The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 52

The Splendour of the FA Cup :Previous «Home Page» Next: The Opportunity of a Lifetime
== Sacrifices and Magic ==
Saturday May 18
Arsenal vs. Manchester United (FA Cup final)
Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Hoping to retake the momentum back on their side, Manchester United went on to introduce Nana in the match. Seconds before she came on by the 72nd minute, tension and tempers started to fly high again between the 2 sides. However, this situation was no deterrent for the Little Witch wearing the midnight blue kit for United.
In the 74th minute:
Martin Tyler: Nana Mishima never scored at Wembley although she first played here in the 2012 Olympics. She would like to score one today. Now to Aizawa...
Pushing an attack deep in Arsenal territory, Nana passed the ball ahead to Kakeru. The Japanese forward attempted to push his way ahead and beyond the Arsenal left-back, but he chose to pass the ball back to Nana instead. Then Nana whipped a ball towards the area at far post, where Anthony was rushing forward.
Martin Tyler: Back to Mishima... with a good ball for Laurent...
Anthony attempted to head the ball towards the Arsenal goal, but it was mostly blocked by Bellerín before Mustafi punted the ball towards the middle of the field.
Martin Tyler: Blocked... Mustafi clears it away...
The loose ball was retrieved by Erik. After a few passes among the Manchester United players, Nikolaj made a long diagonal pass for Kakeru, who stood in the corridor between the opposite touchline and the nearest side of the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen finds Aizawa...
With Sead Kolašinac arriving to deny further access in the penalty area, Kakeru whipped the ball. The intention was to make a cross towards Marius in front of the Arsenal goal, but Kakeru miskicked the ball by hitting it with the top of his boot instead of the inside of his boot. However, that miskick fooled about everybody, including the Arsenal goalkeeper.
Martin Tyler: A ball in... HE HITS THE POST!!
Albeit unintended, Kakeru's miskick swerved in a way that it hit the post before it bounced back out to the front of the Arsenal penalty area after a slight deflection off Ryoma. Then Nana arrived to pounce the shot from just outside the box.
Martin Tyler: Comes back to MISHIMA!!
Nana fired the shot with pace and swirl. The goalkeeper was beaten, but the ball ended up going just wide to the frame of goal. Thousands of Manchester United supporters behind the Arsenal goal gasped in disbelief when the ball came out of play.
Martin Tyler: Just wide! Manchester United came close of taking the lead again.
"Damn, I had it!" Nana cursed to herself.
"I almost scored without knowing it." Kakeru said to himself before he looked to cheer Nana up. "Good try, Seven! Good try."
"Yeah. Let's take our game to them." Nana replied.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"74th minute in Wembley... Not sure Kakeru Aizawa was actually going for goal, but he nearly caught Bernd Leno out. The shot came off the post and then Nana Mishima fired the rebound just wide to the goal. Two big chances within seconds, but Mishima almost had an immediate impact after she came on." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"So close! I look at Kakeru's body language and I don't think he was going for goal at all." Sarah said.
"No. He turned away thinking 'What have I done?' just a split second before he saw the ball hit the post." Noriko replied.
"Then Nana... she almost shoved that down Arsenal's throats on the rebound."
"It was not easy to hit when the ball comes back quickly in the opposite direction, but she hit that cleanly. Unlucky."
"Think that will put Arsenal on the back foot now?" Sarah asked.
"I'm confident it will." Noriko replied.
As such, the wind started to change sides as United regained the ascendency upon their rivals from North London. United launched more and more attacks against the Gunners over the next few minutes. However, the final action or the final touch was still elusive for the Mancunians on their quest for a second goal. A moment of controversy would soon mar the FA Cup final as well.
In the 79th minute:
Martin Tyler: Laurent... passing back to Kristiansen, who swings it across the width of the pitch...
Controlling the ball in the middle third of the pitch, the Manchester United players looked to advance deeper inside the Arsenal half. Nikolaj swung a pass across for Joel, who started advancing forward before he made a pass to Nana.
Martin Tyler: Muamba... Mishima. Still 11 minutes to go, 1-1 at Wembley.
On a rare occasion, Ryoma came up facing Nana after the 2 deeper Arsenal midfielders switched positions momentarily.
"It's you and me now." Ryoma said to Nana.
'Let's pass it to Kakeru and then move ahead.' Nana thought.
Nana made a short side pass to Kakeru, who then started making a run towards the middle while Nana was looking to advance further. However, Ryoma had dark ideas of his own.
'Not gonna let you go past me.' Ryoma thought.
Just as Nana was looking to run past Ryoma without the ball, the latter threw a bodycheck against Nana. Taking an arm to the chest combined with a shoulder to the face, Nana went down to the ground immediately. Meanwhile, the action continued with Kakeru having not seen what just happened in his blind spot.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa... Mishima went down...
Kakeru made a pass to Marius, who then flicked it as an intended pass towards Anthony. However, Sokratis kicked the ball up the field. Then the cleared ball was chested down by Patrick, who started tussling with Matthias for the ball inside the Manchester United half. However, Patrick managed to shake Matthias off and to the ground on a rare occasion, opening up a 3v2 attack for Arsenal. Patrick charged forward alongside Lacazette and Aubameyang against Erik and Joel while tens of thousands Manchester United supporters at Wembley were voicing discontent at the referee for not blowing the play dead.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal have got 3 against 2. This could be a contentious moment if they get in front. Jenpa... to Aubameyang...
Running on the left of the 3-pronged attack, Patrick entered the Manchester United penalty area before he made a pass on the right and towards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who then unleashed the shot upon receiving the pass. Jan did his best to throw himself in front of Aubameyang, but the shot went past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Martin Tyler: And Arsenal have gotten into the lead through their captain on the day, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang! It's 2-1!
On the pitch, the Arsenal players celebrated in front of their supporters, who stood behind the Manchester United goal in the second half. Meanwhile, the Manchester United players were furious at the referee.
"We had a player down! Why didn't you call play dead?" Matthias angrily asked the referee.
"How did you miss what happened? She was knocked down by Oda!" Nikolaj added to the protests.
"I couldn't see anything reprehensible. You had control of the ball for a moment too." Martin Atkinson replied.
"We were a player down! You should have stopped the play. Where's fair-play in that?" Yusuke protested as well.
To make matters worse, Nana was still down on the pitch, holding her face.
Martin Tyler: Well, there was an incident a few seconds earlier, which left Mishima out of the equation. Köhler and Kristiansen are furious, Arsenal celebrate. The Manchester United players are all over the referee now.
While TV replays were showing people watching outside of the stadium the extent of the incident, the Manchester United medical staff were already attending Nana under Kakeru's watch. By the time that Nana managed to sit back up, Ridley was testing Nana's eye-tracking ability before she would be allowed to move on her own to the sidelines.
"OK, Nana. I want you to follow my finger with your eyes now." Ridley said.
Then Ridley moved his finger up, down, to the left, and to the right. Nana passed the test before she got up on her feet.
"You'll be OK, Seven?" Kakeru asked.
"Yeah, I need a moment on the touchlines." Nana replied.
"A fighter until the very end. I know you are." Kakeru said.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Nana Mishima looks like she might still be OK, but what in hell was Martin Atkinson thinking? We were down to 10 men because of that incident, but the referee did not even blow his whistle for fair-play's sake. Because of that, it's Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United with 10 minutes to go. Good thing that I will edit this video later because there's a lot of stuff from Sarah and I worth bleeping when we saw what happened." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"That was absolutely disgusting by Oda. I can't tell for sure where she got hit, but that was high and deliberate." Sarah said.
"Yeah, and I hope someone will go at Oda for that. We can't leave that unpunished even when we trail by a goal."
"I know I shouldn't use the word because I'm no fan of it. But I will say it now: Oda is a ****. There I said it."
"He is one of the worst of those. I really hated Patrick Vieira and Martin Keown back in the days, but Oda is right up there. F*** him, **** him." Noriko finished.
Back on the sidelines, Ridley went on to test Nana's immediate and remote memory with a series of quick questions. The evaluation of cognitive function is part of the means available to screen for possible concussion-like symptoms. If Nana were to fail any of the questions, concussion protocols would demand that she gets substituted.
"Nana, listen to me: What's the day today?" Ridley asked.
"It's Saturday." Nana replied.
"OK. What's the date today?"
"May 18."
"Which stadium are we at?"
"Wembley."
"Who are we playing against?"
"Arsenal."
"How far are we in the game?"
"Around the 80th minute?"
"Good. Which side scored the last goal?"
"They... Arsenal just did; it's 2-1 for them."
"Who did we play last week?"
"Leicester City."
"Did we win last week?"
"Yeah, with a shiny Premier League trophy."
"Really good. Do you remember anything before you got hit?"
"Oda... Oda waited that I would make the pass and then start running ahead. He threw his body at me, and I went down. That bastard."
"I know how you feel, but I don't want you to do anything reckless out there. Can you do that for me?" Ridley asked.
"I can't guarantee it 100%, but I will do my very best." Nana replied.
After a short moment, Nana was cleared to return into the action, much to the delight of all Manchester United supporters worldwide. But when Nana returned on the pitch, she made sure that her most detested opponent on the day would feel her presence at the first opportunity.
In the 82nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal in control. Now Xhaka... to Oda...
With Arsenal controlling the ball from the middle of the pitch through their defenders, the Gunners were looking to pin United back in their own half. After Xhaka's pass reached Ryoma, the former Enoshima High School defensive midfielder pushed forward with the ball. Ryoma escaped pressure from Anthony, but then Nana came in with a strong tackle that pushed the ball out of bounds while Ryoma was sent flying onto the ground.
Martin Tyler: Strong challenge by Mishima on Oda, and the ball's gone out. That gets the United half of the stadium going.
In the Manchester United half of stadium, the fans cheered when they saw Ryoma lying down on the ground. At the other end, the Arsenal fans and players were displeased by the referee's decision to not penalize a physical and yet perfectly clean tackle.
"What was that?" Araki asked out loud.
"Nothing wrong in my view. She got the ball." Martin Atkinson replied.
Meanwhile, Nana got up on her feet while she looked down at Ryoma.
