The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 51

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== The Splendour of the FA Cup ==
"This is the splendour of the FA Cup." – Martin Tyler (sports broadcaster).
...
Saturday May 18
Piccadilly station, Manchester, UK
11:20 AM BST
It had been 6 days since euphoria took over a large part of the city of Manchester when United won the Premier League title, but all of that had quickly become part of the past. Being to the UK what the Super Bowl is in the United States, the FA Cup final became the main focus. As one of 10 events reserved for live broadcast on free-to-air UK terrestrial television by law, the final is also set to be shown on more than 50 channels covering for over 190 countries.
In the morning of the final, fans converged towards London. For many fans living in Manchester, the first step of the trip to London was at the main train station known as Manchester Piccadilly. Wearing the midnight blue Manchester United shirt given by Yusuke, Noriko started to record herself on her smartphone at the end of a holder phone selfie stick. While waiting for Sarah to arrive at the station, Noriko started her own personal vlog on that sunny morning in Manchester.
"Good morning, everybody. Red Kate here. It's 11:20 AM here in Manchester. You're watching my first vlog. We won the Premier League last week, but today we will be off to Wembley. Hopefully, we will be returning home with the FA Cup. I'm at Manchester Piccadilly station now and I'm about to meet with Sarah. Can United win their first League and FA Cup Double since 1999? Let's find out." Noriko gave the introduction on camera.
Only one minute after Noriko recorded the first segment for the vlog, Sarah finally arrived at the station. The blonde Englishwoman was proudly wearing the red Manchester United shirt underneath a small jacket.
"Oi, Sarah!" Noriko greeted.
"Hey! How is it going, girl?"
"I can't wait to get to Wembley."
"Wembley, Wembley. We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wembley." Sarah sang the lyrics of the club's main theme song about Wembley.
"It's great that Kakeru and Yusuke managed to get the match tickets for us. It's really tough to get those, even for a season ticket holder like anyone in the family." Noriko said.
"The demand was crazy, alright." Sarah replied.
Then Noriko started filming again on her smartphone.
"What's up with the selfie stick?" Sarah asked.
"I'm recording a vlog for this year's FA Cup final. I have seen people do theirs before, so I want to do my own for the first time. Say hello for the camera, Sarah." Noriko replied.
"Hello! I hope we win. If we do, we'll go for a night on the town."
"We will win and then go out for a night on the town in London, Sarah."
"Fingers crossed now."
"Let's buy those train tickets now. Then let's get something for lunch before taking the ride." Noriko finished. Sarah nodded.
Noriko and Sarah went inside the station to buy their tickets for the 12:15 PM electric high-speed train from Manchester to London alongside dozens of United supporters going on the same trip. Then the 2 women rode on the train for a little more than 2 hours to the South, with Noriko recording more video segments for her vlog. After arriving at Euston railway station in London, Noriko and Sarah made their way to the Overground suburban rail platform at the same station to take the 2:28 PM metro for a 21-minute ride to the West and towards Wembley Central station. After arrival, both women started taking a walk outside and to the East. As expected, the crowd was growing bigger and bigger as both women moved closer to the stadium.
2:53 PM BST
"We've just come out of Wembley Central station. Now we're walking towards Wembley Stadium. We can see the big arch from here." Noriko narrated for her fan cam.
"I'm feeling a little bit more nervous now that we're here." Sarah said.
"Me too. Want to make your prediction?" Noriko asked.
"I'll say 2-0 to United. You?"
"It will be tight. I say 2-1 or 3-2. Come on, Reds."
By the time that Noriko and Sarah made their way to Wembley Triangle (the intersection of High Road, Harrow Road, and Wembley Hill Road), the place was already flooded with Manchester United supporters singing loud and proud. United fans from all corners of Britain, especially the many from the London-based branch of supporters, and a number from abroad joined together for the occasion. Instead of walking towards the stadium, Noriko and Sarah took the next 35 minutes to get pumped up for the match by mingling with the fans in the area and by singing along with them.
"We're waiting for the United team bus to come by now." Noriko said as she filmed the streets with her smartphone.
"They should be around the corner really soon." Sarah said.
"I hear the crowd going louder. They're coming." Noriko replied
The sea of Manchester United supporters greeted the bus with very loud cheers. Behind the dark tinted windows on the bus, the Manchester United players, all dressed in their Paul Smith tailor-made suits, could appreciate the sight of thousands swarming the streets nearby.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bus:
"What a crowd!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"I'm surprised to see this many people here." Yusuke said.
"No matter how many times I go to Wembley for a cup final, it never gets old." Kakeru replied.
"I wonder if Noriko and Sarah made it to London by now." Yusuke said.
"Yeah. Noriko texted me to say she's somewhere on the street where we are now." Nana replied. "But she will be disappointed when she will see the starting XI."
"Don't worry. I think the Boss wants to protect you." Kakeru said.
"I think you can do better against an exhausted Ryoma Oda than against him at full strength. Besides, the Boss liked what you did against Bayern as a sub." Yusuke added.
"Yeah. Ready or not, I will come on and go hard at Oda." Nana replied.
Then Nana put on her headphones to start listening at her motivation song of choice before an important match: a cover of "Ready or Not" by Mischa Chillak and Esthero.
Ready or not, here I come.You can't hide.Ready or not, here I come.You can't hide.Ready or not, here I come.You can't hide.Ready or not, here I come.You can't hide.Ready or not, here I come.You can't hide.
Making its way through the crowd and towards Wembley Stadium, the Manchester United team bus finally entered through the service gate at 3:39 PM. Only 3 minutes later, it was Arsenal's turn to arrive at the stadium. All pieces were set on the chessboard.
Arsenal vs. Manchester United (FA Cup final)
Wembley Stadium, London, UK
Some time later, Noriko and Sarah followed the crowd towards the Olympic Way, which is used as the only road leading to the stadium's perimeter for spectators. Under tight surveillance, the wide Olympic Way is separated at a certain point to redirect supporters towards the appropriate set of entry points for each team. Noriko and Sarah followed the United supporters moving to the West half of the stadium. At the gate, the spectator puts the ticket into a scanner, which would allow the revolving door to let the spectator in if the ticket is recognized. After getting in around 4:20 PM, Noriko and Sarah went to their seats in the lower section of the stadium bowl.
On the pitch, both teams started the warm-up session at 4:40 PM before they returned to their respective dressing rooms at 5:05 PM. Now we are coming down at the time of the manager's speech in the Manchester United dressing room, with the players and coaches gathering together in a circle in the middle of the room.
5:12 PM BST (18 minutes before kickoff)
"You hear that?" Andrew Butler asked.
The players did not reply, but they heard the muffled sound of the crowd singing out loud and proud above them and all over the stadium.
"This is the real magic of the FA Cup. That is what today is all about: passion, blood, and thunder. We have won the League, but we can be even more than Premier League winners today. Stick together, protect each other, stay disciplined, and you will be victorious. Win today and you will become LEGENDS! COME ON!!"
"YEAH! COME ON!!!" the Manchester United players replied.
"Come on, lads!" Andrew Butler shouted
"Let's do this! Let's go!" Matthias finished before the players walked out of the dressing room.
Meanwhile on the pitch, the Wembley Stadium staff deployed 2 giant touchline-to-touchline sized flags across both final thirds of the pitch. Wearing the crest of one of the two teams involved on the day, each of the flags was bookending another giant flag containing a giant image of the FA Cup trophy. After a small podium was installed at the base of the trophy-shaped design on the central giant flag, the pre-game show started with songs from a DJ for a few minutes. In the area where players from both teams were due to arrive minutes later, a trapezoid-shaped set of red carpets was installed. At the end of the upbeat musical performance, the DJ and the extras made way for a female soloist, a choir of football supporters from various clubs across England, and the Band of the Welsh Guards.
Set to happen within 15 minutes before kickoff time and thus following the pre-match concert, one of the great traditions in the FA Cup final was the singing of "Abide with Me". The Christian hymn was sung as a favorite of King George V, who conferred royal patronage on the sport by attending the 1927 final himself. Since that year, the singing of that hymn has become an annual tradition in the FA Cup final.
