out, Nikolaj was tasked to take the upcoming free kick. However, the free kick went to nowhere in the end.
In the aftermath of Nana's injury, the action had lost much of its pace because of the long stop. Neither side appeared to take the initiative for several minutes. Nevertheless, United were about to see things going from bad to worse as the end of the 90 minutes approached.
In the 88th minute:
Martin Tyler: Kanté... can't quite find a way forward. Now to Barkley...
With Chelsea in control inside the Manchester United half, Kanté chose to make a pass on the left for Ross Barkley. The Manchester United defenders and midfielders were holding their ground to defend though. Aidan was facing Barkley, but the English midfielder in blue made a short pass ahead for Mai.
Martin Tyler: Here's Murasaki...
Upon receiving the ball, Mai spun around before she started dashing in full speed along the lateral edge of the Manchester United penalty area. Joel was also going after her before attempting a poke on the ball. However, Mai stopped and then cut her run for a yard to the inside.
'This is dangerous.' Kakeru thought as he saw the action unfolding.
Martin Tyler: Chelsea would like to take the lead here. Murasaki...
The split second that Mai earned for herself was all she needed to whip a good ball in. Olivier Giroud attempted to deflect the ball in mid-air, but the curling ball flew between his legs and towards the far post instead. In that situation, the goalkeeper only had a split second to react. However, Jan could only watch the ball striking the inside of the far post and into the back of the net.
Martin Tyler: Towards Giroud... AND IT HAS GONE IN! IT IS 2-1! Chelsea have regained the lead with a little more than 2 minutes plus stoppages left to play!
Under the deafening noise from the 37,000+ Chelsea supporters inside Stamford Bridge, Mai was acknowledged by her teammates as the one who scored the goal as she was greeted by a huddle in the celebrations right in front of the Matthew Harding (North) Stand.
"You did it, Mai!" César Azpilicueta congratulated.
"Big, big goal, Mai!" N'Golo Kanté added.
"Thanks! Let's finish this off!" Mai replied.
Meanwhile, Yusuke was running to pick up the ball in the back of the net and take it quickly for the restart.
"Come on, lads! This is not over!" Yusuke rallied his teammates.
"We can still save something. Let's go!" Matthias added.
Gary Neville: Well, it was a very difficult shot for any goalkeeper to stop because he doesn't know if the touch was coming or not. Murasaki makes a clever play to stop her run and then create some space. The cross comes in between Giroud's legs and then curls towards the inside of the post; it has to be Mai Murasaki's goal. Farkas only had a very small time window to react, but he was unable to.
At the same time in West Didsbury:
"F***ing hell." Noriko cursed.
"Of all times to concede a goal, this is the worst." Sarah said. "How on Earth did we concede that?"
"It was Clarke who let Giroud running in again. It became a distraction, and the goalkeeper only had a very short split second to react." Noriko replied.
"If Clarke did his job, I'm sure that would have been a routine save."
"I hope we can still salvage something. Otherwise, that will be a very bad week for everybody." Noriko finished.
After the goal that gave Chelsea the 2-1 lead, a total of 6 minutes of stoppage time was added because of the substitutions and because of Nana's injury. Chelsea made a final substitution by replacing Ross Barkley with the more defensively responsible Mateo Kovačić. Nevertheless, United were not the type to go quietly into the night.
In the 92nd minute – 2nd minute of injury time:
Martin Tyler: Köhler... United are piling the pressure on Chelsea now.
Matthias passed the ball from the halfway line towards Nikolaj a few yards ahead. However, the Dane was confronted by Kanté before the former chose to cut in with a run to the right. Ruben Loftus-Cheek also tried to step in against Nikolaj, who then made a side pass to Yusuke in an open space.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... Saeki...
Upon receiving the ball, Yusuke flicked a 10-yard pass forward for Kakeru, who stood just outside of the Chelsea penalty area with his back to the goal. However, the Japanese forward was quickly surrounded by 3 Chelsea players.
'Can't move forward. Have to try something.' Kakeru thought.
"Knight!" Aidan shouted
Having heard Aidan's call, Kakeru cleverly kicked a through pass with the back of his heel between Rüdiger and into Aidan's run.