"I didn't need to play dirty to bring you down." Nana dryly said to Ryoma.
"You..." Ryoma replied.
Then Nana walked away unconcerned.
"You caught him hard, Witch. I'm sure he felt that." Nikolaj said.
"He asked for it anyway." Nana replied.
"You sure don't back down from a fight." Yusuke said.
"Never in my lifetime." Nana finished.
In the distance, Kakeru watched the whole scene.
'Oda felt the pain train, but I hope she will not go too far with that kind of stuff.' Kakeru thought
Ryoma felt that challenge really hard, but he managed to stay in the game. To make sure that enough fresh legs can carry his team over the finish line, the Arsenal manager made their last 2 substitutions available in the 84th minute when Sead Kolašinac and Granit Xhaka were replaced by Spanish left-back Nacho Monreal and Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Elneny. Regardless, United were grinding hard against Arsenal in a quest for an equalizer.
In the 85th minute:
Martin Tyler: Saeki... rolling on to Johansson...
With most of the Arsenal pinned down in their own half, United maintained the pressure as Yusuke passed from the center circle to the slightly advancing Erik. Then came a pass from Erik to Nana, who then initiated a triangular passing play between her 2 fellow midfielders, Nikolaj and Yusuke to slow down the action a little.
Martin Tyler: Mishima... Kristiansen... now back to Saeki...
As soon as the ball went back to Yusuke, the Japanese defensive midfielder wearing midnight blue launched a quick pass into Anthony's run on the left. The French forward in midnight blue had to deal with Héctor Bellerín, but then managed to shake him off after a few twists and turns.
Martin Tyler: Laurent... still Laurent...
"Tony! Tony!" Marius shouted for a pass.
Arriving nearby and just inside the Arsenal penalty area in support, Marius received the pass from Anthony. But seeing no way to run past Mustafi, Marius chose to pass the ball back into Anthony's run to the inside. Then Anthony spotted Kakeru waving his arm up for a pass on the right. The Japanese forward was making a run inside the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen can't get through... back to Laurent...
Without any hesitation, Anthony whipped the diagonal ball towards Kakeru. The ball arrived quickly, but so much that Kakeru needed to chest the ball down.
Martin Tyler: And now Aizawa...
That split second required by the first touch on the ball allowed Nacho Monreal to step up in front of Kakeru, who stood only half of a yard away from the 6-yard box. Seeing his options narrowing very quickly, Kakeru took the half-volley with his right foot only to see his shot go off Monreal and out of bounds.
Martin Tyler: A very important block by Nacho Monreal, but at the expense of a corner. Frustration for Aizawa. Arsenal were stretched.
Kakeru was obviously disappointed that his effort had no chance of succeeding, but he quickly put that in the back of his mind as his teammates prepared for the upcoming corner kick under the roars of the Manchester United supporters behind the goal. Both teams were getting set up while Nana got to the corner flag to the goalkeeper's left.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal still in the lead at 2-1, a little more than 5 minutes to go at Wembley...
All eyes were on Martin Atkinson and on Nana as well.
PEEP!
Nana whipped the ball in a way that it would fly away from the 6-yard box and towards Yusuke. However, Ryoma got to the ball before Yusuke would get there.
Martin Tyler: Driven in by Mishima towards Saeki, but it's cleared by Oda...
The cleared ball went towards the middle third of the pitch, where Joel recovered it. Then after a couple of passes from Joel to Erik and then to Jeremy, the young English left-back whipped a long ball back towards the Arsenal penalty area. Matthias was still staying up the field to support the attack.
Martin Tyler: Williams with the long ball...
The long ball flew towards a not-so-dangerous spot inside the Arsenal penalty area, but Matthias managed to chest the ball down and towards Kakeru. On the edge of the penalty area, Kakeru let the ball bounce once off the grass before he volleyed the shot. Unfortunately for him, the ball bounced with little pace and just past Ryoma.
Martin Tyler: Miskicked by Aizawa... 
However, Mustafi also miskicked the ball in an attempt to clear it. That allowed Matthias to poke the loose ball into a side pass towards Nana inside the penalty area. The Little Witch managed to swivel her body around to earn some space with gap between 2 Arsenal defenders and the Arsenal goal in her sights.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal scrambling... Mishima! Good movement from HER!
Nana took the shot hard and high, but Bernd Leno pulled off a very good reflex save to parry the shot away and out of play. The thousands of Manchester United supporters behind the Arsenal goal gasped in disbelief.
Martin Tyler: Another terrific stop by Bernd Leno! Once again he rescues Arsenal!
"DAMMIT!" Nana shouted out loud.
"It's OK, Witch! Focus! We have a corner." Matthias cheered Nana up, reminding of the task to be done.
Martin Tyler: It's another corner for Manchester United. Mishima to take it again.
Both teams went back to where they were just mere moments ago; United threatening Arsenal from a corner kick again.
PEEP!
Instead of going long, Nana chose to play a short corner kick to Anthony. The Frenchman waited for Nana to get back in an onside position to pass the ball back to her. Then Nana took the opportunity of the mass movement of players to launch a ball back towards the edge of the 6-yard box.
Martin Tyler: Played short this time...
Arriving under the ball was Marius. The Dutchman was in a position to take a free header, but a lack of body synchronization saw the ball go off his head and above the Arsenal goal.
Martin Tyler: Oh, Van Leeuwen! Well, it looked like a free header; he will be disappointed with that. 
"Verdomme! (Damn it!)" Marius cursed.
Left disappointed by the outcome, the Manchester United players were forced to retreat at the conceding of a goal kick.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Two glorious chances following successive corner kicks with 5 minutes to go! Nana Mishima took a good shot, but Leno denied with a great save. The second one was a free header for Van Leeuwen, who should have done better. We're wasting good chances here." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"It should be at 2-2 now! This is so frustrating, girl!" Sarah lamented.
"I know, I know. But we must keep our hopes alive and keep going."
"It's already frustrating to be trailing because of a dirty play by Arsenal, but missing so many chances is even worse. I just hope we still have something left and that it will not feel like the 2005 final."
"Before the final whistle gets blown, the fat lady is not singing just yet." Noriko finished.
Manchester United were still left trailing on the scoreboard after missing 2 glorious chances. With time running against the team from the Northwest of England, frustration grew among their ranks as the Gunners continued to hold their ground. With highly competitive characters on both sides, all it took was a spark to ignite another flashpoint between the 2 great rivals.
In the 88th minute:
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen... Cut by Bellerín, but half of a chance to counterattack. The touch wasn't clean.
As United moved forward, Marius attempted a pass towards Anthony. However, Héctor Bellerín cut the pass but could not control the ball. Anthony quickly rushed back to recover the ball before he fed it backwards to Jeremy, who then passed it to Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder had nowhere to go though as 2 Arsenal midfielders came to defend.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... Saeki...
Nikolaj was forced to make a back pass to Yusuke, who then played 2 quick back-to-back passes between themselves before Yusuke attempted a pass towards Nana. However, Ryoma cut the pass with a sliding tackle that became a side pass to Elneny. Then the Egyptian midfielder quickly passed the ball towards Araki, who then got shoved down by Nana in the tussle for the ball.
Martin Tyler: And Mishima firing at Araki...
PEEP!!
Just as the referee called the foul against Nana, the action continued for a full second with Nana advancing and then Ryoma tripping Nana down behind the referee's back. Angered by Ryoma's action, Nana tangled her legs with Ryoma's to take him down as well before both belligerents promptly got up to confront each other.
"That's it. I have enough!" Nana angrily said.
"Come on then!" Ryoma replied.
Within 2 seconds, players on both sides and the referee came to separate Nana and Ryoma as the latter two were almost locking horns against each other. Araki came to pull Ryoma away while Kakeru did the same with Nana. Some pushing and shoving ensued as well.
Martin Tyler: ...and a bit of a reaction. Martin Atkinson turned around. He didn't see it all.
"Why don't you piss off, Oda?!" Kakeru fired at Ryoma.
"Say that to your girl! She's nuts." Ryoma fired back.
"Calm! Calm!" Araki tried to act as a peacemaker.
"You're a real pain, Mishima. This ain't over." Ryoma blasted.
"Yeah. Next time, it will hurt you harder than the bathroom stool I threw at you once." Nana blasted back at Ryoma.
"Shut the **** up, you!" Aubameyang interjected.
"Mind your own ****ing business!" Matthias interposed himself with his huge frame in front of Arsenal's acting captain.
"What are you going to do?" Aubameyang asked.
"Want to find out, huh? I'm right here." Matthias replied.
Matthias threw the scariest glare he ever fired towards an opponent, and it was enough to make the Arsenal players back down. Meanwhile, the referee blew his whistle several times to call for order before he took input from the linesmen and then summoned both Nana and Ryoma for a talk.
"Mishima and Oda, come here." Martin Atkinson ordered.
"He fouled me after the whistle." Nana said.
"I know, but there's the thing: the whistle is because you fouled Araki. I didn't see everything that happened after, but it doesn't matter here. It's still a free kick for Arsenal." Atkinson replied to Nana.
"She kicked out at me. What do you make of that?" Ryoma complained.
"From what I'm told, legs got tangled. I know what happened back in February, but I will not allow violence here today. You two are acting really immature on the big stage. I don't want to see any of that anymore. The next thing from any of you will result in a card or getting tossed, that's it. Nothing more from now on. Understand?"
"Yes, sir." Nana and Ryoma said altogether.
"Thank you. Back to your positions." Atkinson replied.
Martin Tyler: Well, Martin Atkinson has chosen diplomacy to end it all. He's made clear that he will not tolerate anything further.
In the stands, the decision was not particularly popular as each set of supporters expected sanctions against the opposing player. In the Manchester United supporters' end, Noriko and Sarah were angry that Ryoma was not booked.
"I don't believe it. Oda started it all and then gets nothing. Just ridiculous." Noriko lamented out loud.
"Atkinson gave 2 yellow cards in the first half and then a yellow against our goalie when he gave away the penalty. I expected something here." Sarah said.
"That's the part I don't understand sometimes with referees. No consistency whatsoever."
