The Road to the Promised Land: Chapter 39

Into the Blue Lion's Den :Previous «Home Page» Next: Demolition Derby
== Fierce Battle in El Bernabéu ==
For the recovery period that Nana had to endure from her shoulder injury, Kakeru and his other teammates had to work harder in order to compensate as Manchester United took on 3 different fronts. Nevertheless, they were ready to deliver the goods while dealing with an injury to a key player.
First, the Red Devils defeated Tottenham Hotspur by a score of 2-1 in a fiercely contested FA Cup semi-final at Wembley (April 6). Then United provided a display of strong defensive resilience while also edging Real Madrid at Old Trafford by 1-0 in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals just 4 days later (April 10). In each of the 2 matches, Kakeru scored the game-winning goal, pushing his extraordinary tally for the season to 35 thus far. But then Kakeru was kept on the bench as a substitute as his teammates delivered a comfortable and professional 2-0 win at Old Trafford against Huddersfield Town (April 13); the Japanese forward was being spared for the upcoming match in Madrid.
Tuesday April 16
Trafford General Hospital, Manchester, UK
5:40 PM BST
On that evening, Noriko was finishing off a shift that lasted a little longer than the usual 8 hours per day prescribed as working hours for medical students and junior doctors in the UK. Nevertheless, she was still energetic as there was a big match coming in a couple of hours' time.
"Good evening, Miss Lewis." Gerard, the security guard at the front desk of the hospital, said.
"Thanks, Gerard." Noriko replied. "Finishing your shift soon?"
"Yes. Then I will be joining my mates at their gaff (their house), and we will be watching the match on the telly."
"That's great. I will be at Red Square with a friend."
"Oh, that should be mint. Enjoy the evening." Gerard said.
"See you tomorrow, Gerard." Noriko replied.
Then Noriko walked outside of the hospital before she made a call on her smartphone.
"Hey, Sarah!" Noriko greeted.
"Hello, Noriko!"
"Have you finished your shift?" Noriko asked.
"I finished a while ago. I'm just outside of Harry Ramsden's – the one right to the East of Old Trafford." Sarah replied.
"That's great. We should have time to grab a bite before we walk straight to Red Square after that."
"I'll grab a table for you there, Noriko."
"I should be there in around 20 minutes if there's no traffic jam." Noriko said.
"See you then." Sarah replied before she ended the phone call.
Then Noriko made her way to her vehicle before she took on her drive towards the east, until she arrived at the place known as one of the best restaurants serving fish and chips in Manchester. Inside the place, Sarah was already waiting at her table.
"Hey, there." Sarah greeted.
"There was a little bit of traffic on my way here." Noriko replied.
"It's fine. I told the waitress to wait up with the order until you arrive."
"Thanks. I already knew what I will order anyway."
"So do you think Nana will make the squad tonight? I know that she traveled with the team, but they always have more than just 18 players with them." Sarah said.
"Nana texted me around half of an hour ago. She should be in the squad if nothing else happens." Noriko replied.
"Great. I just hope we will knock Real Madrid out tonight for a change."
"My grandfather remembers all about the semi-final in 1968. He also told me that he's been waiting for this ever since, so I also hope for him to see United beating Real this time." Noriko said.
"Same thing my own granddad said to me. So knock on wood." Sarah replied.
Although United had the slight advantage over Real Madrid C.F. after the 1-0 win in first leg, nothing was taken for granted at all. Because Real Madrid were having a disappointing domestic season by their very high standards, the Champions League was their only chance to win one trophy while United had a shot at 3 trophies. Regardless, the Red Devils had to deal with the weight of history as they had not knocked Real Madrid out of any European competition since 1968. Furthermore, Real Madrid still had a very experienced team with many of their players having won 3 European Cups in a row (2016, 2017, 2018), including some who won 4 European Cups in 5 campaigns (including 2014).
United had the daunting task of not falling beyond a 1-goal deficit in order to reach the semi-finals, but playing against Los Blancos (The Whites) in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was already daunting in itself. Just for the sake of arriving at the stadium, any bus carrying the visiting team had to be escorted by police in the middle of very crowded streets where people were waving flags, singing loudly, and even popping torches and smoke bombs. So to speak, the Red Devils were in hell at that moment.
Real Madrid vs. Manchester United (UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, 2nd leg)
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain
8:45 PM Madrid time (7:45 PM BST)
In the Manchester United dressing room, the players were undergoing their final bit of mental preparation before the match. As it was often the case before a big match, the dressing room was very silent. However, the more vocal players also chose to avoid speaking too much, surprisingly.
"I don't like this." Kakeru whispered to Yusuke.
"What?" Yusuke asked with a low voice.
"This kind of silence. Everyone's looking tense... too tense."
"It's Real Madrid though. I am a little nervous myself." Yusuke said.
"Once the whistle goes, Real's history and reputation… all of that must go out of the window." Kakeru replied.
Then Andrew Butler entered the dressing room to deliver his last words of advice ahead of the match.
"The Boss is here!" Matthias said.
"All right, people. I know what some of you must be thinking right now about playing in this stadium, in this city. Nothing will be easy, but it is still another game when the whistle is blown. Expect them to work hard to get the crowd on their side early on, but we already know how to stop them. High pressure against their midfielders and defenders. Move the block and keep it compact. If it's loud, we dig in. Make sure to communicate with one another. We play our style, we run past them, and we get into their faces. OK, take us into the next round. Let's go!" Andrew said.
"Come on, y'all! Let's go!" Matthias rallied his teammates, who gave the applause to the speech.
"Let's get this done." Kakeru said to Yusuke.
"Another day at the office." Yusuke replied before he switched into his thoughts. 'I hope so.'
Then both teams made their way outside of their respective dressing rooms and then down the stairway that is used as the players' tunnel to walk onto the pitch. One particularly intimidating feature of that tunnel is that both teams are always separated by a fence until both teams walk up one last set of stairs to get onto the pitch.
Meanwhile, the packed Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was already resonating to the sound of "Titans" by Vangelis. And just as the epic song ended, the speakers started playing what has been the official Real Madrid anthem since they won their 10th European Cup back in 2014: "Hala Madrid... y Nada Más (Forward, Madrid... and Nothing More)." The vast majority in the crowd followed in the sing-along as well.
HISTORIA QUE TÚ HICISTE (THE HISTORY YOU'VE MADE)HISTORIA POR HACER (THE HISTORY YET TO BE MADE)PORQUE NADIE RESISTE (BECAUSE NO ONE CAN RESIST)TUS GANAS DE VENCER (YOUR WILLINGNESS TO WIN)
YA SALEN LAS ESTRELLAS (THE STARS ARE NOW COMING OUT)MI VIEJO CHAMARTÍN (MY OLD CHAMARTÍN)DE LEJOS Y DE CERCA (FROM FAR AWAY AND FROM NEARBY)NOS TRAES HASTA AQUÍ (YOU GATHER US ALL HERE)
LLEVO TU CAMISETA (I WEAR YOUR SHIRT)PEGADA AL CORAZÓN (RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEART)LOS DÍAS QUE TÚ JUEGAS (THE DAYS YOU PLAY)SON TODO LO QUE SOY (ARE EVERYTHING I AM)
YA CORRE LA SAETA (THE ARROW IS RUNNING)YA ATACA MI MADRID (MY MADRID IS ATTACKING)SOY LUCHA, SOY BELLEZA (I AM STRUGGLE, I AM BEAUTY)EL GRITO QUE APRENDÍ (THE CRY I LEARNED)
MADRID, MADRID, MADRID¡HALA MADRID!Y NADA MÁSY NADA MÁS¡HALA MADRID!
Then the crowd took a pause to applaud and cheer while the instrumental part of the song carried on for a while until the last part of the lyrics came up.
HISTORIA QUE TÚ HICISTEHISTORIA POR HACERPORQUE NADIE RESISTETUS GANAS DE VENCER
YA SALEN LAS ESTRELLASMI VIEJO CHAMARTÍNDE LEJOS Y DE CERCANOS TRAES HASTA AQUÍ
MADRID, MADRID, MADRID¡HALA MADRID!Y NADA MÁSY NADA MÁS¡HALA MADRID!
At the end of the anthem, the crowd responded with even more cheers. Only seconds later, the UEFA Champions League entrance music resonated in the stadium just as both teams walked out of the tunnel. When both were lined up on the pitch, it was the Champions League Anthem that was played. At one end of the stadium, a surfer flag with the words "Hasta el final, ¡Vamos Real! (Until the end, let's go Real!)" was displayed. At the other end of the stadium, a giant card stunt covered the entire stand from top to bottom with a well-disciplined display of white and royal purple cards that was shaped into the letters "M.C.F." just like on the Real Madrid crest. Although 5,000 Manchester United supporters were already confined into the fourth tier of the northeast corner of the stadium, there was also a considerable number of United supporters who got their hands on almost an entire section in the lower tier of seats next to one of the corner flags.
