Chapter 54: Ici C'est Paris
Saturday June 1
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester United (UEFA Champions League final)
Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France
7:50 PM CEST (6:50 PM BST) – 70 minutes before kickoff
Around that time, players' partners and families had already arrived in the stadium so they could witness both teams warming up a little later. Unlike what people might think, players actually have to pay for the (very expensive) tickets for the Champions League final. However, each club made sure that the assigned seats would gather all players' loved ones and friends together among the fans of that club.
Wearing her lucky midnight blue shirt given by Yusuke, Noriko was the only one from among Kakeru's non-footballing, Manchester-based friends to make the trip to Paris since she is Yusuke's girlfriend. Hence Sarah and the rest of Noriko's family remained in Manchester to watch the final from the stands at Old Trafford, where big screens were set up for the occasion. The Aizawas, the Mishimas, and the Saekis were due to link up with Noriko pretty soon.
"So we've made it to the Stade de France. The journey down from Manchester to Paris on the train has been nice and all. I'm about to meet up with Kakeru, Nana, and Yusuke's respective families. We will speak mainly in Japanese, but I will add subtitles later on in the final montage. We will get the official team news in a few minutes, but my source says that Nana Mishima will start the final on the bench. Intriguing and slightly disappointing, but we will wait and see. Let's get inside the stadium now." Noriko narrated.
As Noriko recorded herself with the camera on the selfie stick for her vlog, she walked her way through the crowd to get her assigned ticket from the pick-up box office. Then she entered the main perimeter before she entered the stadium itself. In a matter of minutes, Noriko made her way to her seat as she met with the Japanese players' families at last.
"Konbanwa!" Noriko said.
"Konbanwa, Noriko-chan! It has been a few years." Eiko said.
"It has been a long time indeed. I see you brought Suguru-san's picture with you."
"Always." Eiko replied as she carried the same old framed picture of Suguru like she always does for a big match involving Kakeru.
"Care to tell us who she is?" Mamoru asked.
"This is the young woman who helped Kakeru and Nana to get settled in Manchester. She used to attend Kamakura Jogakuin High School as well." Eiko introduced Noriko to Mito and Mamoru.
"My name is Noriko Catherine Lewis. Nice to meet you all." Noriko greeted.
"Nice to meet you." Mamoru greeted back.
"I'm really happy to meet you in person at last, Noriko-san." Mito said, wearing a full replica of Kakeru's Manchester United shirt.
"I'm glad as well." Noriko replied.
"What are you doing with that?" Mito noticed Noriko's selfie stick and phone at the end of it.
"Oh, I'm recording a vlog. This is for a YouTube fan channel for Manchester United fans, and I'm known to them as Red Kate. Want to talk to the camera? I will keep it mostly for me or for the two of us since we are around the same age group."
"Sure! Bring it."
Then Noriko went ahead with the recording, making sure that she and Mito would be in the shot.
"So I'm here with Mito Aizawa, who is Kakeru's sister." Noriko said in English.
"Hi!" Mito said, waving to the camera.
"We're here at the Stade de France. How are the nerves with less than an hour before the final?" Noriko asked in Japanese.
"The closer it is to begin, the more nervous I get. I've seen plenty of big matches where Kake-nii was involved, but nothing like this. It's the biggest thing there is to win outside of the World Cup."
"We received the team news a few minutes earlier. Nana Mishima is starting on the bench, but Kakeru Aizawa and Yusuke Saeki will start. What do you make of that?"
"A little disappointed for Nana, but she may still have a considerable impact as a substitute. I've known her since childhood, and I know she will feed off that challenge and show everyone what she is made of. As for Kakeru, I'm really confident. He always finds a way to rise to the occasion. He will take this one home on tonight."
"I'm really pumped up now. COME ON, REDS! Thank you, Mito-chan." Noriko said.
"Thank you, Noriko-san." Mito replied before Noriko ended recording that segment.
Then Noriko went to have a quick talk with the Mishimas. The first noticeable thing was that Mrs. Mishima was confined in a wheelchair, which got Noriko wondering for a moment if Nana's mother would walk again.
"Hello, Noriko-chan." Mrs. Mishima greeted.
"Hello. You must be Nana's mother." Noriko replied.
"I am."
"I also study medicine, and I followed the news about the unfortunate events. How... how are you doing?"
"Oh, this wheelchair is necessary because I can't walk yet with my leg fractures. But I will walk again after some rehab, that's for sure. I know what you were thinking."
"That's great news. Nana... will start the match on the bench tonight."
"Oh, it's not the worst thing. I'm sure there's a good reason." Mrs. Mishima said.
"My daughter is probably saving her energy for a time in the game when she can hit hard at them while they get tired." M. Mishima added.
"Well, I hope she will be able to write history tonight in more ways than once." Noriko replied.
"I'm sure she will." Mrs. Mishima finished with a smile.
Then Noriko went to meet the Saekis directly.
"Nice to meet you." Noriko bowed to Yusuke's parents.
"Glad to meet you at last, Noriko-chan." M. Saeki replied.
"Yusuke-kun told us a lot about you." Mrs. Saeki added.
"He did? How much?"
"He told us about that he's never been this happy before you two began to become close. I don't think I've ever seen him this happy, especially when he has always been serious on the job. He never said a lot about his personal life before the last few months." Mrs. Mishima said.
"He changed my life in such a positive way since I met him. He's a very special person to me." Noriko replied.
"I have feeling there is more to that story."
"Indeed. He helped me to finally move on when a part of me was still mourning my late first love from a long time ago."
"Oh, I see. Then the bond is definitely really strong between Yusuke and you."
"And I promise that it will grow even stronger over time... Okā-san." Noriko said.
Mrs. Saeki liked the fact that Noriko already went to call her with the respectful honorific in this context.
'I really like this girl. I really do.' Mrs. Saeki thought.
Between 15 and 20 minutes prior to kickoff time, a pitch-size surfer flag was deployed to cover the pitch before the stage and other devices were brought on. Then the opening ceremony carried on with a live music performance accompanied by a choreography made by local dancers. As the live musical performance became mainstream in the UEFA Champions League final since 2016, many people argued that the opening ceremony is now too similar to the Super Bowl Halftime Show, where the invited artist(s) would rather steal the show than give the spotlight to local artists celebrating local culture.
After the live music performance approached ended, the technical crew came down to remove the stage and the other devices. Then giant-sized shirts were brought on to represent the 2 finalists on each side of the ball-shaped UEFA Champions League insignia, which covered the center circle. At long last, the first big moment of the night for football fans took place.
8:55 PM CEST (7:55 PM BST) – 5 minutes before kickoff
PA announcer: Ladies and gentlemen… Please welcome the UEFA ambassador, M. Luis Fernández, who will now accompany the famous UEFA Champions League trophy to the pitch.
Former PSG player (1978-1986) and manager (1994-1996 and 2000-2003) Luis Fernández, walked briefly onto the pitch with the European Cup to present it to the crowd. Then Fernández walked back to put the trophy on the pedestal located in front of the players' tunnel, setting off the next big moment in the following minute.
PA announcer: Ladies and gentlemen… Please welcome the finalists of the UEFA Champions League final... MANCHESTER UNITED F.C. AND PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN F.C!
"COME ON!" Noriko shouted.
The crowd welcomed both teams with a wall of cheers coming from far and wide in the stadium. At the Manchester United end of the stadium, the giant card stunt showed the scarf-like motif (a red background, interspersed by thin white and black bars) in the upper tiers. Just like at Old Trafford just before the second leg of the semi-final, the card stunt shown in the lower tier of the Manchester United end had the word "BELIEVE" in white on a red background. Meanwhile in the PSG end of the stadium, the card stunt revealed mainly the traditional color pattern of their shirts (red, blue, and white) while 2 large banners were also unveiled before the front rows of the 3rd and 2nd tiers with the respective messages: "DEMAIN L'EUROPE SERA ROUGE ET BLEUE" (Tomorrow Europe will be red and blue) and "ICI C'EST PARIS" (This is Paris).