"You think Nana would have held her ground if it went down to fists with Oda?"
"I say she would and more, Sarah. Nana once knocked him out cold once with a bathroom stool when she thought he was peeping her."
"Damn. Oda looks like someone who needs a girl in order to cure his anger issues." Sarah said.
"For such man, there's no cure for being a ****." Noriko replied. 
Regardless, the mood among Arsenal fans at Wembley started to be more celebratory as they could almost taste the sweetness of a consolation revenge against United by denying their northwestern rivals of a domestic double. On the other hand, the Manchester United supporters were pushing their team as hard as possible towards the equalizing goal even though an anticlimax was looming ever closer on the horizon. One kick could make a world of difference so late in the match.
In the dying seconds of the 90th minute:
Martin Tyler: Time is running out for Manchester United. Arsenal still firmly in control.
Arsenal were running down the clock by playing their passing game inside the Manchester United half, but the Gunners were still playing with a high defensive line at that moment. Meanwhile on the touchlines, the 4th official came up with the electronic board to indicate the amount of injury time minutes left to play in the second half when the clock finally reached 90:00.
Kris Temple: The 4th official has indicated a minimum of 5 minutes of time added on.
The Manchester United supporters roared at the acknowledgement that their team had 5 minutes to force the FA Cup final into extra time. However, the Mancunian players were still looking for a way to get out of their own half as Arsenal continued to keep the attacking pressure on.
Martin Tyler: Elneny again...
When the ball came to Mohamed Elneny, the Egyptian midfielder attempted a pass ahead and towards Araki. However, Yusuke stepped forward to stick a boot out to cut the pass. Then Elneny got to the loose ball before he made a sideways pass towards Nacho Monreal.
Martin Tyler: ...and again. Saeki was drawn out of position trying to get the ball. He went back to position.
Moving on Arsenal's left flank, Nacho Monreal whipped a cross towards one of the Arsenal forwards charging inside the Manchester United penalty area. But instead of an Arsenal forward, Matthias got a slight touch of the ball. The ball continued its way towards the far side of the penalty area though.
Martin Tyler: Monreal curls it in. Köhler got a touch, but the danger hasn't passed for United yet. Lacazette...
Alexandre Lacazette recovered the ball before he passed a back pass towards Bellerín. Then the Spanish right-back attempted to cross another long ball inside the penalty area. This time though, it was Erik who got his head on the ball.
Martin Tyler: Big challenge from crosses coming left and right...
Erik's clearance was not clean as the ball went up and down towards the area in front of the penalty area. Araki and Nikolaj both jumped towards the ball only to miss altogether. Then Nana recovered the loose ball before she started advancing. Araki tried to poke the ball away from Nana, but the Little Witch skipped her way past him before Ryoma stepped in the way.
"Come on!" Ryoma challenged Nana to take him on.
Martin Tyler: Looking to counterattack...
Then Nana attempted a roulette feint to run past Ryoma, who wasn't easily fooled as he got back in front of Nana again. Nevertheless, Nana had another idea in mind.
'Now.' Nana thought.
"What?" Ryoma asked.
Nana shifted her body to the other direction, completing the Witch Turn and removing the not-so-agile Ryoma out of the equation. Then the Little Witch continued to push forward under the roars of thousands of Manchester United supporters.
Martin Tyler: And Mishima is never shy of doing that...
Entering the center circle, Nana was soon shadowed by Elneny. The situation saw Kakeru and Marius were also advancing to create a 3v2 situation against the 2 Arsenal centre-backs; Monreal and Bellerín were too far ahead. Seeing that the Arsenal defenders would be left vulnerable if Nana gets away, Elneny grabbed Nana by the shirt to bring her down just beyond the center circle in the Arsenal half.
"HEEEEYYY!!!" the Manchester United players and supporters shouted in unison.
"What was that?" Nana angrily asked the referee.
"BLOODY HELL, REFEREE!! THAT'S A YELLOW CARD!" Andrew Butler angrily shouted from his technical area.
Obviously, the foul was nothing less than a professional foul to deliberately deny an attack. Martin Atkinson immediately drew the yellow card out of his pocket to signal his final warning against the Egyptian midfielder.
Martin Tyler: Martin Atkinson is reaching the yellow card for Mohamed Elneny. He had to take one for the team, as they say.
Although a yellow card was produced against the Arsenal midfielder, the thousands of Manchester United supporters were still displeased at the way that Elneny deliberately stopped the attack on the most ungracious manner. Regardless, the Manchester United players had to get their focus back for a really long free kick. A little bit of strategy talk was in order with time running down quickly.
"What do you think?" Nana asked Nikolaj.
"I could try to play long, but it's not ideal from this far out. I could play short to you, set you up to make a good pass in the box." Nikolaj replied.
"Yeah, the short play is a better bet. Let's go for that."
"Skipper, I think Araki will have his eyes on Witch. If you can take him off his game just a little, I think that would give her a split second." Nikolaj said to Matthias.
"OK, I will see to that." Matthias replied.
As such, Nikolaj was designated to take the free kick while Nana moved a few yards ahead and to Nikolaj's left. Meanwhile, Arsenal had all of their 10 field players holding defensive positions in front of their own penalty area.
Martin Tyler: We're in the 2nd minute of injury time. Free kick for Manchester United...
PEEP!
Just as planned, Nikolaj took the free kick as a forward pass on the left wing and towards Nana. Realizing that Nana would attempt something from her position, Araki tried to rush towards her. But then Araki momentarily bumped into Matthias, who stood his ground. Just as planned, that minor contact gave Nana time to align the upcoming pass.
Martin Tyler: Played short to Mishima...
Nana whipped the long ball towards a dangerous area in front of Arsenal's 6-yard box. Arriving at the end of that ball was Kakeru, who escaped Arsenal's man-marking on him. Combining the perfect weight on the pass to the perfect run in the box, Kakeru dropped his head down to deflect the ball beyond the Arsenal goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Martin Tyler: Goes in for AIZAWAAA!!! NEVER RULE OUT MANCHESTER UNITED!! And that contentious Arsenal goal has turned out not to be a decisive goal. It's typical of what this young man from Japan has done 43 times now this season, and what a great pass by Mishima to find Aizawa once again! 2-2!
The entire Manchester United half of the stadium erupted, especially behind the Arsenal goal. Kakeru celebrated in front of the fans.
"COME ON!!!" Kakeru shouted.
"Well done, Knight!" Marius congratulated Kakeru.
"Huge goal, Kakeru!" Nana added.
"We're back in the game! Well done, guys!" Matthias added.
On the other end of the spectrum of emotions, Arsenal players remain silent and struck with disbelief. With mere minutes to play in injury time, it was back to square one for both teams. The Gunners already felt that sickening feeling against United during preseason.
Kris Temple: GOALSCORER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED... NUMBER TEN... KAKERU AIZAWA!!!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"UNBELIEVABLE!!! Kakeru Aizawa has equalized for United with his 43rd goal of the campaign in the second minute of stoppage time! It's 2-2 at Wembley! Never write them off!" Noriko narrated for her vlog right after the initial explosion of joy following the goal.
"Kakeru! Kakeru!" Sarah shouted as she piped in front the camera, all smiles.
"This FA Cup final is far from over. We have a little more than 3 minutes of injury time left to play."
"Think we can score a winner without going into extra time?" Sarah asked.
"I don't think it will happen, but it would be great if that happens." Noriko replied.
Still under the shellshock effect of Kakeru's equalizing goal, Arsenal restarted the action with the ball in their control. However, their attack and ball control did not have the same conviction nor the same purpose as Arsenal had before the 2-2 goal. On the other hand, United had a strong wind in their sails.
In the 5th minute of injury time:
Martin Tyler: Saeki...
Having retrieved a loose ball in the middle of the field, Yusuke was immediately pressed by Patrick. As such, Yusuke had to pass the ball backwards to Matthias, who then passed it all the way back to Jan while Patrick was pressing forward for Arsenal. Nevertheless, Jan managed to lure Patrick closer before passing the ball back to Matthias. From there, the ball was passed ahead to Yusuke. The former Kamakura High School defensive midfielder was chased by former Enoshima High School playmaker Araki.
Martin Tyler: Back to Saeki. Araki following him...
Then Yusuke made a short pass ahead for Nikolaj. But as soon as Araki went after Nikolaj, the Dane passed the ball ahead to complete the give-and-go with Yusuke.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... back to Saeki...
Yusuke continued to advance in full speed and deeper inside the Arsenal half. Ryoma tried to tackle the ball away from Yusuke, but the latter managed to skip past Ryoma's standing tackle before he made a short pass towards Nana on the right.
Martin Tyler: Thriving on...
Nana received the ball right on the edge of the penalty area with Nacho Monreal standing in front of her. Nevertheless, Nana shifted her run on her left side before she took a left-footed shot.
Martin Tyler: Mishima...
Unfortunately for Nana, the shot was blocked by Sokratis before it bounced towards the area outside the D in front of the penalty area. Not waiting for the ball to hit the grass, Yusuke unleashed a powerful strike from his (supposedly) weaker right foot.
Martin Tyler: SAEKIIII!!!
Sprawling with an outstretched hand, Bernd Leno could only brush the ball. However, it just enough to deflect the ball off the inside of the post to his right and back into an area on his left.
Martin Tyler: Hit the post with an extraordinary effort!
Then the rebound was kicked by Nacho Monreal off Kakeru before it went out of bounds for a goal kick. Tens of thousands of Manchester United supporters could only moan in disbelief as a late victory eluded their team by a couple of inches.
Martin Tyler: The man who won the Premier League deep in stoppage time – Yusuke Saeki almost won Manchester United another trophy in similar circumstances again.
"NO WAY, MAN!" Yusuke shouted out loud, ripping a few blades of grass and throwing them away in disgust.
"Good effort, Yusuke. We will get them later." Kakeru cheered Yusuke up.
"It's OK. We have them where we want them to be." Nana added, giving Yusuke a tap on the shoulder.
"Yeah. Thanks, guys." Yusuke replied as he was pulled up on his feet by Nana and Kakeru.