Your commentator is Clive Tyldesley.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, Real Madrid are not mathematically done in the domestic title race yet, but they do feel that their only practical chance for silverware is through their love affair with the European Cup. The manager has preferred Sergio Reguilón to the vastly more experienced Marcelo at left-back because he wants to give his attackers all the freedom to attack without worrying about defensive gaps on that left flank. Gareth Bale gets a rare start these days; he and Vinícius Jr. will flank Karim Benzema, who is having quite a better season so far than in the last couple of years.
On television, the starting lineup looked like this for Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper), Dani Carvajal (right-back), Sergio Ramos (centre-back and captain), Raphaël Varane (centre-back), Sergio Reguilón (left-back), Luka Modrić (central midfielder), Casemiro (central midfielder), Toni Kroos (central midfielder), Gareth Bale (right forward), Karim Benzema (striker), and Vinícius Jr. (left forward).
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United have made 4 changes to the side that defeated Huddersfield on the weekend in the Premier League. Joel Muamba and Erik Johansson will resume their positions on the right half of the back 4. Kakeru Aizawa and Santiago Araya return on the flanks; they will support Marius van Leeuwen. On the bench, Nana Mishima is deemed fit after missing the last 3 matches because of an injured shoulder.
For Manchester United, this was their starting XI: Jan Farkas (goalkeeper), Joel Muamba (right-back), Erik Johansson (centre-back), Matthias Köhler (centre-back and captain), Andrew Shaw (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). But as Clive Tyldesley mentioned earlier, Nana recovered from her shoulder injury well enough to be in the squad against Real Madrid even though she didn't play in the previous 3 matches.
After the coin toss, United were awarded the right to kick the match off. The visitors wore red shirts, black shorts, and black socks. On the other hand, the Real Madrid field players were wearing their legendary all-white kits. As both teams stood on the ready in their respective ends of the pitch, they waited for the referee to blow his whistle by the time the clock reaches 9:00 PM Madrid time.
PEEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Real Madrid must score at least 2 goals to go through. But if United win, draw, or lose by one goal while scoring at least one away goal, they will progress. You may well feel that goals will be scored tonight though.
Even though United had early possession of the ball, the team in white moved men forward to put the early pressure on. Despite all warnings, the Mancunians were about to find out that their opponents are more dangerous than they were 6 nights ago.
In the 4th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Real Madrid are piling up the pressure here. Carvajal… Bale...
Inside the Manchester United half, the Real Madrid players passed the ball towards the right wing. Despite Kakeru's pressure, Carvajal passed the ball forward to Bale on the lateral edge of the Manchester United penalty area. Shawzy tried to close down on the Welshman in white quickly, but Bale made a side pass towards Modrić, who first appeared to be running away from the front of the penalty area as Nikolaj ran after him.
Clive Tyldesley: Now Modrić...
"You're not going through." Nikolaj said.
"We'll see." Modrić replied.
Then the Croatian midfielder spotted Vinícius Jr. running between 2 Manchester United defenders before unleashing a reverse through pass into the Brazilian's path.
Clive Tyldesley: Through for Vinícius...
Facing Jan in a 1v1 situation, the Brazilian forward struck the shot. The Slovakian goalkeeper came up big with a kick save, but the rebound was rolling towards Gareth Bale. Fortunately for United though, Yusuke came in with a sliding tackle to clear the ball away from any immediate danger.
Clive Tyldesley: Good save! Back to Bale! Terrific challenge by Saeki on the follow-up! It is a corner.
"Well done, Fury." Jan said.
"Thanks. Good save too, Wolf." Yusuke replied with a double high five to his teammate.
Then both teams moved into their assigned positions while Toni Kroos was ready to take the corner kick for Real Madrid. As the referee was satisfied with the setup, he blew his whistle.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Toni Kroos with the corner...
Kroos whipped the ball with a curve that set the ball to fly away from the 6-yard box at the far post. However, it was by design as Sergio Ramos managed to jump well above Joel to strike a powerful headed shot that left no chance to neither him nor Jan. In a flash, the crowd roared "GÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓÓL!!!" in unison to cheer a goal for the home side.
Clive Tyldesley: IT'S A HEADER FROM SERGIO RAMOS!!! And Real Madrid have erased the Manchester United lead from the first leg within 5 minutes! It's 1-0 on the night! 1-1 on aggregate!
As it is now the tradition at the Bernabéu, every single Real Madrid goal was followed by the chorus of their anthem being played through the speakers.
MADRID, MADRID, MADRID¡HALA MADRID!Y NADA MÁSY NADA MÁS¡HALA MADRID!
Then the goal was announced by public address announcer Arturo Sisó.
Arturo Sisó: ¡GÓL DEL REAL MADRID! GÓL DE SERGIO... (REAL MADRID'S GOAL! GOAL BY SERGIO…)
Real Madrid supporters: RAMOS!!!
Arturo Sisó: GÓL DE SERGIO...
Real Madrid supporters: RAMOS!!!
Arturo Sisó: GÓL DE SERGIOOO...
Real Madrid supporters: RAMOOOS!!!
On the other end of the spectrum of emotions, the Manchester United players were disgusted. However, their leaders rallied their teammates pretty quickly.
"Pick it up, people! Keep focus!" Matthias rallied.
"We still need one goal." Nikolaj added. "It's just like starting at 0-0."
"Let's get back at them!" Yusuke added.
'We have to score now. One goal is all it takes to shift pressure back on them.' Kakeru thought.
Meanwhile on the bench, Nana was looking t her teammates. She hoped for her teammates to remain strong, but she had a few doubts.
'Mmm… We can still get through if we stay calm, but we really look nervous out there. I hope Skipper and the other leaders will keep everyone on the same page because we'll have to be stronger than ever.' Nana thought.
After the 1-0 goal, the Red Devils looked to slow the pace of the game down in order to weather the white storm. However, Los Blancos were hungry for more as the momentum was definitely on their side. Real Madrid launched several attacks that saw shots going off-target in the following minutes, but one would eventually find its way on goal.
In the 11th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen trying to break out... good challenge by Carvajal to recover the ball. Now Ramos… Modrić...
Nikolaj tried to break out of his own half, but a bad first touch on the ball allowed Dani Carvajal to tackle the ball back towards a teammate in white. After a few passes, the ball arrived into the feet of Luka Modrić. The Croatian midfielder looked for players to pass to, but then chose to kick the ball ahead to Benzema.
Clive Tyldesley: Benzema...
Showing his back to the Manchester United as he stood on the edge of the penalty area, the French striker shielded the ball while Erik did everything he could to try kicking the ball away.
"Benz! Benz!" Gareth Bale shouted for a pass.
Without any hesitation, Benzema made a short side pass into the path of Gareth Bale. The Welshman immediately unleashed the shot with his dangerous left foot upon receiving the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: Into GARETH BALE!!
Bale's shot had plenty of pace in itself. Fortunately for the Mancunians though, Jan managed to parry the ball away before Shawzy chose to punt the ball out of bounds.
Clive Tyldesley: Terrific save by Farkas! Shaw clears it away. Oh, Real Madrid was so close to taking the lead on aggregate.
"Sharpen up, lads! Come on!" Jan shouted.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester:
"Bloody hell! Wake up, lads!" Noriko shouted out loud.
The mood among the Manchester United supporters was one of nervous anxiety. They were asking themselves when heir team would start firing back at the white wave when the team from the Spanish capital had clearly been dominating the action since the start of the match.
"We are getting nowhere at all. We will lose at this rate." Sarah replied to Noriko.
"I agree. The players know they only need to score one goal to tilt the tie in our favour, but everything looks so sloppy for us."
"The players look nervous, and that's not good against a team like Real Madrid." Sarah said.
"We need to stick to our game. That's about it." Noriko replied. "Otherwise, we're in trouble."
Unfortunately for United, nothing appeared to change one bit. Real Madrid were mixing between possession game and counterattacks to respond against anything that the Red Devils had to offer. Furthermore, the specter of another Real Madrid goal was casting its shadow upon the match as such would mean bigger problems for United.
In the 19th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Put out of play. Throw in to Real Madrid.
With the ball gone out of play at the limit of United's own defensive third of the pitch, Carvajal moved up to take the throw-in. The Spanish right-back passed the ball forward to Bale, who was quickly closed down by Shawzy. As a result, the Welshman was forced to pass back towards Modrić. Then Nikolaj tried to come in with the challenge to strip the Croatian off the ball, but Modrić took a slight poke on the ball before he went down.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Modrić… He has got a free kick.
"Hey, what is going on?" Matthias asked the referee.
"That's not a foul. He went down himself." Nikolaj protested to the referee.
"That was a late tackle. Not by much, but still a late one." the referee replied.
"Oh, come on!" Nikolaj exclaimed in disbelief, but to no avail.
The distance between the point of infringement and the Manchester goal was 36 yards or so. Real Madrid didn't have anyone capable of shooting direct free kicks from that distance, but it was also a dangerous situation with players like Kroos and Modrić, both capable of sending good balls into dangerous areas. Ahead of that free kick, both teams formed a line around 5 yards away from the Manchester United penalty area.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Toni Kroos...