Although the hymn's lyrics and the melody were written respectively by 2 different people in the context of a meditation about death, "Abide with Me" is also used as a strong message that invokes the experience of human community. In the more contemporary context of the FA Cup final, the song is a moment where opposing teams, rivalries, and tensions are temporarily subordinated to an assertion of a shared humanity and unity in celebration for the occasion.
5:18 PM BST (12 minutes before kickoff)
The public address is assured by Wembley Stadium regular announcer for England, FA Community Shield, and FA Cup semi-final and final matches, Kris Temple.
Kris Temple: Ladies and gentlemen. In keeping the tradition, we will now sing the FA Cup hymn, "Abide with Me". The accompanying words will be displayed on the ribbons around the stadium. The hymn will be interpreted by the FA Cup Fans Choir, who will be accompanied by the Band of the Welsh Guards.
In the Manchester United supporters' area, Noriko and Sarah were ready to join their voices with those of 89,000+ in the stadium to sing the first and last verses of the hymn. The Band of the Welsh Guards started playing the first musical notes of the song to set the tone before the choir and the spectators followed altogether. The lyrics were also displayed on the electronic ribbons during the performance.
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.When other helpers fail and comforts flee,Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Inside the players' tunnel, only one voice was in sync with the singing crowd. It was Nana's voice that broke the overall silence while players from both sides could only try to remain as stoic as possible.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.Heaven's morning breaks, and Earth's vain shadows flee;In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
"In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me." Nana added the last line to the singing as her own simple plea for divine support.
Inside the stadium, the crowd gave a massive round of applause for the performance as the FA Cup Fans Choir made their way towards the central tunnel. Then the FA Cup trophy was carried by former Arsenal striker Ian Wright and by former Manchester United striker Éric Cantona towards the pedestal inside the set of 4 red carpets. In the stands and on top of more chanting, both sets of supporters started waving flags, which were disposed in particular positions to show the official color patterns of each of the clubs involved.
Inside the players' tunnel, the opposing managers stood in front of the lines of players. Each of the starting players was accompany by a child mascot. Kakeru stood alongside young Brendan Walker, who was chosen to be one of the mascots.
"A little nervous, Brendan?" Kakeru asked.
"Yeah. I always wanted to be on the pitch at Wembley." Brendan replied.
"Don't worry. It will be OK." Kakeru said. "We go out there for a few minutes, and then you'll go back to your family in the box we kept for you."
"OK." Brendan said before he took a deep breath. "Let's do this, Kakeru."
Finally, referee Martin Atkinson ordered both teams to follow him onto the pitch.
"OK, let's go!"
"Here we go, lads! Come on!" Matthias shouted.
5:22 PM BST (8 minutes before kickoff)
Kris Temple: Ladies and gentlemen... Please welcome the teams: ARSENAL and MANCHESTER UNITED!!!
For the last time of the season, your commentator is Martin Tyler.
Martin Tyler: Welcome to Wembley Stadium for what remains one of the great events of not just the English football calendar, but the world football calendar. The atmosphere has been ramped up here with a combination of the contemporary and the classical. We couldn't ask for a more classical confrontation than the 2 most decorated clubs in the history of the FA Cup: Arsenal and Manchester United.
Both teams made their way out of the players' tunnel under thunderous cheers. To add to the razzmatazz, fireworks and flames were also used to light up the sky in the process of greeting the players, who made their way to stand in parallel with the longest red carpet laid out there. Only 2 minutes after the players walked out, a group of 4 dignitaries walked out of the tunnel before they would walk on the red carpet. The leading dignitary was the FA figurehead President, who since 1939 has always been a member of the British Royal Family. Since 2006, the President is HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
The captain of the team is the one introducing each of his teammates and the manager to the President of the FA. With Arsenal being first in alphabetical order, the Arsenal captain led the introductions with Prince William shaking hands with each of the Arsenal players and manager. Following handshakes with the match referees, Matthias was the first to shake hands with Prince William in the name of Manchester United. Moving down the line of United players, Yusuke and Kakeru were next in line to meet the Duke of Cambridge.
"Yusuke Saeki." Matthias introduced Yusuke to Prince William.
"Good luck." Prince William shook hands with Yusuke.
"Thank you." Yusuke replied.
"Kakeru Aizawa." Matthias introduced Kakeru.
"Third time in the final. Good luck." Prince William shook hands with Kakeru.
"Thank you, your Highness." Kakeru replied.
Then Prince William continued his way forward while Yusuke and Kakeru shook hands with each of the other 3 dignitaries. After the dignitaries made their way just off the limits of the playing surface, it was time for the final part of the ceremony to take place.
5:26 PM BST (4 minutes before kickoff)
Kris Temple: Ladies and gentlemen. Please be up standing for the national anthem, led by the Band of the Welsh Guards and Laura Wright.
The drummers of the Band of the Welsh Guards rolled their drums as the cue for everyone in the stadium to be ready. On the go from the military musicians, the lead singer led the singing for 89,000+ spectators in the attendance.
GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS QUEEN!LONG LIVE OUR NOBLE QUEEN!GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
SEND HER VICTORIOUS,HAPPY AND GLORIOUS,LONG TO REIGN OVER US,GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
The crowd applauded the flawless performance of "God Save the Queen" before partisan chants resumed in both sets of supporters. In the sky, 2 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets of the Royal Air Force made the flyover above Wembley Stadium as the final part of the pre-match ceremony.
The child mascots were allowed to leave the pitch and towards the tunnel before both teams proceeded with the customary handshake. Kakeru and Yusuke briefly shook hands with Ryoma to avoid needless controversy, but it was still very cold between the belligerents from their last encounter in February. After months of competition in which 736 teams were registered to enter in August of the previous year, there were only 2 teams left standing.
Martin Tyler: A lot of team news for you...
On the TV broadcast, Arsenal's 3-4-1-2 lineup was shown as such: Bernd Leno (goalkeeper), Shkodran Mustafi (right centre-back), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (centre-back), Sead Kolašinac (left centre-back), Héctor Bellerín (right winger), Ryoma Oda (central midfielder), Granit Xhaka (central midfielder), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (left winger), Ryuichi Araki (central attacking midfielder), Patrick Jenpa (striker), and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (striker and acting captain). Although some players were injured, confidence was high among the healthy Arsenal players.
Then the Manchester United starting 4-3-3 lineup looked as followed: Jan Farkas (goalkeeper), Joel Muamba (right-back), Erik Johansson (centre-back), Matthias Köhler (centre-back and captain), Jeremy Williams (left-back), Francisco Serrano (central midfielder), Yusuke Saeki (central midfielder), Nikolaj Kristiansen (central midfielder), Santiago Araya (right forward), Marius van Leeuwen (striker), and Kakeru Aizawa (left forward). Nana started the match on the bench, but she stood ready as United's "nuclear option" according to the manager.
Having won the coin toss, United decided to kick the match off. For the first half, each side would attack towards the end where opposite supporters were located: United towards the eastern end, Arsenal towards the western end.
Martin Tyler: So we're ready to go at Wembley. Manchester United to kick off as Premier League champions by virtue of an unbeaten run of 21 league games for a total of 91 points. Arsenal have finished second by a single point; they were champions for less than 2 minutes before United snatched a very late win in the dying seconds of the final game to move above Arsenal.
Manchester United field players, dressed in midnight blue kits, and Arsenal field players, dressed in their distinctive red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, were ready. Then the clock reached 5:30 PM.
PEEEP!!!
United kicked things off to the sound of 89,000+ roaring at Wembley. For the first few minutes, both teams were studying each other without opening themselves too much. Regardless, United were the ones crafting the first serious scoring opportunity in the match from a corner kick to Arsenal of all situations.
In the 10th minute:
Martin Tyler: There's the ball from Araki...
On the corner kick, Araki whipped the ball towards the much of players in front of the Manchester United 6-yard box. Then Erik managed to head the ball outside of the penalty area, but only for the ball to be recovered by Granit Xhaka.
Martin Tyler: Johansson got his head to it, but it hasn't gone that far away. Xhaka...
Looking at the goal despite Santiago's efforts to block him, Xhaka whipped the goal back towards the mass of humanity inside the penalty area. But this time, the ball went too far for any Arsenal player and was perfect for Jan to catch it.
Martin Tyler: Whipped back in, but Jan Farkas takes charge.
