The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 45

An Uphill Battle, Nana Returns :Previous «Home Page» Next: The Brazilian Ace, Memories of 1999
== Miracles, Nervenstärke ==
"Miracles are possible!" – Clive Tyldesley (Sports broadcaster).
"The Germans have a word for the process of taking a penalty: Nervenstärke. It means 'strength of nerve', 'nerves of steel'." – Dan Walker (BBC Television presenter).
...
Wednesday May 8
Kamakura General Hospital, Kamakura, Japan
5:31 AM (9:31 PM BST)
Just as Nana's entourage and the hospital agreed a few days ago, M. Mishima was allowed to be at the hospital and to watch the Champions League match in Mrs. Mishima's room although she was still comatose. The sun was rising up in Kamakura at that time while it was still a rainy evening in Manchester.
Clive Tyldesley: This must be an emotional moment for Nana Mishima. You have to wonder what is going through her mind at this very moment. For all the difficult moments she had to endure recently, she wanted to be here tonight for those who had an influence on her football career, including one big fan in particular.
When M. Mishima saw Nana about to come on the pitch, he could not hold his tears.
"You can do this, Nana." M. Mishima said softly before he held his wife's hand. "If you can see this right now, you would be very proud. Our daughter is playing in the most important game of her life so far."
At last, Nana came on to replace Francisco. As Nana ran towards her assigned position, the TV camera showed the moment she looked towards Mina Meier.
Clive Tyldesley: At long last, the long-awaited confrontation between Nana Mishima and Mina Meier will happen with less than a quarter of an hour left.
"Come on, Nana. You can beat Meier." M. Mishima said.
All he could hope now is that Nana could push all distractions in the back of her mind and produce a little miracle.
Tuesday May 7
Manchester United vs. Bayern Munich (UEFA Champions League semi-finals, 2nd leg)
Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Second half
At the time Nana came on, Bayern Munich were leading the aggregate score by 4 goals to 3 although Manchester United were leading 2-1 on the night. For United, the minimum requirement for survival was to score one more goal without conceding another before the final whistle. If that scenario was to be fulfilled, extra time would be necessary. However, every single Manchester United attack represented a gamble as one successful Bayern Munich counterattack would almost certainly seal the semi-final in favor of the Bavarian team.
In the 77th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United piling up the pressure now. Mishima... now Kristiansen...
United were controlling the ball inside the opposition's half while the Bayern Munich players gathered numbers to defend. Nana was looking to move forward, but Meier stood in the way. The situation forced Nana to pass the ball to Nikolaj on the left.
"Nicky!" Kakeru called for a pass as he stood close to the long outer edge of the Bayern Munich penalty area.
Spotting Kakeru in the distance ahead, Nikolaj passed the ball towards Kakeru. At that moment, Kakeru stood with his back to the Bayern goal while Toru was arriving in the opposite direction.
Clive Tyldesley: Rolled into Aizawa...
"Going nowhere, you." Toru said.
'Let's try this.' Kakeru thought.
Kakeru skillfully flicked the ball behind him and inside the Bayern Munich penalty area. At the very same time, Kakeru spun around Toru from the outside. Surprised by that move, Toru could not stop Kakeru from running after the ball. The crowd was on their feet.
Clive Tyldesley: It's a great turn away from Asuka...
Kakeru got to the ball, but Toru was running back to deny him a shooting angle. But the Japanese forward in red chose to cross the ball towards the face of goal instead.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa's little cross towards Van Leeuwen...
Kakeru intended to reach Marius with a little aerial pass, but Karl and Alaba stood in the way. However, the proximity between Karl and Alaba saw the former mishit his clearing attempt. And as a result, the loose ball was like a gift on a silver plate for Nana, who just entered the Bayern Munich penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: It might come here for MISHIMAAA!!!
Without any hesitation, Nana struck the shot with power towards the goal. However, Neuer dived in the right direction to parry the ball out of danger, sending Old Trafford from near euphoria to utter disbelief.
Clive Tyldesley: Good save by Neuer! Crucial save by the German. Well struck by Mishima. Manchester United have a corner.
"Damn it!" Nana cursed out loud.
Seeing that Nana was left in shock at the missed opportunity, Kakeru reminded of the task at hand.
"Seven! Good try! We have a corner, so now go." Kakeru said, to which Nana replied with a nod.
Nana quickly ran towards the corner flag with the ball while her teammates were getting set up for the upcoming corner flag. Seconds later, the referee allowed to proceed.
PEEP!
Nana struck the ball towards the front of the 6-yard box, where many players were standing. However, Manuel Neuer caught the ball in the air.
Clive Tyldesley: Easy catch for Manuel Neuer.
Neuer held onto the ball for a few seconds until he saw a number of his teammates moving forward. Then the German goalkeeper threw the ball into Toru's feet. It was all that Toru needed to kickstart a counterattack.
Clive Tyldesley: Asuka with the long ball ahead. It's Meier...
Toru's pass reached Meier, who had 4 teammates supporting her on the counterattack. In a matter of seconds, the action shifted deep inside the Manchester United half. In control of the ball, Meier came up facing Jeremy and Matthias. Then she passed the ball to Müller, who made an overlapping run on the right wing.
Clive Tyldesley: She runs at Williams, feeds Müller. Good play by Bayern Munich...
Müller was running just inside the Manchester United penalty area by the side. Lewandowski and Gnabry were running towards areas where they could expect a pass, but Matthias and Erik were marking both Bayern players. Hence Müller crossed the ball slightly back and towards the path of Meier.
"No, you don't!" Yusuke said.
Yusuke was running back to try denying a shot as the ball was about to reach Meier, who entered the penalty area. But left without much of a choice, Meier precipitated her shot, blasting it over the crossbar.
Clive Tyldesley: It's back to Meier! Hits it over.
"Scheisse!" Meier cursed.
"You should try rugby with that." Yusuke quipped.
"After tonight, that is what you will do on midweek nights until next season." Meier replied.
Clive Tyldesley: The threat is there. Bayern Munich are still dangerous on the counterattack. Mina Meier, who won it for Bayern in the first leg, came close to repeating the same tonight.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"We miss a good chance on one hand, and then we almost concede on the other. That was dangerous." Robert said.
"I just hope that won't stop United from attacking, Dad. I know we need at least one goal, but we can no longer afford to be too cautious." Noriko replied.
"Aye. Time is against us now; we have to go for it." Harry said.
"The good news is that Nana didn't take long to get into the game though." Sayuri remarked.
"Yeah, that's a good thing. If she can keep Bayern on edge, anything can happen." Robert replied.
"Fingers crossed now." Noriko finished.
Although the recent Bayern Munich counterattack would have cooled down the pace of the game a little bit for most teams, United reacted exactly as the Lewises wished. The home side started to throw everything at the visitors in a search for the elusive goal that would breathe a new life in United's hopes of reaching the European Cup final.
In the 81st minute:
Clive Tyldesley: United on the front foot again. Now Aizawa...
United were on the attack inside the Bayern Munich half, but the Bavarians defended with numbers. Upon receiving the ball just a few yards from the Bayern penalty area, Kakeru had to deal with both Kimmich and Goretzka. With no space to move forward, Kakeru attempted an aerial pass inside the penalty area. However, the cross flew too far away from both Roman and Santiago. But then Alaba attempted to clear the ball with his head albeit slightly misdirected as the ball landed just outside the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Alaba had to deal with it. He wasn't sure of what was beyond him.
The ball was recovered by Joel, who then made a layoff pass towards Nana. The Japanese playmaker found herself confronted to her long-time German rival within 2 seconds.
"It's you and me again, Shorty." Meier said.
"In Japanese now? Watch this." Nana replied.
Nana attempted a roulette feint against Mina, who spun to keep the marking tight on Nana.
'Not this time. No Witch Turn either.' Meier thought.
But then Nana slid the ball between Meier's legs. Surprised by the nutmeg, Meier fell onto the wet grass while Nana managed to get her way through.
"GREAT PLAY, NANA!!!" Noriko shouted from her seat.
Clive Tyldesley: Great skill by Mishima...
'Your long legs are your fatal flaw against me.' Nana thought.
The crowd roared as soon as Nana ran past Meier to reach the momentarily loose ball; they were expecting something to happen. The Bayern Munich players scrambled to try stopping the Japanese midfielder. Nevertheless, Nana took a hard and low shot towards Neuer's goal. The German goalkeeper made a reflex move to parry the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: And here's MISHIMA!! Good save!!
However, Neuer conceded a juicy rebound that rolled towards Kakeru. The Japanese forward attempted to tap the rebound into the yawning cage, but Toru slid his body in the way of the shot. The crowd let out a collective moan in disbelief.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa! Blocked off the line by Asuka!
PEEEEP!!!
The whistle was blown by the referee, which prompted all players to look at the linesman. The flag was waved up for offside.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, the flag is up. Kakeru Aizawa must have been offside when Nana Mishima took that shot. But what an effort it was by the Manchester United midfielder.
Kakeru looked in disbelief at the linesman when the offside call was confirmed. The TV replay showed that Kakeru was indeed a few inches offside when Nana took the shot.
"Come on, man!" Kakeru said out loud.
"You guys may have scored twice, but this will end here. I swear it." Toru said, using every single mind game in the book.
"This ain't over yet." Kakeru replied to Toru before he turned his attention towards Nana. "Nice play, Seven!"
Nana replied with a thumbs-up sign. However, she was also disappointed that her spectacular display of skill let to nothing this time.
'We have to keep pounding them. Let's keep them on their heels.' Nana thought.
Following that other missed opportunity, Bayern Munich played their third substitution as Javi Martínez replaced Corentin Tolisso in the 84th minute. The purpose of that substitution was to provide better protection from midfield in support of the Bayern Munich defenders. In response, United replaced Santiago with the teenager Sean MacKinnon in the 85th minute to bolster their attack. But as United kept on looking for the elusive third goal, controversy was about to cast a shadow upon the match.
In the 86th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Here's Aizawa... drops it to Kristiansen...