Just as Kroos was about to take the free kick, the German midfielder saw his teammate Benzema making a run off the shoulder of the last Manchester United defender at the very end of the line of players. As a result, the pass was made into Benzema's path.
Clive Tyldesley: Clever ball to Benzema. No flag…
As Benzema entered the Manchester United penalty area from an angle, Yusuke was rushing to try blocking any potential shooting angle. However, the French striker made a short pass onto his left towards Gareth Bale. Kakeru rushed as quickly as he could to deny the shot, but the quick Welshman beat the Japanese to the ball before the former easily tapped the ball past Jan. And suddenly, Real Madrid got themselves a 2-0 lead.
Clive Tyldesley: In across for BAAALE!!! GARETH BALE HAS DOUBLED REAL MADRID'S LEAD! Manchester United, twice in the opening 20 minutes, have been undone by set pieces, and Real Madrid now lead 2-1 on aggregate.
"Great goal! Huge!" Luka Modrić congratulated his Welsh teammate.
"YEEES!! ¡Vamos!" Bale exclaimed.
"¡Vamos! (Come on!)" Sergio Ramos shouted in the middle of the huddle.
"Los agarras por les pelotas (We have them by the balls)." Kroos said.
Arturo Sisó: ¡GÓL DEL REAL MADRID! GÓL DE GARETH... (REAL MADRID'S GOAL! GOAL BY GARETH…)
Real Madrid supporters: BALE!!!
Arturo Sisó: GÓL DE GARETH...
Real Madrid supporters: BALE!!!
Arturo Sisó: GÓL DE GAREEETH...
Real Madrid supporters: BAAALE!!!
While the vast majority inside the Santiago Bernabéu celebrated the goal that gave Real Madrid the advantage on aggregate score, the Manchester United players were left shell-shocked as everything they did to gain the upper hand against their opponents in the first leg had been erased in a matter of less than 20 minutes.
"Damn it!" Kakeru cursed. "I should have known he would pass it to Bale."
"We got it all wrong on that free kick. They knew we would be expecting a long ball, so they went with something different. After that, it was so fast." Yusuke replied.
Meanwhile, Jan was slapping against the post of his goal in utter disgust. At that moment, Matthias as the only one trying to rally his teammates.
"We can still get back in! Let's go! We score the next goal!" Matthias shouted.
Kakeru and Yusuke walked back to their positions, but the mood was heavy in the Manchester United camp. Even on the bench, it was increasingly difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel.
'They really exploited every single opening we gave to them. That is how difficult it is to beat such an experienced team with so many winners with them. We have to score the next goal or, else, we will be in a really deep hole.' Nana thought.
With Real Madrid up by 2 goals on the night, it meant that the match would end within 90 minutes and stoppage time of play at the most. Manchester United had no choice but to attack and score in order to tilt the quarterfinal back in their favour on the away goals rule. However, Real Madrid only had to set themselves up to play on the counterattack, especially with counterattacks being a major strength for Los Blancos.
In the 23rd minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United with their first corner of the game. Kristiansen will take.
PEEP!
Nikolaj whipped the ball into the Real Madrid penalty area, but it was cleared by Sergio Ramos. Then Joel retrieved the ball before he passed it towards Yusuke at some distance outside of the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki... he has Serrano next to him...
As Yusuke was holding his position as a defensive midfielder, he passed the ball to Francisco. The Spanish midfielder in red attempted to find a gap between the white shirts before he attempted a pass ahead for a teammate. However, Toni Kroos intercepted the pass. At that moment, Benzema and Bale were already positioned close to the halfway line, ready to lead a counterattack.
Clive Tyldesley: Intercepted by Kroos… Now Real Madrid can be dangerous...
Kroos played a long ball ahead for Benzema, who came up facing Shawzy. But instead of trying to break through, Benzema stopped the ball before flicking it into the path of the faster Gareth Bale. At that moment, it became a battle of pace between Bale and Matthias.
Clive Tyldesley: Benzema finding Bale. Gareth Bale takes on Köhler...
Despite Bale's efforts to try outrunning Matthias, the German captain in red maintained his position in front of the Welshman. Nevertheless, Bale shifted his run to get the ball onto his left foot before he unleashed a strike from outside the Manchester United penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Bale goes in alone! What a save by Farkas!
Jan managed to parry the ball away on a powerful strike by Bale. Then Joel kicked the rebound out of bounds after winning a footrace against Vinícius Jr. However, the immediate aftermath saw the Slovakian goalkeeper boiling in anger.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WAKE UP!! WAKE THE **** UP!!!" Jan shouted.
"He's right! We are too sloppy!" Matthias echoed the goalkeeper's sentiment.
Meanwhile Kakeru was looking in distance at the events unfolding. He clearly understood what Jan was thinking.
'This is no good. If we keep playing like that, we will be humiliated on top of going out. We need a goal.' Kakeru thought.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse:
"Bloody hell! What does it take to get started? Where is the urgency?" Noriko asked out loud.
"I can't remember the last time we have been that sloppy to start such a big match." Sarah said.
"Me neither. The thing is that all it takes is one goal for us to make a world of difference."
"Yeah. If we get one in, they would be forced to score again."
"Real Madrid are a great team, but they are still very much beatable. That is what the players need to get into their heads from now on." Noriko said.
"We need to put Real Madrid on their heels first." Sarah replied.
At that moment, Manchester United were still looking for a serious scoring chance against Thibaut Courtois' goal. They escaped going behind by 3 goals, but they were looking for a spark from somewhere in order to give themselves a chance to come right back into the game. It was time for the leaders to step up.
In the 27th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United on the attack now. Kristianen… now finds Aizawa...
Moving the action inside the Real Madrid half, the Red Devils moved in numbers. On the left flank, Kakeru received a pass from Nikolaj. The Japanese forward rushed with the ball until he arrived a few yards away from the Real Madrid penalty area with Dani Carvajal standing in front of him.
'I have to find a way past him. Is Shawzy running on the overlap? What to do?' Kakeru asked in his thoughts.
"Knight! Back!" Nikolaj called for a pass behind him, of which Kakeru promptly did.
Clive Tyldesley: Passing back to Kristiansen. Shaw is making a run...
Just as Nikolaj received the ball he made a through pass for Shawzy, who was running past Carvajal. Then Shawzy poked the ball to let it roll inside the Real Madrid penalty area; it was also a pass towards Kakeru, who made a run behind Casemiro.
Clive Tyldesley: Good pass to Aizawa...
Kakeru took a glance at goal for a split second, but then made side pass across the face of goal and straight into the path of Francisco. The goal appeared to be gaping for a very short moment.
Clive Tyldesley: It's SERRANO! Blocked by Reguilón!
Sergio Reguilón threw his body in the way to block the shot. However, the loose ball still bounced inside the penalty area before Santiago retrieved it. Thibaut Courtois ran to deny the Chilean-Colombian forward a shot on goal, but Santiago managed to get around the Belgian goalkeeper with a skillful move before taking the shot.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh... as far as ARAYA!! Blocked on the line by Sergio Ramos!
Unfortunately for Santiago, his shot was blocked and kicked away by Sergio Ramos in one motion. In the process, the ball flew out of play. Real Madrid were still up by 2 goals, much to the disbelief of all Manchester United players and supporters.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kakeru said out loud.
"Good try, Santi!" Marius cheered his teammate up.
"It's OK. We keep going at them." Nikolaj saluted the effort.
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench:
"I really thought we had it." Kevin said.
"I thought it too." Diogo added.
"I know. Still, that was much better than anything else we did so far tonight." Nana replied.
"Right. We didn't come that close to their goal until just now." Kevin said.
"We must keep on pushing. Their defenders did well there, but they are not the most difficult bunch to play against." Nana replied.
"Yeah. In any case, we need to score." Diogo said.
"Hopefully soon." Nana finished.
Despite having missed 2 good scoring opportunities on the same play, United felt that they could get something by attacking the Real Madrid defense. Little by little, the momentum started to shift in favor of the visitors from England. The Red Devils started firing more shots, some of them finding their way quite close to the Real Madrid goal. Only a few minutes later, United had another great chance to get on the scoreboard.
In the 30th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Casemiro... looking for Vinícius...
From around the halfway line, Casemiro launched a ground pass that was destined for Vinícius Jr. But because the pass was rolling a little further ahead of the Brazilian forward, it allowed Joel enough time to recover the ball with a well executed tackle that kept the ball in play.
Clive Tyldesley: Retrieved by Muamba. Now it's Serrano...
Joel passed the ball to Francisco, who promptly launched a long pass across for Nikolaj. Then the Danish midfielder rushed beyond the halfway line and forward with the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: Switching with Kristiansen. United pushing men forward...
Nikolaj continued his run until he reached the two-thirds of the length of the pitch and inside the Real Madrid half. Then the Dane passed the ball to Kakeru, who looked to shoot the ball. But when Kakeru took the shot, it was blocked by Sergio Ramos.
Clive Tyldesley: Shot by Aizawa, blocked by Sergio Ramos...