The Manchester United players retreated back to the middle of the field while the Arsenal players moved up the field. The goalkeeper Leno was shouting at his teammates to voice his displeasure at his teammates' poor man-marking. The crowd was still buzzing, still shocked at the heart-stopping moment that almost decided the fate of the FA Cup.
Martin Tyler: For a moment, everyone thought the FA Cup was on its way to Manchester United, but Bernd Leno had other ideas. The nearest of brushes with the glove was so, so vital to keep it at 2-2 with only seconds left in injury time.
Then the following goal kick from the Arsenal goalkeeper coincided with the end of regulation time.
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEP!!!
Upon the whistle that called the end of normal time, the 89,000+ crowd responded with a polite applause.
Martin Tyler: So it's extra time at Wembley. We expected a great FA Cup final between the best 2 teams in the country, and we are not disappointed so far. Nikolaj Kristiansen gave United the lead before Patrick Jenpa responded later in the first half. Then Arsenal took the lead on a contentious goal from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang while Nana Mishima was left hurt by a bodycheck from Ryoma Oda. But then Mishima made the pass for Kakeru Aizawa, who makes it 2-2 early in stoppage time. There was more drama when Ryuichi Araki saw his penalty stopped by Jan Farkas earlier in the second half, and Yusuke Saeki came so close of nicking it for United in the dying seconds when his effort was brushed off by Bernd Leno into the post. Stamina and skill will be of the essence here was we go to extra time in the final.
Following the end of regulation time, both teams took the next 5 minutes to rest a little. Most players took this opportunity to enjoy a few sports drinks, but some players needed to be massaged or stretched out considering that it was a very demanding physical challenge so late in a grueling campaign.
"There you go. It's it better now?" Ethan Hunter, United's physiotherapist asked.
Yusuke was lying on his back with one his legs pointing upwards. As a consequence of the long season that started back in the J-League season from the previous year, he needed to stretch his legs out in order to prevent cramps.
"Thanks, Ethan. I really needed this." Yusuke said.
"Don't worry. You'll be able to get on your feet and have a go again after this." Ethan replied.
Then Kakeru and Nana, sports drinks in their hands, came for a quick chat.
"You OK?" Kakeru asked.
"A little tired for the moment, but I will be fine in no time." Yusuke replied.
"You have a good game so far. Unlucky on the last shot, but still doing good." Nana said.
"Thanks. We've been playing better than they did overall."
"It shows. The Arsenal players look more tired than we are." Kakeru said.
Indeed, there were more Arsenal players than United players needing muscle massage or stretching out with the help from the physios.
"All we have to do is to go at them again." Nana said.
"Yeah. At them again." Kakeru replied.
"And since you still have fresh legs compared to most of us, Nana, we will count on you." Yusuke finished.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Ninety minutes gone; extra time to come in this FA Cup final. Kakeru Aizawa managed to score the equalizer at the beginning of injury time, thanks to a great pass from Nana Mishima. Yusuke Saeki almost snatched a winner in the very last seconds of injury time. Many of us in the crowd won't make it to the 9:00 PM train back home to the North." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"Well, it's not like the last train will matter to us two. It's going to be a nervy extra 30 minutes at least though." Sarah added her comment in front of the camera.
"Want to make a prediction on the winning goal?" Noriko asked Sarah.
"I say Kakeru scores and ties Ruud van Nistelrooy's best goal tally in a season from 2002-03 today."
"Sarah says Kakeru will score his 44th in extra time, but I will say Nana to score the winner. She's gonna have a buffet out there because her legs are fresh compared to many tired legs among Arsenal's best players." Noriko said.
"Good choice as well. Let's do this." Noriko finished.
Ahead of extra time, another coin toss was made by Martin Atkinson. Arsenal won the toss and then chose to kick things off in extra time. United were awarded the right to choose in the western end of the pitch, keeping themselves a chance to have their own fans standing behind the Arsenal goal later in the second half of extra time.
As soon as both teams got back in their respective halves and after both teams' staff left the limits of the pitch, all eyes were turned towards referee Martin Atkinson.
PEEEP!!!
Martin Tyler: Extra time under way here at Wembley.
In the first handful of minutes, Arsenal looked to impose their passing game in an attempt to gain early control. However, the resilient and patient Manchester United side were holding firm and ready to strike with their favorite weapon: counterattack.
In the 95th minute:
Martin Tyler: Here's Bellerín still full of running...
With a little bit of passing around near the halfway line, Arsenal were looking for an opportunity to cut their way through the Manchester United defense. When the ball arrived to Héctor Bellerin, the Spanish right-back pushed his way past Nikolaj and a little deeper inside the Manchester United half. Then Bellerin made a short pass to Ryoma.
Martin Tyler: Oda...
Ryoma fired the ball towards Araki, who then let it slide towards Aubameyang. Standing right on the edge of the penalty area, the Gabonese forward was sandwiched by both Kakeru and Joel as the ball came in. As a result, Kakeru escaped with the ball before he made a pass ahead to Anthony.
Martin Tyler: Aubameyang. No way through... 
Anthony received the ball while having to deal with Mustafi on his back. Nevertheless, the French forward held onto the ball long enough before he made a back pass to the advancing Kakeru, who then passed it ahead to Marius.
Martin Tyler: Well held up by Laurent... it's on for Van Leeuwen...
By the time Marius received the pass, he saw that Kakeru was running in a gap between the Arsenal defenders who held a high defensive line despite the backpedalling. Without any hesitation, Marius made a dink pass into Kakeru's path.
Martin Tyler: And Aizawa continues his run! He could be in here!
With the United supporters expecting a goal at the other end of the stadium, Kakeru pushed the ball ahead for himself while Bellerín and Mustafi were both rushing back. As Mustafi challenged for the ball, Kakeru stopped his run just inside the Arsenal penalty area. However, Kakeru lost balance at the crucial split second while Mustafi went down as well after their legs got slightly tangled priot to the fall.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa for United...
Seeing the ball just behind him, Kakeru got quickly up on his feet. However, Ryoma came in with a tackle on the loose ball towards safety, taking Kakeru down in the process. A few Manchester United players appealed for a penalty, but not convincingly as Martin Atkinson immediately waved his arms across to deny all penalty claims.
Martin Tyler: He lost his balance, but Martin Atkinson was quick to dismiss the penalty appeals. Mustafi and Oda did well to backtrack here.
'I should have taken the shot a little earlier.' Kakeru thought.
"You may have scored once, but that's as far as you will go." Ryoma said to Kakeru, using mind games again.
Regardless, Kakeru was not interested in getting involved with Ryoma this time. Instead, he looked back at Marius.
"Nice pass, Roman." Kakeru congratulated his Dutch teammate with a thumbs-up sign.
With United clearly stating their intentions quite early in extra time, the team from the Northwest of England began to get on the front foot again against their opponents from North London. The action started to shift more towards the Arsenal end of the pitch, and United were looking for one good scoring chance that counts.
In the 101st minute:
Martin Tyler: Mishima... to Johansson... back to Mishima again...
Passing the ball across the halfway line, Erik reached Nana. Then the Little Witch relayed the ball to Anthony, who then tried to advance his way forward. But as he arrived 15 yards away from the Arsenal penalty area, Anthony passed the ball ahead to Marius. Moving slightly along the width of the pitch, Marius couldn't find an opening to shoot. Instead a side pass was made from Marius to Nana.
"Come on, Mishima." Ryoma said.
At that moment, Ryoma and Monreal stood in front of Nana.
'Make the overlapping run, Spider. Come on.' Nana thought.
At a crucial moment, Joel made an overlapping run to the outside to lure Nacho Monreal a few steps away. It was all that Nana needed to prepare a good long pass.
Martin Tyler: Going around the outside.
With the space that opened up, Nana launched a long aerial pass behind Ryoma and towards the far post. Kakeru rushed towards the ball's descending trajectory.
Martin Tyler: So Mishima crosses in...
For a split second, everyone thought that Kakeru would get first to the ball. However, Mustafi threw his head in the way to deflect the ball out of play and at the expense of a corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Oh! Almost reached Aizawa, but Mustafi got in the way. It's a corner for United.
Both teams moved to their assigned positions as Arsenal tried to defend their own goal against 5 Manchester United players – Kakeru, Yusuke, Matthias, Erik, and Nikolaj.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Mishima playing it short...
Instead of whipping the ball immediately into the Arsenal penalty area, Nana made a short pass to Anthony. Then the ball was passed back to Nana after she moved back in an onside position. Taking advantage of the slight confusion among the Arsenal players, Nana whipped the ball towards the mass of humanity in front of the Arsenal goal.
Martin Tyler: She crosses it in...
The Arsenal goalkeeper tried to outjump and reach the ball. However, he missed the ball completely. And then the ball was inadvertently headed towards the penalty spot by one of the Arsenal defenders. Nikolaj recovered the loose ball, but was forced to side pass it when Araki tried to close him down. The ball arrived onto Yusuke's right foot.
Martin Tyler: Oh, Leno missed it!
But as the right foot was not Yusuke's preferred one, he had to take an extra touch before he blasted the shot past the goalkeeper. However, Ryoma got in the way of that shot.
Martin Tyler: SAEKI! Terrific block in front of goal! It was Ryoma Oda rescuing Arsenal.
The ball went out of play by the side. The Manchester United players and supporters were left stunned in disbelief.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Yusuke said out loud.
"Yusuke... close again." Kakeru said to himself.
Looking at the aftermath in some distance from the Arsenal penalty area.
'I hope that does not bite us back in the butt.' Nana thought.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Not sure who took the shot in, but it was blocked in front of goal. Leno was all over the place. Why didn't our guy take the shot first time?" Noriko said while recording her reaction on camera.
"I think that was Yusuke." Sarah said.
The TV replay shown on the stadium's 2 jumbotrons confirmed Sarah's words.
"Yeah, it was him. The ball went onto his right foot instead of his favored left foot." Noriko said.
"That little touch gave Oda enough time to come back and cover behind his goalkeeper. Fine margins again." Sarah replied.
"I can almost feel a goal. We're on the up again."
"Same. We have shown more initiative so far in extra time." Sarah said.