Laying siege on the Bayern Munich penalty area, the Manchester United players passed the ball between them as they looked for a gap. First, Kakeru was forced to make a drop pass to Nikolaj after Kimmich and Müller came to deny further entry to the Japanese forward. Then Nikolaj was confronted by Goretzka after receiving Kakeru's pass.
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki... Mishima...
Nikolaj was forced to play a drop pass to Yusuke, who then made a pass ahead to Nana. The Little Witch was left unmarked for a moment although she was standing 30 yards away or so from Neuer's goal. Meier tried to get in Nana's way, but Nana managed to fire the shot regardless. And because of the effect of the rain upon the playing surface, her ground shot rolled faster than usual towards the bottom corner to Neuer's right. The Bayern goalkeeper was forced into a desperate dive.
Clive Tyldesley: Shoots again! And Neuer is forced to make a save again. It is a corner though.
Neuer just got enough fingers to deflect the shot out of play, but he conceded a corner kick as well. While Old Trafford was roaring, both teams were setting their players up inside the Bayern Munich penalty area.
"Kakeru. I'll act as a decoy at the near post. You follow me a few meters behind, same path. OK?" Yusuke said.
"OK. Just like in training." Kakeru replied.
Then Yusuke made a specific hand signal towards Nana to dictate the strategy on the upcoming corner kick. From the corner flag, Nana replied with a nod to acknowledge the plan. Seconds later, the referee gave the signal.
Clive Tyldesley: 4 minutes plus stoppage time left. Mishima with the corner kick...
PEEP!
Nana whipped the ball towards the Bayern Munich penalty area. Meanwhile, Yusuke escaped Goretzka's marking before he went straight to Meier, who was not watching at all. On the next second, Yusuke jumped up while Meier went down to ground. The ball didn't reach Yusuke, but Kakeru was following behind him. Finding some space, Kakeru managed to shoot the ball past Toru, past Neuer, and into the back of the net. Old Trafford erupted.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa... IT'S IIINN!!! KAKERU AIZAWA!!! THE TIE IS ALL SQUARED NOW!
Manchester United players and supporters were celebrating in rapturous joy at that moment. However, the referee blew his whistle several times to signal something else. Instead of simply pointing his hand towards the center circle to confirm a goal, he was pointing it up and then towards the Manchester United half.
Clive Tyldesley: Wait, it has been disallowed. What is going on here?
When the Manchester United players realized that the goal was not given, they all hounded the referee for explanations. Realizing what was going on, the crowd started to shout their displeasure towards the decision.
"WHAT THE HELL? WHY IS IT NOT GOOD?!" Kakeru shouted loudly.
"WHAT FOR?! This is BULLSHIT!" Nikolaj also angrily added.
"It's a good goal! What the hell is going on?" Matthias asked.
"There was a push in the back by Manchester 17 (Yusuke Saeki) on Bayern 23 (Mina Meier). It's a foul, so no goal." the referee replied.
"Are you kidding me? There was barely any contact! Meier went down too easily." Yusuke said.
"They get away with worse when they defend. It's ridiculous!" Nana added her voice in.
"Stay aside. I'm listening to…" the referee said as he was listening to the video assistant referee (VAR). 
Then the referee blew his whistle and made the TV-screen gesture to indicate a play under review before making his way towards the TV monitor to check the play again. With the vast majority in the stadium reacting positively to the ongoing review, VAR was in charge this time.
Clive Tyldesley: It's going to be checked by VAR. The initial decision by the referee was to disallow the goal because of a push.
TV replays showed that Yusuke was slightly pushed by Goretzka before the former leaned in with both hands and sent Meier to the ground before Kakeru took the shot. The main question was whether Yusuke could have prevented the collision with Meier or not. However, another lingering question was whether or not Meier could have stood her ground regardless. The referee on the field was looking at the same replay as the VAR, with communication going back and forth between both officials.
Clive Tyldesley: This could be a pivotal moment in this tie regardless of the decision. The verdict is ready to be given.
Having stepped away from the monitor, the referee made the TV screen-like gesture before he made the same hand gestures he made to indicate the original foul. The players in red continued the protests, but to no avail. Needless to say, the vast majority inside Old Trafford groaned in discontent towards the decision.
Clive Tyldesley: The goal has been officially disallowed because of the push.
Since the crowd could not see the same TV replay as the referees and the people watching anywhere outside of the stadium, boos and anger were a high fever pitch among the 68,000+ pro-Manchester United supporters in the attendance.
"That's a disgrace! That's a BLOODY DISGRACE!" Noriko shouted.
"Meier took a dive, you idiot!" Robert added.
"ABSOLUTELY BOBBINS!!!" Harry shouted.
Meanwhile on the pitch:
"Talk about ridiculous! Now they say it was on me." Yusuke said. "I tried to stop my run, but then Meier drops like potatoes."
"We can't let that get to our heads now. Stay focused, Yusuke." Kakeru replied.
"Kakeru's right. We have 4 minutes and injury time to get something done. We need you now, Yusuke." Nana added.
"Thanks guys." Yusuke said.
"We won't give up until the very final whistle." Kakeru said.
"We will score the next goal to force extra time." Nana added.
"Yeah, let's do this." Yusuke replied.
As much as the 68,000+ people associated with United in Old Trafford were angry at the referee, there was not much for United to do except to keep on attacking. However, Bayern Munich were looking for one single opportunity to capitalize when in control of the ball. It was the greatest danger that could put the semi-final beyond reach.
In the 90th minute of regulation time:
Alan Keegan: The referee has indicated a minimum of 5 minutes of added time.
The crowd roared when they heard that United only had 5 minutes to save their Champions League campaign. However, Bayern were still in control of the ball inside the Manchester United half. First, the ball went from Martínez to Goretzka
Clive Tyldesley: Martínez...Goretzka...
It was Bayern's time to lay a siege on the Manchester United penalty area. Goretzka looked for a teammate to pass the ball to, and then found Gnabry on the left flank. The German left winger was running close to the lateral edge of the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Gnabry...
Arriving in a position to make a pass, Gnabry unleashed the ball, which struck the underside of Joel's leg. Then the ball bounced towards Jan, who had to react before Lewandowski would reach the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: Deflected... Out comes Farkas...
In desperation, Jan punched the ball at ground level, forcing Lewandowski to jump over the human hurdle. However, the ball rolled freely towards Meier, who had the Manchester United goal in her sights.
Clive Tyldesley: Meier...
Mina Meier took one touch to control the ball, but it was enough for Yusuke to come in with a sliding tackle that hooked the ball away from Meier. The German Swan on the Grass went down in the aftermath of the tackle. Then Erik kicked the ball out of to the sidelines to prevent the conceding of a corner kick.
"PENO?! Come on!" Meier was left in utter disbelief when she heard no whistle.
"Hey! What was that?" Lewandowski protested to the referee, who waved off any penalty claim.
Clive Tyldesley: The referee had a very good look at it. He's waved off.
In the aftermath of the last action, Yusuke showed a stern face when he looked into Meier's eyes.
"That is how it feels when you get tackled for real. Now take it like an adult." Yusuke said.
Meier did not reply, but she definitely did not like being treated with so much disdain by Yusuke. Then Yusuke was congratulated by his teammates.
"Well played, Fury." Matthias said.
"Nice play, Fury." Jan added.
"Thanks, guys. But we have to throw everything at them." Yusuke replied.
"LET'S GO!" Matthias rallied his teammates.
Knowing that time was of the essence, Manchester United moved back to the attack as soon as they recovered the ball. All Bayern Munich players moved down low and closer to their own third of the pitch to defend their goal. With desperation creeping in, Manchester United brought almost everyone up to support the attack.
In the 2nd minute of injury time:
Clive Tyldesley: Bayern Munich defending in numbers here. One player after another. Aizawa... Kristiansen...
Arriving on the lateral edge of the penalty area, Kakeru let the ball off to Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder was facing both Goretzka and Kimmich. Nevertheless, Nikolaj managed to make a feint and then skip away from Goretzka. Then Nikolaj ran forward, looking for the right moment to cross the ball into a dangerous area.
Clive Tyldesley: He's escaped Goretzka.
Finding a gap, Nikolaj sent an aerial ball towards the area in front of the far post. Sean was arriving in a position to receive the pass, but Alaba was also arriving to block shooting lanes.
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen found the cross... MACKINNON!!
Instead of taking the shot himself, Sean chose to head the ball to the front of the 6-tard box. The ball was still in the air, but Kakeru went ahead with the bicycle kick.
Clive Tyldesley: AIZAWA!!!
Despite Kakeru's efforts, the ball flew up and above the crossbar. The 68,000+ Manchester United supporters inside Old Trafford let out a collective moan in disappointment towards the outcome. However, no one was more frustrated than Kakeru himself.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, the chance was MacKinnon's, really. Kakeru Aizawa did everything he could, but it was always going to be difficult for him.
"I don't believe this!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"Focus, Kakeru! Whatever it takes." Nana said.
"Whatever it takes." Kakeru replied.
Injury time continued to wind down inexorably towards the final whistle. Bayern Munich continued to hang on for dear life against repeated attacks from Manchester United. As time edged closer to the very end, the 68,000+ Manchester United supporters were praying for one final twist akin to the one that David Beckham gave to England back in 2001. However, only a miracle could save United as we entered in the final stretch of allowed time left.
Less than 30 seconds to go – 5th minute of injury time:
Clive Tyldesley: The ball has been given away again. Mina Meier after it...
United attempted to launch a ball towards the Bayern penalty area, but Karl headed the ball away with authority. The loose ball was bouncing towards the center circle, and Meier was going after that.
'Fast dort. Das Spiel ist vorbei (Almost there. It's game over).' Meier thought.
"Noch nicht fertig! (Not finished yet!)" Yusuke shouted.
Yusuke came in with a scooping tackle that sent Meier sprawling, and yet recovered the ball legally. The Bayern players shouted for a foul, but the referee waved it off.