Nevertheless, the ball went off Sergio Ramos and then back to Kakeru. With a second chance, Kakeru passed the ball to his right for Marius. The Dutch striker appeared ready to shoot on his right foot from just inside the Real Madrid penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Comes back to Aizawa. Now Van Leeuwen...
Raphaël Varane made the first move by attempting to block the shot. However, Marius dragged the ball from his right foot to his left foot while he removed Varane from the equation. Finding the gap, Marius struck a shot that was curling towards the top corner to the goalkeeper's right.
Clive Tyldesley: And still... Ohhh! Stopped by Courtois!
The shot was parried away on a spectacular save by Thibaut Courtois. Then the rebound was cleared away and out of bounds by a Real Madrid defender. The Manchester United players had their hands on their heads in disbelief.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, big chance for Manchester United again. They came really close again to get the away goal.
"Nice try, Roman. Nice try." Kakeru cheered his teammate, Marius, up.
"You will get them. Let's keep on going." Yusuke shouted as well.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse.
"So close again!" Sarah exclaimed.
"We have gained the momentum. Real Madrid barely survived just now, but they will crack if we keep on going." Noriko replied.
"Yeah! It's looking good for us, but we need to grab that goal before they sucker punch us."
"I think it is just a matter of time now." Noriko finished.
The crowd inside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was getting increasingly anxious as United were edging their way closer to their primary objective at that time, which was to score the vital away goal. Real Madrid were still enduring the pressure coming from their opponents, but the question was: for how long could Los Blancos resist in those conditions?
In the 34th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Johansson... Köhler... passing a head for Saeki.
Starting the play just inside the Manchester United half, Yusuke took the ball forward and cross the halfway line. As Yusuke saw a number of his teammates forward, he launched a long pass forward. Unfortunately for Yusuke, the long pass appeared to be a bad decision... until the Real Madrid defenders had a little miscommunication.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, Varane and Sergio Ramos went for the same ball. Dani Carvajal couldn't clear.
As both Real Madrid central defenders jumped for the same ball, they almost collided against one another. Then the ball bounced off Dani Carvajal and back towards Nikolaj. The Dane was only 7 yards away from the Real Madrid penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: This is Kristiansen...
"Nicky! Nicky!" Kakeru shouted for a pass.
With an immediate response, Nikolaj made a through pass towards Kakeru. The Japanese forward entered the penalty area in full speed while avoiding the offside.
Clive Tyldesley: And now KAKERU AIZAWA...
Kakeru had to react quickly as both Sergio Ramos and Thibaut Courtois were closing down on him from opposite directions. The Belgian goalkeeper expected Kakeru to shoot, but the Japanese chose to kick the ball across the face of goal. In that open area, Marius rushed towards the loose ball to strike it into a wide open goal. And suddenly, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was reduced to silence bar for the few thousands of Manchester United supporters.
Clive Tyldesley: And MARIUS VAN LEEUWEN!!! Away goal for Manchester United! A goal that could be worth twice its weight in gold. If Kakeru Aizawa doesn't score, the Dutch marksman will do the job as well.
Marius ran towards the touchlines to celebrate his goal with the 3 substitutes who were warming up at the time. Nana was among those substitutes.
"COME ON!" Marius shouted.
"Huge goal, Roman! Huge!" Nana said.
"Well done!" Kakeru said as he joined the huddle.
Then the rest of the 10 Manchester United field players gathered to celebrate the goal.
"Well done, y'all, but stay sharp. Plenty of time left, so let's get the job done!" Matthias reminded his teammates of the task at hand.
Clive Tyldesley: It's 2-2 on aggregate. But because of the away goals rule, even a 2-1 Real Madrid win tonight would not be enough for them. As it stands, it's Manchester United who would get through to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse:
"GET IN!! COME ON!!!" Noriko shouted.
"Beautiful! Let's go!" Sarah exclaimed.
As usual in that place on matchday, drinks flew everywhere in the midst of the celebrations after the goal. But for the Manchester United supporters this time, there was a mix of joy and mild relief. Their team had just accomplished the first objective on the night, which was to score the vital away goal.
"Now we have a proper game in out hands!" Sarah said.
"Yeah. They now have to attack, but we can hit back at them on the counterattack if we defend well."
"If we can at least get at halftime with that scoreline, it would be great." Sarah said.
"Yep. Regroup, refocus, and go back at them." Noriko finished.
With the gap narrowed down to one goal on the night and the aggregate score now back in favor of United, the Red Devils became more confident against their Spanish opponents. For several minutes, both teams fought for every single blade of grass out there. The increasingly contest saw both teams cancelling out each other. It looked like that the score would remain as it is without further threat on either goal, but Real Madrid looked for one more effort before the break.
In the 44th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: This is Reguilón... Vinícius...
Moving the attack inside the Manchester United half, the ball was passed to Vinícius Jr. The Brazilian found himself just a dozen yards from the byline on the left flank, facing Joel right in front of him. Finding no way to run further, Vinícius Jr retreated a few yards with the ball before making a short side pass towards Toni Kroos.
Clive Tyldesley: Kroos...
The German midfielder in white was in position to either take a shot or make a pass. But right after he struck the ball, Yusuke deflected the ball out of play to concede a corner kick.
Clive Tyldesley: Real Madrid with a corner kick. Manchester United have had all kinds of trouble on set pieces tonight, and they will have to defend one again.
Players moved into their assigned positions while Toni Kroos stood over the ball, waiting for the referee's signal.
PEEP!
Kroos whipped the ball in a way that it would curl towards the area in front of the 6-yard box, in front of the near post. In that area, Raphaël Varane outjumped the nearest Manchester United player to fire a powerful header.
Clive Tyldesley: In towards VARANE! Hits the post and came out!
The rebound quickly bounced back towards Vinícius, who scuffed the shot before Kakeru easily kicked it out and down the pitch.
Clive Tyldesley: Vinícius had the shot. That was blocked by Aizawa.
The ball finally went out of bounds around the halfway line while the tens of thousands of Real Madrid supporters were still buzzing. There was a huge feeling of relief among the Manchester United players, coaches, and supporters.
Clive Tyldesley: That's an escape for Manchester United.
"Oof! That was close." Kakeru said.
"I know. We need to stay sharp; they are dangerous on set pieces." Nikolaj replied.
"Keep things simple, people!" Matthias shouted.
"OK, Skipper!" Yusuke replied.
Meanwhile on the touchlines, Nana saw everything.
'The marking was not tight enough. We should already know that they have dangerous players in the air like Bale, Benzema, Ramos, and Varane. The Boss won't be happy at halftime.' Nana thought.
After that scoring chance was wasted by a matter of inches, Real Madrid were pushed back by Manchester United. Then a few minutes later, the referee blew the halftime whistle to signal the end of the first half.
PEEP PEEEEEEEP!!
Clive Tyldesley: A story of 2 tales, really. Real Madrid took a quick early lead through Sergio Ramos inside 5 minutes. Then Real Madrid looked like running away when Gareth Bale doubled the lead on a clever joint effort on a free kick less than 20 minutes in. But Manchester United started to grow into the game with a few scoring chances of their own after 25 minutes, and then Marius van Leeuwen cut the deficit down to one goal only. There is still plenty of football to play, but Manchester United are currently in a position to make into the semi-finals as things stand. Real Madrid have to score at least once without conceding in order to go through. At halftime, it's Real Madrid 2-1 Manchester United.
Inside the Manchester United dressing room, the players remained mostly silent as they knew that they didn't play particularly well for a long period of time in the first time. Andrew Butler himself was particularly not happy with the way his players came out before they found themselves down by 2 goals. The English manager was not going to let that slip at all without some chewing up in his halftime speech.
"OK, everyone! We got the away goal. We picked up the pace against them after 25 minutes, but don't kid yourself here! Wolf made 3 great saves against Bale just to keep us alive here; he was left hung out to dry for too long before we got started. SO WAKE THE **** UP!!! START COMPETING!! This is ****ing bollocks! That's not who we are! I want to see commitment and smart plays right from the start. Do that, and we'll be fine. Let's go here!" Andrew said.
"Come on, everyone! Come on!" Yusuke launched the rally cry as the players gave a round of applause to cheer themselves up.
"Let's finish what we started against that lot!" Matthias added.
"Yeah, let's do this!" Kakeru said.
Then Nana walked up to Kakeru
"Hey, Kakeru. Just make sure they will have something to think about right from the restart." Nana said.
"I will. I hope to see you coming on soon." Kakeru replied.
"I will get out there. I have a feeling that I will get something out of this night by any means."
"I hope to see that." Kakeru finished.
After a rather timid effort in the first 25 minutes of the first half and a strong reprimand at halftime, the chastised Manchester United players came out motivated at the start of the second half. The Mancunians knew fully well that the next goal would put an exclamation mark on the result of this quarterfinal. As such, the Red Devils pushed forward to strike early.
In the 49th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United are on the attack. Kristiansen... now Aizawa...