Allowing the game to slow down a little, Jan waited until he was fine with his teammates' positioning before he quickly rolled the ball towards Yusuke. Then United held onto the ball, passing it around in the middle portion of the pitch. After a string of passes by United and missed clearances by Arsenal within seconds, the ball went to Nikolaj just 15 yards away from the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: There's the Dane, Kristiansen...
Just as Nikolaj received the ball, he saw Kakeru making a run forward. In a split second, the next pass went to Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: And Aizawa...
As Kakeru picked up the pass, he took only a split second to see what's around him. With Sokratis shadowing Marius's run inside the Arsenal penalty area, there was a space opening up in the middle of the "D" in front of the box to take a shot from. Kakeru shifted his run towards the "D", but Mustafi threw a sliding tackle that touched Kakeru.
Martin Tyler: Still on his feet...
Instead of going down, Kakeru stayed on his feet as he entered the penalty area. But the ball went too far ahead of him, which was enough for Ryoma to punt it out of harm's way. Nevertheless...
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Martin Atkinson is giving a free kick on the edge.
The referee gave a free kick because Kakeru couldn't play the advantage following the original foul. Understanding that it was a free kick in a dangerous position, Ryoma protested against the referee's decision.
"He wasn't stopped by the tackle at all. Why? Why?" Ryoma asked.
"Mustafi unbalanced Aizawa with a sliding tackle. Aizawa didn't fall, but there was no advantage." Atkinson replied.
"Come on, ref. It's a man's game." Ryoma argued, but to no avail.
Within seconds, the referee marked both the shooting location and the location of the defending wall with his vanishing spray. Standing as United's set piece taker in Nana's absence was Nikolaj. The Dane was also capable of putting good free kicks on goal as well.
Martin Tyler: With Nana Mishima on the bench for now, Nikolaj Kristiansen will take the free kick.
Everyone looked at the Dane as the referee's signal came.
PEEP!
Starting with a stuttering run, Nikolaj then accelerated his run before he wrapped the inside of his right boot on the ball. The shot went above the jumping wall and then dipped with a slight curling effect. Unfortunately for Nikolaj, the ball landed on the top of the net instead of hitting the top corner of the goal.
Martin Tyler: Oooooofff!!! Leno watched, maybe hoped. His hopes were answered.
"Ah dammit!" Nikolaj cursed out loud.
"Good try, Nicky. Good try." Kakeru said, giving a tap on his Danish teammate's shoulder to cheer him up.
"It's fine. Let's go at them again." Matthias added.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench.
"That was a good free kick." Aleksandar said.
"Yeah. The technique was really good. It was just too high; it happens to all of us." Nana replied.
"So far we play better than they do. It would be good to score a goal soon."
"It would definitely be huge for us, Alex. Plenty of time though."
As Aleksandar remarked, United had the momentum on their side by being more enterprising on the attack. Arsenal didn't quite find their footing into the game yet. Just a few minutes later, the Red Devils took another crack at the Gunners' goal.
In the 15th minute:
Martin Tyler: Johansson... Muamba... to Saeki. Looking ahead now...
Controlling the ball just inside the Manchester United half of the pitch, the defenders passed the ball between themselves before Joel passed it to Yusuke in the center circle. After advancing a few yards ahead, Yusuke launched a long aerial diagonal ball to Kakeru on the left wing.
Martin Tyler: Long ball to Aizawa, who leaves it for Kristiansen...
Just as Kakeru received the ball, he made a short layoff pass to Nikolaj. Then Kakeru moved ahead to distract Mustafi. However, Bellerín was holding his ground in front of the Dane. Waiting for a couple of seconds, Nikolaj held onto the ball long enough before Jeremy made a run on the outside.
'Now, Nicky. Do it!' Kakeru thought as he watched the events unfold.
With Bellerín distracted for a split second by Jeremy's run, Nikolaj started cutting with speed to the right. There was space opening up for him to fire a right-footed shot from outside the Arsenal penalty area, and the Danish midfielder took the opportunity.
Martin Tyler: Cutting infield, Kristiansen...
Without any hesitation, Nikolaj wrapped the shot with pace and accuracy around the nearest defenders. Bernd Leno attempted to stop the shot, but the ball went out of his reach to find the bottom corner of the goal.
Martin Tyler: LETS IT FLYYY!!! Nikolaj Kristiansen pushes Manchester United into the lead just 15 minutes in the final! No wonder they're absolutely proud on the bench, and they're LOUD at that end of the stadium!
The TV broadcast briefly showed the Manchester United bench celebrating the goal before another camera angle showed the delirious United fans in the western half of the stadium.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"YEEEEEAAAAH, COME ON!!!" Noriko shouted.
"GET IN!!!" Sarah shouted as well, hugging Noriko in the process.
Noriko was filming her and Sarah's post-goal reaction on camera the end of her selfie stick.
"NIKOLAJ KRISTIANSEN WITH A LONG SHOT FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX! 1-0 UNITED! COME ON!!!" Noriko narrated the events.
Then Noriko turned her camera back towards the crowd and the pitch. Meanwhile, several sections of United supporters were chanting "UNITED!" repeatedly to celebrate the goal. One red smoke bomb also went off in the higher section of the western end of the stadium, adding to the delirium as well.
Back on the pitch:
"YEAH!! LET'S GO!" Kakeru shouted.
"Well done, bro! WELL DONE!" Marius congratulated Nikolaj.
"Thanks, guys!" Nikolaj replied.
"Alright, there it is! There it is!" Matthias said.
Kris Temple: GOALSCORER FOR MANCHESTER UNITED... NUMBER EIGHT... NIKOLAJ KRISTIANSEN!!!
Meanwhile on the Arsenal team:
"HEY!!! WAKE UP, GUYS! COME ON!" Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shouted to get his teammates back on focus.
"Ryoma! We need you to track the Dane. If our Ds are stretched, you don't give him the inside." Granit Xhaka said to Ryoma.
"I know. I was a little slow." Ryoma replied.
"Play it tight on him next time, don't let him shoot. That's all we need." Xhaka said.
"Let's go back at them!" Araki rallied his teammates.
As if Arsenal needed a wake-up call in this FA Cup final, the conceding of the first goal looked as the worst one possible on paper. Nevertheless, the Gunners stepped up to the new challenge. Looking for a response, Arsenal started taking more initiatives against the recently crowned Premier League champions.
In the 23rd minute:
Martin Tyler: Maitland-Niles counterattacking with pace...
On an Arsenal counterattack, Ainsley Maitland-Niles took the ball deep inside the Manchester United half. Although he came up against Joel, Maitland-Niles managed to make a short side pass to Aubameyang.
Martin Tyler: Now Aubameyang...
The Gabonese striker came up against Erik, who stood on the side edge of the Manchester United area. But instead of attempting to force his way in the penalty area, Aubameyang made a body feint to shake Erik off before he made a run around the Swede and towards the byline.
Martin Tyler: He's got past Johansson. He can get it across...
Aubameyang looked towards his strike partner, Patrick. Picking his moment, the Gabonese striker made a pass across and towards the penalty spot for the Cameroonian striker. Without asking twice, Patrick unleashed the shot on his first touch.
Martin Tyler: TO JENPA! AGAINST THE POST!!
Unfortunately for Patrick though, the shot struck the outside of the post and went out of play. Arsenal players and supporters alike were stunned in disbelief.
Martin Tyler: Well, Manchester United were lucky to survive. Good work by Aubameyang and by Maitland-Niles before that to set up Jenpa, but the marksman from Cameroon has been denied by the woodwork.
"COME ON! STAY AWAKE!!!" Jan shouted, obviously displeased by how his teammates defended poorly on the last action.
'Phew! That was too close for comfort there.' Kakeru and Nana thought at the same time from their respective positions.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"That almost went in against us! Patrick Jenpa hit the post in the 23rd minute." Noriko said as she recorded her reaction to the last Arsenal attack.
"It was about the first serious attack by Arsenal on the Manchester United goal." Sarah said.
"The most important is that we don't let Arsenal take control of the game." Noriko replied.
Although Arsenal missed a golden scoring opportunity, they were definitely back in the match. With confidence growing on Arsenal's side while United still stood strong, it was the beginning of a stretch of action going back and forth between the 2 sides.
In the 29th minute:
Martin Tyler: Maitland-Niles... now to Araki...