Martin Tyler: And it runs here for Whelan!
Entering the penalty area, Aidan took a left-footed shot that was blocked by David Luiz. Nevertheless, the rebound arrived into the feet of Jeremy, who was unmarked on the lateral edge of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: And now Williams!
Realizing the danger, César Azpilicueta rushed in to try blocking any passing attempt. Nevertheless, Jeremy crossed the ball towards the far post where 2 Manchester United players were lurking.
Martin Tyler: They got men over at the back post.
In such circumstances, Arrizabalaga was forced to stretch his hand on the ball. However, the ball was still in play as Santiago recovered the ball a few yards away from the 6-yard box and with a diagonal view on the Chelsea goal.
Martin Tyler: Araya's one of them... trying to put on a plate...
Santiago tried to make a short pass to his left in order to let Marius shoot. However, the ball was intercepted by David Luiz. The Brazilian defender in blue then tried to dribble his way out with the ball on the counterattack, but he was quickly stopped by Yusuke's standing tackle. Then the ball reached Santiago on the right before the Chilean-Colombian forward took a shot that was deflected out of play.
Martin Tyler: Araya again... Corner for Manchester United.
At that moment, the noise mainly came from the 3,000 Manchester United supporters in the nearby Shed End. The home crowd was getting very nervous. The Red Devils sent 7 players inside the Chelea penalty area while Nikolaj was ready to take the corner kick.
PEEP!
Nikolaj whipped the ball towards the near post, where Kakeru got to the ball before his marker. Then the Japanese forward deflected the ball towards the goal.
Martin Tyler: 92 minutes at Stamford Bridge... AIZAWA!!!
Unfortunately for Kakeru, the Chelsea goalkeeper smothered the ball between his hands while making sure that it didn't cross the line despite the presence of 2 Manchester United players next to him.
"Damn it!" Kakeru cursed.
With that save, Chelsea were allowed to waste more precious time as the clock was ticking down towards the end of the 6 minutes in injury time. However, United were still willing to keep throwing everything they have forward for one last opportunity to salvage a result.
In the 95th minute – 5th minute of injury time:
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... 
Chelsea were defending with 10 players inside their own penalty area when Nikolaj ran a few yards across with the ball before he passed it to Kakeru. The Japanese forward was aiming for a long shot.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa. Long way out…
Kakeru took the shoot despite the arrival of 4 Chelsea players, but it was stopped by one of them. Then the rebound bounced back towards Olivier Giroud, who was in a position to initiate a counterattack.
Martin Tyler: He doesn't get that far. Now Giroud... finds Willian...
United were left open for a counterattack. Willian ran with the ball until he stopped and then made a short pass towards Mai.
Martin Tyler: Murasaki. Can she go all the way?
Mai tried to make her way towards the goal, but she was quickly caught into a shoulder-to-shoulder challenge against Kakeru. The Japanese forward in red had the advantage of having fresher legs.
"This time, it's you and me." Kakeru said.
"Chelsea will win today!" Mai replied.
"It's not over!"
In the confrontation, the ball bounced off Kakeru's foot before it rolled straight towards Jan. Meanwhile, Kakeru ended up shoving Mai to the ground at the end of that battle of wills. The Chelsea supporters asked for a foul, but the referee gave none.
Martin Tyler: Chelsea asking for a foul, but the referee doesn't agree.
Jan kicked the ball towards the Chelsea half, but David Luiz kicked it back inside the Manchester United half. At the recovery just outside of the center circle inside United's half, Chris punted the ball forward to Matthias. The captain in red had moved forward to play like another striker.
Martin Tyler: Clarke... Köhler is up there as a forward now...
With one good touch of the ball, Matthias was able to control it before he spun on himself to start moving inside the Chelsea penalty area. But then, Matthias was forced to made a very short pass ahead for Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa...
Shielding the ball for a couple of seconds, Kakeru spotted the opportunity to launch a small through ball for Matthias. The German defender ran after the ball with one thing in mid: cross the ball towards the front of the Chelsea goal. But as Matthias did so, the ball went off Emerson and out of bounds.