Moving on the attack, the Red Devils approached the Real Madrid penalty are dangerously with numbers. Nikolaj made a short pass ahead for Kakeru, who made a little stepover feint as he entered the penalty area. Casemiro stood in front of Kakeru, expecting a turn preceding a right-footed shot. However, Kakeru fooled everybody by firing the shot with the left foot instead.
Clive Tyldesley: Driven at Courtois! It will come out for Araya!
Thibaut Courtois threw his punch to try clearing the ball away, but the rebound looped and dropped down just in front of the 6-yard box. Tussling with Sergio Reguilón for position, Santiago managed to take a slight swipe of the ball towards the goal. Raphaël Varane blocked the shot, but Marius picked up the rebound before he moved towards the byline.
Clive Tyldesley: It might for Van Leeuwen!
Marius was pushing towards the edge of the 6-yard box to Courtois' left. The shooting angle was narrowing quickly, but the Dutch striker in red saw a small opening at the near post. Marius fired the ball towards that gap, but Courtois managed to block the shot by the post and then out of play.
Clive Tyldesley: Courtois saves at the near post! It is a corner. But it was a great chance early in the second half. Manchester United have the wind in their sails, and Real Madrid look a little ragged.
"Nice shot, Knight!" Marius acknowledged Kakeru's effort on goal that created the chance.
"We keep going at them! That's good." Kakeru replied.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse:
"Goodness me!" Noriko lamented.
"We had that second goal within our grasp." Sarah said.
"I know. It would have been the perfect backbreaker against them if we scored that."
"So far, we are starting the second half well. I just hope we keep on pushing." Sarah said.
"For as long as we don't open ourselves up for their counterattacks, I'm fine with that." Noriko replied.
That last Manchester United attack was a strong statement of intent in early stages of the second half. Slightly surprised by the surge from the team in red, Real Madrid worked to try preventing further dangerous chances from reaching Thibaut Courtois' goal. However, United kept on pushing further attacks, even out of nothing.
In the 54th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Here comes Kristiansen. Now to Serrano...
United were maintaining the pressure inside the Real Madrid half again. Facing a few Real Madrid players, Nikolaj made the pass across to the right for Francisco. The Spanish midfielder in red was in some space, which led him to shoot the ball from distance.
Clive Tyldesley: Serrano with the shot! Blocked by Varane. Now Casemiro... passing forward for Modrić.
Francisco's shot was first blocked by Raphaël Varane before Casemiro retrieved the rebound to begin a counterattack. Then the Brazilian midfielder passed the ball into the path of his Croatian teammate. However, Yusuke quickly arrived with a sliding tackle that hooked the ball away from Modrić just before the halfway line. The Croatian midfielder fell down, which got Real Madrid supporters screaming for a foul.
Clive Tyldesley: Strong challenge by Saeki on Modrić. Referee says "play on".
As the referee made a favorable decision, Yusuke promptly got up with the ball at his feet before he started running forward with the ball to maintain the pressure. Yusuke looked a head for passing options.
"Fury! Fury!" Marius shouted.
Spotting Marius making a run behind Varane and between Carvajal and Sergio Ramos, Yusuke launched a through pass into the path of the Dutch striker. Then Marius found himself all alone against the Real Madrid goalkeeper.
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki moving far up the field... that's good pass through for Van Leeuwen! Good save!
Marius arrived just outside of the 6-yard box when he struck the left-footed shot, but the ball went off Sergio Ramos's sliding block in front of the shot. However, the loose ball flew up in the air and downwards, dangerously towards an area in front of the far post. Santiago and Reguilón both moved under the ball, but it was United's Chilean-Colombian winger who got first to the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: It could go in for Araya...
Santiago tried to head the ball towards the goal, but it was partially blocked by Reguilón's head. Then Francisco went for the volley with an open goal. However, the Spaniard in red attempted a very difficult strike instead of going for something simpler, which resulted in the ball going above the goal.
Clive Tyldesley: AND SERRANO!! He skies it above the goal! How did he miss that?
The Manchester United players, coaches,
"I can't believe that!" Kakeru exclaimed out loud from his position.
"You've got to be joking me!" Yusuke said for himself.
"We have to score on shots like that! Come on, guys!" Matthias said to his teammates.
Meanwhile on the touchlines, Nana saw everything as she was warming herself up.
"I don't believe this! Damn!" Nana cursed.
"We are shooting ourselves in the foot with misses like that." Liam said.
"I know, Big Mac. We better hope that will not bite us back later on." Nana replied.
"If we let them attack or counterattack us, we could get into serious trouble." Diogo said.
"I know. We have to hold on... at least until some of us get on the pitch." Nana replied.
However, Real Madrid started to feel some urgency as the clock approached the hour mark. As much as one goal would make a difference for either side, time was starting to become less of an ally to the home side. Having endured United's pressure for most of the time thus far in the second half, Los Blancos looked to take the action back inside the Manchester United half.
In the 59th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Carvajal... long ball across the width for Vinícius.
For a moment when Real Madrid were pinning their opponents inside the Manchester United half, Dani Carvajal made a long pass towards Vinícius Jr. The Brazilian forward received the ball only a few yards away from the side of the Manchester United penalty area, where Joel stood in front of him.
Clive Tyldesley: Muamba is standing in the way. Vinícius...
The Brazilian forward made a couple of dribbles to fool Joel, but the English right-back slowly backtracked to keep a reasonable distance with his opponent. Knowing that there was no way to beat Joel in an individual play, Vinícius chose to pas the ball across the width of the Manchester United penalty area. Toni Kroos appeared to be in a position to take the shot.
Clive Tyldesley: ...drops it for Kroos...
The German midfielder was about to shoot when Francisco appeared right in front to block any shot. However, Kroos let the ball roll instead of taking the shot. As a result, the ball rolled towards Luka Modrić on the edge of the penalty area. The Croatian was in a good position to shoot.
Clive Tyldesley: Comes in for Modrić...
Modrić promptly fired the ball upon receiving it. Yusuke threw a foot in the way of the shot, but the ball bounced towards the frame of the goal. Jan was nowhere able to stop the deflected shot, but the ball hit the post.
Clive Tyldesley: Deflected! That's off the post!
Then the rebound bounced momentarily in the 6-yard box before Matthias cleared it out of play, much to the relief of everyone associated with Manchester United.
Clive Tyldesley: Cleared away by Köhler. Real Madrid came so close of regaining a 2-goal lead.
"Oof, that was really close." Yusuke said out loud.
"You did well enough, Fury. Thanks." Matthias congratulated his teammates.
Then Yusuke moved his way forward, taking a glance at Luka Modrić.
"You were lucky." Modrić said.
"No. It takes the right instincts to get my foot where it was." Yusuke replied.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse:
"Too close for comfort, that." Noriko said.
"If it wasn't for Yusuke, I don't know what could have happened. Modrić has a good shot." Sarah replied.
"He does. That's why I don't want to know."
"I can't wait to see what changes Andrew Butler will make to see us get through the night." Sarah said.
"I hope to see Nana getting a run out against them." Noriko replied.
On the touchlines, Nana and Liam were about to finish their warm-up exercises. Andrew Butler was waiting for a few more minutes before he would send his 2 substitutes right into the action. But first, the Red Devils had to hang onto that slender gap on the scoreboard at the very least. On the other hand, Real Madrid kept on pushing hard to find that elusive third goal on the night.
In the 63rd minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Real Madrid are getting numbers forward now. Kroos… Vinícius... now back to Kroos...
The Real Madrid players rushed inside the Manchester United half. Toni Kroos passed the ball forward to Vinícius, who found himself facing Joel again. However, the Manchester United defenders and midfielders fell back in numbers to slow the Real Madrid attack down. With nowhere to go, the Brazilian forward passed the ball backwards to Kroos, who then made a short pass towards Modrić on the right. The Croatian was only a few yards in front from the Manchester United penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: ...rolls it towards Modrić...
Spotting a gap between Erik and Matthias, the Croatian midfielder chose to take the shot for himself this time. However, Yusuke threw his body in the shooting lane again.
Clive Tyldesley: Blocked by Saeki... and safe into the hands of Jan Farkas.
The ball looped high in the air and then went down straight into Jan's hands. Then the Slovakian goalkeeper threw the ball ahead for Nikolaj, who was going to initiate a counterattack.
Clive Tyldesley: Long throw to Kristiansen. Real Madrid could be exposed here. Now to Aizawa...
Nikolaj ran some distance with the ball before he passed the ball towards Kakeru, who quickly found himself deep inside the Real Madrid half. Dani Carvajal stood in the way between Kakeru and the penalty area. But instead of trying to cut on the inside, Kakeru burst forward in an attempt to run around Carvajal. In response, the Spanish right-back dragged Kakeru down with an arm.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Brought down by Carvajal. Free kick to Manchester United. And Dani Carvajal receives a yellow card.
The referee promptly showed Carvajal a yellow card for the foul. Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench, the substitutes were ready to come on. The 4th official first put the numbers 26 in red and 19 in green on his electronic board to indicate the first substitution.