Attacking inside the Manchester United half, the Arsenal players were looking for a way to break their opponents' defense. When Araki received the ball, Yusuke stepped up in front of him. With no way to move past Yusuke, Araki attempted a dink of a pass towards Patrick. However, Matthias headed the ball away.
Martin Tyler: Köhler making sure that the ball would not pop behind him as Jenpa was waiting...
The rebound fell down towards Ryoma, who stood a dozen yards away from the penalty area. Instead of taking a first touch, Ryoma tried to shoot the volley. Unfortunately for him, the result was a scoffed shot leading to an easy pickup for Jan.
Martin Tyler: Ryoma Oda couldn't hit the ball cleanly as it dropped.
But instead of taking his time to slow the game down, Jan made a quick pass towards Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder led the counterattack with a run to the middle of the pitch before he launched a long ball towards Marius on the right wing.
Martin Tyler: It's Kristiansen on the counterattack. He finds Van Leeuwen on the right...
Arriving deep in the Arsenal half, Marius appeared to be cornered by Kolašinac. The Dutch striker momentarily slowed down his run, but then he suddenly accelerated as he cut inside the Arsenal penalty area. The Bosnian defender of Arsenal was caught flatfooted for a moment.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen with a great run past Kolašinac...
Keeping the Arsenal on the edge, Marius picked his moment to pass the ball in front of the face of goal. Kakeru arrived in the middle and then unleashed the shot on his first touch. Ryoma dashed in full speed before he threw himself in front of Kakeru, but the shot went beyond the Arsenal midfielder and by Sokratis as well.
Martin Tyler: AIZAWA!!! Fantastic save by Leno!
Unfortunately for Kakeru, the shot was parried away by Bernd Leno as it appeared to go for the top corner at the near post. The end result was a corner kick for Manchester United though.
"Aaaargh!!!" Kakeru screamed in disbelief.
"Keep cool, Knight. Let's go at them again." Marius cheered Kakeru up.
"All right. Nice pass, Roman." Kakeru replied.
Within seconds, both teams set up for the upcoming corner kick. The Manchester United supporters were expecting another goal.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen with the corner...
PEEP!
Nikolaj whipped the ball so it would arrive in the area 9 yards in front of the goal, but Bernd Leno jumped in to catch the ball in mid-air.
Martin Tyler: Leno catches it this time.
Choosing to repeat what Jan did moments earlier, Leno threw the ball ahead to start a counterattack instead of slowing the game down. The ball came to Granit Xhaka, who then passed it beyond the halfway line and ahead to Araki.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal on the move again. Araki... finds Aubameyang...
Moving quickly inside the Manchester United half, the 3 Arsenal players (Araki, Jenpa, Aubameyang) forced the Manchester United defenders to backpedal quickly. But just as Aubameyang arrived within 12 yards from the Manchester United penalty area, the Gabonese striker took advantage of the fact that Patrick was luring Erik out of position to launch a pass back into the path of Araki.
Martin Tyler: Back to Araki! Great movement from him...
Araki managed to get past Matthias momentarily to enter the penalty area with the ball at his feet. Jan was forced to rush towards Araki in an attempt to stop the attack. The Slovakian goalkeeper threw himself down to cover as much ground as possible, but Araki chipped the ball above the goalkeeper and towards the goal. However, the shot was slow because it was taken on Araki's weaker right foot.
Martin Tyler: Cleared off the line by Johansson!
Before the ball could cross the goal line, Erik backtracked just enough to bat the ball out of danger before Yusuke completed with a punt of the ball further away. Arsenal players and supporters were shocked at their own missed opportunity.
"Thank you, Viking." Jan thanked his Swedish teammate.
"Anytime, Wolf." Erik replied before he looked at his other teammates. "We're making it too easy for them. Come on!"
Martin Tyler: Well, what a chance. Araki played in. It was a three-pronged attack, and Araki seemed to get the best of Jan Farkas. It would have been 1-1 if it wasn't for Erik Johansson.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"End-to-end action here at Wembley in the 30th minute. Kakeru Aizawa was denied by Leno, but then Ryuichi Araki's shot was saved off the line on the Arsenal counterattack that followed." Noriko narrated to the camera for her vlog.
With Arsenal starting to find their groove in the match, they were starting to play their trademark ball possession game. However, Manchester United were capable of retaliating with sharp counterattacks as their own trademark against that type of opposition.
In the 32nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal showing their intentions by moving forward with numbers here. Oda... He's got 4 up with him.
Crossing the halfway line with the ball, Ryoma pushed forward with the support of 4 teammates joining on the attack – Araki, Patrick, Aubameyang, and Maitland-Niles. Nevertheless, United players also backtracked in numbers as well.
Martin Tyler: Maitland-Niles supporting from the left...
After a pass on the left, Ainsley Maitland-Niles rolled the ball across and inside the Manchester United penalty area. The pass was destined for Patrick, but it was promptly intercepted by Yusuke before he made a safe pass towards Nikolaj.
Martin Tyler: Manchester United get out of trouble. Saeki intercepts...
Spotting Kakeru on the run behind Héctor Bellerín, Nikolaj launched a pass into the path of his Japanese teammate. Then Kakeru started running in full speed under the roars of the tens of thousands Manchester United supporters.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen finds Aizawa. This is where Manchester United are always dangerous...
When Kakeru's run came within a short range of the Arsenal penalty area, the Japanese forward made a nifty feint to get past Mustafi. However, Ryoma tackled the ball away to concede a corner kick rather than a goal.
Martin Tyler: Good challenge by Oda. Corner for Manchester United though.
"Not on my watch." Ryoma said.
"We'll see about that." Kakeru replied.
Both teams set themselves up ahead of the corner kick. When everything looked fine to Martin Atkinson, the referee from Yorkshire ordered to proceed.
PEEP!
Instead of going for the long ball immediately, Nikolaj played a short corner kick with a pass to Santiago.
Martin Tyler: Played short by Kristiansen to Araya... back to Kristiansen again.
After Santiago received the pass, he held onto the ball until Nikolaj got back in an onside position. Then the ball went back to Nikolaj, who roamed his way outside the Arsenal penalty area for a couple of seconds before he passed the ball towards Yusuke's path. The Japanese defensive midfielder was ready to shoot from range.
Martin Tyler: He can tee it up for SAEKI!!!
Without any warning, Yusuke fired the lower and powerful drive in a small gap between all the bodies in the way. Spotting the ball at the very last split second, Bernd Leno stuck his leg out to make the save.
Martin Tyler: GOOD SAVE!
However, the rebound went in a bad place as Matthias was the only one around. The German captain kicked the loose ball into the back of the net. Everyone associated with United thought it was 2-0 until...
Martin Tyler: KÖHLER TAPS IT IN! But the flag is up! The flag is up! No goal!
"What? No way!" Kakeru exclaimed in disbelief.
The linesman at the far side raised his flag up immediately to call an offside. Matthias and his teammates protested, but to no avail. Then the TV replay showed that Matthias and Marius were just offside when Yusuke struck the ball. It was a matter of inches, but Matthias was definitely offside. Therefore, the score remained 1-0.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench:
"That's a shame. I really thought it was a good goal." Aleksandar said.
"Me too, Alex. But it was not a coincidence that they played the offside trap." Nana replied.
"The back line probably started moving forward when it was clear that Fury would take the shot."
"We have to be smarter, but we also need to take our chances. I only hope we will not regret missing out those chances." Nana said.
Then Andrew Butler came to order 3 of his 7 substitutes to start warming up on the touchlines.
"Mishima, Laurent, Kamara. Warming up."
"Yes, Boss!" the 3 players replied.
The worst thing that can happen when chances are not taken on one side is that the other side can easily capitalize on one single chance at the other end. In any match of fine margins, especially in a cup final, anything can happen at any time.
In the 36th minute:
Martin Tyler: Martin Atkinson has given the foul. Free kick to Arsenal...
Yusuke fouled Araki with a slight contact in the middle of the pitch. But just as the Manchester United players were about to argue with the referee, Araki stamped the ball down and then passed it to Héctor Bellerín on a quick free kick.
Martin Tyler: It's played quickly. Bellerín... Jenpa...