At the very same moment that both teams walked onto the pitch, the UEFA Champions League Anthem was being played through all speakers. A female soprano singer stood on the pitch to sing supplementary lyrics in French to accompany the existing lyrics in the background.
(Ils sont les meilleurs)
Ce sont les meilleures équipes
(Sie sind die Besten)
Ce sont tous des grands champions
(These are the Champions)
Les champions! Les champions!
(Die Meister)
Ce sont les meilleures équipes
(Die Besten)
Elles sont toutes des grandes équipes
(Les Grandes Équipes)
(The Champions)
Ce sont les champions!
Then the crowd roared, fully pumped up ahead of kickoff time. Ceremonies and pre-match routines were put in the past. It was time to get serious in the biggest club match of all. And as it has been the case for the vast majority of the Champions League finals since 1998, the lead English-speaking commentator is Clive Tyldesley.
Clive Tyldesley: It has been the script of dreams so far. For one side, it is the opportunity to return at the top of European football once again after many tribulations along the way. For the other side, it's the opportunity of a lifetime to win the big prize both for the first time and in their own backyard as well. It's the champions of England against the champions of France.
The TV broadcast showed the starting XI for PSG as followed in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Mikiya Tono (goalkeeper), Thilo Kehrer (right-back), Thiago Silva (centre-back and captain), Presnel Kimpembe (centre-back), Juan Bernat (left-back), Marco Verratti (central midfielder), Marquinhos (central midfielder), Ángel Di María (right winger), Marco Antonio (left winger), and Kylian Mbappé (striker). The PSG field players wore their customary all-dark blue kit with the dark blue shirt holding a red stripe in the middle of the front side.
Clive Tyldesley: Paris Saint-Germain are putting their trust in Japanese goalkeeper Mikiya Tono, who has had the best form in this competition as well as in the late stages of Ligue 1. This is the same starting XI that defeated Barcelona at the Parc des Princes. Kylian Mbappé and Marco Antonio are expected to spearhead the attack with Leonardo Silva playing in the customary number 10 role. They are at full strength.
PSG won the coin toss before they chose the first option of kicking the match off. On the other hand, Manchester United chose to begin the match with their own fans behind the Manchester United goal.
Then the TV broadcast showcased the starting XI for Manchester United in a 4-3-3 formation: 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), Kakeru Aizawa (right forward), Marius van Leeuwen (striker), and Anthony Laurent (left forward). The Manchester United field players wore red shirts, white shorts, and white socks for the final.
Although each team had 12 substitutes available on the bench according to the new rules, all eyes were on Nana Mishima when substitutes were presented though.
Clive Tyldesley: There is one noticeable change in front of Jan Farkas from the starting lineup that faced Bayern Munich in the second leg of the semi-final. Kakeru Aizawa, who was fit enough to appear as a substitute in the second leg, is in at the expense of Santiago Araya to join Anthony Laurent and Marius van Leeuwen in attack. It is almost the same starting lineup as it was 25 days ago otherwise. The biggest talking point is about Francisco Serrano filling in for Nana Mishima, whose performance against Bayern Munich allowed United to be in the final. Andrew Butler might be hoping that she would have a better impact as a substitute just as she had in the second leg and in the FA Cup final.
Both teams went in their assigned positions, in their respective halves. The referee waited for the clock to reach the appropriate time to which the game is scheduled to kick off. And then at long, long last, hostilities were given the go to commence.
9:00 PM CEST (8:00 PM BST) – Kickoff time
PEEP!
Roars erupted from both sets of fans before they began their war of decibels through chanting inside the stadium.
Clive Tyldesley: PSG are kicking off the final in their second home, as some say. They are regarded as the favorites tonight, but Manchester United won't be bothered with being the underdogs.
As expected of a final with high stakes, both teams were not overcommitting too much in the first few minutes. Nevertheless, PSG had a majority of the ball possession so far. Galvanized by the fact that they played in their own backyard, PSG were the first team to launch a serious attack on either goal.
In the 8th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Verratti... long ball across to Kehrer...
Pinning United inside their own half, the PSG players passed the ball around to find a gap to exploit. After Marco Verratti reached Thilo Kehrer, the German right-back made a pass into Leonardo Silva's run.
Clive Tyldesley: Leonardo Silva...
As expected, Yusuke came up to confront Leonardo one-on-one.
"It's you and me again, Silva." Yusuke said.
"Suguru's kōhai. It's just like in the old days then." Leonardo replied.
Leonardo tried to shift his way right and then to the left, but Yusuke was not allowing him to move ahead by a single yard.
'He has definitely improved a lot since our high school days. He's far more patient and quicker than he used to be.' Leonardo thought.
"Leo!" Marco Verratti called for a pass behind.
Leonardo responded by making a drop pass towards Marco Verratti. Then the short and energetic Italian midfielder passed the ball towards French wonderkid Kylian Mbappé, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Matthias.
Clive Tyldesley: Verratti... feeding off Mbappé, flicking it towards Marco Antonio...
Instead of looking for the shot, Mbappé flicked the ball into Marco Antonio's run on the left. Then Marco Antonio, whipped a through ball across and towards the Argentine winger, Ángel Di María.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, he puts one through...
As the ball rolled towards the Argentine winger, Jan scrambled to move from right to left. Not waiting to settle the ball down, Di María immediately fired the shot with his weaker right foot as he received the pass.
Clive Tyldesley: DI MARÍA! TERRIFIC SAVE BY FARKAS!
Much to the dismay of thousands of PSG fans in the attendance and the many more in the French metropolis, Jan jumped in the direction as he stuck both hands up to block Di María's high shot. Then the rebound went up and down towards Yusuke, who whipped the ball out by the sidelines to give his team a moment to breathe.
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki clears it away. Ángel Di María had a golden opportunity to give PSG the lead, but Jan Farkas has come up with a brilliant save!
"Good save, Wolf." Matthias congratulated his goalkeeper with a fist bump.
"Thanks, but they will come at us again. Keep focus." Jan replied.
'That was close. We need to pick up the pace.' Kakeru thought.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"That was dangerous." Mito said.
"Yeah. The last thing we need is for that snake to score one against us of all days." Noriko replied.
"Who is the snake?"
"Ángel Di María, of course."
"I thought he used to play for Manchester United in Kakeru's second season at the club. Why do you call him a snake?"
"Because we paid big money to sign him, and yet he chose to run away like a coward after one bad season. At that time, 60 million pounds was a British transfer record for someone coming to England. He never clicked at all despite a good start in 2014. I know he pinned some problems on being victim of a burglary attempt at his house, but, hey, that was not the first time it happened to one of our players. After that, the piece of trash chose to not show up for pre-season in the summer of 2015. Apparently, he threw many tantrums to demand a transfer before he got sold to PSG. That little diva basically jumped ships instead of working hard and coming back stronger like we expect from any single Manchester United player." Noriko said.
"Ah, OK." Mito softly replied.
"I just can't stand him after the way he talked ill about Manchester and England. That fooking bellend... that moronic quitter can rot in hell for all I care." Noriko said.
Although Mito is quite a strong head among the Aizawa siblings, she was spooked by the level of anger in Noriko's tone of voice. The caricature that one could make of Noriko was one of her being surrounded by fire and miasma as she spoke about the Argentine player. Just merely a few seats nearby, Mrs. Saeki and Mrs. Mishima were watching the conversation between Noriko and Mito.
"Well, Yusuke didn't lie about how intense Noriko-chan is. I can feel that dark aura when she's angry." Mrs. Saeki said.
"Same for me, but it's not surprising since she used to be a club manager for a boys' soccer team in middle school just like Nana used to." Mrs. Mishima replyed.
"She was?"
"Yes. A girl needs quite the character to hold boys in check in that job."
"I guess." Mrs. Saeki finished.
Far from being discouraged by the missed opportunity, PSG continued to make good use of the momentum on their side while Manchester United were pushed back on their heels, trying to survive the storm. As it is often the case, the French club turned to its Brazilian talisman to lead the charge and to produce a moment of magic.
In the 14th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki... Serrano. His touch a little heavy...
In what was supposed to be a routine play, Francisco lost the ball as he was about to receive Yusuke's pass. As a result, Marco Verratti managed to stick a foot in the way to deflect the ball towards Marquinhos, who then flicked the ball back on the attack for Leonardo.