Clive Tyldesley: Activity on the Manchester United bench. Looks like Santiago Araya will come off for Nana Mishima.
Although disappointed by the decision, Santiago quickly ran towards the touchlines in order to comply the manager's orders.
"Good game, Santi." Nana gave a double high five handshake to his teammate.
"OK. Good luck, Witch." Santi replied.
Just as Nana ran to her position inside the Real Madrid half, the 4th official put up 2 new numbers on the electronic board: 21 in red and 39 in green.
Clive Tyldesley: Francisco Serrano's night is over as well. He is replaced by Liam McGregor.
In the context of the substitutions, Liam was a direct replacement for Francisco. On the other hand, Nana was tasked to play as a traditional free roaming playmaker while Kakeru and Marius would play as a 2-man strike force. But first, Nana, Yusuke, and Nikolaj gathered around the point of infringement to discuss tactics for the upcoming free kick against which Real Madrid set a 2-man wall.
"What do you think?" Nikolaj asked.
"I will aim towards the far post from here. I want Yusuke with me to let them guess where the shot will come from." Nana replied.
"Going for the dummy run myself?" Yusuke asked.
"That will add to their confusion. Yeah, do it." Nana replied.
"OK. I will get in there and get people to overload the far post." Nikolaj said.
"Good to me too. Go!" Nana replied.
Then the Danish midfielder made his way towards the pack of players inside the Real Madrid penalty area. The home team didn't know what to expect; it could either be a left-footed cross from Yusuke towards the face of goal or a free kick that would curl towards the goal by Nana. Both Japanese midfielders in red waited the referee to give the signal to proceed.
PEEP!
Yusuke made the first run towards the ball, which made players on both sides moving slightly away from the 6-yard box.
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki... It's Mishima...
However, Yusuke ran next to the ball and out of Nana's way. In the next split second, Nana ran forward to whip a right-footed kick that easily went above the 2-man wall. The ball first looked destined to fly high and slight wide to the far post despite the velocity. However, a combination of a curl and a sudden dip changed the shot's trajectory to move towards the far top corner of the goal. By the time Thibaut Courtois realized the shot's final trajectory, he was unable to get a hand on the ball before the ball struck the inside of the top corner.
Clive Tyldesley: OOHHHHH!!! BRILLIANT GOAL!!! ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!!! It went above Courtois and into the top corner with pace! Manchester United have equalized 2-2 in the 64th minute of the night, and they have taken a 3-2 lead on aggregate!
In the immediate aftermath of the goal, Nana celebrated in front of a pocket of ecstatic Manchester United supporters who bought seats to cover an entire section next to a corner flag and outside of the regular away supporters' area.
"WELL DONE, NANA! HUGE GOAL!" Yusuke congratulated Nana.
"YOU DID IT, SEVEN!!" Kakeru added.
"YOSHA!!!" Nana exclaimed.
"F***ING HUGE GOAL, WITCH!" Matthias congratulated Nana.
"Attagirl! That's how to do it!" Nikolaj added.
The Manchester United players mugged Nana altogether. On the other end of the spectrum of emotions, the vast majority inside the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was left in stunned silence, bewildered by the quality of Nana's shot.
Clive Tyldesley: Nana Mishima's 12th goal of this campaign may be the most important one yet. Is this the goal that sends Manchester United into the semi-finals? They are starting to think it is.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse, it was wild euphoria for the second time on the night. The jubilant Manchester United supporters started to believe that the UEFA Champions League semi-finals were moving ever closer on the horizon.
"OH MY GOD!!! What a goal!" Noriko exclaimed.
"That was the beauty of all beauties in goals!" Sarah replied.
"I didn't think she would score from there. It was gutsy, but it paid off."
"I'm not even sure she meant this. Still, I will take them all."
"Same for me. Real Madrid will have no choice but to open the game now." Noriko said.
"We just have to hold on for next 30 minutes or so now." Sarah replied.
"For as long as it is a proactive defense with simple plays, we will get this one done." Noriko finished.
Real Madrid were in need to score twice before the end of the match in order to go through. Feeling that his team needed a shot in the arm, the Real Madrid head coach replaced Vinícius Jr. and Sergio Reguilón with Marco Asensio and the vice-captain Marcelo. The home side was hoping that Marcelo's attacking flair would provide the boost they desperately needed. But in response, Manchester United applied a very proactive defense by applying strong pressure on the ball carrier to thwart attacks, and thus forcing Real Madrid to turn the ball over.
With the clock running down inside the last 10 minutes of second half, Real Madrid were left with only option: to move more men forward and then throw everything at the Manchester United goal.
In the 81st minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Toni Kroos... now to Marcelo making one of those runs...
Inside the Manchester United half, Toni Kroos made a layoff pass for Marcelo. Despite Liam's efforts to follow his man, the veteran Brazilian left-back ran with the ball for almost a dozen yards before he passed the ball to Gareth Bale.
Clive Tyldesley: Bale... back to Marcelo...
Gareth Bale was left with a little bit of space away from his marker, but the Welshman chose to make a pass into Marcelo's run instead of attempting something himself. Then Erik stepped forward to try stopping the attack, but Marcelo made one of his trademark dribbles in full speed to run past the Swede.
Clive Tyldesley: ...skips past Johansson! He's in...
Entering the Manchester United penalty area, Marcelo found himself in front of Matthias. Jan had also advanced a few yards to try making himself bigger in front of any shooting attempt. Marcelo first struck the shot, which was blocked by Matthias. Nevertheless, Marcelo jumped and headed the rebound beyond both Matthias and Jan. The ball was slowly looping towards the abandoned Manchester United goal...
Clive Tyldesley: Marcelo with the header...
While everyone inside the stadium thought that the goal would be the outcome, Yusuke made a desperate dash towards the descending ball. Then Yusuke threw his body in mid-air before he threw a scissor kick to deny the goal, sending the ball very high in the air for a moment.
Clive Tyldesley: OHHH!! SAVED OFF THE LINE BY YUSUKE SAEKI!!!
The ball finally went downwards for Jan to easily smother it and then slow the play down, leaving all Real Madrid supporters in the stadium speechless. Meanwhile, Yusuke had landed into the back of the net himself. Some of the Manchester United players came to pick him up.
"Did I stop it?" Yusuke asked.
"Oh, you stopped them cold!" Matthias replied.
"Look at their faces, you beautiful bastard! They can't believe it." Erik added.
"Come on. Get up." Matthias said.
Matthias and Erik both pulled Yusuke back on his feet. A few other teammates rushed to congratulate Yusuke.
"You saved us, Fury! Well done!" Nikolaj said.
"Thank you! Thank you, Yusuke!" Nana gave a tap on Yusuke's shoulder.
In the distance, Kakeru looked at his long-time friend.
"Attaboy, Yusuke!" Kakeru shouted, to which Yusuke replied with a thumbs-up sign.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse:
"WOW! That was a matter of inches." Noriko said.
"That save off the line was even better than the one he did against Chelsea back in November." Sarah replied.
"It is. Seriously, Marcelo has always been a poison going forward."
"I'm really surprised that they started him on the bench tonight."
"Their manager probably wanted to protect the Brazilian kid before he was pulled off." Noriko said.
"How must we manage Marcelo then?" Sarah asked.
"Nana once told me that she would go and mark him on purpose if Marcelo begins to be dangerous against us. I guess she already told the manager about that idea." Noriko replied.
"Go figure if Butler has accepted the idea." Sarah said.
"Knowing how convincing Nana is when it comes to tactical discussions, I think he has." Noriko finished.
Despite Real Madrid's most recent attack, United stood firm in their defensive game. Instead of remaining forward as a playmaker, Nana consistently dropped deeper to support her fellow midfielders and to mark Marcelo. As a result, Real Madrid's new attacking scheme was blunted by the tactical adaptation from the team in red. In response, Real Madrid played its final card by replacing the defensive-minded Casemiro with a more attacking-minded Spanish midfielder: Isco.
Time continued to wind down towards what was increasingly becoming the inevitable outcome with Real Madrid supporters growing more frustrated by the minute. However, a moment of controversy was about to reopen the contest in the most unexpected way.
In the 85th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Marcelo... Kroos... back to Marcelo...
As Real Madrid took the action inside the Manchester United half Marcelo and Toni Kroos played the give-and-go with the former pushing forward. However, Nana continued to get herself in front of the Brazilian left-back.
"Vamos, ven (Come on, come on)." Nana challenged Marcelo.
Marcelo tried to dribble his way past Nana, but the Little Witch kept on following him very tightly and long enough before she poked the ball away from him.
Clive Tyldesley: Poked away by Mishima.
The ball rolled inside the Manchester United penalty area, where Matthias recovered it. Then the German captain in red passed the ball to Erik, who then made a short pass towards Yusuke.
Clive Tyldesley: Köhler... Johansson... to Saeki.
Standing a few yards in front of his own penalty area, Yusuke shifted the ball from his right foot to his left foot before he attempted a pass forward. But on the very same split second Yusuke made his pass, he was clipped from behind by Gareth Bale. Yusuke was spun around before he fell down on the grass.