Bellerín passed the ball in the path of Patrick Jenpa. The Cameroonian striker ran towards the Manchester United penalty area, but Matthias was keeping Patrick to the outside. It forced Patrick to go into a race to get around the German defender from the outside. Then Matthias poked the ball away from Patrick by the byline, but ended up conceding a corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Poked away by Köhler. It's a corner for Arsenal.
Both teams moved inside and around the Manchester United penalty area. When everyone was ready, Martin Atkinson blew his whistle.
PEEP!
Araki whipped the ball towards the bunch of players inside the penalty area, but it was headed away by a Manchester United defender.
Martin Tyler: In by Araki. Headed away...
However, the ball was recovered outside of the penalty area by Bellerín. Then the Spaniard passed the ball back to Araki.
Martin Tyler: Bellerín. Back to Araki again...
Standing in the corridor between the penalty area and the touchline, Araki waited for a moment and then moved a couple of yards back before he launched an aerial ball towards the area in front of the near post.
Martin Tyler: It's going in at the near post...
Escaping Francisco's man-marking for a split second, Patrick went towards the ball. The pass first appeared to be a little low, but the Cameroonian striker threw his head down on the dive to reach the ball. Remarkably, Patrick perfectly redirected the ball beyond Jan's reach and into the bottom corner at the far post to send the Arsenal end of the stadium wild.
Martin Tyler: And it's headed in with style by PATRICK JENPA!!! WHAT AN EQUALIZER FOR ARSENAL!!! He had to take a dive to reach the ball, but he redirected superbly! It's 1-1!
"Well done, Black Panther!" Araki congratulated Patrick.
"Nice pass, Araki!" Patrick replied.
"C'est bon! On les a! (It's good! We have them!)" Aubameyang exclaimed.
At the same time that the Arsenal players celebrated, the Manchester United players still could not believe how that goal was scored from a very difficult situation.
"It's only 1-1, lads! We are playing better than they do. Let's go!" Nikolaj rallied his teammates.
"He's right! Let's go back at them again!" Matthias added.
'We always came back stronger after a setback. We can do it again.' Kakeru thought.
Kris Temple: GOALSCORER FOR ARSENAL... NUMBER NINETY-NINE... PATRICK JENPA!!!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"It's 1-1 now. Patrick Jenpa equalized for Arsenal with 10 minutes before halftime. How has that gone in? How has that gone in?" Noriko narrated to the camera.
Sarah would only shake her head to the camera, still speechless.
"Even Sarah cannot say a word about it." Noriko said to the camera.
With the score now tied at 1-1, the game became a battle of trenches. Just as many people expected, challenges for the ball became increasingly less inhibited between United and Arsenal. The temperature was about to start rising in what had been a pretty clean game so far.
In the 39th minute:
Martin Tyler: Johansson... Köhler... Arsenal playing a high defensive line.
After Matthias received the ball from Erik inside the Manchester United half, the German defender looked to attempt something unexpected. Far up the field stood Marius against Sokratis. Instead of going for a short pass, Matthias launched a long and accurate ball forward. Jumping in the air, Marius deflected the descending ball into the path of Santiago.
Martin Tyler: The long ball goes off Van Leeuwen. Araya...
As soon as Santiago went towards the ball, Sead Kolašinac tried to go for it by arrive in the opposite direction. Santiago managed to poke the ball further forward, but Kolašinac carried on with a strong tackle that sent the Chilean-Colombian winger head over heels and to the ground. Mancunian players and supporters screamed for a foul.
Martin Tyler: Clattered by Kolašinac... 
"HEEYY!!! FOUL!" Nikolaj screamed.
"Come on! Yellow!" Marius added.
Without delay, referee Martin Atkinson went towards Kolašinac. The Bosnian defender tried to apologize to the referee, but the yellow card was shown regardless.
Martin Tyler: It will be a booking. Sead Kolašinac gets the first yellow card of the final.
The Manchester United half of the crowd cheered then the yellow card was produced. A few Arsenal players voiced their discontent, but to no effect. Santiago remained down for a few seconds holding his lower back, but then managed to get back up to shake off the pain a little.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"That's right! Get a booking, you Gunner scumbag!" Noriko shouted as she filmed the incident from her position.
"He sent him flying. Really reckless and very late tackle." Sarah said.
"He knew exactly what he was doing. That's disgusting." Noriko replied.
"Things can get heated soon."
"I'm sure they will, Sarah." Noriko finished.
The good news was that Santiago carried on with the match without suffering any serious damage from that rash tackle. With Arsenal stepping up the physical game, the Manchester United players were compelled to respond with toughness as well. Before you would know it, physicality started to border nastiness.
In the 42nd minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal are on the move again. Oda... now Bellerín...
The Arsenal players moved the attack inside the Manchester United half. From the center circle, Ryoma passed the ball to the advancing Héctor Bellerín. By the time the Spaniard arrived within 15 yards from the edge of the Manchester United penalty area, he made a side pass towards Patrick before the ball came back to him. However, the Cameroonian striker was met by a late double tackle from Yusuke and Matthias that swept both of Patrick's legs!
PEEEEP!!
Martin Tyler: Jenpa got roughed up by Saeki and Köhler. He was sandwiched between the 2 Manchester United players.
Jenpa looked a little uncomfortable after an awkward landing. Meanwhile, the referee showed the yellow card against Matthias. Atkinson deemed that the German defender did the worst in knocking his opponent's foot from under.
Martin Tyler: Yellow card against Köhler.
The Manchester United captain did not complain too much to the referee. However, he had to organize the defensive wall against the upcoming free kick. Araki looked to hit the shot although the angle looked difficult for a left-footed taker standing in line with the right goalpost.
Martin Tyler: Araki with the free kick...
PEEP!
Araki struck the ball around the left side of the wall, but then the ball curled away from the far post. With the shot going wide to the goal, the Manchester United supporters responded with sarcastic cheers as Araki grimaced.
Martin Tyler: And he sends it wide.
"Damn it!" Araki cursed out loud.
"It's OK. We're not done with them yet." Ryoma replied.
"This game will get even more heated, Oda. They are not shy in playing that kind of game now."
"Let them come on. I'm ready to make them taste some." Ryoma finished.
With one yellow card on each side, the FA Cup final had definitely heated up. Tackles and physical contacts became more frequent in the next few minutes. It almost felt like old school English football before Martin Atkinson blew the halftime whistle that brought hostilities to a temporary halt.
In the stands at halftime, Noriko and Sarah were remaining at their seats to chill a little. Of course, Noriko was going to film herself with a commentary about the first half.
"Halftime, 1-1. We started the match on a strong foot, and then Nikolaj Kristiansen opened the score in the 15th minute with a shot from distance. But then Arsenal managed to get back into the game, and it was back-and-forth really. United were denied a goal because of an offside in the 32nd minute, and then Patrick Jenpa equalized for Arsenal in the 36th minute. Overall I think we were the better team, but we need to keep Arsenal away from our goal. I still have a good feeling that we will go on and win this." Noriko narrated before she did with a fingers crossed gesture in front of the camera. "Come on, Man United."
"What do you think we need in the second half?" Sarah asked. "I say we need Nana in there."
"I understand why Andrew Butler wants to spare Nana for now. The longer it stays 1-1, Arsenal could get tired and that would be perfect for her since we look dangerous when we're going forward. We just need to be bold on the attack. This game is there for the taking." Noriko replied.
"Butler better give the team a good speech at halftime."
"He definitely will, Sarah. I'm sure of it." Noriko finished.
Meanwhile in the Manchester United dressing room.
"Let's keep working, lads. Keep working. We were better than they were for most of the half. Let's show them that we are better." Matthias rallied his teammates.
"We need to stay focused. They will go at us, but we can hit them when they open themselves up." Nikolaj added to the rally cry.
"Confidence, confidence, lads." Yusuke added.
"Come on, lads. We have at least 45 minutes to win the Cup. We must not be overconfident. Keep things simple and work hard." Matthias said.
"Let's do this, together!" Kakeru added.
After the players were left together to decompress and relax for 6 minutes, Andrew Butler entered the dressing room to deliver his instructions ahead of the second half.