Clive Tyldesley: Good challenge by Saeki! Referee says "play on".
"Come on, Yusuke!" Noriko exclaimed.
With the ball recovered by United and still inside the Bayern Munich half of the pitch, the crowd at Old Trafford roared in full voice, urging the home side to launch one last good attack on Manuel Neuer's goal. Matthias also had moved up the field to play like an extra striker for the Red Devils.
"Zurück! Zurück! (Go back! Go back!)" Karl called for his teammates to defend with numbers.
Clive Tyldesley: We're in the dying seconds in injury time. Urgency for Manchester United now!
Yusuke promptly played the ball to Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder tried to gain a few yards ahead of him, but a Bayern Munich player was applying defensive pressure towards him.
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen...
With the crowd screeching for something to happen, Nikolaj launched a long ball towards Matthias. The German defender in red easily overpowered David Alaba before the ball was knocked back towards the face of goal.
Clive Tyldesley: Tossed in towards Köhler...
In front of goal, Marius, Karl, and Neuer jumped up for the same ball. Suddenly, Karl and the Bayern goalkeeper collided with each other while Marius went down in the domino effect. As a result, the referee saw no foul to call. In the following split second, Old Trafford held its collective breath as the ball arrived at Nana's feet.
Clive Tyldesley: Neuer going for it. It's MISHIMA!!!
Without a moment of hesitation, Nana struck the volley towards the open goal. But then Toru threw his left foot in desperation to block the shot in mid-air. The crowd at the Stretford End erupted, but then shouted alongside the Manchester United players as the referee didn't appear to call a goal.
Clive Tyldesley: OHHH!!! Was it across the line?
"IT WAS IN! IT WAS IN!! HEEEYY!!!" Nana desperately shouted at the referee.
"IT'S A GOAL!" Kakeru and Matthias shouted in unison while the ball was being cleared away by the Bayern Munich players.
Clive Tyldesley: Asuka cleared it away...
The referee looked at his watch as injury time was definitely expired. With no time left, the referee blew his whistle once before he suddenly pointed at his watch and then towards the center of the pitch, meaning only one thing!
Clive Tyldesley: GOOOAAL!!!
Upon the confirmation, Old Trafford went nuts as the 68,000+ United supporters jumped out of their seats altogether. Many things happened at the very same time in the aftermath of the goal.
On the pitch:
"YATTAAAAAAA!!!" Nana shouted as she slid on her knees to celebrate the goal. Then she pushed her wristband away to kiss her mother's misanga.
"YOU DID IT, SEVEN!!! YOU DID IT!!!" Kakeru hugged Nana from behind.
"ATTAGIRL, WITCH!" Matthias shouted before the other Manchester United players huddled around Nana.
Clive Tyldesley: MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE SCORED!!! It's 3-1 on the night, and we have a perfect 4-4 tie on aggregate!!
Meanwhile at Kamakura General Hospital, in Japan:
"It's in! IT'S IN! YOU DID IT, NANA!!! Big goal!" M. Mishima exclaimed.
Then the different monitors recording Mrs. Mishima's vital signs started to beep faster and faster out of a sudden. In a blink of an eye, M. Mishima noticed the sound coming from the machines.
"What is this?" M. Mishima asked out loud.
Not knowing what was going on as the beeps appeared to be more and more frequent, M. Mishima ran out of the room to call for help.
"Nurse! Please come here!" M. Mishima called.
At that moment, the nurses ran quickly in the corridor and towards the room. They were already alerted by the live monitoring on their computers.
"Step aside, Sir! Let us check on your wife." a nurse ordered.
"Hai." M. Mishima replied.
Now back at Old Trafford, in the stands:
"YOU DID IT, NANA!!!" Noriko shouted.
"STUFF OF LEGEND!" Harry exclaimed while Sayuri and Robert were celebrating together.
Alan Keegan: UNITED'S GOAL... SCORED BY NUMBER NINETEEN... NANA MISHIMAAAAA!!!
In the private box hosting the Women's Team, the players were equally ecstatic:
"This is unbelievable!" Sarah exclaimed.
"It's still very much alive!" Ella added as she hugged Taeko in the celebrations.
"COME ON, UNITED!" Taeko shouted.
"We will have extra time for sure." Sarah said.
"I can't wait to see the next act." Ella added.
"Same for me, Tooney, but we have the wind in our sails. That will be important." Taeko replied.
"Fingers crossed now." Sarah finished.
Meanwhile on the Bayern side of the aftermath:
"What? How?" Manuel Neuer asked the referee for an explanation.
"The ball was out!" Karl also protested.
"My watch said that the ball just crossed the line. Not by much, but still in." the referee replied.
"Come on! I can't believe this!" Thomas Müller replied.
Indeed, the goal line technology revealed to all TV broadcasts that the ball completely crossed the goal line by a few millimeters. The referee's special watch picked up the signal, and thus emitted a vibration that prompted him to allow the goal despite all protests from the Bayern Munich players. Toru could only look aimlessly in despair, knowing that he failed to save a goal by the finest of margins out there. Meier was also distraught, knowing that she was so close of running down the clock.
Clive Tyldesley: Bayern Munich thought they could pack their bags for Paris, but Nana Mishima has produced a little miracle when stoppage time was about to expire! It's her 14th goal of the season. Thanks to the one they call "Little Witch" in Japan, we will have extra time at Old Trafford!
Seconds later, both teams moved back into positions for the restart. After Lewandowski kicked the ball back to one of the Bayern Munich midfielders, all eyes were on the referee.
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
When the fulltime whistle was blown right after the restart, it emphasized how close United were of being officially eliminated. Tens of thousands Manchester United supporters gave their team a standing ovation in appreciation of their efforts being rewarded in the short term.
Clive Tyldesley: That was the last action of the second half. It has been absolutely spell-binding of a semi-final, and it will go on and on and on. Why not? After a little more than 180 minutes of great football, it is all squared at 4-4 on aggregate with one away goal on each side.
In the context of the UEFA Champions League, the away goals rule still counts for the 2 periods of 15 minutes that make extra time. If the visiting team scores once in extra time under that rule, the hosts must then score twice to progress into the next round. But before we get to start, both teams took a few minutes to gather around their respective captains for a pep talk ahead of extra time.
First on the Bayern Munich side:
"Wir haben bisher nicht gut gespielt, aber sie brauchten viel Glück, um dort zu sein, wo wir jetzt sind. Für uns ist es ein neues Spiel. Wir sind immer noch besser als sie, ja? (We haven't played well so far, but they needed a lot of luck to be where we are now. For us, it's a new game. We are still better than they are, yes?)" Manuel Neuer said to his teammates.
"Ja! (Yeah!)" the Bayern Munich players replied altogether.
"Sie haben fast keine Kraft mehr. Wenn wir erzielen ein Tor, sie sind fertig. Lass sie uns erledigen! Verstehen? (They are almost out of energy. If we score a goal, they're finished. Let's finish them off! Understand?)"
"JA! (YEAH!)"
"Dies ist unsere Zeit! Jehtz vorwärts! Los! (This is our time! Forward now! Go!)" Neuer finished before the Bayern Munich players gave a small round of applause in response.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United side:
"We did a lot to be here right now, but we still have a job to do tonight. The next step is to push Bayern back. No matter what, we keep things simple. If you see danger, don't take any chances. Kick the ball out." Matthias said.
"Yeah!" the Manchester United players replied.
"I know that some of you are probably starting to get tired, but they are also tired because we went hard at them. Listen to the crowd."
The Manchester United players listened to the crowd, who had not stopped cheering since Nana's goal.
"They will lift us up. That's our 12th player on the pitch."
"RIGHT!" the players shouted altogether.
"We fought our way back together. We can do it again! Let's go and beat these guys!" Matthias rallied his team.
"YEAH! COME ON!" the players replied, pumped up ahead the next phase in the match.
Just before the teams would return on the pitch ahead of the restart, the referee was busy with a coin toss in front of the 2 captains. Meanwhile, Kakeru and his fellow Japanese teammates in red took a few seconds to have a quick chat together.
"Ready for this, Seven?" Kakeru asked Nana.
"I have been ready ever since I flew back from Japan. Let's do this." Nana replied.
"And you, Yusuke?"
"I'll keep on fighting ‘til the very end. How are you holding up with your ankle?" Yusuke asked.
"Same as you, I'm hanging on. Let's do this." Kakeru replied.
As a result of winning the coin toss, Bayern Munich were allowed to kick extra time off. On the other hand, Manchester United chose to attack towards the East Stand for the start of extra time. Within seconds, both teams were ready to begin this new and unexpected chapter of the semi-final.
PEEEEP!!!
Clive Tyldesley: Extra time begins. We might be in for more drama by the end of the night, which wouldn't be the first time between these two clubs.
With the rain still pouring on the pitch at the beginning of extra time, it was difficult for both teams to quickly find any form of momentum. However, Bayern Munich were the ones who started extra time on the front foot. The visitors were looking to take the crowd out of the equation as soon as possible.
In the 96th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Von Sckendorff... to Asuka...
Starting inside the Bayern Munich half, Karl passed the ball on the right and to Toru. The former Yoin Academy captain saw a gap between Kakeru and Marius, surprising both Manchester United players by running through it with the ball.
"What?" Kakeru asked out loud.
Clive Tyldesley: Asuka running forward...
Toru moved up to the middle of the field, where he came up facing against Nikolaj. Instead of dribbling his way through the Dane, Toru played a give-and-go with Goretzka to move through.
Clive Tyldesley: A quick give-and-go with Goretzka...
At that moment, Toru was running with the ball almost like a midfielder as he entered the final third of the length of the pitch. One would expect Yusuke to confront him, but he was keeping his eyes on Meier. At some distance ahead, Lewandowski was running on the shoulders of the last defender.
'It's all yours, Lewy.' Toru thought.
Without any hesitation, Toru launched a through pass into the path of his Polish teammate. Then Lewandowski was running in all alone against the Manchester United goalkeeper.
