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wileys-russo · 2 years ago

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the winner takes it all II a.russo x reader

warning; sad world cup loss lessi hours ): got a buunch of blurb requests for various different angsty tings around the world cup loss so i have decided to just combine them all into one gut wrenching fic, so ur all welcome x

the winner takes it all II a.russo x reader 3.9K words

you were bouncing with excitement on the bus to sydney. you were in awe when you did the final stadium walk. you were fired up when the whistle blew to begin the match.

when spain scored you brushed it off, only using it to further fuel your drive to equalise. when that hadn't happened by half time, you felt the cold hand of worry start to wrap around your throat. when your girlfriend who in your opinion was one of your biggest assets toward equalizing was subbed off at the half, you tried to focus on the faith you had in your manager. your stomach dropped at the disappointed glint in alessia's eyes which she hid well behind an understanding smile, but not from you. when that was shortly followed by rach going off, you couldn't help but to let doubt creep in a little at sarina's choices.

your legs burned as you sprinted back and forth from one end of the pitch to the other, feet relentlessly pounding the perfectly manicured grass. desperate to cling onto anything, any chance of a goal.

when alex went down your heart lurched into your throat, aggression of the game growing as tackles became sloppier from both sides. still, you pushed forward with everything you had.

two minutes to go and you once more felt the cold hand of worry squeezing around your neck, tighter and tighter as each second passed where a goal wasn't landed. your lungs burned and muscles screamed for any sort of respite but still you refused to give in, in utter disbelief that this was how your tournament was going to end. you were absolutely gut wrenchingly crushed by the time that final whistle eventually blew. you collapsed to the floor, head buried in your hands and fingers blocking your ears, desperate to drown out the noise of the loss. blades of grass tickled at your nose as your chest heaved with silent sobs and you squeezed your eyes shut, willing the hot burning tears carving their way down your cheeks to just go away.

you felt hands on your back, slender fingers wrapping around your wrists and pulling you to sit up, lotte tugging you into her arms and whispering in your ear just how well you played as you buried your face in her shoulder, body wracked with the bitter salty tears you could no longer choke back.

after a brief pause from reality in her embrace you settled, pulling away and using your jersey to wipe your tears, the taller girl pressing a caring kiss to the side of your head before moving on to console the rest of the team.

if you thought the pain of the loss was bad, it was nothing compared to the punch in the stomach felt at seeing the look of sheer utter defeat slapped on your girlfriends face. you wasted no time moving toward her, ignoring the agonizing pain in your legs, hell you'd crawl to her if you had to. your eyes met just moments before you wrapped one another in a bone crushing hug, both mumbling to one another sweet affirmations of your performances and obvious condolences for one another's losses, you knew alessia's stung just that little bit more, overthinking if things could have been different had she been given the chance to contribute more.

not yet out to the general public and neither of you particularly wanting to be the face of tomorrow's papers you forced yourselves to pull away, but not before you reached up to gently wipe away a few stray tears from the blondes face with the pad of your thumb.

alessia so badly wanted to kiss you, to just wrap herself in your little bubble of love and comfort and just fade away from the bitter reality you were both co existing in, but just like you she knew now wasn't the time or the place.

you both wasted no time then moving to mary's side, the keeper crumpled in a ball on the ground with her head hung in her hands, choking back her own sobs. you murmuring how proud she should be as alessia rubbed her back, rachel and lucy tried to gently encourage her to stand up on her feet.

swallowing your pity the team gathered for one last lap of the pitch, clapping with forcefully broken smiles, eyes shining with pain and crushing disappointment but never missing the time to thank your supporters for being by you the whole time regardless. the rest of the ceremony flew past in the blink of an eye and before you could even blink you were all silently packing up your kit bags and filing out of the change room for the very last time.

the distance echos of celebration and whoops of joy from your opponents were not lost on your ears from the other end of the hall. neither was how heavy the second place medals felt hanging around your neck, tokens which should represent your pride in how far you'd progressed now only existing as reminders of what could have been.

you and alessia sat together on the bus back to the hotel, her head slumped on your shoulder, your hands intertwined as you ran your thumb soothingly over her knuckles. you'd seen a few tears slip from her eyes during the medal ceremony, stifled with a bite of her lip and more self control than anyone would ever know, but you knew the striker was making a point of holding back.

your pain eased a little when you arrived to the hotel and were all quickly whisked away to the function room by the staff, your friends and family greeting you with a symphony of cheers, hugs and chants of praise which rained down upon your tired and aching bones, and everything for a brief moment was okay.