"Alright, just a few things here. We knew that they are good at playing the ball, but we have seen how good we are when we press them hard and then take our game to them. We had more chances than they did in the first half. Arsenal are relying a lot on the wingbacks (Maitland-Niles and Bellerín). They always prefer to get the ball to Araki, Jenpa, and Aubameyang, but we have to be careful of the wingbacks. So what I want here is that we focus our defending on those 5 guys. When we lose the ball, we fall back together and defend together. But we must stay positive when we defend; that means we press hard together. Then we can hit back at them. We will have our chances, don't worry. We have defeated those guys before and we will do it again by staying true to our identity. Alright? Let's go!" Andrew Butler said.
"Yeah! COME ON, LADS!" Matthias shouted while the whole team applauded.
After the manager's speech, Nana was asked to join her fellow substitutes to perform a few warming-up exercises with the ball on the Wembley pitch. Nevertheless, Kakeru took a few seconds to catch up with Nana for a quick chat.
"Hey, think you will be ready to come on when the Boss will ask?" Kakeru asked. "I have a feeling that the game will get nastier."
"I will get ready for anything, don't worry. I won't hide myself against whatever Oda or his Arsenal friends will throw at me." Nana replied.
"Just make sure that you don't step into trouble when you will come on. We will need you more than ever in a FA Cup final."
"They will be the ones stepping into trouble, promised. Make sure you go hard at them."
"Let's do this." Kakeru finished.
For the beginning of the second half, Arsenal kicked the ball to restart the action at Wembley. As expected, both teams took a few minutes to find their respective strides again. Just as they did in the first half, the Red Devils from Manchester looked to strike again fairly early in the second half.
In the 51st minute:
Martin Tyler: Williams with the throw...
United earned the throw-in deep inside the Arsenal half. Jeremy threw the ball towards Kakeru, who then made a backwards pass to Nikolaj. The Danish midfielder attempted a through pass, but it was blocked by Ryoma.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen... blocked by Oda.
Although the ball went off Ryoma's foot, it was recovered by Francisco. Then the Spanish midfielder passed the ball ahead to Marius, who went into a physical 1v1 against Sokratis once again outside the Arsenal penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Van Leeuwen...
The Dutch striker held his ground with his back showing to the Arsenal goal to shield the ball from Sokratis. It was for all the time he needed for backup to arrive in a dangerous position.
"Roman!" Santiago shouted.
Picking the perfect timing, Marius made a reverse through pass into the path of his Chilean-Colombian teammate. Santiago found a gap to run around Kolašinac.
Martin Tyler: Great ball by him to Araya...
The ball was rolling towards the byline, but it was intended for Santiago to do only one thing: passing it back towards the face of the goal. At the same time, Kakeru was running towards the dangerous area right in front of the near post. Santiago immediately fired the ball towards Kakeru, but then Mustafi threw a sliding tackle just in front of Kakeru to deflect the ball out of play.
Martin Tyler: It would have been an easy shot on goal for Aizawa but for a tremendous tackle by Mustafi. It's a corner for Manchester United though.
"Damn!" Kakeru cursed himself.
"I got to you, Aizawa. Don't even think about it today." Mustafi said.
"Still plenty of time to make you apologize." Kakeru dryly replied.
Both teams moved in their assigned positions for the corner kick. As usual, Nikolaj went on duty to take it in Nana's absence.
Martin Tyler: Kristiansen with the corner...
PEEP!
Nikolaj fired the corner kick towards the area right between the edge of the 6-yard box and the penalty spot. Erik tried to get his head to the ball, but it went off Ryoma's head instead. Then the ball bounced outside the penalty area, by the opposite side.
Martin Tyler: It went off an Arsenal player. Here's Saeki...
Yusuke retrieved the ball in that area, but Araki immediately arrived to deny him further entry.
"Come on, Saeki." Araki challenged Yusuke to try getting past him.
However, Yusuke was not in the mood of just aimlessly smashing the back across.
'A little longer. Come on, Kakeru.' Yusuke thought, expecting Kakeru's help.
"Yusuke!" Kakeru shouted.
Kakeru arrived in a position located a few yards behind Yusuke and slightly to the latter's right, just outside of the penalty area. Without thinking, Yusuke responded with a drop pass to Kakeru, who then shifted a run to the right in preparation for a shot.
Martin Tyler: Drop pass...
Picking his spot, Kakeru struck the ball with the inside of his right boot. The shot went past the nearest Arsenal defender and started to curl towards the left on its way to the far post. Bernd Leno was nowhere near reaching the shot, but the ball struck the stanchion holding the back of the net to the goalkeeper's left. For a split second, everyone thought that Kakeru struck the top corner of the goal until they realized that the ball hit the stanchion instead.
Martin Tyler: AIZAWA! He really came close, but not close enough.
Kakeru screamed his frustration. In the stands, Noriko and Sarah were left as shocked as anyone else in the Manchester United supporters' end.
"OHH!! How close was that? How close? We're 6 minutes in the second half, and Kakeru Aizawa just missed the goal by a few inches. It was curling, but just not enough." Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"We are on the front foot so far in the second half." Sarah said.
"So far, yes. It would be great if we can find a goal before Arsenal get going in this half." Noriko replied.
"Even so, I feel we're still missing something out there."
"We miss Nana. I think we would be able to sustain that pressure on Arsenal if she gets on the pitch." Noriko replied.
Just as in the first half, the early control from Manchester United was forcing Arsenal to stand on the back foot. The team from the Northwest of England edged their way closer to goal against the team from North London.
In the 56th minute:
Martin Tyler: Johansson... Williams... finds Saeki...
In a context of the ball being played in the middle of the field, United were pushing the action across the halfway line again. When the ball arrived to Yusuke, he quickly found himself battling against Araki.
"It's you and me this time." Araki said.
"Try me." Yusuke replied.
Instead of trying to move forward, Yusuke cut 90 degrees to the right in an attempt to find a way past Araki via the center circle. The former Enoshima High School midfielder went after Yusuke, but grabbed his shirt while doing so. The referee immediately signalled the foul.
Martin Tyler: Fouled by Araki. It's a free kick.
After the free kick was given, United and Arsenal players started moving their way higher up the Arsenal half. Almost everyone in the stadium expected the play to be slowed down for a few seconds, but Francisco had a different idea when he put the ball down before he took the quick free kick.
Martin Tyler: Played quickly by Serrano...
Francisco attempted a quick ground pass ahead for a teammate, but the ball was intercepted by Ryoma. The Arsenal midfielder attempted to push a counterattack ahead before Yusuke stepped in front of him with a well-timed tackle. Ryoma was sent sprawling, but Yusuke stood tall with the ball at his feet.
Martin Tyler: Good challenge by Saeki on Oda...
Then Yusuke advanced a couple of yards before he passed the ball ahead to Kakeru, who dropped back in midfield momentarily.
Martin Tyler: Here's Aizawa...
Kakeru passed the ball ahead to Marius, who had to shield it from Sokratis at a distance outside the Arsenal penalty area. Despite the Greek defender's effort, the Dutch striker shielded the ball long enough before it was passed into Santiago's path. Suddenly the Chilean-Colombian winger rushed through the opening.
Martin Tyler: And Araya could be in here...
Santiago entered the penalty area in full speed, but he also had to deal with Kolašinac falling back to narrow down available options. Without thinking twice as the passing option was not viable, Santiago fired the shot towards the Arsenal goal. Unfortunately, the Arsenal goalkeeper stopped the shot.
Martin Tyler: Pushed out well by Leno!
The rebound went to Shkodran Mustafi, who then punted the ball towards the middle of the pitch and out of play. The Manchester United supporters behind the Arsenal goal could not believe the miss. Meanwhile on the touchlines, Nana could only throw her hands on head in disbelief as she witnessed the events.
'That's not good. If we keep on wasting our chances like that, Arsenal will grow more confident. That's the last thing we need.' Nana thought.
Then Nana carried on with her warm-up routine that she started a few minutes ago under the manager's orders. However, her apprehension was justified as Arsenal eventually found their groove a few minutes later. The Gunners were beginning to apply their trademark possession game to greater effect as they moved the action closer to the Manchester United goal.
In the 61st minute:
Martin Tyler: Arsenal looking to make something out of their possession game. Maitland-Niles...
In a moment when Arsenal took control of the ball, the Gunners passed the ball inside the Manchester United half as they looked to create an opening. After a few passes, the ball came to Araki. Then the former Enoshima High School playmaker passed the ball to Bellerín on the right side, close to the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: Araki... now Bellerín with some width here...