Clive Tyldesley: Leonardo Silva... PSG on the counterattack here...
Leonardo passed the ball forward to his younger brother, Marco Antonio. Rushing quickly with 3 players for PSG against 3 Manchester United defenders, the action moved quickly and deeper inside the Manchester United half. Spotting the gap between Erik and Matthias, Marco Antonio launched a through pass inside the penalty area and towards Kylian Mbappé.
Clive Tyldesley: Marco Antonio... Here's Mbappé...
Kylian Mbappé fired the left-footed shot immediately on his stride, but Jan managed partially save the shot as it went off the goalkeeper's left heel and then his trailing left arm. The ball was destined to roll out of bounds by the near post, but Mbappé attempted to send the ball back in front of the net for Di María. Unfortunately for PSG though, the attempted pass went off the diving goalkeeper and then out of play.
Clive Tyldesley: Farkas did enough, but Mbappé keeps it alive! It came off the goalkeeper almost unwittingly to go for a corner.
The PSG players were left momentarily stunned as they realized how close they were of opening the score, but they quickly moved into positions ahead of the upcoming corner kick. As players on both sides were getting set, Leonardo looked at the full picture from the corner flag on the goalkeeper's right.
'Kakeru is guarding the near post as expected. Kylian is there in front of the goalkeeper as a decoy, good. That unguarded far post to the goalkeeper's left is something to aim at. Let's do this.' Leonardo thought.
The Brazilian ace already made his mind as he put the ball down, waiting for the referee's whistle.
Clive Tyldesley: Leonardo Silva with the corner...
PEEP!
Leonardo whipped the right-footed corner kick with enough pace to fly beyond the near post, but the ball was confirmed dangerous as the trajectory both curled right-to-left and dipped towards the high portion of the unguarded far post. Jan attempted to reach the ball, but it went past him before it struck the inside of the post and into the back of the net. In a flash, the PSG supporters' half erupted at the other end of the Stade de France.
Clive Tyldesley: Going in at the far post and IN! A moment of magic PSG the lead in the Champions League final! It's a wonderful corner kick goal from Leonardo Silva, UNSTOPPABLE!
In the immediate aftermath of the goal, the familiar sound of Jack White's "Seven Nation Army" rang throughout the speakers and among all jubilant PSG supporters. All of the PSG players celebrated while the Manchester United players were still wondering what had just happened. For every goal and substitution for any of the 2 teams, the announcement was made by the regular public address announcer from that team. For PSG, that man is Michel Montana.
Michel Montana: BUUUUUUUUUUT POUR PARIIIIIIIIIIS! (GOOOOOOOOOOAL FOR PARIIIIIIIIIIS!)
"Pick yourselves up, lads! Never said we would win with a shutout." Matthias rallied his teammates.
"Let's get into this game. Come on!" Nikolaj added to the rally cry.
Michel Montana: Ouverture du score... pour le Paris Saint-Germain... par le Joyau du Brésil, le numéro dix (First goal of the match... for Paris Saint-Germain... by the Jewel of Brazil, number 10) ...LEONARDO!
PSG supporters: SILVA!
Michel Montana: LEONARDO!
PSG supporters: SILVA!
Michel Montana: LEONARDO!
PSG supporters: SILVA!
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Bloody hell!" Noriko lamented while she was recording her own reaction for her vlog. "In the 14th minute, Leonardo Silva opens up the score in the final with an Olympic goal. Who was supposed to guard the far post? That was shocking."
The Olympic goal, also known as the "Olimpico" among fans, is a goal scored directly off a corner kick without contact by another player. It takes the right amount of pace, swerve, dip, and surprise effect for the shot to succeed.
"I have seen some insane stuff from Silva back when he used to play in Japan, but that is something else." Mito said.
"Same for me. It doesn't take only talent; it also takes guts to pull of something like that in a big moment like this." Noriko replied.
"Still plenty of time left though, girls. Kakeru and his teammates know this better than anyone else." Eiko said.
"You're right. This final may just be getting started for real." Mito replied.
"We have at least 76 minutes to find our way through now." Noriko added.
Clive Tyldesley: And Manchester United, as they have done time and time again, will have to come back from behind again.
On the Manchester United bench:
"That was just crazy, Bruja (Witch)." Santiago said to Nana.
"We did one mistake. If I was on the pitch, I would have guarded the other goalpost as always." Nana replied.
"Who was supposed to be there?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We have to cover both posts next time we defend a corner, BUT we have to attack." Nana finished.
Conceding the first goal is never ideal, even less in a final. However, both teams knew there was still a long way before the final whistle. Not wanting to let PSG entrenching themselves into a more solid defensive position, the Red Devils from the Northwest of England moved to the attack in a search for an equalizer within the first few minutes following a goal – the moment when a team is often the most vulnerable after scoring.
In the 17th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Here's Kristiansen, looking for a gap... Now to Serrano...
Setting up a siege inside the PSG half, the Manchester United players were looking for a way to unlock the PSG defense. Francisco received the ball just as a number of PSG players stood in front of him.
"Frankie!" Kakeru called for a pass on the right.
Spotting Kakeru, Francisco made a short pass towards him. Then the Spanish midfielder in red made a run forward at the very same time that Kakeru feinted to complete a give-and-go with him. Juan Bernat, who was assigned to mark Kakeru, switched his attention towards Francisco for a split second; it was exactly what Kakeru wanted.
'He fell for it.' Kakeru thought.
Clive Tyldesley: Short pass for Aizawa...
Kakeru whipped a mid-height pass that went across and inside the PSG penalty area. The ball was close of being intercepted by Thiago Silva, but Marius managed to cut a way right in between the ball and the PSG captain. All of sudden, the Dutch striker in red found himself all alone in front of Mikiya.
Clive Tyldesley: Crossed in towards Van Leeuwen! He's got a chance...
Marius took a slight left-footed touch of the ball to put it down on the pitch just as Mikiya quickly rushed towards him. Without any hesitation, Marius blasted the shot with his second touch of the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: OWW! WHAT A TERRIFIC SAVE BY TONO!
Unfortunately for United though, Mikiya threw his big frame in front of the shot. It was enough for the ball to go off the PSG goalkeeper's right arm and then out of play. The thousands of PSG supporters stood up to applaud their goalkeeper while Marius stood and watched the outcome in disbelief.
Clive Tyldesley: Marius Van Leeuwen, so dangerous in front of goal, found himself unmarked by the PSG defence on a brilliant cross from Kakeru Aizawa. Mikiya Tono came flying out to deny the Dutchman but at the expense of a corner.
Both teams moved into positions for the corner kick while Nikolaj was standing ready to take the corner kick under the boos and whistles from PSG supporters in the vicinity.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen...
Nikolaj whipped the ball towards the main pack of players, but Thiago Silva got his head first to clear the ball away from the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Cleared by away Thiago Silva...
Nevertheless, Jeremy managed to retrieve the ball and then pass it back towards Nikolaj on his team's left flank. The attacking pressure from Manchester United was still active upon PSG.
Clive Tyldesley: Williams recovers. It goes back to Kristiansen...
Facing Kehrer, the Danish midfielder in red attempted to dribble his way past the Germanright-back. Nevertheless, Kehrer stood his ground to deny any opening ahead. Meanwhile, Nikolaj spotted Kakeru initiating a run parallel to the long edge of the PSG penalty area.
"Knight!" Nikolaj warned.
Then the ball went from Nikolaj to Kakeru.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa...
Running at full speed with the ball, Kakeru looked for the right time to see a gap. And when Kakeru saw the gap, the Japanese forward took a hard and low drive that went towards the bottom corner to the left, to Mikiya's right. However, Mikiya dived at full stretch with the full extent of both of his arms to parry the shot away.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, it's a good shot! Tono keeps it out again! It came from Kakeru Aizawa this time. WOW! He saved it.
After Mikiya parried the shot, the ball was recovered by Thilo Kehrer on a beginning of a counterattack for PSG. However, the counterattack was swiftly cut short when Nikolaj tackled the ball out of bounds by the sidelines.