"COME ON, UNITED!" Noriko shouted.
Among the tens of thousands supporting Manchester United, there was growing feeling that a goal was coming. The team from the Northwest of England committed many players to support the attacking pressure upon the Gunners although the latter were trying to remain as proactive defensively as possible.
In the 105th minute:
Martin Tyler: We're now in the last minute in the first period of extra time. Manchester United have a corner.
After another incursion deep in the Arsenal half, United earned another corner kick. On this occasion, United had 5 players inside the penalty area and another one – Kakeru lurking just on the outside of it.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Mishima takes it...
Nana whipped the ball towards the near post, but an Arsenal player headed the ball outside the penalty area. However, the ball went back to Nana again.
Martin Tyler: Cleared. Back to Mishima again...
Nana whipped the ball towards a mass of players inside the penalty area, but Sokratis managed to head the ball far outside of the penalty area. Joel ran after the loose ball, but then Alexandre Lacazette threw a perfectly legal tackle to hook the ball all for himself.
Martin Tyler: Cleared by Sokratis. This is Lacazette...
Although Lacazette fell on the ground in the midst of his challenge, the French forward got up immediately and then set Patrick free on a breakaway. United committed a mistake as a team by committing too many players forward.
Martin Tyler: Through to Jenpa, running from his own half...
The Arsenal supporters roared as Patrick ran in full speed with the ball. Neither Joel nor Jeremy could catch up with the Cameroonian striker. But Kakeru, who saw the potential danger unfold, gave a mad chase after Patrick. The Japanese forward was United's last hope.
Martin Tyler: Aizawa of all people giving chase...
Advancing into the Manchester United half, Patrick gave tap after tap on the ball to push further forward. Arriving into the final third of the pitch, Kakeru had to make a decision.
'I won't make it. Gotta do this, sorry.' Kakeru thought.
Knowing that there would be no way to strip Patrick off the ball legally and that Jan would not stand much of a chance against a striker having acres of space ahead, Kakeru followed his instinct. As soon as Patrick arrived within 30 yards from the Manchester United goal while the ball was at some distance ahead, Kakeru extended his right leg to clip Patrick's heel from behind with laser-sharp accuracy, stopping the Cameroonian dead in his tracks.
Martin Tyler: OOOOHHHH!!!
The Arsenal players, the Arsenal bench, and thousands of Arsenal supporters erupted in protest at the blatant foul.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Patrick shouted, waving his arms up while down on the ground.
"HE HAS TO GO!" Ryoma vociferated as the referee went by him.
"LAST MAN!" Araki added.
"HE'S THE LAST MAN! RED CARD!" Aubameyang led the protests as acting captain.
Instead of addressing directly to the protests from Arsenal players, Martin Atkinson ran quickly towards Kakeru. The Japanese forward knew what was coming as the red card was shown against him.
Martin Tyler: That's the end of Kakeru Aizawa's FA Cup final; it's a red card for him. You can argue that he had to take one for the team. Patrick Jenpa was running in the clear towards the Manchester United goal.
Even though Kakeru chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of the team, he was distraught by the realization that he would no longer be able to help his teammates on the pitch as a result.
"I'm sorry. I had to do it." Kakeru said.
"You did well, Knight." Matthias replied, giving a tap on the shoulder.
"Kakeru..." Nana said softly as she looked in the distance.
Kakeru took the long walk of shame towards the central exit tunnel. On his way out, he walked right next to Andrew Butler.
"I'm sorry, Boss." Kakeru apologized.
"It's fine. Better that than conceding a goal." Andrew replied.
Andrew gave Kakeru a quick handshake before the latter continued his way down the tunnel. The kit man walked alongside Kakeru to try comforting him.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"It's the 105th minute at Wembley, and Kakeru Aizawa has been sent off. A mix-up led to Patrick Jenpa going all alone for goal. Kakeru had no choice but to sacrifice himself as the last man denying the scoring chance. What are we going to do now?" a worried Noriko narrated in front of her camera.
"Well, that is my prediction going out of the window now." Sarah said.
"It must be an awful feeling for him. Kakeru had never taken a red card in his life before this."
"It will feel awful for him now, but he may feel better if we somehow get out of this with the Cup. There was nothing else he could do." Sarah said.
"Yeah, but we still have to defend that free kick." Noriko replied.
With the wall being set, everyone was expecting Araki to take the free kick. It was within the usual range that makes him so dangerous in such circumstances.
Martin Tyler: Kakeru Aizawa may have saved a goal, but Arsenal still have a free kick. You wouldn't put it past Ryuichi Araki to take it.
PEEP!
Everyone anxiously looked at Araki making the run and striking the ball. The shot flew with a curling effect around the wall and towards Jan's left. Fortunately for United and unfortunately for Arsenal though, Araki's shot struck the side netting on the outside.
Martin Tyler: OOOOFFF!!! Araki's free kick was just wide to the mark. Fine margins again.
Araki grimaced at the aftermath while the Manchester United players and supporters pushed a sigh of relief. Then the following goal kick coincided with the end of the first period of extra time.
PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Martin Tyler: Well, it's now halftime in extra time. Kakeru Aizawa had to take a straight red to deny Arsenal what would have been their second go-ahead goal. By doing so, he joins Kevin Moran from the 1985 final as only the second player to earn the FA Cup final dishonour of receiving a straight red. Manchester United, now down to 10, will have to find inspiration without their top marksman with 15 minutes and perhaps penalties left to play. For a final that has already seen a lot of drama, we may not have seen the final twist just yet.
Without wasting any time in a short 3-minute timeout between both 15-minute periods of extra time, the players on both teams gathered on the touchlines for a drink while the manager of each team came down to give a few last words. For Andrew Butler, there was a need to set the record straight.
"All right, people. We have 15 minutes left to play and we can still get out of this with the Cup. It's unfortunate that Aizawa is out, but he did what he had to do for the team. Arsenal will come at us, but we can stop them if we play for each other. So stay focused, keep your feet moving, play it tight, and keep hustling them when they attack. OK? Come on, everyone!" Andrew instructed his players.
"OK, let's go!" Matthias rallied his teammates.
The players returned on the pitch.
"Think you will hold on?" Nana asked Yusuke.
"I should be asking that from you."
"I'm fine, but you played a lot of minutes as a starter recently and in the whole season."
"I won't quit now."
"I know you won't, Yusuke. Let's do this." Nana finished.
With the second period of extra time under way, Manchester United focused on playing a tight and proactive defense-oriented game in order to soak up their opponents' attacks. That also meant that United would not commit the 2 centre-backs forward if they earn set pieces. Nevertheless, Arsenal felt this was their chance to take gambles and win the FA Cup. After a few minutes, the Gunners looked to make their man advantage count.
In the 111st minute:
Martin Tyler: United are defending well so far, but we have not seen Arsenal at their best with the man advantage yet. It may change soon though.
Following the interception of a cleared ball, Bellerín made a short pass to Ryoma. Nana rushed towards her former senior schoolmate, but Ryoma managed to punt a high pass ahead.
Martin Tyler: Oda... finds Aubameyang.
The long pass arrived on the left wing to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who then cushioned the ball slightly back to Araki.
Martin Tyler: Headed down for Araki...
As soon as Araki got the ball, Yusuke came to face him. But then Araki swiftly feinted going to Yusuke's right before he made a roulette to escape to Yusuke's left.
Martin Tyler: ...who gets past Saeki brilliantly...
Araki found himself running with the ball deeper inside the Manchester United half, with only Matthias and Erik to worry about. Spotting Alexandre Lacazette on the run, Araki threaded a perfect through pass behind the Manchester United centre-backs.
Martin Tyler: Threaded through to Lacazette!
The French forward found himself in a 1v1 against Jan before he attempted to poke the ball for a shot. However, the Slovakian goalkeeper extended his right leg to make a kick save.
Martin Tyler: Farkas comes up big again for Manchester United!
The rebound squirted out of the penalty area by the side only to be recovered by Patrick, who tried to skip his way back towards the Manchester United goal.
Martin Tyler: Now Jenpa...
Patrick managed to run past Jeremy's attempted standing tackle after he poked the ball ahead. Matthias attempted to use his body to shield the rolling ball, but Patrick swiftly got ahead of him while keeping the ball in play.
Martin Tyler: Still Jenpa...
Then Matthias pushed the ball out of bounds on the following split second to concede a corner kick. The Arsenal supporters roared to support their team, but some of the players were disappointed with Lacazette's missed opportunity.
Martin Tyler: Martin Atkinson rules corner. Alexandre Lacazette has a good season despite being the third choice at Arsenal, but he is furious at himself.
"Well played, Skipper." Jan gave a low five to his captain.
"Thanks, Wolf. Great save too." Matthias replied to his goalkeeper.
Both teams moved into positions ahead of the corner kick. Araki took the ball to the corner flag, ready to take it.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal have been foiled once, but they have another chance here with 10 minutes to go.
PEEP!
Araki whipped the ball on a trajectory that saw it curl away from the 6-yard box. Sokaratis went on to head the ball towards the face of goal, but the deflection was a weak one on top of bouncing once off the grass. Joel easily punted the ball away, leading to a pass for Anthony.
Martin Tyler: Sokratis gets a glance to it...
Upon receiving the ball, Anthony started to spearhead a counterattack before he was brought down cynically by Héctor Bellerín.
PEEP!
Martin Atkinson had no doubt about the foul and the yellow card that ensued.
Martin Tyler: Ohh! Bellerín will get the booking.
There were no protests from Arsenal against the yellow card. Meanwhile, the Manchester United players and supporters sighed in relief.
"That should give us a respite." Nana said.
"Yeah, but they came close. We have to be careful now." Yusuke replied.
"I wish to have just one chance." Nana finished.
Meanwhile in the Manchester United dressing room:
"Come on, guys. Please hang on. I know you can do this even without me." a worried Kakeru said out loud as he watched the match on a TV monitor.
With Arsenal on the ascendency, the Manchester United supporters could only hope their team would find a way to drag the Gunners into a penalty shootout. Every single potentially dangerous ball was systematically punted away by the United defenders. It didn't look like a spark would come from anyone wearing midnight blue in that final, but the long history of the FA Cup has seen many unexpected and magical moments in the past. Sometimes such magical moments come out of nothing.