"HEEEEYYY!!!" Yusuke screamed to get the referee's attention.
However, the referee did not call anything. Furthermore, Yusuke's pass was intercepted by Luka Modrić.
Clive Tyldesley: Was he caught there by Bale? It's Modrić...
Advancing a few yards with the ball, the Croatian midfielder made a through pass towards Karim Benzema. The French striker made a run behind Shawzy while Matthias was still inside his own penalty area. Hence Benzema was not offside.
Clive Tyldesley: And Benzema's in!
Benzema ran inside the penalty area although at a slightly oblique angle with the goal. Nevertheless, Benzema struck the shot low on Jan's right. The Slovakian goalkeeper couldn't reach the ball in time before it rolled into the bottom corner, and suddenly the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium roared again.
Clive Tyldesley: AND THIS TIME HE SCORES! Real Madrid have regained the lead with a little more than 5 minutes and stoppage time to play. They only need one more goal now! It's 3-2 on the night and 3-3 on aggregate. Karim Benzema has blown it open again, and Yusuke Saeki is fuming at the referee.
At the very same time that Real Madrid players took the ball towards the center circle for a quick restart, Yusuke promptly ran towards the referee to protest the previous non-call leading to the goal.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Yusuke went uncharacteristically crazy after the referee. "I got tripped by Bale! How the **** could you miss that?"
"You fell on your own. I saw no foul there." the referee replied.
"You can't be serious, man! You're either blind or a homer!" Yusuke added to his rant.
"Call stands as it is." the referee said.
"You're pathetic! You're a disgrace of a referee, the worst I have ever seen!"
"You're out of line, Saeki. Say something more, and you will get a card." the referee warned.
"You better wish that we win or you will never hear the end of it!" Yusuke replied.
Then several Manchester United players came to protest against the referee. Meanwhile, Yusuke was pulled away by Kakeru and Nana to prevent a needless punishment against their team.
"Calm down, Yusuke!" Nana said.
"We can't afford anything silly now." Kakeru added.
"We have been conned by that bastard. Did you see that?" Yusuke asked.
"Yeah, I saw everything. I'm pissed off just like you, but we can't afford to lose it." Kakeru replied.
"Real Madrid need one more goal to win. We will need everyone on deck. So focus." Nana added.
"I can't imagine how much cursing Noriko is shouting from where she is watching now." Yusuke said.
"I don't want to know what she ways either." Kakeru replied.
With Real Madrid clearly back in the picture, they continued pushing forward. With the tens of thousands Real Madrid supporters standing firmly behind their team and hoping for the turnaround to be complete, it didn't take long until the home side posed another threat on the Manchester United goal.
In the 89th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Varane to Isco... Asensio...
Starting the action from just inside the Real Madrid, Varane passed the ball across the line and towards Isco on the right. Then the Spanish midfielder passed the ball ahead for Marco Asensio in the corridor on the right wing. Matthias and Shawzy arrived to close down on the Spanish forward, but Asensio managed to advance a couple of yards before he crossed the ball into the Manchester United penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: That's a dangerous ball...
The cross was destined to reach Gareth Bale. However, Erik headed the ball away and towards the byline. But then the ball suddenly bounced off Isco before it arrived into Jan's hands.
Clive Tyldesley: Johansson headed the ball, but then it went for Isco. Farkas got his hands on it in the end.
Not wasting much time, Jan threw the ball forward to Nana with the intent of counterattacking Real Madrid. Then Nana made a short pass to Joel on her right. With Toni Kroos applying some pressure on him, Joel attempted a pass ahead for Marius. Unfortunately for Joel, the pass was easily intercepted by Sergio Ramos.
Clive Tyldesley: Muamba... played a little blind. It was dangerous.
Upon the interception, Sergio Ramos passed the ball ahead and on the left for Gareth Bale. A split second later, Bale made a layoff pass to Marcelo, who stood around 7 yards in front of the Manchester United penalty area. At the very same time, Sergio Ramos was making a run towards the penalty area. Seeing an opportunity to make a play, Marcelo passed the ball towards Sergio Ramos.
Clive Tyldesley: Marcelo... just behind Sergio Ramos...
The pass first appeared that it would go nowhere. However, Yusuke, unaware that the pass would be harmless, slid in to try blocking the pass. Then the partial block inadvertently became as pass towards Isco, who was entering the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: But there is a chance!
With no one marking him closely enough, Isco found himself one-on-one with Jan. The Slovakian goalkeeper rushed forward, but Isco managed to lob the ball above him. Then out of a sudden...
Clive Tyldesley: And Isco has hit the crossbar!
The ball struck the top of the crossbar and went out of play. The whole crowd at the Bernabéu was on their feet before the vast majority realized the outcome in disbelief. Meanwhile, Jan was shouting at his defenders, unhappy at the way Isco was left on his own in such a dangerous position.
"Keep focus, lads! Watch out for all of them!" Jan ordered.
"Sorry. I almost screwed us up there." Joel apologized.
"Let's play our game! Keep it simple!" Matthias replied.
Clive Tyldesley: Joel Muamba gave it away, and Manchester United never regrouped. Isco had the chance, lifted it above Farkas, who was rescued by the frame of his goal.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse, the crowd was buzzing.
"F*** me! Saved by the crossbar." Noriko said.
"What were we doing there?" Sarah asked.
"A comedy of errors almost gone wrong."
"We better tighten up at the back ASAP." Sarah said.
"Yeah, we better." Noriko replied.
After that narrow escape, Real Madrid applied as much pressure as they could against the Red Devils. The club from the Northwest of England were holding on that narrow advantage by away goals for dear life by tightening things up defensively. Towards the end, Real Madrid looked for one final roll of a dice inside the 4 minutes of injury time given.
In the 93rd minute – 3rd minute of injury time:
Clive Tyldesley: McGregor... a little too far for Mishima. Now it's Varane... finds Modrić.
Manchester United were controlling the action inside the Real Madrid half with several passes in succession. However, a bad pass from Liam was intercepted by Varane, who then passed the ball towards Luka Modrić. Nikolaj ran after the Croatian, who then poked the ball ahead before he was brought down just before the halfway line by a late tackle from the Danish midfielder.
PEEP!
"No! No! I didn't mean to take him down." Nikolaj pleaded to the referee, knowing full well the extent of what could come next.
"That was done deliberately to stop the attack. You're booked." the referee replied before he showed the yellow card.
Clive Tyldesley: It's a yellow card against Kristiansen. Because of the yellow card he took at Old Trafford against Real Madrid and now this, he will miss the first leg of the semi-final if Manchester United get there.
Nikolaj walked back in utter dejection. Because of accumulated yellow cards against him, United would not be able to rely upon their Danish midfielder for the next Champions League match.
"I'm sorry, guys. I did everything to stop him without getting a card." Nikolaj apologized to his teammates.
"It's OK, Nicky. We will get through. We will make our way deeper, and you will play again this season in this competition." Yusuke replied.
"Stay strong, Nicky. Let's defend this free kick." Matthias added.
Clive Tyldesley: Manchester United are so close to the semi-final.
Under the massive roar from the Real Madrid supporters in the stadium, both teams moved in numbers towards the edge of the Manchester United penalty area. Andrew Butler ordered the majority of his players, but for one, to defend. Meanwhile Toni Kroos remained on free kick duty in order to play what was basically a "Hail Mary" situation.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: One last throw of the Real Madrid dice...
Kroos kicked the long ball towards the edge of the Manchester United penalty area, where players on both sides jumped up. In the end, the ball was headed downwards and in the opposite direction by Yusuke. Then the loose ball came to the feet of Nana, who instinctively punted the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: United have cleared their lines...
Meanwhile, Kakeru started sprinting from just inside his own half and in the center circle. The Japanese forward stood as the most advanced player for his team, and Nana's instinctive punt became a long pass for her fiancé to run after.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa is breaking down the center. Kroos has got some covering to do...
Both Kroos and Kakeru ran after the loose ball on a long sprint, going shoulder to shoulder. But in the end, the Japanese forward in red outpaced the German midfielder in white.
Clive Tyldesley: ...and Aizawa can finish it here!
On the very split second that Kakeru entered the Real Madrid penalty area, Kroos tried to grab him by the shirt. Nevertheless, Kakeru kept his composure as he slotted the shot beyond Thibaut Courtois to end the contest once and for all.
Clive Tyldesley: IT'S MANCHESTER UNITED IN THE SEMI-FINALS! Kakeru Aizawa has made it 3-3 on the night! 4-3 on aggregate to United! Aizawa's 36th goal of this extraordinary campaign has put it beyond Real Madrid... whose season has fallen apart in the last couple of months.
In the immediate aftermath, Kakeru ran to celebrate in front of that pocket of Manchester United supporters next to a corner flag. Meanwhile, thousands of Real Madrid supporters started making their way through the bleachers and out in disgust. Within a few seconds, all of his teammates, including the goalkeeper and the substitutes, ran to celebrate with him.