'That shot was definitely going in that low bottom corner. How did Tono still manage to touch that?' Kakeru thought.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"You've gotta be joking! That's 2 big saves in succession by Tono in the 17th minute." Noriko said to her camera.
"So close. That was so close." Mito said.
"Even Kakeru's own sister can't believe it. She is going through the spectrum of emotions." Noriko said to the camera before Mito mimicked the gesture of wiping a sweat drop off her own head.
"Should be 1-1." Mito said in English to the camera.
"Good effort, Kakeru!" Eiko shouted from her seat.
"Keep on going, son!" Mamoru added.
"UNITED! UNITED! UNITED!" thousands Manchester United supporters started shouting almost immediately afterwards.
Despite the disappointment of being denied twice in quick succession by Mikiya, the Red Devils continued to apply a lot of pressure on the Parisian goal. This time, PSG were in a position where they had to survive a storm without actually knowing that a different kind of storm was brewing on the horizon.
In the 23rd minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Serrano... gets his way past Marco Antonio.
In a phase of action in midfield, Francisco muscled his way past Marco Antonio while having to deal Juan Bernat in front of him. Nevertheless, the Spanish midfielder in red threaded a through pass ahead. Kakeru, who spun around Presnel Kimpembe, ran forward with the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa gets away from Kimpembe. Looking for support...
While on the run towards the byline, Kakeru took a quick glance on his left only to find out that none of his teammates was in a position to create any danger.
'Not good. I have to drag this to the byline and try a cross at the last second.' Kakeru thought.
Then Kakeru cut a diagonal run to enter the penalty area from the side. Just as Kakeru was looking for someone to pass to, PSG captain Thiago Silva quickly came closing down on him.
"Não no meu turno (Not on my watch)." Thiago Silva said.
Kakeru pushed the ball slightly ahead for himself, but Thiago Silva managed to stand perfectly between between Kakeru and any other Manchester United player acting as an immediate threat for a possible cutback pass. And by the time that Kakeru realized that he had no space to cut a pass in a dangerous area, the ball rolled too far ahead of him and out of play.
Clive Tyldesley: The ball rolls out for a goal kick.
Disappointed with his own effort, Kakeru retreated towards the middle third of the pitch. However, Mikiya chose to play a quick goal kick by passing the ball short to Juan Bernat instead of punting it as far up the pitch as possible. The Spanish left-back advanced some distance with the ball before attempting a forward pass that was intended for Leonardo Silva.
"I will have that." Yusuke said.
"What?" Leonardo asked in surprise.
Bernat's pass being telegraphed, Yusuke advanced to intercept the ball before it could reach Leonardo.
Clive Tyldesley: Intended for Leonardo Silva, but Saeki intercepts...
Yusuke led the counterattack by moving by a dozen yards beyond the halfway line with the ball. Then Yusuke passed the ball forward to Marius, who immediately flicked it to his right before he got fouled by colliding into Thiago Silva.
Clive Tyldesley: Here's Van Leeuwen. It's clever for Aizawa...
Just as Kakeru received the pass, he knew he had to make a quick decision when 5 PSG field players stood ahead of him. Furthermore, there were 30 yards between him and the PSG goal.
'Gotta try to surprise Tono.' Kakeru thought.
Clive Tyldesley: Advantage given...
Without any hesitation, Kakeru struck a long-range shot with his left foot. Although Kakeru's left foot was his weaker one, the strike had plenty of pace and was dipping down at the right moment to be flying towards the top corner. However, Mikiya sensed the danger and threw the full extent of his long reach.
Clive Tyldesley: Aizawa goes for GOOAL! And forcing a save out of Tono!
The ball finally went off Mikiya's fingertips, but it was just enough to deflect the ball above the goal and out of play. Kakeru could not believe what happened.
"I don't believe this!" Kakeru exclaimed out loud.
On the Manchester United bench:
"Wow! So close!" Nana exclaimed.
"¡Maldito sea! I thought that was in too." Santiago replied.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"Ohhhh, what a shot!" Noriko exclaimed.
"Kake-nii came so close." Mito said.
"It's not finished. We have a corner." Noriko replied. "COME ON, LADS!"
Both teams moved inside the PSG penalty area. United sent 5 players to attack the PSG defenders. The Manchester United supporters at the other end of the stadium were getting noisy, full of expectations as Nikolaj got ready to take the corner kick.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen...
The ball was kicked towards the no man's land in front of the 6-yard box, where Yusuke outjumped Leonardo Silva to get a contact with the ball. Unfortunately for Yusuke though, his header shot went above the crossbar to hit the top of the PSG goal.
Clive Tyldesley: In towards the head of Saeki... and that wasn't far away either.
"Gotta do better, man." Yusuke said to himself dejectedly.
"Good try, Yusuke. We'll get them." Kakeru tried to cheer his friend up.
"I hope so."
Meanwhile on the Manchester United bench:
"Such a waste. The worst is that we could well pay for missing out our chances." Nana said.
"If we can keep on attacking without opening ourselves too much, we will squeeze one through." Santiago replied.
"The thing is that they only need one moment or one mistake from us to get back on a very quick counterattack."
"You mean their front 3?" Santiago said.
"Yeah. They haven't been particularly involved that much so far, but they can really thrive on quick rushes. We have to keep our eyes open at all times with them." Nana replied.
Some Parisian supporters were shocked to see PSG being dominated in the last few minutes and after a strong start that culminated with the opening goal. Nevertheless, they also knew that one of their team's strengths was the quickness of their counterattacks. They sure had the right tools to play as such with speedy advanced players like Kylian Mbappé, Marco Antonio, and Ángel Di María.
In the 26th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: It went off Laurent and out.
After a little bit of attacking pressure inside the PSG half, the Parisians earned themselves a throw-in to cool down United's attacking ambitions a little. Nevertheless, the Red Devils still had lots of red shirts within the PSG half.
Clive Tyldesley: Kehrer with the throw...
Kehrer threw the ball towards the halfway line, but the ball went off Jeremy's head before Yusuke attempted to head it back deeper inside the PSG half.
Clive Tyldesley: Headed forward by Saeki...
The headed pass was intended for Anthony, but Kehrer whipped the ball to give it an arcing trajectory. Kakeru arrived in position to get the ball on its descent, but Leonardo gave a little push from behind to gain the position. After Leonardo got the ball to the ground, he went after that ball. In the process, Leonardo easily dribbled his way past Francisco.
Clive Tyldesley: Good play by Leonardo Silva...
Spotting Kylian Mbappé on the run at the distance ahead of him, Leonardo immediately unleashed a through pass for his French teammate to spearhead the counterattack.
Clive Tyldesley: Trying to feed Mbappé...
Even though there were 3 Manchester United defenders running after him, Mbappé received the pass perfectly. Joel attempted to tackle the ball away from Mbappé, but the French forward in blue managed to push the ball ahead and to avoid the tackle altogether.
Clive Tyldesley: Got away from Muamba...
Erik and Matthias were rushing back to narrow down Mbappé's options, especially with no PSG player anywhere near him to provide immediate attacking support. After making a quick feint of moving on his right, Mbappé shifted to his left to get slightly around Erik by the outside. Then Mbappé unleashed a powerful left-footed shot, which was parried away at the expense of a corner kick by Jan.
Clive Tyldesley: Mbappé with the shot! Farkas had to make the save.
"Eyes peeled, lads! Focus!" Jan warned his teammates that the danger was still looming.
Both teams started to move in positions for the upcoming corner kick. But instead of waiting for everyone to get set, Leonardo played a quick and short corner kick.
Clive Tyldesley: Corner played quickly...
After a short pass from Leonardo to Di María, the Argentine winger made a layoff pass back to the Brazilian playmaker. Then Leonardo quickly unleashed a ground pass that found Marquinhos inside the penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Steered into Marquinhos with space...
As Marquinhos received the ball, the Brazilian defensive midfielder saw Erik rushing towards him. Instead shooting right away, Marquinhos sidestepped to his right to create gap to shoot through and past Erik.
Clive Tyldesley: Marquinhos!