After Bellerín received the ball, the Spaniard made a short side pass to Patrick on the left. Then the Cameroonian striker completed the give and go by passing the ball into Bellerín's path. The Spaniard cut his run inside the Manchester United penalty area by sneaking behind Jeremy.
Martin Tyler: Jenpa... back to Bellerín...
Attacking from the side, the Spaniard tried to pull a pass towards the front of the Manchester United goal. However, Yusuke managed to kick the ball away before it would reach Aubameyang, but it was at the expense of a corner kick.
Martin Tyler: Cleared by Saeki, who did to Aubameyang what Shkodran Mustafi did to stop Kakeru Aizawa earlier.
"Well done, Fury." Matthias congratulated.
"Thanks. That was close." Yusuke replied.
The Arsenal fans sitting behind the Manchester United goal in this second half made a lot of noise as they expected something good to come out of the corner kick as soon as the referee would blow his whistle.
PEEP!
Araki kicked the ball towards the no man's land in front of United's own 6-yard-box. At that position, Patrick managed to outjump Erik before redirecting the ball towards the goal.
Martin Tyler: Taken by Araki...
The header went beyond Jan's reach, but Kakeru, who stood guard at the far post, instinctively punted the ball in a reflex move to deny the goal. Ryoma was also attacking towards that same post, but the ball went of his chest and then out of play for a goal kick, much to the disbelief of the Arsenal fans in the stadium.
Martin Tyler: Ohhh! Well, it looked as though it was going to go in for Jenpa. But then Aizawa blocked the shot off the line, and then the follow-up went off Oda and out of play. And Manchester United escaped by a hair's breath.
"Phew!" Kakeru exclaimed in relief.
"Well blocked, Knight!" Jan congratulated his teammate.
"Thank you, Knight!" Erik added.
"They don't come any closer than that." Kakeru replied.
"Come on, lads! Stay awake! It was too easy for them. Play hard!" Matthias reminded his teammates of the job to do.
Not relenting one bit, Arsenal took control of the match. United could barely cope with the Gunners' approach at that moment. Andrew Butler was preparing his substitutes with hopes of bringing on fresh legs into the game, but his team had to hold on some time before those substitutes would be fully warmed up and ready to go.
In the 64th minute:
Martin Tyler: Xhaka... Oda... to Jenpa. Good build-up by Arsenal...
From the middle of the pitch, Ryoma kicked a long ground pass ahead to Patrick, who then flicked sideways to Araki. Then Araki advanced a few yards ahead before he attempted a through pass into the path of Patrick. Unfortunately for Patrick though, Jeremy kicked the ball back towards the middle of the field before the ball was recovered by Kolašinac, who then passed the ball ahead to Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Martin Tyler: Williams got to it before Jenpa does. Xhaka...
From Maitland-Niles to Xhaka, the ball arrived just outside of the Manchester United penalty area. With Manchester United players gathering in numbers, Xhaka chose to pass the ball to Maitland-Niles, who then lured 2 United defenders for a split second before the ball was passed back to Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder stood on the edge of the penalty area with Francisco standing in front of him. Nevertheless, Xhaka made a side pass towards Araki.
Martin Tyler: Xhaka... to Araki...
Sensing that Araki could be dangerous, Yusuke stepped forward to stand in the way. However, Araki took an audacious and surprising bet by shooting the ball between Yusuke's legs. The shot found a way towards the goal.
Martin Tyler: Shot's on!
But at the very last split second, Jan stretched his hand just enough to deflect Araki's low shot wide and at the expense of another Arsenal corner kick.
Martin Tyler: It would have been a very good goal by Araki if it wasn't for Jan Farkas doing just enough to tip it wide.
Knowing there was no time to dwell on the missed opportunity, Araki ran towards the corner flag so he would take the kick. While Arsenal supporters were expectant, United supporters were getting very nervous.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Araki takes the corner...
Araki whipped the ball towards the mass of players in front of the 6-yard box, but it went off someone before it rolled in front of the "D" outside of the penalty area. Ryoma recovered the loose ball before he chipped the ball above everyone and towards the goal himself.
Martin Tyler: Oda...
The chip even surprised Jan, who desperately tried to reach the ball backwards. The Slovakian goalkeeper fell backwards and could only hope. But then the ball struck the top of the crossbar.
Martin Tyler: Great chip... He hits the bar!
The ball bounced up and then down towards an area where Sokratis was waiting. Without any hesitation, the Greek defender headed the ball towards almost an open goal. But Jan, who managed to get up quickly, managed to throw his hand in the way to deflect the shot out of play once more!
Martin Tyler: Sokratis, OHHH!!! Farkas denies Arsenal again! It would have been 2-1 to Arsenal but for a remarkable save by the Slovakian goalkeeper!
Arsenal fans and players alike could only put their hands on their heads, unable to believe what just happened. On the other hand, a few Manchester United players were complaining at the linesman as to why an offside was not called although Sokratis was in a legitimate position.
"COME ON! WAKE UP!" Jan shouted, unhappy at his Manchester United teammates' lack of concentration.
On the following corner kick, the ball was caught with both hands by Jan. The Slovakian smothered the ball on the ground to give his team a few seconds to breathe while breaking Arsenal's rhythm a little.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Wow! We have been rubbish in the last 5 minutes or so. Arsenal just missed back-to-back glorious opportunities to go ahead. Jan Farkas just made the best save of the season. We need something to change soon because we're second best now." Noriko narrated to her fancam.
"I'm looking at 2 players who look out of pace right now: Araya and Serrano. No disrespect to them, but I think it's better they come off." Sarah said.
"I think Santiago Araya will come off first. Nana started warming up a little later than Anthony Laurent, so I expect the first change to be Laurent on for Araya." Noriko replied.
"I just hope Butler won't keep Nana out for too long."
"I know, Sarah. That would be needless pressure for her if she comes on after they score." Noriko finished.
Shortly after that last back-to-back chances, United made a first substitution by replacing Santiago with Anthony. As a result, Kakeru was shifted to the right wing to avoid direct open confrontation against Ryoma, who marshalled the center-right side of the Arsenal midfield. In response, Arsenal changed their formation from a 3-4-1-2 into a 4-3-3 when Ainsley Maitland-Niles was replaced by Alexandre Lacazette while Héctor Bellerín dropped back into a traditional right-back's position. The Gunners sensed that a go-ahead goal was within their reach.
In the 68th minute:
Martin Tyler: Manchester United with numbers at the back, but Arsenal are being quite patient here.
In a phase of ball control by Arsenal inside the Manchester United half, the Arsenal players passed the ball around in a long succession of passes that did not quite find a cutting edge. Then the ball came to Ryoma, who looked for options.
'Come on, come on.' Ryoma thought before he spotted a teammate to pass towards. 'There you go.'
Spotting Alexandre Lacazette on a run forward, Ryoma fired a quick through pass destined to reach the path of the French forward somewhere inside the Manchester United penalty area.
Martin Tyler: It's a threatening ball. Farkas goes off his line...
With the through ball entering the Manchester United penalty area, Jan rushed off his line and towards the ball to stop the imminent threat. However, Lacazette managed to poke the ball a little further just a split second before Jan could reach it. With collision being unavoidable, Jan's arms swept Lacazette's legs away. The poke on the ball was not a shot on goal, but the desired outcome was bad news for Manchester United as the referee pointed towards the penalty spot without any hesitation. Thousands of Arsenal fans behind the goal cheered in unison at the decision.
Martin Tyler: And Martin Atkinson points to the penalty against Jan Farkas!
"No! No! Come on!" Jan pleaded to no avail with the referee.
"What for? No way!" Matthias added to the protests.
Referee Martin Atkinson didn't say a word as he flashed the yellow card against Jan for the foul on Lacazette.
Martin Tyler: The yellow card for Farkas.
Despite a few protests, everyone associated with Manchester United knew that it was a stonewall penalty decision. It was one of those decisions where a penalty is inevitably given when the goalkeeper can't make it to the ball in time.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Penalty given to Arsenal in the 68th minute. What was Farkas thinking? What was he thinking?" Noriko narrated for her vlog.
"Lacazette knew that the challenge was coming. It was too inviting to not take it." Sarah said.
"When the arms are out there, the forward will not jump over. That was inviting trouble." Noriko finished.