Clive Tyldesley: That's a pretty good ball for LEWANDOWSKI!
Entering the penalty area, Lewandowski looked for a shooting angle. However, Matthias was also rushing back to narrow the shooting angle. At the very last second, Lewandowski took the shot, which was blocked by Jan.
Clive Tyldesley: Good save!
After the ball went off Jan, it bounced up and down towards the face of goal. Jeremy came in to stop Müller from reaching the ball, but the former's attempted clearance appeared to become a gift on a silver plate for Meier. Fortunately for United though, Yusuke came in with a sliding tackle that pushed the ball out of bounds before Meier could even touch it.
Clive Tyldesley: Mina Meier is there, but so is Yusuke Saeki! What a tackle! What a tackle!
The vast majority inside Old Trafford applauded Yusuke's effort. While the Bayern Munich players looked at the outcome in disbelief, Yusuke remained down on the grass after Meier made an incidental contact with him a split second after the tackle.
"Are you OK?" Matthias asked.
"Yeah, Skipper. A bit painful, but I will manage." Yusuke replied.
"Well played, Fury." Matthias said.
"That was brilliant." Jan congratulated Yusuke.
"Thanks."
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Great tackle by Yusuke!" Noriko said out loud.
"That was fantastic indeed. He saved a goal there." Robert replied.
"Mina Meier was going to score that if it wasn't for Yusuke." Harry added.
"We must also be careful about letting Toru Asuka or even Von Seckendorff run like that. The defending needs to be aggressive whenever they enter our half." Noriko said.
"It's like we switched off for a moment. Butler is giving his player a bollocking on the touchlines right now." Robert replied.
"Good timing from him, Dad. We don't need to give away momentum to them now."
Despite the most recent scoring chance, there was no momentum shift in favor of Bayern Munich. Both teams played a rather conservative approach as neither side wanted to make the mistake that would cost a goal with huge consequences. As a result, most shot attempts that followed were either misses or easy catching practice for goalkeepers. It took several minutes before a true scoring chance came up.
In the 101st minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United looking for a gap here. Saeki... to Kristiansen...
Passing the ball among themselves inside the Bayern Munich half, the Manchester United players were looking for a way to open up a gap in the heart of this Bayern Munich defense. After the ball arrived to Nikolaj, the Dane made a lateral pass towards Nana. The Little Witch was soon confronted by Mina Meier.
Clive Tyldesley: Now Mishima. Meier standing in front of her...
"It's you and me again, Mishima." Meier said.
"Come and get it." Nana said before she stopped for a second and then emphasized her words with the hand gesture that asks for it.
While the crowd cheered and laughed at the gesture, Meier made the first move by attempting a tackle. But it was exactly what Nana wanted.
'You fall again.' Nana thought.
Using Meier's body as a marker, Nana responded with her alley dribbling technique to run past the German player.
"Was? Nein! (What? No!)" Meier exclaimed when she realized her mistake.
Clive Tyldesley: She runs past Meier...
Having ran past Meier, Nana was looking to go further ahead with the ball. However, Karl was rushing right towards her in the opposite direction. Then Nana made a short pass towards Sean just a split second before Nana and Karl collided, forcing the referee to award a free kick.
Clive Tyldesley: Von Seckendorff has been penalized. He will get a yellow card for it; it's the first yellow of the match. More importantly, Manchester United have a free kick from a good position.
When Karl got up, he looked in disbelief at the referee.
"What? Me?" Karl asked.
"Karl, you're in the book for impeding Mishima when she was trying to advance. She no longer had the ball." the referee replied as he flashed the yellow card.
"Come on. That is so soft." Karl said as he walked away.
The yellow card was only second down the list of worries for Bayern Munich as the point of infringement was located a little less than 10 yards from the penalty area, in a good position for a direct free kick. Nana and Nikolaj were discussing about the strategy while the Bayern Munich players were setting up the wall.
"What do you think?" Nikolaj asked.
"I can surprise Neuer with a curling shot above the wall and in the bottom left corner." Nana replied.
"Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored one like that against him before."
"That's right. I'm thinking about that."
"It's all yours then." Nikolaj said.
"OK. Play decoy by placing the ball." Nana replied.
What is often the first indicator about who the free kick taker would be is who sets the ball down. However, sometimes teams can play tricks by having someone else placing the ball and then acting like a decoy. While Nikolaj stood a little further back, Nana was standing in a David Beckham-like position a few yards to the left of the ball at 45 degrees.
Clive Tyldesley: Who will take this free kick?
When everything was deemed ready, the referee blew his whistle.
PEEP!
Nikolaj made one step before he stopped to try fooling the Bayern players. Meanwhile, Nana came in with a body angle at 45 degrees to wrap the right foot around the ball. The shot flew above the Bayern Munich wall with a topspin effect followed by a dip that led the ball towards the left bottom corner, which is to Neuer's right.
Clive Tyldesley: It's Mishima... OHHH!!! Very good save by Manuel Neuer. It is a corner though.
Everyone was convinced that Nana would score the goal when the ball got above the wall with the desired effect. However, Neuer reached the ball with enough fingertips to deflect it out of bounds at the very last second. Crowd and players alike were stunned by Neuer's athleticism matching the high quality of Nana's shot on goal.
"Dammit!" Nana cursed out loud.
"Good shot, Seven. Keep it up." Kakeru replied.
"It's OK, Witch. Let's play the corner kick." Matthias added.
'OK. We can still do this.' Nana thought.
While Nana made her way to the corner flag, United sent 6 players inside the Bayern Munich penalty area while everyone on the Bavarian team gathered to defend their own penalty area. After making sure that everyone was disciplined, the referee blew his whistle.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Corner taken by Mishima...
From the corner flag to the Manuel Neuer's right, Nana whipped the ball high while making sure it would curl. Instead of aiming for someone's head, Nana's ball curled and dipped with the purpose of flying towards the top corner of the goal at the far post. Manuel Neuer and Mina Meier were guarding in that area, but neither could jump high enough to touch the ball. Unfortunately for United though, the ball landed wide to the goal.
Clive Tyldesley: Ohh! Just wide! It was curling. Manuel Neuer and Mina Meier both tried to reach the ball, but they must be relieved that the ball went by the far post.
The vast majority of the 68,000+ Manchester United supporters in the attendance pushed a loud and collective "OOF" sound when they realized what happened. In the end, it was just a goal kick for Bayern Munich. To add to the home crowd's discontent, the German goalkeeper delayed the goal kick as much as possible to slow things down a little.
Meanwhile in the private box hosting the Women's Team:
"That was ever so close for Nana!" Sarah lamented.
"I know. That corner kick was close, but the save on the shot before that was even better. It's no wonder why Manuel Neuer is the best goalkeeper of his generation." Taeko replied.
"That was our best chance so far in extra time. That better not haunt us later."
"If I were Andrew Butler, I would ask my players to be more proactive from now on. If we are tired, so are they."
"I hope so too." Sarah finished.
After that wasted opportunity, the pace of the game reverted back into a very conservative affair. The final minutes of the first period of extra time winded down without any further fuss. After 105 minutes, the score was still Manchester United 3-1 Bayern Munich on the night (4-4 on aggregate) at Old Trafford.
Following a short break in which players took a few moments to get rehydrated, both teams switched sides on the pitch. Hence Manchester United players were locking their sights towards the western Stretford End while Bayern Munich would attack towards the East Stand. During the break, Andrew Butler ordered his Manchester United players to take the initiative a little more. It took a few minutes for the game to pick up some pace, but the Red Devils came out with more energy than they did in the first period of extra time.
In the 109th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Muamba with the throw...
From just inside the Manchester United half, Joel proceded with the throw-in. The first pass went to Sean. Then the English teenager made a short side pass towards Nana, who then spotted Marius making an attempt to slip between the Bayern Munich defenders.
'There it is, Roman! Go for it.' Nana thought.
Without any hesitation, Nana launched the ball across the halfway line and ahead to Marius. The Bayern Munich defenders expected an offside for a split second, but it never came as Marius timed his run past the last defender perfectly.
Clive Tyldesley: Mishima... long ball for Van Leeuwen. No flag...
Marius ran towards the Bayern Munich penalty area, but Kimmich retreated in full speed to stand in front of Marius on the edge of the penalty area. Karl was also arriving quickly behind Marius, who was looking for a quick solution.
"Roman! Roman!" Kakeru called.
Kakeru was arriving in support by a dozen yards on the left and slightly behind Marius, but the Dutchman made the sideways pass into Kakeru's path nonetheless. There was only Toru standing as a last defender in Kakeru's way.
Clive Tyldesley: He needs help, Aizawa arriving...
With Toru standing in the way and slightly pinching to deny any chance of a right-footed strike, Kakeru moved in to the left before he unleashed a powerful left-footed strike that was bound on goal. However, the goalkeeper threw his hand to parry the shot away.
Clive Tyldesley: Going for GOAL! Great save by Neuer!
The goalkeeper did enough to save a goal, but the end result was another corner kick. Moans of disappointment in the crowd quickly made way for a roar of encouragement for the home side. United sent 6 players inside the Bayern penalty area again while Bayern defended their own penalty area with most of their 11 players inside the box. Nana was ready to take the corner kick as usual.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Mishima will take...
Nana whipped the curved ball with the intention of reaching someone right in the middle of the box. In this case, Matthias outjumped Toru for the ball. The German captain in red was heading the ball ahead and towards Kakeru.
Clive Tyldesley: It's towards KÖHLER!! OHHH!!!
Kakeru got the final deflection of the ball, but it went just wide to the goal. To be honest, Kakeru was not expecting the ball to come so quickly towards him. Hence the Japanese forward could not redirect the shot appropriately.
Clive Tyldesley: It was Aizawa who got the final touch in front of the goalkeeper, but he could not divert it in. Bayern Munich were in trouble though.
While the crowd was still left in shock and disbelief, the Manchester United players were looking to keep their composure.
"Man, I didn't expect that. Sorry." Kakeru apologized.