"YATTAAA!!!" Kakeru shouted while waving his arms across to mean that it is over for Real Madrid.
"You did it, Kakeru! YOU DID IT!" Nana congratulated Kakeru first.
"Massive goal, Knight! They are finished!" Marius added.
"Woo hoo! Huge goal, Kakeru!" Yusuke added.
"They're finished! Great job, everyone!" Matthias added.
Meanwhile at Victoria Warehouse, the crowd erupted in a display of exuberant joy. Beers and drinks flew again in the air inside the room, and a couple of torches were popped up by Manchester United supporters to celebrate the victory being sealed at long, long last.
"We did it, Noriko! We did it!" Sarah hugged Noriko.
"It was really nervy, but, yeah, we did it!" Noriko replied.
Then the hundreds of supporters in the room started singing a variant of the classic "We Shall Not Be Moved" chant sung among various fanbases in club football.
WE SHALL NOT, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!WE SHALL NOT, WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!NOT BY AJAX, REAL, OR JUVENTUS,WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED!
"I'm really happy that Kakeru scored here. I don't want to imagine what it would have been if Real scored another goal at the very end after that controversial goal earlier." Sarah said.
"Yeah. But still, I always had faith that we would get the job done. When Nana kicked that ball forward to Kakeru, I knew that no one would catch him." Noriko replied.
"Spot on. Kroos is not a speed merchant; he was never going to beat Kakeru in a footrace for the same ball."
"And after that, talk about the composure in the shot. Vintage Kakeru."
"We will need everyone's contribution more than never against Bayern Munich, especially with Kristiansen out for the next match." Sarah said.
"I know. It sucks for him. We'll see about what we can do then." Noriko finished.
In the following restart, Real Madrid tried to launch a deep long ball towards the front of the Manchester United goal. But it was promptly intercepted and cleared by the Manchester United players. The ball was passed towards Nikolaj, who crossed the halfway line before he took a long shot from there.
PEEP PEEP PEEEEEEEEEP!!!
The shot was dipping towards the Real Madrid goal before Thibaut Courtois parried it out of play. Regardless, the last action was academic as the final whistle was already blown by the referee.
Clive Tyldesley: The final whistle! For the first time since 1968, Manchester United have knocked out Real Madrid. It was a breathless finish at the Bernabéu on a night that was not going right for United early on, but they kept on coming back with crucial away goals. For all of their experience and all their recent European triumphs, Real Madrid couldn't cope with the energy and the determination of this Manchester United team. There is still a long way to go before Paris, but it could be the start of something. Manchester United will have to wait for either Tottenham Hotspur or Bayern Munich to join them in the semi-final, but tonight is Manchester United's night.
Both teams went for handshakes as a mark of great respect between them. One very anticipated handshake involved Yusuke and Nana with Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić.
"Good job, Nana. You showed us that you are the real deal." Modrić said, shaking hands with Nana.
"Thanks, Luka. You're one of my favorite midfielders in the last decade, so it means a lot coming from you." Nana replied.
"We didn't think you would score that free kick. But when you did... I have to applaud that. Congratulations." Kroos said to Nana.
"Thanks, Toni. Good luck for the rest of the season, you two."
"All the best, Nana." Modrić said before he turned towards Yusuke. "Congratulations, Yusuke."
"Thanks, Luka. You were a tough opponent to handle." Yusuke shook hands with both Modrić and Kroos.
"You too. I can see why Cristiano [Ronaldo] had a tough time against you." Modrić said.
"You're a leader in your own way for your team out there. A hell of a good job, so keep going." Kroos added.
"Thanks, guys." Yusuke replied.
Meanwhile at a few yards nearby, Kakeru was about to shake hands with Gareth Bale first.
"Well done, Aizawa." Bale shook hands with Kakeru.
"Thanks. You played really well too; could have killed us many times." Kakeru replied.
"Great respect to you. Good luck for the rest of the season."
"Thanks, Gareth. You too." Kakeru said.
And just as Gareth Bale walked away, it was Sergio Ramos who was the next Real Madrid to greet Kakeru with the congratulations.
"Good game, Aizawa." Sergio Ramos said.
"Thanks, Sergio." Kakeru replied. "You were one hell of an opponent."
Then Nana joined in to translate from English to Spanish. Even though Sergio Ramos spoke a little bit of English, the Real Madrid captain often had to go through a translator to get on the same page with an English-speaking person.
"Dijo que eres un oponente duro." Nana translated.
"Ustedes se ganaron el respeto de todos (You guys earned everyone's respect)." Sergio Ramos said.
"He said that we earned their respect." Nana translated from Spanish to Japanese.
"Ve a ganar ese trofeo (Go win that trophy)." Sergio Ramos said.
"He said that he wishes us to go on and win the Champions League." Nana said.
"Thanks. Great respect to you." Kakeru replied.
"Gracias. Un gran respeto para ti." Nana translated.
"Good luck to you." Sergio Ramos finished.
Then Sergio Ramos shook hands with Kakeru and then Nana before they parted ways. Moments later, both teams walked their way towards their respective dressing rooms. In the Manchester United dressing room, the players were given a short congratulatory speech by Andrew Butler, who also reminded his players about tough tests to come.
Before they were preparing to leave the stadium, the Manchester United players were gathered together in front of a television screen to watch the only other Champions League match being played at that time. After being defeated 1-2 by Liverpool at Anfield, Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG) defeated their English opponents by a score of 2-1 after 90 minutes at the Parc des Princes in Paris. As a result, the aggregate score was perfectly tied with 3 goals, including one away goal, for each side. But after 30 minutes of extra time, the 2-1 score remained unchanged, and thus a penalty shootout was necessary to determine a winner.
"Already 2-2. A miss now would give a huge advantage to the other side." Kakeru said.
"Yeah. Those were very good penalties." Matthias replied.
Liverpool won the earlier coin toss to shoot first in the penalty the shootout. After 2 rounds on each side, it was 2-2 with successful kicks from James Milner (Liverpool), Ángel Di María (PSG), Divock Origi (Liverpool), and Kylian Mbappé (PSG). At the beginning of the 3rd round of the shootout, Georginio Wijnaldum stepped forward for Liverpool.
"Wijnaldum's next." Nana said.
"Think he will score?" Nikolaj asked.
"Gini has a very good record on penalties. He always looks good in penalty training with the Netherlands." Marius replied.
"Let's see how he does." Yusuke said.
On the whistle, Wijnaldum started his run with a little stutter before he rushed to strike the ball on his right foot. However, the ball went at the right height and the right position for the PSG goalkeeper to stop the shot.
"Wow!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"He missed!" Matthias said.
"Hmm... the shot was at a perfect height for the goalkeeper." Nana replied.
After that penalty miss, Juan Bernat gave the 3-2 lead in the shootout for PSG. Then Takumi Emishi and Mohamed Salah converted their kicks for Liverpool while Leandro Paredes responded for PSG. At 4-4, Leonardo Silva stepped forward as the 5th penalty taker for PSG. A goal would seal a win for PSG, but a miss would mean sudden death.
"Leonardo Silva." Kakeru said.
"He looks confident." Matthias said.
"I think he will score this." Nana replied.
"I also think he will." Marius added.
After the referee's whistle, the Brazilian superstar ran with speed before he struck the right-footed shot with both pace and power. The ball flew into the top corner of the goal to Alisson's right like an arrow. In a flash, the Parc des Princes erupted after Leonardo secured PSG's first appearance in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
"What a shot!" Kakeru exclaimed.
"Leonardo Silva made it look so easy." Matthias replied.
"PSG never went beyond the quarterfinals in the Champions League until now. Go figure what they can do." Nana said
"I think PSG will play against Barcelona in the semis." Nikolaj said.
"I say Barcelona to win that semi-final." Marius replied to Nikolaj.
"Yeah, Barcelona or me too." Yusuke added.
Several minutes later, Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke met in a corridor to talk about what was to come.
"What do you think?" Kakeru asked.
"About us in the Champions League?" Nana replied with a question.
"Yeah."
"Bayern Munich looks much more solid to me, but Tottenham would mean a much shorter trip." Nana said.
The 3 Japanese players chuckled.
"Seriously, I think our next opponent will be Bayern. They are good at the back." Yusuke said.
"Karl von Seckendorff and Toru Asuka... tough challenge. That's not even mentioning 3 out of Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, Thomas Müller, and especially Robert Lewandowski in front." Kakeru replied.
"Don't forget their midfielders. Plenty of depth there too." Nana added. "But before that, we have 3 Premier League matches to focus on first."
"Yeah, you're right." Kakeru replied to Nana.
"Crystal Palace, Burnley, and then [Manchester] City before the first leg of the semi-final." Yusuke added. "Some tough matches in there."
"Furthermore, we will have to manage our remaining energy with only a month and a half left to our season." Nana said. "That's the challenge now. We never got that far in so many competitions at the same time. So we have to be careful with injuries."
"One game at the time. Kuwabara kuwabara." Yusuke replied.
"Absolutely, but I also believe the City game will be key." Kakeru finished.
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