Soccer: I became Bruno Fernandes.

Chapter 460: The FA Cup Final

After winning the Europa League, Manchester United returned to the UK from Stockholm. The team didn't hold any celebrations because, in less than three days, they had to face Arsenal at the new Wembley Stadium for the FA Cup final.

Since they had just played a tough 90-minute match against Ajax in Sweden three days earlier, Mourinho didn't field his strongest lineup for the FA Cup final against Arsenal. Instead, he made some rotations in key positions.

The goalkeeper was still Romero, the Argentine national keeper who had been United's cup competition goalkeeper this season. Mourinho consistently started Romero in all cup matches. Romero performed exceptionally well, helping United reach the finals of the Europa League, FA Cup, and League Cup, already securing two trophies.

Speaking of goalkeepers, Manchester United was the envy of all teams, boasting two world-class keepers: De Gea from Spain and Romero from Argentina. No other team could boast such luxury.

The central defense pairing was Smalling and Blind. With Van Dijk out for the season, Maguire had played many matches. After the Europa League final, the new England international felt some muscle discomfort, so Mourinho decided to rest him.

Darmian played as the left-back. Although Luke Shaw had been the primary left-back, injuries had plagued him this season. After getting injured again in the match against Swansea, Shaw was out for the season, only expected to return after the new season began. Fortunately, Darmian stepped up and solidified his position.

Valencia was the right-back.

The midfield pairing was Kante and Carrick. Lingard played on the left wing, and Bruno was the central midfield playmaker.

Upfront, Rashford and Rooney formed the strike partnership.

...

"Mourinho still trusts Rooney," said Lineker with a smile. "Of course, he has no choice, with Ibrahimovic injured, the Manchester United captain has to start."

For Arsenal, Wenger fielded his strongest lineup. Having missed out on next season's Champions League, the FA Cup was their lifeline.

The goalkeeper was Ospina. Like Mourinho, Wenger used a rotation system for goalkeepers, with Cech playing in the league and Ospina in the cup matches.

With Koscielny suspended, Holding and Mertesacker were the center-back pairing. The full-backs were Bellerin and Monreal.

In midfield, Ramsey, Xhaka, and Özil formed the trio. Upfront, former United player Welbeck led the line, with Sanchez and Oxlade-Chamberlain on the wings.

Wenger, sitting on the bench, looked at his players, thinking they were good kids. This thought inexplicably gave the professor a lot of confidence.

...

The match had been underway for seven or eight minutes, and it was very intense.

First, Rashford tackled Xhaka hard, earning a verbal warning from the referee. Shortly after, Smalling clattered into Xhaka, knocking him to the ground.

Being fouled consecutively, Xhaka started to get angry. The first yellow card of the match soon appeared. Xhaka fouled Bruno in retaliation and received a yellow card.

Three minutes later, Darmian got revenge for Bruno, making a retaliatory tackle on Xhaka and also receiving a yellow card.

Then, Ramsey pushed Carrick in retaliation and was shown a yellow card.

In the blink of an eye, Kante fouled Ramsey in revenge for Carrick and was also booked.

The match had just begun, but each team had received two yellow cards, totaling four.

"Too many bookings," Faria said worriedly.

Mourinho shook his head. "Don't worry, it's the last match of the season, so there's no risk of suspension from accumulated yellow cards. It's fine."

Mourinho noticed that Wenger hadn't fielded Elneny and Coquelin, instead choosing Ramsey and Xhaka as the holding midfielders. While both players were capable of attacking and defending, their defensive abilities were lacking.

Mourinho took the most straightforward approach: setting the tempo.

United's players were aggressive, targeting Xhaka and Ramsey. In just over twenty minutes, both had received a yellow card each.

Arsenal's already weak midfield defense became even more vulnerable with both players cautious due to their bookings.

By then, it was too late. Realizing they had been set up, Xhaka and Ramsey played more cautiously on defense.

With the unconventional double-playmaker system, Wenger's tactic was dismantled by Mourinho in a matter of minutes.