In the 115th minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal looking to find a gap again. Aubameyang... drops it to Araki...
With the action still taking place inside the Manchester United half, the ball was passed around among the Arsenal players. When the ball went to Araki, Yusuke stepped forward to deny further access towards the penalty area.
"Come on." Yusuke challenged Araki.
But instead of attempting a breakthrough, Araki made a backwards pass to Ryoma. Then Ryoma flicked the ball first time and towards Elneny, who was slightly advancing on the right side of the central midfield. However, the ball went off Nana instead.
Martin Tyler: Oda...
The deflection off Nana got the ball rolling towards Erik. Araki attempted to reach the ball as well, but the Swedish defender managed to flick the ball above Araki and towards the center circle. In the center circle, both Marius and Sokratis jumped to reach the ball in the air. The Dutch striker got the first touch to cushion a header of a pass for Nana, who ran in full speed to spearhead a counterattack.
Martin Tyler: Good anticipation by Mishima...
Rushing with the ball in full speed, Nana managed to skip past an attempted standing tackle from Sokratis with a nifty move to her right. However, the 2 Arsenal centre-backs started backpedalling while Ryoma was rushing to stop Nana from behind in full speed.
"I will stop you! You will go down!" Ryoma said.
Ryoma put his hand on Nana's left shoulder in an attempt to slow her down or even drag her down if necessary. In response, Nana swung her left arm repeatedly to shrug Ryoma off.
'Have to shake him off.' Nana thought.
Over the span of several yards, the 2 Japanese opponents battled for control of the ball. However, Nana's resistance surprised Ryoma so much that the latter ended up bouncing off Nana and losing his balance. Martin Atkinson considered calling the foul against Ryoma, but chose to let Nana play the advantage instead.
Martin Tyler: Wonderful ball retention too. Well, Oda did his best to foul her...
Although Ryoma was ruled out of the equation, Nana still had to deal with the other Arsenal defenders as she approached the Arsenal penalty area. She skipped past a tackle attempt from Nacho Monreal by shifting slightly to her left. The Little Witch found herself against the 2 Arsenal centre-backs with Anthony and Marius being a little late to support her on the counterattack.
'Tony and Roman are too far behind. I have to try this alone.' Nana thought.
Nana bent her run from the right and towards the middle lane. Then she made a couple of body feints without touching the ball to hypnotize the opponents before her. Nana was entering the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: She's still going...
"Go on! GO ON!" Noriko shouted as she stood off her seat.
Then at the very crucial split second, Nana made an elastico feint to get around the Arsenal defenders to her right side before she made a little burst of speed forward. Finding herself in a 1v1 situation against the Arsenal goalkeeper, Nana rifled the shot across and to the goalkeeper's right without any hesitation. The ball finally found the back of the Arsenal goal.
Martin Tyler: MISHIMAAAAAAOOOOOOHHH!!! IT'S ASTONISHING!!!
With tens of thousands of Manchester United supporters erupting in the stadium and especially behind the Arsenal goal at that moment, Nana ran to knock the nearest corner flag with a jump kick to celebrate the goal before she held her arms up and crossed them into the X symbol.
Martin Tyler: IT'S NANA MISHIMA!!! WHAT A FABULOUS SOLO GOAL!! SHE'S THE X-FACTOR!!
"WOOHOO!!! WHAT A GOAL!!" Marius exclaimed as he joined Nana in the celebrations.
"YEEEAAAH!! That was unbelievable!" Nikolaj added.
"HUGE GOAL, SCARLET WITCH!" Matthias added.
"You did it, Nana! You did it!" Yusuke added.
"Thanks, lads! We're almost there! Let's finish this." Nana replied.
Meanwhile in the Manchester United dressing room:
"WHAT A GOAL, SEVEN! WHAT A BEAUTY!" Kakeru exclaimed, banging on a nearby table to express his joy.
Kris Temple: GOALSCORER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED... NUMBER NINETEEN... NANA MISHIMA!!!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"NANA MISHIMA!! NANA MISHIMA!! GET IIIIINNN!!!" Noriko exclaimed while making sure her face would be shown on her own camera.
"WHAT A GOAL!! COME ON, UNITED!!" Sarah added.
"Nana Mishima with a BRILLIANT solo effort puts United in front at 3-2 while down a man with a little more than 5 minutes to go in extra time!" Noriko narrated for her vlog.
Martin Tyler: It's her 16th goal of this remarkable season. With a man down, she has given Manchester United the lead in the second half of extra time. Even the royalty gets to stand and applaud at this fabulous piece of football. 
The broadcast was showing a TV replay of the Duke of Cambridge standing up and applauding Nana's spectacular solo effort. Back on the pitch, most Arsenal players were distraught by the outcome. However, Araki came to pick up the ball.
"What are you waiting for? We still have a few minutes to get back in this. Come on!" Araki rallied his teammates.
"We can still get something. Let's go!" Patrick added to the rally cry.
In response, the Arsenal players quickly made their way back to restarting positions. On the other hand, the Manchester United players looked to waste a few more seconds on the clock with the celebrations before Martin Atkinson prompted them to move back across the halfway line.
Martin Tyler: On the day when men become legends, it is a woman who has pulled the stuff of legend for her first ever goal at Wembley! Alexandre Lacazette will be fretting even more about the chance he couldn't take.
Immediately upon the restart, Arsenal moved quickly on the attack in the Manchester United half. The ball arrived to Aubameyang, who then passed the ball back to Araki. Then Araki moved on the width of the pitch and in parallel with the long outside edge of the penalty area. United scrambled about almost everybody back to defend.
Martin Tyler: Aubameyang... Araki...
Knowing that he has in no position to shoot, Araki chose to tee up Ryoma in his stride. Without hesitation, Ryoma fired the long shot beyond all Manchester United players in the vicinity. However, the ball was not struck with the desired curling effect to reach Jan's goal. The shot went just wide to the goal and led to a goal kick, much to the dismay of the Arsenal fans in the stadium.
Martin Tyler: Oh, it's just wide by Oda. Couldn't have quite the direction he wanted.
"AAAAARRGH!!" Ryoma screamed his disappointment out loud.
"Stay focused, lads! We haven't won the game just yet!" Jan shouted at his Manchester United teammates.
"Don't slack off now! Come on!" Matthias added.
'That wasn't far away. Just a few more minutes now; we can do this.' Nana thought.
With time becoming Arsenal's worst enemy, they pushed as many men forward as they could to find an equalizer. Meanwhile, United were defending the result with their lives. In order to keep everyone as fresh as possible and by virtue of the 4th substitution rule for extra time, Andrew made his 3rd and 4th substitutions together with Liam McGregor and Aleksandar Rukavina replacing Nikolaj and Yusuke in midfield. Anxiety was becoming rampant in the whole stadium for opposite reasons.
In the 119th minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal are putting a lot of pressure here, but time is running against them.
As Arsenal was laying a siege around the Manchester United penalty area, the Mancunian players got numbers back to defend their own goal. Then the play moved onto Arsenal's right side (to United's left side) with the ball arriving to Héctor Bellerín.
Martin Tyler: Bellerín... to Lacazette... back to Bellerín again...
After the quick give-and-go, Bellerín whipped a long ball towards the far post. The pass was destined towards the arriving Patrick, but Jan anticipated just enough of the danger by merely tipping the ball before it could reach the Arsenal striker. But then the ball came to Aubameyang on the side of the penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Just touched away by Farkas. Aubameyang is there...
But just as Aubameyang was about to take the ball himself back in the penalty area, Nana charged in with a well-timed toe poke to boot the ball away... at the expense of a corner though.
Martin Tyler: And Arsenal have a corner.
Without wasting any time, both teams moved into positions. Nana stood on the goal line as the usual part of her job when defending corner kicks. On the other side, Araki was set to take the corner kick again.
PEEP!
Araki whipped the ball towards the near post, but Liam got his head in the way. Then the rebound went back to Araki again.
Martin Tyler: Blocked by McGregor only as far as Araki...
Moving slightly towards the inside, Araki moved a few yards before he laid the ball for Mohamed Elneny. The Egyptian midfielder chose to take the shot.
Martin Tyler: Elneny with the shot! Blocked...
The shot was blocked by a Manchester United defender, but then a fortuitous bounce saw the ball arriving right in front of the penalty area. Ryoma charged in to hit the ball in his stride.
"I have this!" Ryoma said out loud.
But arriving in the opposite direction was Nana, who left the goal line as soon as the original corner kick was turned away.
"Not today!" Nana replied.
Martin Tyler: Comes out to ODA!!
Ryoma fired the shot as soon as Nana threw herself in front of the shot. The shot struck Nana's stomach before the ball bounced to Anthony, who cleared it far away and out of play.
Martin Tyler: Great block by Mishima! She is definitely turning to be the star of this FA Cup final!
Almost immediately, Nana was congratulated by her teammates.
"Huge block, Witch!" Matthias congratulated Nana.
"Well done, Witch!" Liam added.
"Thanks... guys." Nana replied.
Nana was pulled back on her feet by her teammates before she stood up, rubbing her midsection and grimacing a little. As Nana shook the pain away, she was also working to catch her breath back.
"Are you OK?" Aleksandar asked.
"That shot stung... but I'll be OK." Nana replied.
Meanwhile in the Manchester United dressing room:
"Phew! You really scared me there, Seven. I've never been as glad as now that you're tough as nails." Kakeru said.
At the same time in the stands:
"Wow! What a huge block by Nana Mishima on Ryoma Oda in the 119th minute. She took that one right to the midsection, but it looks like she will carry on." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"She's really tough; she will never quit." Sarah said.
"She will fight on one leg if she has to, especially when she has exorcised some demons in this stadium today."
"I can almost feel it, Noriko! We're so close!"
"Yeah, me too. We have to hang on." Noriko finished.