"Stay cool, Knight. Stay in the game." Matthias replied.
"They are on their toes now, Kakeru. They know we can hit them. At them again." Yusuke added.
"Thanks, guys." Kakeru replied before he looked at Nana and then gave her a thumbs-up sign. "Nice ball, Seven!"
Nana responded by nodding in acknowledgment of Kakeru's message.
Although United did not convert on that last attack, the overall feeling was that the home side was regaining the initiative. Every time when Manchester United were in a position to attack, Bayern Munich were hunkering down to weather the storm for as long as possible. Only a few minutes later, the Red Devils came knocking at the door again.
In the 114th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Muamba...
After a period of passing the ball around between the defenders, Joel, from the halfway line, launched a long ball forward and to the opposite flank. The ball was supposed to reach Kakeru, but Kimmich managed to get his head under the ball first.
Clive Tyldesley: Kimmich's got to watch that one...
Then the ball went up and down before it landed just a few yards away from the Bayern Munich penalty area. In that area, Nikolaj came in with a burst of speed. Although Javi Martínez and Joshua Kimmich stood in the way, Nikolaj skipped his way through both Bayern players. The Danish midfielder was arriving in a dangerous area.
Clive Tyldesley: Here's Kristiansen. He's gotten in the penalty area...
As Nikolaj arrived within a few yards from the 6-yard box from the side, both Neuer and Toru rushed towards him to deny the shot. However, Nikolaj knew that he had teammates in support. So instead of taking the shot, Nikolaj cut a pass back and into Nana's path. The Little Witch was arriving with almost an open goal in front of her.
Clive Tyldesley: Pulls it back...
Without any hesitation, Nana took the shot towards the cage left vacant by Neuer. However, Karl threw his head in before the ball could cross the goal line. And then the rebound was cleared away and out of play by Alaba.
Clive Tyldesley: OHHH, SOMEHOW!! Nana Mishima was denied a dream goal, and that somehow is called Karl von Seckendorff. Remarkable defending.
The crowd was stunned by the turn of events. Everyone expected a wild celebration inside Old Trafford after what should have been an easy goal for Nana, but the big German centre-back stamped his mark on the story of the match once again.
"Los jetzt! Wach endlich auf! (Come on! Wake up finally!)" Karl shouted to his teammates, not happy at the way Kakeru and Nana were allowed to do as they pleased.
Meanwhile Nana was still rueing at her missed opportunity.
"That's ridiculous. I can't have missed that!" Nana said to herself.
"Not today, Mishima. I couldn't care less about a feel good story like yours; I did my job." Karl said to Nana.
"I have nothing against you. This is my own fight, and I'm nowhere done just yet." Nana replied.
Then Nana walked her way back to her position for the next bit of action coming up. After that, Bayern Munich continued to hunker down to greater effect in the following minutes. As time winded down, the prospect of a penalty shootout was looming even larger. Although Manchester United controlled most of the second half of extra time, neither side could afford to switch off for one single moment as one mistake or one moment of magic could tilt the balance to the other side.
In the 119th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Alaba with a throw-in...
Deep inside the Manchester United half, the action restarted with a throw-in for Bayern Munich. Alaba threw the ball forward to Gnabry. The German forward was shielding the ball from Joel, who was attempted to either recover it or kick it out of bounds.
Clive Tyldesley: Gnabry...
Knowing that Alaba was making an overlapping run behind him and his marker altogether, Gnabry made a reverse pass that went into the path of Alaba. The Austrian left-back was entering the Manchester United penalty area, and then skipped past Yusuke as well.
Clive Tyldesley: Tucked in to Alaba. He's got away from Saeki... 
But instead of shooting the ball, Alaba made a cutback pass towards Goretzka. Nana attempted to cut the pass, but fell on the wet grass on top of missing the ball completely. That fall opened up a space for Meier as well.
Clive Tyldesley: Passing back to Goretzka...
Right after Goretzka drew everyone's attention on him, the big German midfielder made a short pass towards Meier inside the penalty area. For a split second, Meier had her back to the Manchester United goal when she received the ball. But despite that slight disadvantage and despite Yusuke's attempt to close her down, Mina Meier made a cunning turn around Yusuke on the outside.
Clive Tyldesley: Mina Meier...
Instead of looking to get the ball on her right foot, Meier surprised everyone by moving the ball to her left foot. Without hesitation, Meier fired the shot towards the Manchester United goal.
Clive Tyldesley: AH-OHHH!!! HITS THE CROSSBAR!! MÜLLER...
The ball smacked the crossbar and then came back with pace towards Müller. However, the volley attempt by Müller flew high and wide from goal by far. The 68,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stadium breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Clive Tyldesley: ...and with a little more than a minute of extra time, Bayern Munich have been denied by the woodwork! It just won't go in!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Christ almighty! I thought my heart stopped for a moment!" Noriko said.
"We all thought the same, Noriko." Robert replied.
"That was too close." Sayuri added.
"If that had gone in, there was no way we would have scored twice to overturn the match with so little time." Harry said.
"I know, Grandpa. I just hope that was the bit of luck that we need to get through." Noriko replied.
"We aren't out of the woods yet. We have a penalty shootout to worry about." Robert said.
"I really wonder what changes will be made before we go to penalties." Noriko said.
Clive Tyldesley: So unlucky. Underside of the bar, Mina Meier.
After that close call, both teams reverted back to conservative play once more. With little time left to extra time, everyone knew that it would come down to a penalty shootout. Consequently, each team made the allowed 4th substitution in situations of extra time: Aidan Whelan replaced Jeremy Williams for United; Canadian winger Alphonso Davies replaced an exhausted Serge Gnabry.
Substitutions made during extra time were done either to replace a player who is too tired or to have all best available penalty takers for the shootout should it go on. After a few minutes of injury time following the 120th minute, the referee blew his whistle.
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
Clive Tyldesley: And it will be a penalty shootout. We have played more than 210 minutes of competitive football between these two great teams. It is an unjust way to settle such a breathtaking semi-final, but there is still nothing to separate them after all of that time. 3-1 on the night, 4-4 on aggregate – it's still a perfectly squared tie. This will now go down into a test of nerves at Old Trafford to find out the first team in this year's European Cup final. Don't go away.
Under the polite applause from the 74,000+ spectators in the attendance, both teams made their way to their respective benches. For most players who were on the pitch for all 120+ minutes in the match, they needed to take a little rest ahead of what was going to be the most stressful moment of their respective campaigns so far.
"OK, people. Take a drink, take a good deep breath, and then let's think about what's coming next." Coach O'Sullivan said to the players.
Meanwhile, Michael Schneider went to check how Kakeru and Nana were doing.
"Not too tired, you two?" Michael asked.
"A little more minutes than I expected, but I'm fine, Coach." Kakeru replied before he took a sip of his sports drink bottle.
"I wished I could score more when I had my chances. Otherwise, I'm feeling great." Nana added.
"Both of you played well so far. We're really glad." Michael replied. "Make sure you're prepared for this. Germans have a word for taking penalties: Nervenstärke."
"Nerves of steel." Kakeru said.
"That's right."
"Coach Schneider... If you can talk to the Boss, tell him that I will open the shootout for us." Kakeru said.
Nana and Michael were surprised by Kakeru's request. Although Kakeru was the first shooter in the pre-season match against Arsenal, no one expected him to put his hand up first considering his recent return from injury. However, the look in Kakeru's eyes spoke a lot about his unfaltering determination. After a few seconds to think about, Michael agreed to Kakeru's request.
"Very well. I will tell the Boss to keep your name on top of the list." Michael said.
"Thank you." Kakeru replied.
"You sure about this, Kakeru?" Nana asked.
"More than ever. What about you?"
"I don't know yet. We'll see how everything goes."
"Just stay focused if you get the call." Kakeru said.
"I will, I promise." Nana replied.
Moments later, Bayern Munich won the coin toss. As a result, Bayern elected to shoot first while Manchester United chose to hold the penalty shootout in front of the Stretford End. Although United had the vast majority in the crowd on their side, it was Bayern who hold the advantage because shooting second puts the Manchester United players under more pressure.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, the last time that Bayern Munich went to penalties in the semi-finals of the Champions League, it was in 2012. Real Madrid were defeated at the Bernabéu, but then Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in the final just a few weeks later. Manchester United have won one penalty shootout in Europe; it was in the 2008 final, in Moscow.
The referee and the 2 goalkeepers walked their way towards the chosen goal. But before Jan would take his place in front of the goal, the 2 goalkeepers took a few moments to bid good luck to each other in the traditions of mutual respect between goalkeepers.
"Well, this is it. Good luck, Jan." Neuer said.
"Yeah. I will say the same to you, Manu." Jan replied as he shook hands with Neuer.
"May the best or the luckiest win."
Jan took his position in front of goal while players from each team locked arms between teammates on the halfway line. Then the sound of boos started raining down at Old Trafford as the first Bayern Munich penalty taker stepped forward. It was the Austrian left-back, David Alaba.
Clive Tyldesley: David Alaba is going to take the first penalty of the night. Five on each side. And if they are still leveled after that, it goes to sudden death.
The left-footed Austrian veteran is one of Bayern's most trusted penalty takers over the years. Alaba set the ball down on the penalty spot before he took a few steps back and then to the right of the ball. After making sure that Jan was standing on his line as per the rules, the referee gave the signal to proceed.
PEEP!
Alaba dashed towards the ball and struck it with aplomb into the bottom corner to Jan's left. Unfortunately, Jan dived in the wrong direction as he went to his right (Manchester United 0-1 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Alaba scores for Bayern Munich. First blood to them. Calmly sends Jan Farkas the wrong way.
After a brief celebration, Alaba walked his way back to the halfway line while Kakeru stepped forward as Manchester United's first penalty taker.
'You can do this, Kakeru. Think of an empty stadium.' Kakeru thought.
Clive Tyldesley: And it will be Kakeru Aizawa to take the first for Manchester United. The Japanese marksman, who has scored 41 times so far this season, will be facing Manuel Neuer.