Martin Tyler: For Köhler. Cross off Emerson. Corner! We had 6 added minutes.
With only less than 15 seconds to play from the 6 added minutes of injury time, it was the last roll of a dice for the Red Devils. Andrew Butler chose to bet everything on that last action.
"JAN! GET FORWARD! LET'S GO!!" Andrew screamed his orders.
Without any hesitation, Jan moved up to join his teammates as a field player on that corner kick. The advantage of sending the goalkeeper was the ability to create some confusion among the defenders in a situation where scoring was imperative for the trailing team.
Gary Neville: Well, they're pushing Jan Farkas up as well.
Martin Tyler: Schmeichel-like. Of course, Peter Schmeichel did score in the Premier League. Whelan to take the corner.
Excluding Aidan, United only had Joel and Jeremy standing outside of the Chelsea penalty area. Everyone else was on deck for United.
PEEP!
Aidan whipped the ball towards the no man's land in front of the 6-yard box. With the right amount of curl and dip, the ball arrived in a dangerous area. Meanwhile, Yusuke timed his run perfectly by jumping up and between César Azpilicueta and Mateo Kovačić to reach the ball. With a powerful redirection, Yusuke's shot struck the twine.
Martin Tyler: AND A GOAL!!! IT IS 2-2!! IT IS SAEKI!! Right at the last for Manchester United!
In his celebration, Yusuke ran towards the corner flag in front of the 3,000 jubilating Manchester United supporters and then whacked the flag down with a 2-footed slam.
"COME OONN!! YEEEEAAHH!!!" Yusuke screamed.
His teammates and one exuberant Manchester United supporter joined the huddle to celebrate. Meanwhile, despair and utter shock was on all Chelsea players' faces.
"GET IN! YEEEAAH!!" the exuberant supporter screamed as he hugged Yusuke.
"You did it, Yusuke!" Kakeru congratulated.
"Huge goal! **** yeah!" Nikolaj added.
"YEEEAAAHHH!!" Matthias shouted.
Martin Tyler: Chelsea's resistance has cracked very deep into stoppage time.
Meanwhile in West Didsbury:
"GET IN!! GET IN THERE, HAHA!!" Noriko and Sarah exclaimed.
"Never write United off!" Sarah said.
"Great goal, Yusuke!" Noriko shouted.
Gary Neville: Well, that's a great display of character and determination by this Manchester United side. You cannot write them off. Saeki makes the most of it with a good run, but you have to wonder how Chelsea allowed him to get to that ball right in front of the 6-yard box. Saeki makes the run... he gets himself between Azpilicueta and Kovačić, and then gets to the ball in the air. That is poor defending from the 2 Chelsea players. You cannot afford to concede a late goal like that when you had 3 points within your grasp.
On the following restart kick, Mai passed the ball passed the ball to Kanté and then to David Luiz before the Brazilian punted the ball forward.
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Boos from many among the 37,000+ Chelsea supporters rained down on the pitch to express utter disappointment at the outcome.
Martin Tyler: That's how late it was. Manchester United aren't going to extend their lead beyond 3 points over Arsenal at the top of the table, but they haven't been beaten here at Stamford Bridge either. It was the narrowest of squeaks. All United players going to Saeki in a gesture of gratitude. Murasaki's goal in the 88th minute looked as though it was going to win the day for Chelsea after first-half goals from Giroud for Chelsea and from Van Leeuwen for United. For Andrew Butler's team, they had to deal with the loss of Nana Mishima through injury. But they fought on and on, refusing to be beaten. A win has been taken away from Chelsea by Yusuke Saeki with the last kick of the game. Manchester United... have picked up a point improbably: Chelsea 2-2 United.
After the final whistle, players on both teams shook hands sportingly. One handshake to watch was the one involving Kakeru and Mai.
"Good game, Kakerucchi." Mai said.
"Thanks. You were really tough to beat too." Kakeru replied as they briefly shook hands.
"I... I never wanted to injure Witch. She and I have been friends for so long. So I really feel bad for her after what happened."
"I know." Kakeru said. "I also owe you an apology for being angry at you earlier."
"No, I understand. You had all the right to be angry." Mai replied. "I just hope it isn't too serious for her."