Unfortunately for Marquinhos though, the shot did not muster enough pace as it rolled straight into Jan's catching gloves. The PSG supporters moaned in disappointment while the Manchester United sighed in relief.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, it was a tidy pickup by Jan Farkas.
"Good save, Wolf." Erik said to his goalkeeper.
"Thanks." Jan replied.
"Be careful with that number 5, Marquinhos. He will can beat you if you make the first move." Kakeru warned his Swedish teammate.
"I know that." Erik replied.
"Knight is right. Go with the man instead of the ball; that's how to avoid trouble." Matthias added to Kakeru's warning.
'They can really beat us in many ways if we are not careful enough. We have to be ready for anything.' Kakeru thought.
Meanwhile on the bench, Nana was thinking on similar lines.
'This is why PSG are always dangerous. There is not a single moment for us to sit back and relax with that team.' Nana thought.
After that boost of renewed energy brought by those back-to-back scoring chances for PSG, Manchester United's ambitions cooled down a little. Nevertheless, the match remained intense as it became a battle in the trenches. Every single ball was competed fiercely by both sides. Both teams went back and forth between attack and defense, but came short of threatening either goal for the next few minutes. However, PSG appeared to become a little more convincing in their attacks than United were. With over one third of regulation time gone, the next goal had the potential of shifting the narrative in one direction or the other.
In the 34th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki... towards Serrano...
Manchester United were in control of the ball at that moment with their 2 deep-lying midfielders passing the ball just inside the PSG half. But just as Francisco received the pass, Leonardo Silva went after the Spaniard.
"Watch the 10! Watch the 10!" Yusuke shouted the warning.
However, Leonardo and Francisco found themselves in a shoulder-to-shoulder contact. Francisco attempted to hook his left arm with Leonardo's right arm.
'You're the weak link in that midfield. I will take that ball.' Leonardo thought.
In the end, Leonardo outmuscled Francisco with the shoulder challenge. Manchester United players demanded a foul when Francisco fell on the grass, but the referee gave nothing. A greater problem was PSG moving on the counterattack.
Clive Tyldesley: Leonardo Silva has dispossessed Serrano, and now 4 on the break here for PSG...
Leonardo had his 3 forward companions rushing on the counterattack, but Manchester United also had several of their players retreating quickly to defend. By the moment that Leonardo arrived 12 yards away from the Manchester United penalty area, the Brazilian playmaker unleashed a through pass ahead and slightly on the left to Marco Antonio. The Brazilian forward in blue managed to sneak behind Erik's field of vision.
Clive Tyldesley: Leonardo Silva... He slipped it through.
Just as he received the ball inside the penalty area, Marco took a split second to see Jan rushing towards him. Then Marco dinked the shot above Jan's left hand, and it appeared that the ball would easily roll towards the goal.
Clive Tyldesley: It's Marco Antonio...
However, the ball was played for accuracy instead of power. That lack of power behind the shot was just enough for Jeremy to clear the ball off the line.
Clive Tyldesley: Jeremy Williams to the rescue!
Williams ended up clearing the ball out by the side while he fell himself into the back of the net. Nevertheless, the effort was loudly applauded by the Manchester United supporters behind that goal.
"Huge clear, Jerry!" Jan congratulated his young teammate.
"Attaboy, Jerry!" Matthias added.
Clive Tyldesley: It was on its way, rolling into the bottom corner of the net. But Jeremy Williams got back on the line.
Nevertheless, United were not out of danger as the following throw-in would allow PSG to maintain the pressure deep in Mancunian territory. A throw-in from Kehrer to Di María was followed by a quick give-and-go between Di Maríà. Then the Argentine winger launched a long pass across the width of the pitch for Marco.
Clive Tyldesley: Di María... crosses it to Marco Antonio...
Arriving by the side of the penalty area, Marco made a couple of body feints and a small dribble before slipping the ball beyond 2 Manchester United defenders. The ball arrived right into the path of Leonardo, who found himself all alone with the Manchester United goalkeeper.
Clive Tyldesley: Tucked in towards Leonardo Silva...
Leonardo rushed with the ball towards the byline. For a second it appeared that both Jan and Yusuke managed to block all options for the Brazilian. However, Leonardo managed to squeeze a pass across and through Jan.
Clive Tyldesley: Around the goalkeeper...
The ball was slightly deflected off Jan when the pass squeezed through. That deflection was enough to put Jeremy off balance and unable to reach the ball before Kylian Mbappé tapped the ball into a wide open cage.
Clive Tyldesley: Great chance... Kylian Mbappé! 2-0!
Suddenly the Red Devils found themselves trailing by 2 goals to none. The PSG half of the stadium jumped on their feet.
Clive Tyldesley: PSG have doubled their lead! Kylian Mbappé has put his mark in the Champions League final after a great construction by the 2 Brazilian brothers to set him up. And Manchester United have now a huge mountain to climb after 34 minutes!
After Mbappé celebrated the goal with his trademark crossing of the arms on his chest, he was quickly mobbed by his PSG teammates.
"Bravo, Kylian!" Leonardo congratulated.
"Vamos! Vamos!" Marco Antonio shouted.
"Jolie passe, l'Artiste! (Nice pass, Showman!)" Mbappé replied to Leonardo.
"On les tient, là! On les tient! (We've got them here! We've got them!)" PSG captain Thiago Silva said to his teammates.
Michel Montana: BUUUUUUUUUUT! BUUUUUUUUUUT POUR PARIIIIIIIIIIS! (GOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOOOOOOOOOOAL FOR PARIIIIIIIIIIS!)
Meanwhile, the Manchester United players look at each other, still wondering what just happened. The worst scenario they could ask for the first half of the Champions League was unfolding before their eyes. For Kakeru, witnessing the action happen from a distance where he was helpless was hurting him even more.
'What are we going to do now? I don't want to lose... not now. What should I do, Nii-chan? Tell me something." Kakeru thought.
For the first time since way back in high school, Kakeru felt he was running out of answers to the point that he asked for Suguru to show the way anyhow. But Kakeru was met with total silence until...
"HEY! KAKERU!" Nana shouted.
Nana was shouting from the sidelines. She and 2 other Manchester United players were sent to start warming up around the 30th-31st minute.
"Seven..." Kakeru softly said, having snapped out of it momentarily.
"WE STILL HAVE 56 MINUTES TO PLAY! SO HANG IN THERE!"
"Sev... Thank you, Seven. You're right. We have to keep on fighting." Kakeru finished.
In the PSG half of the stands, a few PSG supporters lit up a few flares to celebrate the goal that was giving them one hand on the European Cup. The wave of excitement also brought Michel Montana to add a little extra while announcing the goalscorer.
Michel Montana: Deuxième but parisien... et je veux vous entendre jusqu'à Manchester... le numéro sept (Second Parisian goal... and I want to hear you all the way to Manchester... number 7) ...KYLIAN!
PSG supporters: MBAPPÉ!
Michel Montana: KYLIAN!
PSG supporters: MBAPPÉ!
Michel Montana: KYLIAAAN!
PSG supporters: MBAPPÉÉÉ!
In the Manchester United half of the stadium, it was a mixture of disgust combined to disappointment and despair. The supporters were witnessing the worst of nightmares unfolding before them.
"In the 34th minute, PSG have gone up by 2 goals. United have no answers against Leonardo Silva. He pushed forward, squeezed the ball across and beyond Jan Farkas, and then Kylian Mbappé scores. What the hell are we doing out there?" Noriko narrated to the camera.
"So disappointing." Mito lamented.
"It's too early to give up now, you two." Eiko replied.
"It's not like we're giving up, but we're in a really deep hole right now." Noriko said.
"PSG have taken their chances, Mom. And Tono is not looking like he can be beaten today based on what we've seen so far." Mito added.
"You're right that the situation is looking dire, but it is still far from finished. The game is only starting to get interesting as Suguru would say." Eiko said.
"If Sugu-nii was here, he would be running at them to score the next goal." Mito replied.
"That's right. If we sneak one goal in, PSG could start to have a few doubts." Noriko said.
"And when a team starts to doubt themselves, that is when they become very vulnerable for more." Eiko replied to Noriko.