Kakeru shut himself down to all distractions around him as he put the ball down on the spot, took a few steps back, and then waited for the whistle before proceeding. Upon the signal, Kakeru dashed towards the ball. With a hit from the inside of his right foot, Kakeru slotted the ball into the bottom corner to the goalkeeper's left while Neuer was fooled into a dive in the opposite side (Manchester United 1-1 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: 1-1!! Kakeru Aizawa was not going to miss.
The 68,000+ Manchester United supporters cheered in unison when they saw Kakeru's shot hit the back of the net.
"YOSHA! (ALL RIGHT!)" Kakeru shouted.
With a sense of having done his duty, Kakeru walked back towards his teammates to be congratulated. But then cheers made way to thousands of boos when German midfielder Thomas Müller stepped forward.
Clive Tyldesley: Thomas Müller takes the long trip forward. The man, who has done it all for Bayern Munich in 2013, has already scored in the first leg to kick off this semi-final.
Müller set himself ready to take the kick. After the referee's whistle, Müller took what appeared to be a slightly slow jog on his way towards the ball. The German playmaker struck the ball with his right foot, aiming towards the bottom corner to Jan's left. However, Jan anticipated the shot and thus timed his dive perfectly to parry the shot away. 
Clive Tyldesley: GOOD SAVE!
In an instant, Old Trafford erupted in a deafening wall of cheers. The save meant a huge advantage tilting in United's direction.
Clive Tyldesley: Thomas Müller sums up the fate of so many famous penalty takers who have missed before him. He tried to deceive Jan Farkas with the slow buildup, but the big Slovak came up with a huge save.
As Müller walked his way back while distraught by his missed shot, the following shooter for Manchester United stepped up under the cheers from 68,000+ people in the attendance. The second volunteer was the German captain in red: Matthias Köhler.
Clive Tyldesley: The first miss of the shootout has struck Bayern Munich. Thomas Müller will now be followed by another German.
Arriving to the penalty spot, the Manchester United captain put the ball on it before he took a few steps back. After Manuel Neuer was sent standing put on the goal line, all that was needed was the referee's whistle.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Matthias Köhler...
Dashing in full speed, Matthias struck the right-footed shot with aplomb. Manuel Neuer guessed the right way when he went down to his left, but the ball flew just quick and high enough above his right hand before it struck the top corner of the goal (Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: 2-1!!! Smashes it in! Neuer almost got a hand on it, but it was just out of reach. Advantage, Manchester United now.
"COME ON!" Matthias shouted to the crowd, who gave a standing ovation to their captain.
Meanwhile on the halfway line.
"Attaboy, Skipper!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"Get in!" Nana added.
Matthias walked back towards his teammates, all smiles. On the other side, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski made the long walk towards the penalty spot. The imposing figure of the Polish striker was already intimidating in itself while he's also known to be a penalty specialist.
Clive Tyldesley: Now it will be Robert Lewandowski coming forward as the third penalty taker for Bayern Munich. Probably the undisputed best number 9 in the world, he knows he cannot afford to miss.
Although the crowd booed as loudly as they could, Lewandowski looked really calm as he prepared himself for this upcoming kick. Everyone inside Old Trafford was anxious.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Lewandowski...
Following the whistle, Lewandowski went ahead with his own special technique that combined watching the goalkeeper and focusing on the ball. Starting first with a run-up, Lewandowski suddenly stuttered his run to take a quick glance at the goalkeeper for cues before shifting his gaze back on the ball a split second before the shot with the inside of his right boot. In this case, the stutter allowed Lewandowski to see Jan cheating a little on one side. As a result, Jan was sent diving to his left while Lewandowski slotted the ball in the bottom corner to the opposite direction (Manchester United 2-2 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Easy. Made it look easy, anyway.
The crowd was left most silent but for the 6,000 Bayern Munich supporters in the away end. Lewandowski's strike was one from an ice cold assassin.
"No chance on that one." Noriko said.
"As ice cold as he could be." Robert replied.
In order to respond to Lewandowski, the next Manchester United player to volunteer was Dutch striker Marius van Leeuwen.
Clive Tyldesley: Now... Marius van Leeuwen. He has scored a few penalties in the Premier League, but missed one against Celtic in the group stages of the Champions League. The Dutchman will be looking to regain the lead for Manchester United.
Marius took a few steps back after he set the ball on the spot, preparing for a left-footed shot. When the referee gave the signal, Marius struck the ball with pace towards the bottom corner on Neuer's right. However, the German goalkeeper anticipated the shot and thus parried the shot away, much to the dismay of the vast majority at Old Trafford.
Clive Tyldesley: Ouhhh!! Neuer reached it! Threw himself down to his right and just managed to divert it around the post. We are all squared at 2-2 now.
Marius covered his face in shame after seeing the shot being blocked by Neuer. Meanwhile, the 9 remaining Manchester United players on the halfway line were stunned as well. Nevertheless, Kakeru tried to cheer Marius up.
"Don't worry, Roman! We will get them!" Kakeru made sure that Marius could hear him.
At the very same time that Marius made his way back towards the halfway line, the next Bayern Munich shooter was not someone that was expected at all. It was the Canadian winger and former Vancouver Whitecaps player, Alphonso Davies, who stepped forward.
Clive Tyldesley: Now this is an interesting penalty taker because Alphonso Davies came up late to replace Serge Gnabry in extra time. He scored once for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this season; it was against Mainz. He was included in the squad due to a few injuries, and now he is tasked to stand up, go out and beat Jan Farkas in the shootout in a 2-2 tie.
The Canadian winger was doing everything he could to shut himself away from all distractions after he put the ball down on the spot. It was quite a new experience for him even though he volunteered to shoot, but he was ready to take the shot upon the whistle.
Clive Tyldesley: Davies... How's your nerve?
Arriving from an angle to take a left-footed shot, Davies struck the ball towards the bottom corner to Jan's right. The Slovakian goalkeeper guessed the right direction, but the shot had too much pace to be parried effectively. As such, Bayern Munich took the lead again (Manchester United 2-3 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Oohhh... Jan Farkas got a hand to it, but Bayern Munich are in charge. They lead by 3 goals to 2 in the shootout. The late substitute has scored a massive goal for them.
Outside of the jubilant 6,000 Bayern Munich supporters, it was dead silence inside Old Trafford. Just a few moments ago, United were in control of the penalty shootout. But in less than 2 minutes, Bayern Munich regained the upper hand. Nevertheless, Manchester United also trusted a youngster of their own, who volunteered to take one of the first 4 penalty kicks for his team: English forward Sean MacKinnon.
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United are now in a situation where they just cannot afford to lose. They cannot afford to miss. From one teenager to another, it will be Sean MacKinnon. He scored his first senior goal against Juventus in the round of 16, but this his biggest moment in his young career so far. If he fails, Bayern Munich will be at match point.
Moments later, Sean was ready to proceed.
Clive Tyldesley: Huge responsibility for the 17-year-old.
Angling for a right-footed strike, Sean dashed towards the ball in full speed before he smashed the shot into the top corner to Neuer's right. The German goalkeeper went in the right direction, but was beaten again by a combination of pace and height to the shot (Manchester United 3-3 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Ahhh! Just... just. Manuel Neuer guessed correctly, but MacKinnon's shot had enough height and pace on it.
"GET IN!" Sean shouted while making fist pumps in celebration.
The crowd briefly cheered when Sean scored the equalizer, but the tension was mounting each time that one shooter has taken the shot. After 4 shooters on each side, it was already sudden death on practical terms as one miss could end the dreams for one team. Stepping forward under the loudest boos of the night so far at Old Trafford, Toru Asuka was the 5th penalty taker for Bayern.
Clive Tyldesley: Next up for Bayern Munich is Toru Asuka. He can put them right on the verge here. If he scores, Manchester United have to score.
"Just like when he played for Yoin, he's the last man among the first 5 for his team." Kakeru said.
"Not many can stop him from 12 yards, I tell you." Yusuke replied.
"Let's hope he misses." Nana said.
Nothing appeared to disturb Toru when he put the ball down on the spot and then took a few steps back. With the crowd being noisier than ever, all that was needed was the referee's whistle.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Toru Asuka to give Bayern match point...
Toru ran towards the ball with the intention of hitting the shot with power. Jan took the slightly early dive towards his right, but the shot flew into the top corner of the goal on his left (Manchester United 3-4 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Calmly done. Bayern Munich are very close now; they can almost touch the final now. And it's all down to the very last shooter of the first regular 5 on each side.
The home crowd was stunned again. Just as Toru made his way back towards his teammates, the 5th penalty taker for Manchester United stepped forward: Danish midfielder Nikolaj Kristiansen.
Clive Tyldesley: Stepping up is Nikolaj Kristiansen. His return to the side helped Manchester United in getting back in the semi-final. Now all of Manchester United's hopes are resting on his shoulders.
This time, the noise mostly came from the 6,000 Bayern Munich supporters in the away end of the stadium for the purpose of unsettling the Danish midfielder in red.
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen must score. MUST SCORE or Bayern Munich will go to the final.
PEEP!
Nikolaj struck the shot, preferring pace and power instead of finesse. Manuel Neuer guessed the right direction when he went down to his right, but was beaten by the sheer pace of the shot (Manchester United 4-4 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: And again the goalkeeper got close, but Kristiansen has scored. The shootout will go on and on. Now it is sudden death.
Remaining calm and composed, Nikolaj walked his way towards his teammates while Karl von Seckendorff came up as Bayern's 6th penalty taker. When Karl stepped up, her sister was the first to cheer among the 6,000 Bayern Munich supporters.
"Los, Karl! Du schfaffst das! (Come on, Karl! You can do this!)" Angelina said out loud.
Clive Tyldesley: Steps forward Karl von Seckendorff. The man who scored Bayern's away goal tonight and who saved a certain goal in extra time can put Bayern back to match point.
