As the ball ca, Maguire rose confidently, timing his jump perfectly. Then the shout from Onana ca to leave the ball to the goalkeeper. Loud. Clear. Maguire ducked instinctively, trusting his goalkeeper.
Onana stepped forward, arms wrapping inward, chest puffed out, hands forming that familiar cradle goalkeepers use when they expect the ball to nestle safely against them. Except he mistid it completely. The cross dipped faster than he read it. The ball smacked straight into his face, ricocheted off his forearm, and dropped straight into the six-yard box.
Ekitike did not hesitate.
One step. One touch. An empty net.
Frankfurt had scored.
"Oh my days. Oh my actual days," Goldbridge groaned. "What is he doing? What is he DOING? That is Sunday League stuff. That’s not even Sunday League, that’s a charity match! You’ve let it hit you in the FACE, mate!"
He went off. Completely.
"Prat man. Absolute prat. How do you drop that? How do you drop THAT? Maguire’s done his job, everyone’s done their job, and you just... just snuggle the ball with your face?!"
João was doubled over now, one hand clamped over his mouth as he tried not to draw attention to himself in the stand.
In the away end, bodies flew upward, limbs everywhere, scarves whipping through the air. Lukas punched the air once, sharp and controlled, before pointing imdiately toward Knauff in appreciation. On the pitch, Ekitike sprinted toward the corner, disbelief written across his face, teammates swarming him.
United players stood frozen for a mont, hands on hips, disbelief etched across their faces. Amorim was already pacing the technical area, jaw tight, clapping his hands sharply to refocus his team. Toppmöller, on the other hand, exploded into motion, punching the air twice before imdiately barking instructions, urging calm even as the away section bounced in unison.
Frankfurt had struck again.
And for the second ti that night, Old Trafford fell into an uneasy, stunned hush.
The restart after Frankfurt’s second goal ca in a haze of noise and disbelief. United kicked off quickly, almost angrily, Bruno slapping the ball back into motion as if speed alone could undo the mistake. Old Trafford tried to roar itself back into control, but there was a nervous edge now—every Frankfurt touch drew whistles, every United pass felt rushed.
"Right," ca the voice in João’s ear, sharper now. "No ssing about. Get on the ball. Don’t do anything stupid. Please. I beg you."
Frankfurt dropped into a compact mid-block, not retreating, not panicking. Lukas stayed central, hovering just behind Ekitike, always showing for the outlet. United tried to funnel play through Casemiro, but Frankfurt snapped into tackles, Larsson and Chaïbi stepping in with perfect timing. The ga stretched, end to end, breaths shortening.
Then ca the first flashpoint.
Lukas drifted into the right half-space, received a fizzed pass from Koch, and turned in one movent—half-turn, shoulder dip, gone. Casemiro lunged, late, his studs clipping Lukas’s ankle as the ball was already rolling away.
The whistle went imdiately.
"Oh here we go," the voice muttered. "Here we go. Casemiro, what are you doing, mate?"
Casemiro spread his arms, incredulous, but the referee was unmoved. Yellow card. Lukas stayed on the turf for a second longer than necessary, then got up calmly, brushing grass from his socks. Casemiro shook his head, muttering to himself.
"That kid’s got him on toast," ca the comntary. "Absolute toast. You cannot be diving in like that."
United responded with pressure. Mazraoui and Dorgu pushed higher, trying to overload the flanks. Bruno started to dictate again, dropping deeper to pull Frankfurt’s midfield out. In the 68th minute, he found space just outside the box and unleashed a shot that scread off his boot.
The crossbar rang.
"Ohhh—!"
A sharp intake of breath.
"That’s it. That’s the warning. That’s the warning shot."
Trapp landed awkwardly, having flown across goal, and slapped the post in frustration. Frankfurt survived, barely.
Monts later, United thought they had it.
A quick move down the right, Bruno slipping into space and sliding a perfect ball between center-back and fullback. Højlund was already sprinting, timing his run beautifully, eting the pass in stride and smashing it past Trapp. He wheeled away, arms wide, screaming at the Stretford End.
The stadium erupted.
Then froze.
The flag was up.
VAR confird it within seconds. Offside. Marginal, cruel, unmistakable.
"Oh don’t celebrate that," ca the bitter laugh. "He’s off. He’s off. You can see it from Mars."
Højlund stood with hands on hips, disbelief etched across his face. Amorim clapped his hands together, urging focus, urging calm. Frankfurt took a collective breath.
Toppmöller made his move soon after, gesturing sharply. Brown ca off, Uzun ca on, legs fresh, instructions clear. Press when you can. Break when it’s on.
United pushed harder.
Garnacho, frustrated and desperate to be the hero, finally found his mont—bursting past his marker on the left, cutting inside, and dragging a shot wide of the far post.
The groan was imdiate.
"That’s not good enough," the voice snapped. "That is not good enough in a semi-final."
The board went up monts later. Garnacho’s number. Amad on.
"Right decision," ca the grudging admission. "Been off it all night."
Frankfurt nearly punished United again from chaos. A United corner broke down, Koch heading clear, the ball dropping to Lukas just inside his own half. He turned and accelerated instantly, the pitch opening in front of him. Yoro chased, panicked, grabbed a fistful of shirt as Lukas pulled away.
Whistle. Yellow card.
"You can’t do that!"
A sharp exhale.
"He’s too quick for you. Simple as that."
Lukas took the free kick quickly, keeping United stretched. Frankfurt slled blood now.
In the 83rd minute, the chance ca.
Larsson intercepted a loose pass, slid the ball forward into Lukas’s path. One touch to set. One to glide past Ugarte. Suddenly it was open grass and a retreating back line. Lukas slipped through, perfectly tid, clean through on goal.
Onana rushed.
Ti slowed.
Lukas opened his body, went for placent—
—and dragged it just wide of the post.
Hands on head. A sharp curse from the stands.
"Oh no. Oh no no no. That’s the chance. That is the chance."
Lukas exhaled hard, nodded once to himself, and jogged back into position. No theatrics. No panic.
United threw everything forward now. Bruno was everywhere, demanding the ball, barking orders. Frankfurt defended with their lives—blocks, headers, clearances. Trapp punched, Koch threw himself in front of shots, Theate cleared with his weaker foot.
The fourth official raised the board.
5 minutes.
Uzun was already running before anyone could shout. A loose pass, a tired touch, and suddenly he was gone—charging down the right channel, legs pumping, the entire pitch in front of him. United scrambled back, bodies flailing.
Uzun squared it at the last second right across Maguire who was struggling to get back into the path of Ekitike.
Ekitike t it first ti.
Onana reacted instinctively, sticking out a leg, the ball spinning behind for a corner.
"I can’t stand Onana as a Man United goalkeeper... But that is a great save," Goldbridge said as he stood up from his chair. "Alright boys, we’ve co this far, just clear this corner, then see out the remaining couple minutes of this ga! We face Spurs in the final! Champions League football next season! The season is salvageable. LET’S NOT DO ANYTHING STUPID NOW!"
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