"Still, it's easier said than done. Trying to survive against that team and here of all places will require a miracle."
"One step at the time, Noriko-chan. One step at the time."
'What would you do now if you were here, Suguru?' Noriko asked in her thoughts.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, it's an intimidating atmosphere and now it's an intimidating scoreline. Manchester United must now score 2 goals.
With their backs to the wall, the Red Devils from the Northwest of England were left with no choice: they have to attack! The only way to make PSG doubt themselves was to start by cutting the deficit on the scoreboard. Should that happen, the next step would be to unleash a storm upon the home side. But on a different subject, the sky was looking increasingly threatening as the entire Paris metropolitan region was covered with dark and possibly stormy clouds.
In the 37th minute:
Clive Tyldesley: United on the attack...
In a phase of action inside the PSG half, the Manchester United players were looking to edge their way closer to the PSG penalty area. The attack started with a forward pass from Matthias to Anthony, who then flicked the ball to Jeremy. With nowhere to go ahead, Jeremy backtracked a few steps to create some space and then make a short pass towards Nikolaj.
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen...
Nikolaj got momentarily tangled in a fight for the ball against PSG's Italian midfielder, Marco Verratti. However, the big Dane in red managed to shove Verratti away while shielding the ball.
Clive Tyldesley: Holding off Verratti...
Now momentarily free of the man-marking, Nikolaj ran a few yards across the width of the pitch before he launched a long and deep aerial ball towards Kakeru. The ball was flying towards the byline, to the left of the PSG goalkeeper. Nevertheless, Kakeru managed to head the ball above the nearest PSG defender and towards the front of the 6-yard box inside the PSG penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Clipped in towards Aizawa...
With the ball still in the air, everyone expected Thiago Silva to easily head the ball away. But then Marius barged in out of nowhere to force his way through and get a header of a shot from point blank.
Clive Tyldesley: Now it's going towards the face of goal! VAN LEEUWEN'S THERE! TERRIFIC SAVE BY TONO!
In a reflex move, Mikiya clawed the ball away to save the goal. Then the ball flew up and down before Marquinhos headed the ball out of play to concede a corner kick in a hurry. The Manchester United supporters gasped in disbelief before they roared to give their team a shot ahead of the upcoming corner kick.
Clive Tyldesley: And it's Marquinhos heading the ball behind. And suddenly out of the blue, Manchester United almost got one back through Marius van Leeuwen.
"Bien joué! (Well played!)" Thiago Silva congratulated Mikiya.
"C'est bien, mais c'est pas fini (It's good, but it's not over)." Mikiya replied.
In a matter of seconds, both teams moved to their positions before the corner kick. Meanwhile, Yusuke took the ball to the corner flag as United were looking to try something different with the corner kick set to be taken to Mikiya's left. With both sides having decided the upcoming strategy, all eyes were on the referee.
PEEP!
Clive Tyldesley: Saeki takes...
With one strike of the left foot, Yusuke whipped the ball towards the mass of players in front of Mikiya. However, the PSG goalkeeper managed to get his fists on the ball first.
Clive Tyldesley: Tono punches it this time...
The ball was cleared outside of the PSG penalty area, but it went only as far as to Jeremy. The English left-back in red intercepted the ball at 30 yards away from the PSG goal before he made a deep pass towards Kakeru, who found himself off the side of the PSG penalty area and to Mikiya's right.
Clive Tyldesley: Only as far as Williams. Aizawa...
When Kakeru received the ball just before he would reach the byline, he feinted an attempt to cross a high ball into the penalty area. But just as Kehrer jumped up in anticipation of a cross, Kakeru dribbled his way past the PSG right-back.
Clive Tyldesley: He runs past Kehrer stylishly...
After dribbling past Kehrer, Kakeru came up facing the PSG captain, Thiago Silva. Kakeru feinted to move on the right to give the impression of seeking a better shooting angle. But Kakeru dribbled to the left instead to put Thiago Silva off balance before the former took a hard left-footed shot that was aiming at the nearest top corner.
Clive Tyldesley: DRIVEN AT THE NEAR POST! And Tono had to react!
Unfortunately for Kakeru, his shot was parried away by Mikiya's long reach before it could hit the target at the near post. The end result was another corner kick for Manchester United though.
Clive Tyldesley: Element of surprise. HUGE element of power about the shot for Kakeru Aizawa, but Mikiya Tono come up with an answer again for PSG.
"Damn it!" Kakeru cursed.
"I've been waiting for this moment all of my life. You're not going to spoil the day, Aizawa." Mikiya said.
"I'm just getting warmed up. Plenty of time left."
"Easier said than done." Mikiya finished.
Then the following corner kick came to nothing as the kick went above everybody and out of play. PSG regained control of the ball, much to the disappointment of the Manchester United supporters.
Meanwhile in the stands:
"We wasted 2 great chances again! 37 minutes gone now. What does it take to beat that goalkeeper? Unbelievable." Noriko lamented in front of her camera.
"I already thought he was good back when he was playing in high school. He's writing the narrative himself when he has to." Mito said.
"Yeah, and it's depressing." Noriko replied.
At that moment, it started to rain over the Stade de France.
"Now what?" Mito asked.
"The weather forecast said that we could receive a rainfall upon the Paris metropolitan region. But the worst scenario would be a thunderstorm coming our way." Noriko replied.
"How would we know if such storm gets close, Noriko-chan?" Eiko asked.
"I'm sure that the people at UEFA are in constant contact with the French meteorological service. If they feel that a thunderstorm gets within a certain range of the stadium and/or the rain gets too heavy, the game would be interrupted and people would have to take cover under the concourses, in the stadium."
"That would be quite awkward." Mrs. Mishima said.
"It definitely would, especially in a big match like this." Noriko replied.
While the crowd started to be concerned about the weather, the players carried on as it was business as usual. Manchester United continued to apply more pressure against a very stubborn PSG team in a search for that elusive first goal. However, a moment of controversy would add on to the long list of frustrations that the Mancunian side were already facing.
In the 41st minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Kristiansen... now to Aizawa on the right...
With the Manchester United players advancing deep inside the PSG half, the ball arrived at Kakeru's feet within 3 yards from the PSG penalty area. The Japanese forward in red pondered his options as he faced Juan Bernat.
'A couple of stepovers first. Then let's get around him by the outside.' Kakeru thought.
Just as Kakeru planned, he entered the penalty area while making a couple of stepovers to feint going to the inside and then running around the PSG left-back from the outside. After a quick rush towards the byline, Kakeru began to cut his run by 90 degrees to the left to charge towards the PSG goal.
Clive Tyldesley: He's got the better of Bernat...
As Juan Bernat knew that Kakeru already beat him for space, the PSG left-back went after Kakeru to try stopping a scoring opportunity. Bernat even threw a hand on Kakeru's shoulder at the very moment when Kakeru was making his 90-degree turn. Bernat went down, but so did Kakeru a split second later.
"HEEEEEEEYYY!" the Manchester United players and supporters shouted in unison.
Clive Tyldesley: Down he goes...
The loose ball was kicked out of play by Thiago Silva as all eyes were on the referee. However, the referee stood icy in front of the penalty claims by Manchester United players.
"HEY! HOW IS THAT NOT A PENALTY? HUH?" Kakeru angrily voiced his dissent.
"HE GOT PULLED DOWN IN BROAD DAYLIGHT! THAT'S A PENO!" Marius added.
"ARE YOU JOKING ALL OF US?!" Nikolaj angrily asked.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, the referee had a long think about that. He isn't about to give this, and that may affect the judgment of the VAR because the VAR – the video assistant referee has got to see a clear and obvious error by the referee on the field. Manchester United have a really strong appeal for a penalty.
"HOW? How is that not a foul?" Matthias asked for an explanation.
"That was not enough to warrant a foul. I keep it as an incidental contact, and it will stay as such unless the VAR asks me to review it." the referee replied.
"This is complete bollocks! I don't ever go down unless it's really serious. You're doing a total clown job." an incensed Kakeru protested harder against the referee.
"Mind your language, Aizawa. I'm in control of this match."