"I have to hope. She is a lot tougher than I am."
"Just tell her that I'm sorry, Kakerucchi."
"I will do it, but it would be better if you do it yourself later." Kakeru said.
Mai nodded in agreement. Then Yusuke came to shake hands with Mai.
"Good game, Murasaki-san." Yusuke said.
"Thanks. You hurt us again, so I have to tip my hat to you." Mai replied before she and Yusuke shook hands.
"You were a thorn in the side as usual." Yusuke said, to which Mai chuckled.
"Well, we now have to work hard with big matches coming up."
"Good luck for the rest of the season." Yusuke said.
"Yeah, you too." Mai replied.
Then the opposing players parted ways to their respective dressing rooms. Inside the Manchester United dressing room, there was a need to set the record straight. In his position as team captain, Matthias asked that the players would join him in a quick team meeting between themselves to make a few things clear.
"OK, lads. We got away with a draw, but we must be honest here. We played a really bad game today, so I want to make sure everyone is on the same page. Things will get tougher because teams will bring their top game against us. There is no turning back anymore. We got here so far because we have set high standards on ourselves. Am I right?" Matthias said.
"YEAH!" his teammates replied.
"So in the next game, I want to see warriors on the pitch! In the game after that, I wasn't to see us fight tooth and nails! The game after that, same thing. Again and again until it's all over! We will keep going. We will go all the way. We will do this together! OK?" Matthias said.
"YEAH!!"
"We can only win if we are prepared to give it all and fight for each other instead of for ourselves. That is how we earn every single win on our way forward."
"Yeah, Skipper!" Kakeru replied before the other players replied with cheers.
"I will tell you this too: Witch is really gutted because she's injured. She wants to play more than anyone else on the pitch. It's for players like her that we keep on fighting. We don't know for how long she's gone, but we must play as if she is with us – fearless, relentless, and ruthless. We bring our 'A' game, and we destroy anyone who stands in our way. Who is in with me?"
"YEEAAH!!! COME ON!" the players responded with cheers and applause altogether.
A short moment later, Kakeru and Yusuke walked towards the room next door that was used as the temporary infirmary. The doctor was still attending Nana's injury.
"That was a nice speech by Skipper." Nana replied.
"So you heard it all?" Kakeru asked.
"Yep, I heard it all."
"How is she doing, Doc?" Kakeru asked.
"Well, Nana will need X-rays tomorrow for a clearer picture. So far, I spotted some tenderness on the outer part of her collarbone. But luckily, I haven't seen any lump there, so the acromioclavicular joint is perhaps not too strained." Ridley replied.
"What does that mean to a someone who doesn't know much about medical terms?" Yusuke asked.
"I don't want to go ahead of myself, but it means that the shoulder joint injury could be milder than what we feared at first." Ridley replied.
"Nana is a really tough woman." Kakeru said.
"Sure. But even so, she will need some taping and plenty of icepacks on that shoulder. Apply one icepack for 20 minutes every 2 hours. We'll make sure to keep the shoulder in a sling too." Ridley replied.
"Thanks, Doc." Kakeru said.
"I wished I was more careful." Nana said.
"It was an accident... even though we were angry at Murasaki for a while." Yusuke replied.
"She really feels sorry for you." Kakeru added. "She asked me to tell it to you, but I told her to say it herself later."
"That's good to hear." Nana replied.
"Don't worry, Seven. For as long as you need to recover, we will be fighting in every game for the win." Kakeru said.
"I will recover, and I will finish that job with you guys." Nana replied. "All the way?"
"All the way." Kakeru and Yusuke replied together.
On he following day, X-rays revealed that Nana suffered a Type 1 acromioclavicular joint sprain (or Type 1 shoulder separation). In other words, the ligaments were injured due to the trauma, but there was no severe tearing or fracture of the joint itself. Nana was confined for an 8-day resting period to let the symptoms subside before she would go back to training. Meanwhile, the rest of the Manchester United team were about to train and then play the next few matches with the required amount of relentlessness against their opponents.The Italian Job - Part 2 :Previous «Home Page» Next: Fierce Battle in El Bernabéu
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