In the Manchester United half of the stadium, the supporters were starting to cheer and sing in full voice as they could feel that the FA Cup would soon return to Old Trafford. The Red Devils wearing midnight blue put their best final efforts to see the final whistle out while the Gunners looked to make one final attack. A total of 2 minutes of added time was added at the end of the 120th minute.
In the final minute of injury time (120 + 2nd):
Martin Tyler: It's a goal kick for Arsenal. We're now in the last minute of injury time.
Putting the ball down quickly, Bernd Leno punted the long ball forward on the goal kick. It was intended to reach Patrick deep in the Manchester United half, but Erik managed to get to the ball first and then head it back in the opposite direction.
Martin Tyler: Johansson heads it... Araki and Rukavina are there...
Aleksandar had to outmuscle Araki, but it was successful as the Serbian managed to flick the ball. Then Liam kicked the ball across the halfway line.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal losing the ball to McGregor...
In this little game of ping-pong, Mustafi headed the ball back inside the Manchester United half before Ryoma whipped the high ball as deep as possible for one of the Arsenal forwards. However, Matthias headed the ball in the opposite direction again.
Martin Tyler: Hooked on by Oda, met by Köhler...
The ball went up and then down towards Mohamed Elneny, who found himself hounded by Jeremy within the next second.
Martin Tyler: Over Elneny... trying to get around Jeremy Williams...
Elneny tried to run around the outside of Jeremy, but the young English left-back stripped the ball away from the Egyptian before it was passed to Matthias. Without hesitation, Matthias punted the ball with authority.
Martin Tyler: Forward by Köhler...
With still plenty of energy available against Arsenal's tired legs, Nana surprised everybody by spearheading the counterattack herself on the wing. Thousands of Manchester United supporters roared.
"COME ON, NANA! GO ON!" Noriko shouted.
"GO FOR IT!" Sarah added.
Martin Tyler: Here's Mishima coming in again...
Arriving to cut off Nana's path to goal was Mustafi, but the Little Witch surprised him with a slight move to the inside. With the Arsenal defender spun around and fallen onto the grass, Nana was all alone against the Arsenal goalkeeper just outside the 6-yard box.
Martin Tyler: She's through again...
Leno threw himself to ground, but Nana chose to move around the goalkeeper instead of taking a shot. Advancing closer to the byline, Nana was trying to buy as much time as possible.
'Sokratis is on the goal line. The angle's too narrow. I have to pull back again.' Nana thought.
With Leno also sprawling to try denying a shot, Nana backpedalled with the ball in order to find a better solution.
"WITCH!" Marius shouted as he arrived in support.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen arriving...
Having heard, Nana passed the ball towards Marius' path. However, Ryoma came with a timely tackle to clear the ball away and back under Arsenal's control.
Martin Tyler: Great challenge by Oda! He has kept Arsenal alive for now!
Within seconds, Arsenal moved the action back inside the Manchester United half. It was desperation time for the Gunners.
Martin Tyler: Absolutely last chance for Arsenal here. Elneny... Oda... now Araki...
The Arsenal midfielders passed the ball among themselves, but were left very little time to make the right passes because of tight and proactive defending by the Mancunian players in midnight blue. Araki passed the ball to Aubameyang, who found himself facing Joel.
Martin Tyler: Aubameyang...
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang attempted to dribble his way past Joel, but the Manchester United right-back stood tall with a perfect standing tackle that pushed the ball away from Arsenal's acting captain.
Martin Tyler: Good challenge by Joel Muamba. Anywhere will do for Manchester United...
The loose ball rolled towards the touchline as Anthony ran after it. The French winger in midnight blue kicked the ball beyond the halfway line, but...
PEEP! PEEP!!
The Manchester United supporters roared for a moment before they realized that it was not the final whistle. The 120 seconds of injury time were expired, but the referee gave Arsenal a throw-in as the ball went just out of bounds.
Martin Tyler: Mishima clears, but Martin Atkinson says it's a throw-in for Arsenal. We're in added time over added time now.
Arsenal still had one last opportunity to find a late equalizer with a long throw-in. All 11 Manchester United players moved down to cover their own penalty area while all Arsenal players moved in as well. The Manchester United supporters were screeching and booing to distract the Arsenal players.
"HANG IN THERE!" Sarah shouted.
"WASTE IT, ODA, YOU DONKEY!" Noriko screamed.
At that moment, all eyes were on Ryoma to take the throw when ready. The former Enoshima High School "regista" is also the Gunners' long throw specialist.
Martin Tyler: One last roll of the dice. If Arsenal don't score here, they will never score.
Ryoma threw the long ball towards the Manchester United penalty area. It appeared that Patrick would be reaching the ball, but Matthias used the full extent of his own height and his own jumping power to head the ball outside the box
Martin Tyler: Köhler clears...
The ball landed in an area where Araki and Nana came from opposite positions to claim it.
"It's not over!" Araki shouted.
"It ends now!" Nana replied.
By a split second earlier, Nana managed to kick the ball beyond the halfway line just as Araki collided onto her.
Martin Tyler: Mishima gets there...
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
The Manchester United supporters erupted in cheers at long, long last as the whistle sounded the end to an epic FA Cup final.
Martin Tyler: And that was the last touch! Manchester United have won the FA Cup! They had to fight to the very last minute in very dramatic circumstances. They took the lead, they conceded an equaliser before halftime, they were a goal down with 10 minutes left in normal time, they came back on level terms in stoppage time, they were a man down in extra time, and they have found an extraordinary winning goal! A goal that will be played over and over again when they look at great FA Cup moments from Nana Mishima!
The entire Manchester United bench jumped onto the pitch to celebrate alongside the players on the field. The Mancunians were already hugging each other in a huddle in the center circle.
"WE DID IT! GET IN!" Matthias exclaimed.
"ONE MORE! One more to go!" Nikolaj added.
"Unbelievable! BRILLIANT!" Nana exclaimed.
"I should say that about you!" Yusuke replied.
Then Kakeru, who was allowed to join the celebrations after the final whistle by match officials, first came to congratulate the heroine of the day.
"YEEEEEEAAAAHH! SEVEN!" Kakeru shouted.
"Kakeru!"
"Let me kiss you! That goal was a beauty!"
Kakeru gave Nana a quick kiss on top of her head before they hugged each other for a short moment. Then Kakeru and Nana joined the rest of their teammates in the celebratory huddle, jumping and singing the customary "CAMPEÓNES! CAMPEÓNES!" song. 
Meanwhile in the stands, it was jubilation among the tens of thousands of Manchester United supporters. Noriko made sure to film the atmosphere of her surroundings as flags were being waved in celebration.
"WE DID IT! WE DIT IT!" Noriko shouted in front of the camera.
"So many ups and downs, but it's the Double, baby!" Sarah exclaimed.
The Manchester United players ran to celebrate in front of their own fans, who responded with thunderous cheers on every single time that a player milked the celebrations. Then a song that rings familiarity with the winning fanbase resonated through the stadium’s speakers: John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads. 
Almost heaven, West VirginiaBlue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah RiverLife is old there, older than the treesYounger than the mountains, Growin' like a breeze.
Then the thousands of United supporters loudly and proudly sang an adapted version of the lyrics over the legendary chorus.
TAKE ME HOME, UNITED ROADTO THE PLACE I BELONGTO OLD TRAFFORD, TO SEE UNITEDTAKE ME HOME, UNITED ROAD.
Back on the pitch, the Arsenal players were overwhelmed with despair. Many of them were hanging their heads down. On top of having to see their biggest rivals of the season come out with both honors, it was a difficult result for Arsenal to accept as they had plenty of opportunities to win the final.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal flattened and left empty-handed. Manchester United have completed the League and Cup Double for the fourth time in their history – the first time since 1999. They may yet go on and win even more silverware in 2 weeks' time, but today is the FA Cup after extra time... Arsenal 2-3 Manchester United!
Sitting on the grass, Ryoma was brooding over the final result before Nana made her way towards him. The 2 former Enoshima High School students looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment because of their recent antagonism. Nevertheless, Nana extended her hand.
"Good game, Oda. Good game." Nana said.
Ryoma accepted Nana's helping hand before he got up on his feet.
"You have always been quite crazy, but I guess one has to be that crazy to make the sacrifices that separate winners from losers. You have really earned the trophies this season. Congratulations." Ryoma said.
"Thank you, Oda."
Then Kakeru stepped in.
"Good game, Aizawa." Ryoma said.
"I didn't think you would say those words, but thank you."
"I have to say it: I've been an asshole and I had no right to behave the way I did towards you and your girl." Ryoma said.
"Glad to hear it from you, but I hope you're aware that things won't be patched up overnight." Kakeru replied.
"I know. It will take time, but I accept it."
Kakeru and Ryoma shook hands with a slight reconciliatory touch.
"Good luck to both of you in Paris." Ryoma said.
"Thanks. See you next time." Kakeru replied.
Then Ryoma walked away just before Araki came to meet Kakeru and Nana.
"Great game, you two." Araki said.
"Thanks, Araki." Kakeru and Nana replied together, shaking hands with Araki.
"Both of you showed what making sacrifices is all about." Araki said before he turned towards Kakeru. "I don't know if I would have been capable of taking a red card on purpose to stop a goal, Kakeru. I know many people in Japan don't like it."
"I had no choice."
"I know. What I think... is that you did the right thing for your team. You've learned how and when to go against your own nature for the sake of the team. I'm glad we're learning those things so we can push Japan to a different level when we will wear the blue shirt again."
"Yeah. I only hope not having to do that often." Kakeru said.
"Well, I will let you go now. I hope you guys will come home with the big one in 2 weeks; you deserve it." Araki said.
"Thanks, Araki. We will fight for it." Kakeru replied.
"See you next time." Nana finished.
After a few more handshakes between the 2 teams, they went on to salute their respective sets of supporters at opposite ends of the stadium while the technical staff was preparing the special area for the team photo. Around 6 minutes after the final whistle, the 4 match referees walked up the stairs to the Royal Box to collect their souvenir medals as per the tradition. Then the Arsenal players and their manager went forward to receive their runners-up medals from the Duke of Cambridge in the Royal Box. And when time came for the winners to collect their medals and the FA Cup, the tens of thousands of Manchester United supporters cheered in full voice.