Just as Karl put the ball down on the spot, Jan started doing all sorts of movements in front of him to try unsettling the Bayern Munich centre-back in his mental preparation. The referee made sure that shooter and goalkeeper were ready at their respective positions.
Clive Tyldesley: Von Seckendorff...
From a long way out, Karl made the dash towards the ball. Upon the first contact of the shot, Jan took a dive to the left. However, the ball went to the opposite direction. It went off the underside of the crossbar and then into the back of the net (Manchester United 4-5 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Scores! It clipped the underside of the crossbar, but it was just enough for it to go in. And again Bayern Munich are on the verge.
Everyone in the stadium had their hearts skipping a beat when the ball struck the crossbar before it went inside the goal. The home crowd was still buzzing about how lucky Karl was on the shot. While Karl walked back with an ice cold look in his eyes, Yusuke walked in the opposite direction for United.
"Come on, Yusuke!" Noriko said out loud.
"This is it now." Robert replied.
The home crowd tried to give as much support as they could provide to Yusuke. Regardless, many among the 68,000+ in the stadium and the millions of United supporters worldwide were praying to a higher force for support.
Clive Tyldesley: Yusuke Saeki is coming forward. The man, who established himself as a full-time regular at Manchester United following his departure from the J-League in July, finds himself with the weight of the world on his shoulders. HE MUST SCORE. There won't be any second chance if he misses.
Yusuke calmly set himself ready for the upcoming kick, even meditating with his eyes closed for a few seconds before the referee gave the signal.
PEEP!
Standing in an angle for a left-footed shot, Yusuke came in with good speed. Looking at the speed in Yusuke's run, Manuel Neuer went for a quick dive to the left-hand side. However, Yusuke hit the ball high and in the middle, sending it into the roof of the net (Manchester United 5-5 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: Fired into the roof of the net, in the middle by Saeki! Manchester United are still alive for the moment.
The far vast majority in the crowd cheered at Yusuke's goal obviously. However, the Japanese midfielder in red was not settling for anything sober in his celebrations. Instead, Yusuke looked to pump the crowd up.
"COME ON! LOUDER! MAKE SOME NOISE, COME ON!" Yusuke shouted, alternating between fist pumps and waving his arms up to the crowd.
As if Yusuke conducted the crowd like a conductor in front of his orchestra, the home supporters inside the stadium cheered even louder than at any other point in the shootout. Soon enough though, those very loud cheers eventually turned into the loudest boos by far on the night when the next Bayern Munich shooter came forward. It was Mina Meier.
Clive Tyldesley: We are now down to players who didn't put their hands up when asked if they wanted to take a penalty. It's Mina Meier. The woman, who scored the winner against Manchester United in the first leg, can put Bayern back on the brink.
As Meier walked forward, no one could see that she was actually quite nervous. In fact, she was sweating bullets as she fought her inner battle to keep emotions and distractions in check. The home crowd mustered maximum pressure upon her shoulders. Among the Bayern Munich players, Toru was the only one who noticed that Meier needed to be cheered up.
"MINA! RELAX!! STAY COOL!" Toru shouted in the distance, in Japanese.
Meier turned back to acknowledge Toru's words before she carried on and then put the ball on the penalty spot. Then Meier stepped back, angling for a right-footed shot. However, any additional second preceding the go-ahead whistle meant more pressure on the shoulders of the shooter.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Mina Meier...
Meier came in to strike the ball, aiming for the bottom corner on Jan's right. However, the big Slovakian goalkeeper guessed right as he went diving at full stretch to his right. It was enough to parry Meier's shot away.
"YEAH! COME ON!!!" Noriko exclaimed when she saw the events unfold.
"NEIN!" Angelina shouted in disbelief at the very same time.
Clive Tyldesley: FARKAS SAVES AGAIN!!! FOR THE FIRST TIME, IT'S MATCH POINT TO MANCHESTER UNITED!! THEY'RE ON THE VERGE!
The stadium erupted in a cauldron of noise and celebrations when the home supporters saw their goalkeeper making the save. Meanwhile, Mina Meier fell down on her knees, cupping her face with her hands to hide her despair. She took a few seconds before she got up and walked back towards her teammates, tears in her eyes.
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United are one kick away, but who will they be sending forward?
The Manchester United players who already took shots looked around for teammates who had not. It was at that moment that one voice spoke up.
"I will finish this." Nana said.
"You can do it, Seven." Kakeru replied.
"We're right behind you." Yusuke added.
"All right, Witch!" the other players said.
Nana replied to her teammates with a slight nod before she took the long walk towards the penalty area. When the crowd saw who stepped forward, cheers got louder and louder.
"GANBARE (Hang on), NANA!" Noriko shouted from her seat.
Clive Tyldesley: Nana Mishima, whose first name means "Seven" in Japanese, steps up as United's 7th penalty taker. She had to overcome personal drama. She travelled half of the world so she can play tonight. She scored a very late goal to force the semi-final into extra time. And now she can send Manchester United to Paris. What a story it would be.
As Nana made the long walk towards the penalty spot, she also started facing the same large amount of emotions and distractions that Meier faced only moments earlier. Nana could feel her own heart beating so fast as well.
"Stay focused, Nana. Total concentration." Nana said to herself.
However, Nana had to use all of her mental strength to block herself away from the distractions. Then she suddenly felt her legs become heavier, nearly paralyzed by fear and pressure.
'No! Not now! I can't be frozen by fear now.' Nana thought.
"I'm always with you no matter what." Mrs. Mishima's voice somehow reached Nana.
'Mom?' Nana asked in her thoughts.
"Don't you remember? You've done this before, when it really mattered." Mrs. Mishima's voice said.
Flashback – Many years ago
Nana suddenly remembered a memory from her elementary school years, after she joined Kakeru and Suguru's team. The upcoming match on that day was against a really good team from a different school.
"This is the big game today. Right, Nana?" Mrs. Mishima asked.
"It is the final game, Mom." Nana replied glumly.
"What's the matter?"
"The other team is really strong. Suguru told us that it could go down to penalties. I would be scared if I have to take a penalty kick."
"You don't have to be scared, Nana. You have worked hard to be someone on whom others can rely."
"Mom..."
"If you ever feel scared, don't think about anything else but how I feel about you. Even if you don't score when you have to, I'm already proud of you because you're my daughter and because you're doing great against boys."
"You mean it?"
"Always. Even if I'm not standing next to you, just remember that I'm always with you no matter what. Now have as much fun as you can out there. You can do that for me."
"Thank you, Mom." Nana replied with a smile.
"I believe in you, Nana. Everything will be okay." Mrs. Mishima finished, returning Nana's smile.
Later in that day, the final went to penalties. Nana, who was her team's last penalty taker, scored the goal that made her team win. It was the first trophy that she, Kakeru and Suguru won together during their time in the same elementary school. The memory still remains one of Nana's favorite childhood memories, thanks in big part to her mother's words of support.
Present time
'I will do it, Mom! Just like back on that day.' Nana thought.
Nana placed the ball on the penalty spot without looking at anyone nor anywhere else. The only thing in Nana's mind was that childhood memory. At long last, the referee was ready to blow his whistle.
Clive Tyldesley: It's a duel between perhaps the best female footballer in the world and probably the best goalkeeper of the decade.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Mishima...
Nana made a quick dash before she struck the ball with her right foot, with full power and pace behind the shot.
"GO IN!" Nana shouted.
Neuer dived to his right, expecting a low shot. However, Nana's shot flew just above of Neuer's reach and into the top corner of the goal to leave no doubt whatsoever (Manchester United 6-5 Bayern Munich).
Clive Tyldesley: ...HAS DONE IT!!!
In an instant, Old Trafford went into total pandemonium. Nana promptly ran towards the nearest touchline camera before she stopped and then took away the sports wristband around her right wrist. Then Nana kissed her mother's misanga only seconds before she was joined by her ecstatic teammates in a celebratory huddle.
Clive Tyldesley: MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE REACHED THE EUROPEAN CUP FINAL AGAIN!!! THEY WILL PLAY TO WIN THE GIANT TROPHY ONCE MORE!!
After a few celebrations between themselves, the Manchester United players started breaking up the huddle to start celebrating with the 68,000+ home fans.
"You did it, Seven! YOU DID IT!" Kakeru said.
"We're going in the final! Thank you! Thank you!" Yusuke added.
Then Nana looked up at the nearby camera once again before she let out loud a scream that expressed both relief and absolute joy. Tears of joy also rolled down her cheeks at that moment.
"YATTA, KĀ-CHAN! YATTA!!! (I DID IT, MOMMY! I DID IT!!!)" Nana shouted.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"WELL DONE, NANA!!! WE'RE IN THE FINAL!!" Noriko shouted.
Clive Tyldesley: For Nana Mishima, it is a triumph over great personal adversity. For Manchester United, so much of the tragedy and triumphs in their modern history are emotionally entwined with the European Cup. This is why it is special. They may yet go to Paris with one or two English trophies in hand, but legends of this football club are written as Champions of Europe. This new United has the chance to write their own legend in 25 days in the French capital. Barcelona or Paris Saint-Germain, it will be a great match. Manchester United will definitely be there.
Then Nana stood up and looked at the Bayern Munich players; they were devastated. However, no one looked more devastated than Mina Meier, who was inconsolable despite all efforts from Toru and Karl to comfort her. Guided by instinct, Nana walked towards her long-time rival to do her part in the greatest tradition of sportsmanship.
"Hey. You gave everything you had inside of you to push us this far. One moment will not ruin the one thing that we all know: you are a great player, even a better one for us women breaking into the men's world." Nana said.
"You really mean it?" Mina Meier asked.
"On everything that I hold dear, I swear it." Nana replied.
Then Kakeru also came in to give Meier a few comforting words.
"You are one of the toughest opponents we have ever met on the pitch. You gave everything and no one will ever say otherwise." Kakeru added.
"Thank you."
Nana gave her German rival a comforting hug for as long as she needed to stop shedding tears. Meanwhile, Toru and Karl came to congratulate Kakeru and Yusuke with a few handshakes.