All players except Araki and Jan stepped outside of the penalty area before Martin Atkinson gave his final instructions to the 2 opponents in their gladiatorial standoff. Although supporters on both sides were nervous, the Arsenal supporters felt somewhat confident. All that Manchester United supporters could do was to boo at Araki from far behind him.
Martin Tyler: Arsenal have an history with penalties against Manchester United in the FA Cup. They missed the opportunity to win the 1999 semi-final replay in stoppage time, but then they won the 2005 final on penalties. The man who scored the winning penalty against Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season has a chance to put Arsenal ahead in the FA Cup final for the first time.
'Will he go right? Will he go left? I have to wait until the very, very last moment; that's what Witch told me. I can stop this.' Jan thought.
After Martin Atkinson stepped back a couple of yards outside of the 6-yard box and almost to the side of it. Judging that everything looked correct, the referee blew his whistle.
PEEP!
Martin Tyler: Araki against Farkas...
Using the same technique that worked against Wolves just 6 days ago, Araki turned his left ankle to switch his shooting foot's position from the inside to the outside. Araki grazed the ball with the outside of his left foot, leading up to a Koro-Koro PK that rolled on the ground and took advantage of the imperfections on the pitch. However, Jan perfectly timed his dive at the very last moment before he caught and smothered the ball on the ground.
Martin Tyler: AND FARKAS SAVES!!! ARAKI DENIED BY THE BIG SLOVAK IN GOAL!! IT'S STILL 1-1!!
"No way! I don't believe it." Araki said out loud, looking in disbelief.
Meanwhile, the Manchester United players all rushed to congratulate their goalkeeper under the explosion of cheers from the 44,000+ Manchester United supporters at the other end of the stadium.
"Great save, Wolf! Great save!" Matthias exclaimed.
"You did it, Wolf!" Yusuke added.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Kakeru added.
"Thank Witch too, lads. She told me what to expect against him." Jan replied.
"Let's go at them, lads!" Nikolaj rallied his teammates to get back in the game.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"YEEAAH!!! COME ON!!!" Noriko shouted.
"WHAT A SAVE!!!" Sarah added as Noriko was filming both women's live reactions to the penalty on camera.
"Have some of that, Arsenal! I wasn't sure if Farkas could stop it, but he did."
"It looks like he perfectly waited and waited until the very last moment before he jumped the right way."
"I wouldn't be surprised If Nana gave Farkas a tip or two about stopping Araki's penalties. Can't wait to see her coming on soon." Noriko finished.
With the score still locked at 1-1 after the saved penalty, Manchester United supporters were starting to grow more confident as Nana's entrance was imminent. However, an incident was about to reignite the antagonism that showed its first signs around the last few minutes of the first half.
In the 71st minute:
Martin Tyler: Cleared out of play. Arsenal still on the front foot though.
With a throw-in very deep inside the Manchester United half, Arsenal were still looking to edge their way towards Jan's goal. This time though, it was Araki who took it. The thrown pass from Araki to Aubameyang soon came back towards Araki in a give-and-go. Then Araki skipped his way past 2 Manchester United players in an attempt to enter the Manchester United penalty area from the side.
Martin Tyler: Araki... Saeki's there...
Unfortunately for Araki, Yusuke stood firm with a standing tackle that took the ball away on top of making the former Enoshima High School playmaker tumble to the ground. Then the loose ball was recovered by Joel before it was passed back to Yusuke. Araki tried to come back at Yusuke with a tackle, but the latter managed to make a short pass to Erik.
Martin Tyler: Muamba... back to Saeki... Johansson...
Instead of risking anything too ambitious, Erik chose safety first by passing the ball to Jan.
Martin Tyler: Safety first with Farkas...
Ball at his feet, Jan passed to Jeremy on the left side. Then the rookie left-back passed the ball ahead of him to Nikolaj, who began the counterattack with a mad dash.
Martin Tyler: Williams finds Kristiansen...
On the way forward, Nikolaj moved past Héctor Bellerín at the halfway line. However, the Spanish right-back gave chase behind the Danish midfielder. Then Nikolaj's stray right arm accidentally hit Bellerín to the face, prompting a fall from the Spaniard and a collision dragging both players to the ground.
Martin Tyler: Who gets past Bellerín...
Bellerín stayed down, but the referee looked impassively as Nikolaj got up on his feet to continue the run. But on the following second, Ryoma stepped in with a shoulder charge between Nikolaj and the ball. Nikolaj went down but not without taking Ryoma down in the fall as well.
Martin Tyler: Oda steps in. Everyone goes down...
PEEP!
The vast majority expected a free kick against Ryoma, but a free kick was awarded to Arsenal instead because the referee deemed that Nikolaj had a high foot making contact against Ryoma when the Dane fell.
Martin Tyler: Free kick to Arsenal.
Obviously, Nikolaj was not going to stay silent about that last challenge from Ryoma.
"OK, tough guy. Want to play tough?" Nikolaj angry asked.
"The hell? Try me then." Ryoma replied.
Both players stood mere inches from each other, but referee Martin Atkinson quickly stepped in to calm things down.
"Hey! Hey! None of that here. Step back, both of you." Atkinson said.
"We're not done, you and I." Nikolaj shot at Ryoma.
"Yeah, yeah." Ryoma quipped.
"Hey, piss off already." Araki stepped in to push Nikolaj away.
"Hands off from me, you former fatty!" Nikolaj angrily swatted Araki's hands away.
That angry reaction from the Dane drew a crowd of players and even more angry shouts.
"Keep cool, Nicky." Yusuke said as he pulled Nikolaj away.
"Tell that to your fellow countrymen on the other side."
"I know, Nicky. I know." Yusuke tried to calm things down.
"We can't afford to fall into their trap now." Kakeru said to Nikolaj before he gave an icy glare towards both Araki and Ryoma.
Meanwhile in the stands, Martin Atkinson's decision to do nothing but to give a free kick for Arsenal raise the ire among the majority of the 44,000+ Manchester United supporters in the stands.
"Are you kidding? That should be a ****ing card against Oda!" Noriko voiced her discontent.
"He never went for the ball, that should be a card." Sarah replied.
"Yeah. How did the ref see as just a foul against Kristiansen? It's beyond me. That's piss-taking at best."
Then all eyes turned towards the Manchester United bench as Nana was waiting to come on.
"Nana is coming on now." Sarah said.
"It's about time." Noriko replied.
The 4th official displayed the number 21 in red while the number 19 was shown in green before the public address announcer confirmed the substitution.
Kris Temple: Substitution for Manchester United... Leaving the field: number 21, Francisco Serrano... Replaced by number 19, Nana Mishima.
"Good game, Frankie." Nana said.
"Thanks. Go and get them, Bruja Escarlata (Scarlet Witch)." Francisco replied as he gave Nana the double high-five.
"I will."
Nana received a wall of cheers from the Manchester United supporters when she came on, but the Arsenal supporters replied with very loud boos as well.
"COME ON, NANA!!!" Sarah shouted.
"NANA'S ON FIRE! YOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIED! NANA'S ON FIRE! YOUR DEFENCE IS TERRIFIED!" Noriko chanted out loud.
Martin Tyler: Well, this could be an interesting moment in the FA Cup final. Nana Mishima is coming on at the time when the final is getting really heated between the 2 sides.
When Nana came on, she made sure that Ryoma's gaze and hers would meet. The challenge was issued through their gazes.
'If it comes down to you and me, I'm ready for it, Oda.' Nana thought.
'You will suffer, Mishima. I will show everyone in Japan that they were all wrong to bin me.' Ryoma thought.
Meanwhile, Kakeru was watching at the nonverbal interaction between Nana and Ryoma.
'The game is now well and truly on. Let's beat those guys.' Kakeru thought.
With Nana joining the action at last, all main actors were present to write the next chapter of the final in the midst of an already volatile context. Nevertheless, the real splendor of the FA Cup resides in the feeling that anything can happen for as long as the final whistle is not blown yet in any match of the competition, including the final. Anyone can become a hero or a villain in an instant, but FA Cup glory often has to be achieved through a great deal of sacrifices and sometimes a touch of magic. Expect the unexpected!
The End of a Marathon :Previous «Home Page» Next: Sacrifices and Magic
Category:The Road to the Promised Land
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