"You control nothing and you're screwing us. That's the whole point."
"Come on, Kakeru. Stay calm." Yusuke pulled Kakeru away.
"He's either a homer or a total idiot, Yusuke. I was dragged down on purpose, and yet that guy can't find snow in the middle of winter." Kakeru said.
"We can't afford to lose our focus, not now."
Needless to say, thousands of Manchester United supporters in the stands voiced anger and dismay at the referee's decision. The animosity raised by a few notches when the jumbotron showed the replay and then when the VAR check maintained the decision on the field. Bernat had indeed a free right hand to grab Kakeru's shoulder in a very clumsy attempt to stop the latter from attacking the goal, but the referee chose to do nothing about it.
"Look at this shite. Look at the referee not giving us what is a clear pen. You nasty, filthy, sloppy, disgusting, fucking animal. I'm showing this to all right here. Referee, you're a fucking bellend. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Noriko vented her anger in her narration of the events.
Meanwhile on the sidelines, Nana saw everything from her position while warming up.
"I don't know how he cannot see that as a penalty. I really don't." Santiago said.
"Kakeru clearly went past Bernat from the outside. And I know Kakeru better than anyone else; he would never go down unless he gets dragged down for real. The referee either has no balls or he's biased."
"It's already bad to stand behind at 0-2, but we have to deal with a bad referee as well."
"They are just wanting us to fail, Santi. And that is why we have to fight our way with tooth and nails to make it beyond any doubt." Nana finished.
Just as the play continued, the rain started to pour increasingly harder upon the stadium. It was becoming more difficult for the players to play properly as they had to adapt their game to changing conditions. Furthermore, players on both sides had to be careful as any single mistake like a slip or a misplaced pass could open up an opportunity for the other team.
In the 43rd minute:
Clive Tyldesley: Nikolaj Kristiansen... seeking for some space...
Pushing another attack inside the PSG half, the Manchester United midfielders were looking for a gap in the Parisian defense. After Nikolaj received the ball a dozen yards away from the PSG penalty area, he ran with the ball across the width of the pitch while hounded by both Leonardo and Marquinhos. Then the Danish midfielder made a pass to Francisco, who then attempted a shot from distance.
Clive Tyldesley: Now Serrano. It's optimistic, charged down by Marquinhos...
Unfortunately for Francisco, his shot was blocked by Marquinhos. The ball went back to Francisco before he attempted a short pass towards Kakeru, but the pass was weak and thus easily intercepted by Marco Verratti.
Clive Tyldesley: Verratti gets to the ball before Aizawa this time, and PSG can counter with Mbappé and Marco Antonio ahead of him...
Verratti ran with the ball until the halfway line and then launched a long diagonal ball ahead for Kylian Mbappé. The French forward was running after the ball inside the corridor between the Manchester United penalty area and the touchline.
Clive Tyldesley: What a pass from Verratti to Mbappé...
Joel and Erik both ran after Mbappé to prevent him from going towards the goal himself. However, Mbappé spotted a teammate running inside the PSG penalty area. Without hesitation, Mbappé crossed the ball inside the Manchester United penalty area.
Clive Tyldesley: Mbappé's early cross... MARCO ANTONIO!
Having gone away from Matthias' man-marking, Marco Antonio threw himself to send a diving header shot towards the goal. Nevertheless, Jan made a point blank save before Matthias went after the rebound.
Clive Tyldesley: GOOD STOP BY FARKAS!
But as soon as Matthias attempted to clear the loose ball, he slipped upon the slippery grass and thus his clearing attempt was a rolling ball that went towards the "D" in front of the penalty area. It was a free shot served on silver platter for Leonardo Silva.
Clive Tyldesley: Oh, as far as LEONARDO SILVA...
Without a moment of hesitation, Leonardo Silva fired the shot upon the sight of the yawning cage. However, Yusuke threw his body in the way of the shot to deflect it out of bounds.
Clive Tyldesley: A FANTASTIC BLOCK BY YUSUKE SAEKI! Fantastic PSG counterattack only matched by the combined brilliance from Jan Farkas and Yusuke Saeki!
"COME ON! WAKE UP, LADS!" Jan angrily shouted.
"Thanks, Fury! I slipped just there." Matthias said.
"Yeah, it's really difficult to play. I'm glad I was at the right place at the right time." Yusuke replied.
"We have a corner to defend. Let's go!" Nikolaj warned his teammates.
As both teams moved to their assigned positions for the upcoming corner kick, the rain was pouring extremely hard upon the pitch. Meanwhile, the referee was listening to the communication inside his earpiece.
"You're sure? Now?" the referee asked before he received further instructions. "OK, I'll send both teams back in the dressing rooms now. Inform both benches of the decision."
After that call was done, the referee immediately blew his whistle.
PEEP PEEEEEEEEP!
"What is going on?" Matthias asked.
"It's a thunderstorm nearby. We need both teams to get off the pitch NOW!" the referee replied.
"OK!" Matthias replied to the referee before he turned to his teammates. "We have to get back to the dressing room now! The storm is serious."
"You heard the man. Let's go." Nikolaj said.
Within seconds, both teams retreated quickly and back down the players' tunnel. The rain was falling even heavier than it already did.
Clive Tyldesley: Well, we have been told that the match has been suspended by UEFA officials because of a warning of severe weather. The referee has ordered both teams to return to their dressing rooms right now when we were in the 44th minute of the first half. We will keep you updated as this situation evolves. So far, it's Paris Saint-Germain in control of the final by 2 goals to 0 against Manchester United. Don't go away.
At the very same time, the official announcement was made to the attendance by the stadium's public address announcer.
PA announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your intention please? Be advised that we have received a warning of extreme weather including lightning in the vicinity of the stadium. We're asking that all fans to please leave your seat, proceed to the nearest gate, and take cover under the concourse. For your safety, it is recommended that you proceed to the gates with calm and then stay away from the seating area until the storm warning has passed. Please follow instructions from the security staff as they will guide you to safety. Thank you.
The same message was then repeated in French by the PA announcer while the text version of the warning was displayed in both languages on the giant screens. In a matter of seconds, thousands of spectators got off their seats before they started moving towards the stairs and then made way towards the concourses calmly and orderly.
Noriko, the Aizawas, the Mishimas and the Saekis made their way under the nearest concourse. By the time they made it there, sounds of thunder could be heard in the distance while the rain was still pouring down hard.
"Damn, I've never seen something like this in person." Mito said.
"Have you ever seen a soccer match interrupted because of severe weather, Noriko-chan?" Eiko asked.
"Not in person. We get used to rain in Manchester, but I have never attended a match that is interrupted by a thunderstorm until now." Noriko replied.
"It may be the kind of timeout that Kakeru, Nana, and their teammates needed. They barely escaped going behind by 3 goals just now." Mrs. Mishima said.
"Probably, yes. The real question now is what will be the mindset for both teams by the time the storm is far away from us." Eiko said.
"That is a big unknown." Noriko replied.
Then Noriko noticed that she was receiving a phone call on her smartphone through Messenger. It came from Sarah, who was watching the final alongside Noriko's family back at Old Trafford.
"Hello, Sarah?"
"They said that the final is currently suspended because of severe weather. How serious is it over there, Noriko?"
"The rain has been pounding harder and harder for a few minutes now. I also heard thunder, but that rain was already making the game unplayable. We took cover under the stands here, and we don't know yet by when we will carry on."
"I see. I think we need a refresh and a restart anyway because it has not been our night this far." Sarah said.
"Yeah, and this interruption has quite a perfect timing. The real issue here is how mentally ready United will be at the restart, especially when we have everything against us – the scoreline, 50-50 decisions going against us, the referee denying us a penalty, and now a forced break." Noriko replied.
"How can the referee not call a penalty on that earlier?"
"Beats me. What is even worse is that we got nothing from the VAR either? They both screwed us up there." Noriko said. "What's the overall mood at Old Trafford?"
"Not the best, but we are still trying to cheer ourselves up for now."
"We will see what happens later on. I will text you later if we have updates on when we can expect a restart here."
"OK. Make sure you keep hope alive over there. Positive vibes."