"Aizawa, Saeki, congratulations. You made it to the final." Toru said.
"Thank you. It could have gone either way." Kakeru replied.
"Your team pushed us to the limit, really." Yusuke added.
"You guys played one hell of a great game. No matter happens next, you deserve to be in the final and you deserve to win the big one." Karl said.
"Thanks, Karl." Kakeru and Yusuke replied altogether.
"When I look at how Mishima found the right words to comfort Mina right now, I can only admire the kind of person your fiancée is. You're a lucky one, Aizawa." Toru said in English to make sure that Karl and the 2 male Japanese players in red could understand.
"Yeah... She's special." Kakeru replied, slightly flustered.
"I hope you guys go and win this thing now." Toru said.
"We will do whatever it takes." Yusuke replied.
Nana accompanied Mina Meier, who came to salute the 6,000 travelling Bayern Munich supporters one last time. In response, both sets of supporters responded with a warm applause towards a great moment of sportsmanship between rivals. Moments later, Nana and Kakeru were approached by touchline reporter Des Kelly for a live post-match interview on the pitch.
Des Kelly: Nana, you came back from Japan just a few days ago, you scored the big goal to force extra time, and scored the final penalty in the shootout. Try to put into words how you feel. It was insane drama.
Nana: Yeah. Like you said, it was insane. I still can't believe it happened like that. So many things happened in the match. We scored 2 goals, they scored one goal, there were so many chances, I got the goal at the very last second to make it 3-1, and then we had extra time and penalties. It could have gone either way, but I feel really fortunate to be on the winning side. This win, I dedicate it to my mother. I'm sure she is watching us from somewhere.
Des Kelly: Kakeru, have you ever been involved in anything like this?
Kakeru: Never in this competition. Sure I helped my team achieve some great comebacks. I also played in a penalty shootout in high school, but I've never been in something like this in the Champions League. The semi-final was tough overall, but we never gave up. Just like the Boss told us, we had to put the pressure on them and we had to make life difficult for them. We did and I'm really proud of this team. Unbelievable.
Des Kelly: You were involved on the 2-0 goal and you scored your penalty kick tonight, but you were also denied a goal because of VAR. How did you feel when it was disallowed, especially so late in the second half?
Kakeru: Yeah, I was really disappointed. I think there were like 4 minutes left or so to play. I know that referees, including the VAR, have a difficult job to do. But kudos to our whole team. Everyone pushed and pushed to score that goal to force extra time. We kept on believing, and that strength of character is a big reason why we are in the final.
Des Kelly: Nana, you have known Mina Meier for years. We saw you coming forward to comfort her after you scored the winning penalty. How deep is the level of respect between you two? I can also ask the same about Kakeru regarding Toru Asuka.
Nana: Tremendous amount of respect. When I started playing with Nadeshiko Japan at age 15, Mina was already a star at 18. She acknowledged my potential. Since then, we both broke the barrier by playing against men at the top level. It's a shame that people will talk about the penalty miss for some time. Penalties are a lottery; you just never know what will happen. That does not take away the fact that she is a very good player, who gives everything she has to give. I hope that she will come back stronger.
Kakeru: Yeah, Toru Asuka was the best teenage defender in Japan when I entered high school. He has always been tough to beat and yet it's always clean. Every game against him is a challenge that forces me to push myself even harder. As a competitor, I can't ask for a better way to build and maintain mutual respect.
Des Kelly: One last question. Have you put any thought about who you want or expect to face in the final? Or should we take a deep breath first?
Nana: I think we will take a deep breath after tonight. After that, we have to think about the last Premier League match on Sunday. Plenty of time before the final.
Kakeru: I was about to say the same thing.
Des Kelly: (Laughs) OK. Thanks, you two. Well played.
Kakeru and Nana: Thank you very much.
After the interview, Kakeru and Nana joined their teammates to celebrate with the fans a little more. The Bayern Munich players had already left for some time before the home team eventually walked off the pitch as well. In the players' tunnel, Karen Shotbolt was waiting for Kakeru and Nana to arrive.
"Nana! Nana!" Karen called over.
"What's up, Karen? Want to celebrate with us?" Nana asked. "We won!"
"I have a long distance call. You father wants to speak to you." Karen replied, with a mobile phone in hand.
Nana took the phone from Karen's hands to take the call.
"Dad?" Nana asked.
"Two big goals, Nana! You were fantastic! I'm so happy for you!" M. Mishima replied.
"Yeah! We're going to the final, Dad. I still can't believe it!"
"Sure! Oh, there is also someone here who is happy for you too."
Then there was a little moment of silence on the Japanese end of the phone call.
"Hello, Nana." a familiar feminine voice said.
"Mom! You're awake?" Nana asked, recognizing the voice.
"Yeah... I regained consciousness just after you saved your team in injury time. Your father told me how you scored it. I'm alright now." Mrs. Mishima replied.
"That's great. Keep the line for a second." Nana said before she turned to Kakeru and Karen. "My mother is out of the coma! She's fine now!"
"Oh, that's great!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"Congratulations, Nana." Karen added.
"I will tell the news to the lads now." Kakeru said.
"OK, OK." Nana replied to Kakeru.
Then Kakeru left straight to the dressing room before Nana went back to the phone call.
"You're still there, Nana?" Mrs. Mishima asked.
"Yeah, I'm here. Mom... a part of me wanted to stay alongside you in Japan, but the other part said to me that I would be better off helping my teammates. I guess I made the right choice after all."
"I know you did, Nana. When I was asleep, I was trying to find my way back through mist and darkness for a long time. However, I heard your late friend Suguru's voice telling me that you were playing the biggest game of your life. I don't know if it was just a dream, but his voice guided me back towards the light. Then I woke up right after you scored." Mrs. Mishima said.
Although Nana's mother thinks it was a dream, Nana knew that Suguru somehow came to help as he promised.
"Did you see me score in the shootout?" Nana asked.
"I did. I was happy when you kissed the old misanga that I gave you many years ago. After all, I was with you all along, so to speak." Mrs. Mishima replied.
"Mom... That misanga was the best thing that happened in my life. Thanks to it, I knew that you'd always believe in me. Then I met Kakeru, I made so many friends, and I worked my way to be here today. Everything good that has happened to me started from that moment. I could thank you a thousand times, and yet it may not say how much I'm grateful to you." Nana said.
"It's OK, my baby. You have always acknowledged it even if you didn't say it. Regardless, knowing that you are the happiest woman on Earth right now is everything I could ever wish for. I'm really proud of you."
"Thank you for everything, Mom. Take some rest for now and try to get better. I promise that we will keep in touch."
"I will. Your father wants to say something before we let you go." Mrs. Mishima said.
Then M. Mishima came to speak on the phone.
"Nana... I will stay by your mother's side for as long as she will take to get better and leave the hospital. But I still hope that we will be in Paris for the final."
"I will keep a pair of very good tickets for you, I promise. For now, I really want a good night of sleep."
"Hahaha! OK, I will let you go. Talk to you later." M. Mishima said.
"Love you two, bye." Nana replied before she ended the phone call.
Meanwhile, Kakeru was taking a peek outside the dressing room to see if Nana was done with the phone call. Then Kakeru came back inside the dressing room to warn his teammates ahead of a little prank in store.
"She's coming, lads. Nobody talks, OK?" Kakeru said.
"Tone it down. Shh! Shh!" Matthias added.
Outside of the dressing room, Nana was being congratulated by various members of the support staff as she walked her way towards the dressing room to pick up her bag. When Nana walked through the gate and then towards her seat, the players remained silent. Nana was wondering why everyone, including Kakeru, was silent. However, she quickly realized what was going on.
"OK. I get it, guys." Nana said between chuckles.
Then the whole squad burst with laughs and cheers as they went to congratulate Nana. After a good share of high-five handshakes, taps to the shoulder and so on all given to Nana, Matthias took a moment to give a short speech.
"Hell of a job, y'all. I'm really proud of this group, but I still want to mention 2 players. First one is Wolf." Matthias said.
The players applauded their goalkeeper before Matthias continued his speech.
"He made some big saves, including 2 in the shootout. I could have given you half of the match ball that I took from the referee, but I want to give it to someone who came back from a long way to be here, who scored 2 big goals to take us over the line tonight, and whose mother is now safe: Witch."
"ATTAGIRL, WITCH!" the players shouted.
Under applauses and cheers from the whole team, Nana received the match ball from Matthias.
"Great game, Witch." Matthias said.
"Thanks, Skipper."
"I guess your efforts somehow reached your mother in Japan. After everything that happened, you need an upgrade to your nickname. What about Scarlet Witch?" Matthias asked.
"Powerful like the Marvel character. I like that." Nikolaj replied.
"Me too. Thanos almost got his ass kicked by Scarlet Witch." Marius added.
"That's a good fit after tonight." Kakeru added.
"Yeah." the other players said as well.
Nana took a few seconds to think about it.
"Well, I will take it." Nana said.
"It's official: you're re-christened as Scarlet Witch." Matthias replied.
"SCARLET WITCH! SCARLET WITCH!" the whole team shouted.
Then Andrew Butler stepped in to give a few final words to his players.
"You have every reason to be proud. This club, the fans, everyone will remember this night. There will be more to come. It's back to work on Thursday, but everyone gets the day off tomorrow. Great job."
"YEEEAAAAHH!!!" the players cheered at the news of a day off.
Then Kakeru and Nana took a moment to have a little talk together before the latter would leave to her women-only dressing room.
"Who came up with the silent treatment prank?" Nana asked.
"Well... I saw videos of how other sports teams do it. So I thought it was a good time." Kakeru replied.
"I didn't know you were such a prankster, Kakeru."
"I guess I surprised myself, Seven."
Nana smiled.
"I can always count on you to make me feel good." Nana said.
"Always happy to. How do you feel now, Scarlet Witch?" Kakeru asked.
"Tired. First thing I will do is to crash out when we get home." Nana replied.
"I'll be right next to you on that too." Kakeru finished.
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