...

At that moment, United's attack intensified.

In the 29th minute, United pushed through the middle. Carrick and Bruno played a one-two before Carrick surged forward with the ball.

Xhaka moved in to intercept. As he neared Carrick and prepared to tug him back, he remembered his yellow card and hesitated.

If he committed a tactical foul, it would be a definite foul, and it would depend on the referee whether it would result in another booking.

Though the referee Anthony Taylor was unlikely to give a second yellow, Xhaka didn't want to take the risk.

This hesitation allowed Carrick to break free and advance towards the 30-yard mark.

This was within Carrick's shooting range.

Seeing Xhaka let Carrick go, Holding was furious and had to step up to intercept.

Carrick raised his right foot. Holding was alarmed, knowing Carrick's powerful long-range shots were dangerous.

Holding had no choice. He slid in to block the shot, raising his leg to maximize the block.

However, Carrick feinted the shot, instead pulling the ball back to evade the sliding Holding.

Bellerin saw Holding easily bypassed and rushed in to cover.

Carrick calmly waited until Bellerin was halfway there before passing the ball.

Rooney received the ball.

Mertesacker immediately marked him, but Rooney used his instep to pass the ball to Lingard before turning and running into the box.

Mertesacker quickly turned to chase, while Monreal moved in from the side to defend Rooney.

...

Lingard prepared to shoot with his left foot.

At that moment, he spotted Rashford stealthily pulling back, unmarked within two meters.

Lingard quickly changed his mind, cut the ball back to deceive Ramsey, and passed the ball.

"Danger!"

"Rashford is open!"

Unmarked, Rashford received the ball, feinted to control it, then let it roll past him, adjusted his body position, and took a step forward to curl a shot with his right foot.

The ball curved around the scrambling Mertesacker and past the diving Ospina, nestling into the net.

Wenger, fuming, watched the ball curl into the net, angry and anxious, he covered his face and, uncharacteristically, swore in his mind.

"GOOOOOOOOALLLL!!!!!!!!!!"

On the sidelines, Mourinho raised his arms high and spun around before being hugged by his assistant, Faria.

This was a tactical victory!

"Rashford! Rashford! Rashford!" The Manchester commentator roared.

"Rashford scores for Manchester United! 1-0! United lead Arsenal in the FA Cup final!"

...

After scoring, Rashford jubilantly hugged the nearest player, Rooney.

For many United players, Captain Rooney was their idol.

As United celebrated, Arsenal looked stunned.

Had they just conceded? Where did Rashford come from?

Since the match began, Rashford had been relatively quiet, his only notable moment being his foul on Xhaka.

No one expected that the next time Rashford caught their attention, it would be through a goal.

Rashford didn't appear out of nowhere. The passing and movement of Carrick, Bruno, Rooney, and Lingard were all designed to distract and draw Arsenal players away, leaving Rashford to deliver the critical blow.

Wenger was restless, stepping to the sideline and shouting to his players.

"Stay calm! Keep your cool! It's just one goal!"

Although Arsenal had recently beaten United in the league, they knew it was a strategic loss for United, making the result inconsequential.

Under normal circumstances, Arsenal often lost more than they won against United.

The goal rattled Arsenal, so Wenger, who rarely shouted, had to step up and stabilize the team.

Then, Wenger loudly called out Sanchez's name, signaling the Chilean to be more active up front to pressure United's defense and relieve the pressure on Arsenal's backline.

As United players continued celebrating, Arsenal fans at Wembley booed.

Referee Anthony Taylor had to step in, prompting United to wrap up their celebrations.

When the match resumed, Rashford became even more active. The United prodigy showcased his skills with dribbling, passing, and shooting, seemingly everywhere in the attack.

Wenger adjusted the defense, assigning players to mark Rashford tightly. As Rashford faced tighter marking, Lingard found himself with more space.

The ambassador of "joyful football" began to thrive again.

Darmian intercepted Bellerin and sprinted down the wing, with Xhaka chasing but unable to catch up.

(End of the chapter)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10