"Sure, Sarah. If you can find a place inside Old Trafford to pray, it wouldn't be a bad idea either. We will need everything on our side for the second half."
Sarah chuckled.
"All right. I will call you back later."
"See you later, Sarah." Noriko finished.
After Noriko ended the call and put her smartphone on sleep mode, she took a glance at the framed portrait picture of Suguru that Eiko was carrying. A little thought of him came to her mind.
'What would you do if you were here, Suguru? Kakeru and his friends definitely need some inspiration from somewhere. I'm sure they would love to have you supporting them one way or the other.' Noriko thought.
"Wondering what Suguru would do, Noriko-chan?" Eiko asked.
"Yeah. How do you know?"
"I know how it feels. Ever since Suguru gave his heart to save Kakeru, I have seen so many things that could be said to be miracles. Sometimes I pray that Suguru can deliver one last miracle."
"We would definitely take some kind of miracle now." Noriko finished.
In the PSG dressing room, the mood was pretty light despite the fact they didn't know when they would come out of a forced and extended halftime break. Some of the players were already getting excited at the prospect of winning the European Cup, but the team leaders were quick to get everyone back in line.
"Woah, woah, les gars! Faut rester calmes! On n'a encore rien gagné. (Woah, woah, guys! We must stay calm! We still won nothing.)" Thiago Silva warned his teammates.
"Il faut encore jouer ces 46 minutes et plus. C'est loin d'être fini, vous avez compris? Esto no ha terminado todavía. (We still have to play those 46 minutes and more. It's far from over, you understand? This isn't over yet.)" Leonardo supported his captain's message by making it heard both in French and in Spanish.
Then the PSG head coach stepped in to give his words of advice.
"Bon. Comme on ne sait pas encore quand ça va reprendre, on respire et on va bien récupérer. Je sais que c'est tentant d'y aller mollo, mais ce n'est pas comme ça qu'on joue. On ne lâche rien, OK? (Good. Since we don't know when it will restart, we take a breath and we recover well. I know it's tempting to take it easy, but that's not how we play. We don't give them anything, OK?)" the PSG head coach said.
"Ouais! (Yeah!)" the PSG players replied.
"Leur plan est simple: ils essaieront d'envoyer des ballons vers Van Leeuwen et Aizawa. Si on les isole loin des zones dangereuses, on gagnera cette finale. OK, les gars? (Their plan is simple: they will be looking to send balls towards Van Leeuwen and Aizawa. If we keep isolating them away from danger areas, we will win this final. OK, guys?)"
"OUAIS!"
"On a fait le plus dur, mais il reste encore plus qu'une demie à jouer. On ne reste pas le cul derrière sur Mickey, OK? On continue à les attaquer quand on peut et on joue notre football. On continue! (We did the hardest part, but there is still a little more than a half to play. We don't sit back on Mickey, OK? We keep attacking them when we can and we play our football. We keep on going!). ALLEZ, ALLEZ!"
The PSG players gave a strong round of applause before they went back to their various routines for physical and mental recovery. Meanwhile, Leonardo sat alone to reminisce of a moment from the day before.
Flashback – Friday May 31, after PSG's team practice at the Stade de France
Right after the short afternoon training session held by PSG at the Stade de France, Leonardo Silva and his young brother Marco Antonio took a moment to sit and have a chat in the stands. For this conversation, we won't need to follow the full Portuguese version.
"Afinal (At last), tomorrow will be the big day." Marco said.
"Yeah, it will." Leonardo replied.
"What are you thinking about?"
"A couple of things. First of all, I was thinking about how it would have been great if Mom and Dad were able to see both of us playing on the same team in a Champions League final."
"I'm sure they're watching us from somewhere up there."
"Their eyes were always filled with joy when they saw us playing with a football, Marco. This is what I miss the most from those years when they were alive."
"I really miss them a lot too, Leo."
Leonardo and Marco's parents died in accident when the 2 siblings were really young. As a result, Leonardo learned very early on to be the man of the house even though he and Marco were raised by other relatives.
"Now that we are in the final, do you think that our folks are still mad at us for choosing football instead of working our way to take over Dad's company someday?" Marco asked.
"What I know is that Dad loved this game more than anything. He never had the skills to become a pro, but he always hoped that his sons would one day accomplish what he and millions of Brazilians couldn't do – to become part of the world's top elite footballers and to win the biggest titles that can be won. What our folks think does not matter one bit to me." Leonardo replied.
"I see. And what is the other thing you were thinking?"
"In order to become the best in football, there has always been a huge roadblock: Aizawa. I couldn't play against the older brother, Suguru to find out who was better between him and I. Then I lost to the younger brother, Kakeru in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament. We defeated the Japanese U22 team in a friendly match shortly later, but Kakeru was not at his full potential yet. And now we have the biggest stage in club football with the best 2 teams in Europe, with him and I as grown adults to settle the debate once and for all."
"Leo..."
"We will write a new chapter of history tomorrow together, Marco. Kakeru will be swept away by this great PSG team we have. People will talk about us for several years to come."
"I will show that Aizawa guy that I can match him or do even better on anything as a forward too."
"I know you can do it. I have not seen a more versatile forward than you are, and you still have a long career ahead of you."
"I'm already excited for tomorrow before I can think of what comes next in my career."
"No need to be too excited. Listen, it's just another match like many we have played before. They will try to keep us in the tunnel during the ceremony to build the suspense and so on, but everything comes down to a normal football match from the moment the referee blows that first whistle."
"All right then. Let's do this tomorrow night... para Mamãe e Papai (for Mom and Dad)." Marco said.
"Para Mamãe e Papai." Leonardo replied.
Then Leo got off his seat and started walking away.
"Well, I'm starving after that training session. Come on, let's grab something to eat." Leonardo said.
"Tudo bem (Alrighty)." Marco replied, following Leonardo.
Present time
While Leo was deeply immersed in reminiscing that little chat, Marco and Mikiya came to talk with him.
"O que foi, Leo? (What's up, Leo?)" Marco asked.
"Is everything OK?" Mikiya asked as well.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just reminiscing something from yesterday." Leonardo replied.
Marco also became fluent in Japanese over the years, just like his brother. Hence there was no language barrier when Leonardo was speaking Japanese instead of Portuguese to someone else.
"Well, it doesn't matter for as long as you can stay focused." Mikiya said.
"Speaking of focus, you really did well so far." Marco said to Mikiya.
"At least, I don't have to play against you two. I didn't like it on the only time I did. Better join them if you can't beat them, as they would say."
"I'm really glad to have you watching our backs, but..." Leonardo said.
"But?" Marco and Mikiya asked.
"Manchester United have not played one of their strongest cards yet. I wonder how that would change if they do." Leonardo replied.
"Who? Mishima?" Marco asked.
"Yeah, Mishima."
"She looks like a really good playmaker, but it will take more than her to score on me." Mikiya said.
"Don't ever underestimate her though. I always believed and still believe that she would be considered in the same bracket as Suguru Aizawa and I if people can look beyond sexes. And besides, she and Kakeru have always been perfect partners in crime on the pitch. He needs her as much as she needs him."
"Is it just about their relationship or is there more to that?" Marco asked.
"It's more than that. When Kakeru and Nana start supporting each other to the very best of their abilities, there is not much to stop them. But even more important than their chemistry is the common mindset they always have: they never give up."
"Leo..." Mikiya said.
"We have to be ready for anything because they will stop at nothing to steal our dream of winning the Champions League in our city." Leonardo finished.
Meanwhile in the Manchester United dressing room, the mood within the team was not looking good as most players were silently reflecting on what happened so far in the first half as well as to how they would make a comeback against so many odds.
'I've never felt so afraid of losing than I am now. What would you say, Nii-chan? Please talk to me.' Kakeru thought.
Kakeru did not expect any answer since Suguru's spirit has not exactly spoken to him in the context of any match for many years now. The only few times Suguru spoke to Kakeru were for other things not related to the game. There was only total silence... until a familiar voice asked in Kakeru's head:
"There are 2 instances where victory is decided. Do you remember what I told you about what those are?"
'Nii-chan?' Kakeru asked back in his thoughts.
To be continued