Kris Temple: And now as they make the walk up the 107 steps to the Royal Box, let's give it to the winners of the Emirates FA Cup... MANCHESTER UNITED!!!
Escorted by members of the stadium's security and led by the team captain, the Manchester United players walked up a set of 107 steps through the crowd and then up to level 2 in order to reach the Royal Box. For the players, it was an exhausting effort that still seemed less demanding than surviving 120+ minutes of relentless action. Meanwhile, the FA Cup trophy was standing right next to the Duke of Cambridge on a table. The trophy itself is a replica of the 1911 Fattorini & Sons design standing at 61.5 cm (24.2 inches) tall and weighing 6.3 kg (14 lbs) of sterling 250 silver.
The players gave high fives to their ecstatic supporters on the way up and then shook hands with the corporate VIPs sitting on the same row as Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. One by one, each player received a box containing the FA Cup winner's medal and shook hands with the Duke of Cambridge. Nana's turn came in the middle of the line.
"Congratulations, Miss Mishima. You're the first woman to win the FA Cup playing with men. That was a really magnificent goal to win it." Prince William said as he handed the box to Nana.
"Thank you, your Highness." Nana replied as she shook hands with the Duke.
Then Kakeru followed behind Nana.
"Second FA Cup winner's medal, Mister Aizawa. Congratulations." Prince William said.
"Thank you, your Highness." Kakeru replied, shaking hands with the Duke.
"What you did for your team was courageous. No matter what people will say, there's nothing greater than sacrificing oneself so the team can keep on fighting." 
"Yeah, always doing the part for the team." Kakeru said.
Then the last few players chosen to make the 18-man squad in the final received their medals before Andrew Butler received his medal at the end of the line. Then the players and the crowd uttered the long "OOOOOHHH" drum-like sound as the Duke of Cambridge handed the FA Cup trophy to the captain and to the vice-captain, Matthias Köhler and Nikolaj Kristiansen respectively.
Kris Temple: THE WINNERS OF THE FA CUP... MANCHESTER UNITED!!!
At the very moment when Matthias and Nikolaj raised the FA Cup trophy, the Manchester United half of the stadium erupted in cheers while air-powered cannons shot confetti. After the initial celebrations in the Royal Box, the players and the manager began to walk their way back down the stairs just as the winning club's theme song was played through the stadium's speakers and sang along by the club's supporters. The song evoked past FA Cup memories from 1983 – the year the song came out and from the years before that.
thumb|center|335px|"Glory Glory Man United" after the 2024 FA Cup was won.
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,AS THE REDS GO MARCHING ON, ON, ON!
JUST LIKE THE BUSBY BABES IN DAYS GONE BY,WE'LL KEEP THE RED FLAGS FLYING HIGH,YOU'VE GOT TO SEE YOURSELF FROM FAR AND WIDE,YOU'VE GOT TO HEAR THE MASSES SING WITH PRIDE.
UNITED!MAN UNITED!WE'RE THE BOYS IN REDAND WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO WEMBLEY.
WEMBLEY, WEMBLEY,WE’RE THE FAMOUS MAN UNITEDAND WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY.WEMBLEY, WEMBLEY,WE'RE THE FAMOUS MAN UNITEDAND WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY.
IN '77 IT WAS DOCHERTY,ATKINSON WILL MAKE IT '83AND EVERYONE WILL KNOW JUST WHO WE ARETHEY'LL BE SINGING "QUE SERA SERA".
UNITED!MAN UNITED!WE'RE THE BOYS IN REDAND WE’RE ON OUR WAY TO WEMBLEY.
WEMBLEY, WEMBLEY,WE’RE THE FAMOUS MAN UNITEDAND WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY.WEMBLEY, WEMBLEY,WE'RE THE FAMOUS MAN UNITEDAND WE’RE GOING TO WEMBLEY.
GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,GLORY GLORY MAN UNITED,AS THE REDS GO MARCHING ON, ON, ON! (3x)
Back on the pitch, the players posed for a team photo with the FA Cup. Then the players opened up the bottles of champagne, spraying it all around as more ribbons and more confetti were fired in the air behind them. One by one, the players celebrated by hoisting the trophy in front of their supporters.
Several minutes later, the players finally went back to their dressing room. More celebrations were set to take place there.
"Woohoo! I'm so happy!" Yusuke exclaimed.
"Talk about a great first season for you, Yusuke. We win 2 big trophies with you." Nana replied.
"And the great thing is that it isn't over just yet. We can still come out with the biggest prize in 2 weeks." Kakeru added.
"I could take on PSG right now if I could." Yusuke said.
"In 2 weeks, Yusuke. In 2 weeks." Nana replied with a smile.
"All I know is that I will enjoy a couple of days off before anything else." Kakeru said.
Then Andrew Butler came in the dressing room to shake hands and hug each and every player. Then he asked everyone to listen to a few words for debrief after the FA Cup final.
"You have every reason to be proud. The clubs, the fans, you did us all proud today. This is already a great achievement to have won the Double, but we are on the verge of accomplishing something even more special. You never forget the ups and downs of going through a long campaign. It's so rare that a team can be this close of winning this much in a single season. So enjoy every minute of it. From next Wednesday and onwards, we will guide you on how to get the job done in Paris. But still, the most important thing is that you guys deserve everything good happening to you because you are the ones doing the hard work. Great job, everyone."
"YEEEEAAH!!!" the players shouted as they applauded their manager.
"Now I want you to remember this moment... the taste of winning. It is something you will want to enjoy more and more, especially when this..." Andrew said before he hoisted the FA Cup trophy "...BELONGS TO US!"
The players cheered and started to celebrate even more in the dressing room for at least another hour as a testament to the strong camaraderie that has delivered one of the best success stories an English club could wish on the domestic front.
It was 8:11 PM in London when Matthias and Nikolaj lifted the FA Cup trophy in the Royal Box. After the few celebrations in front of the fans inside the stadium, Noriko and Sarah walked their way towards the outside of the stadium. Most Arsenal supporters had already left the stadium's grounds while the vast majority of Manchester United supporters continued to celebrate outside, with the partially cloudy sky moving towards the 8:50 PM sunset.
"Absolute scenes here outside Wembley. United fans BUZZING after the team defeated Arsenal by 3 goals to 2 after extra time!" Noriko narrated for her vlog in front of her own camera.
"Two down! One more to go!" Sarah shouted right next to Noriko, who smiled.
Then Noriko made sure to film the Manchester United supporters dancing and singing all kinds of fan chants in the celebrations. But on top of celebrating with her fellow supporters, Noriko was bound to meet some of those who are regulars on various fan channels. The first one she met was a freelance tactical analyst and fellow United fan known on social media as Statman Dave.
"Hey, Dave!" Noriko greeted.
"Hey, Red Kate! We friggin' did it!" Dave greeted back.
"I'm doing a vlog. Tell me about the game. Speak to the camera." Noriko said.
"There were a lot of back and forth action. I think United dominated early in the first half, and then we let Arsenal come back. We gave them too much space when they started to impose their game on us." Dave described.
"I also felt that things looked like that in the second half."
"Yeah, it was rinse and repeat for a chunk of the second half. We were lucky that Jan Farkas saved the penalty in the 68th or 69th minute because we didn't look good enough when Arsenal took control. Then Nana Mishima came on and we were the better team again from that moment and until the red card in extra time." Dave said
"The second Arsenal goal was controversial. I can't imagine how much people would be talking about it was the winning goal. What do you make of that?" Noriko asked.
"Very controversial. That was obstruction, and United were a player down. I don't know why the referee didn't blow his whistle nor how Ryoma Oda finished the game with no card at all. But United never gave in; Kakeru Aizawa saved us with the tying goal in injury time. And despite the red card in extra time, Aizawa twice gave United a chance to win the final. After that, the table was set for Mishima with THAT brilliant goal." Dave replied.
"One last question: which goal is better? Giggs in 1999 or Mishima today?" Noriko asked.
"Ahh... I have to say Giggsy because he did that against one of the best defences in the Premier League era, but Mishima's goal is something to be remembered for a long time as well. She won us the final. We have won the Double, and that's all that matters!" Dave replied.
"THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS! THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!" Noriko exclaimed with joy.
Then Noriko, Sarah, Dave, and the surrounding United supporters joyfully jumped and danced around. At that time, the fan chant of praise for Nana popped up with several dozens of voices singing it out loud.
NANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIREYOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIEDNANA'S ON FIRE
NA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA NANA NA NA NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA NA.
Then Noriko continued filming around to see the extent of the joy among the supporters. She stood in the background as Adam McKola and other reporters from Manchester United fan channels did their post-match interviews with the fans. Most United supporters voiced their optimism ahead of the Champions League final by saying that surviving adversity in all 3 competitions and coming on top in 2 of them would give United a psychological edge over PSG.
By the time that the crowd had calmed down a little, the sun had already gone below the horizon in London. At that moment, Noriko received a phone call from Nana.
"Yeah! Way to go, girl! Just for that goal alone, you deserve to be called a LEGEND." Noriko said.
"Thanks. It took me a while to score a goal at Wembley, but I wouldn't ask for a better first goal here." Nana replied.
"So where are you guys going now?"
"The boys have booked a place in London to hold a celebration party. I'll text you the address a little later."
"Sarah and I will join you later. Time for a night on the town."
"A big night on the town for all of us. See you later." Nana said.
"See you later. Bye." Noriko replied.
Then the phone conversation ended.
"How does it feel to be the Queen of Wembley?" Kakeru asked Nana.
"It's flattering, but I'm not letting that get to my head. Even if the winning goal was scored by someone else, I would still be happy that we won the Double." Nana replied.
"That's the Nana Mishima we all know and love." Yusuke said.
"It's an advantage of doing coaching work at a young age. You can step back and look at the bigger picture."
"Well, we will have to rely on your coaching expertise soon." Kakeru said.
"All in good time. But for tonight, I just want to enjoy the evening in London. Ready for a night on the town?" Nana replied.
"Oh yeah!" Yusuke said.
"Let's go!" Kakeru finished.
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