your girlfriend wordlessly handed you a glass of wine, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead and slipping away to spend some time with her family as you did the same, seeking solace in the arms of your mother and siblings, relishing in the innocence and love from your four year old niece, your last name splayed across her back tugging on your heart strings as you spun her around the dance floor.

as it ticked into the early hours of the morning you all danced and drank and slipped into a sweet sense of false security that maybe, just maybe, this would have been the same celebration you'd had if you'd won.

it was nearing two in the morning when you felt alessia's hand on the small of your back, the taller girl hugging you tightly as her chin rested on your shoulder, quietly asking if you were coming back to the room with her as you nodded.

your family having dipped out around an hour ago to put your niece to bed you both made your rounds of goodbyes, laughing at her brothers as they twirled you both around in tight bear hugs, reveling in the sincere smiles it elicited from the two of you.

the process taking about a half hour you were both finally stood together in the elevator, heads buzzing lightly from the alcohol as you leaned into each other in a comfortable silence, eyes half lidded as exhaustion began to sink back in.

having showered after the game you both slipped out of your tracksuits and into much comfier clothes to sleep, wordlessly trading hoodies and inhaling the familiar comfort of one another's perfume before the taller girl settled between your legs with a brush in her hand.

you combed out the tangles in her long blonde hair, mumbling that she needed to stop putting it up into a bun whilst damp with a gentle kiss to the back of her neck, plaiting it softly before you squeezed her shoulders to let her know you were done.

using your knees as leverage she pushed herself up to her feet, making her way to her own side of the bed and flicking off the light as you shuffled back and sunk into the mattress, pulling up the blanket for alessia to sneak in beside you.

you both wasted no time intertwining your limbs, alessia's legs slotting inbetween your own as your arms snaked around her, the blondes nose tucking itself into your neck with a gentle exhale, one hand tangling itself into your hair as her nails scratched at your scalp, your own digits tracing absent minded shapes down her spine as your hand tucked up the back of her hoodie.

soft i love you's were the only words exchanged among a few lazy kisses, both of you far too tired and bodies screaming for sleep as you drifted off wrapped up in one anothers tender embrace.

a few hours later you stirred slightly and reached out for your girlfriend but your eyes slowly fluttered open when your hands only clasped onto cold sheets.

"less?" you called out groggily, rubbing tiredly at your face as you sat up and let your eyes adjust to the darkness of the hotel room.

glancing to the side you saw the alarm clock blink that it was 4:43am and you frowned, calling out again for your blonde lover but getting nothing in response. rolling out of bed you wiped the sleep from the corner of your eyes with the sleeves of your hoodie.

your girlfriend a good half a foot taller than you they hung well past your hands, her limbs longer than your own you often teased they'd grown too fast for her to catch up, the poor girl as clumsy as a baby deer on ice.

your worry grew as you checked the bathroom and she still wasn't there, though it was then that you noticed the slight crack in the balcony door, it left just ajar. you slid it open and poked your head out, your face falling as your eyes landed on the bundle of limbs and blonde hair rocking herself back and forth in the corner.

"oh baby." you exhaled softly as her head twisted up to look at you and you stepped properly outside, noting the tears pouring out of her blood shot eyes as she held out her arms expectantly. as you stepped closer the girls hands grabbed at your hoodie, fisting the material tightly and tugging you down to sit on top of her.

"oh lessi baby." you sighed out as her ocean blue orbs welled up with tears, your hands coming to rest either side of her face as she looked up at you, absolutely broken as she finally let out all of the emotions she'd been bottling up since that final whistle blew.

"it's okay love i'm right here, i'm right here." you repeated over and over as she buried her face in your chest, tears soaking the faded brown material of her favorite hoodie adorning your smaller frame, twisting the fabric tightly in her fists as if she was worried you'd disappear at a moments notice, her body shaking with sobs so intense it cause her shoulders to heave.

it took everything within you not to break down alongside her but you knew you needed to hold it together for the both of you right now, you'd played the full ninety minutes and needed to be grateful for that.

that opportunity was ripped away from the love of your life and right now that was all clearly coming crashing down on her as she mumbled that she should have ran faster, should have cleared more passes, made more crosses, shot more, done more.

you knew there wasn't much use in disagreeing with her but still you tried to soothe the sting of her plaguing insecurities with sweet nothings mumbled into her hair as you rubbed her back.

you weren't sure how long you sat there on her lap as she clung onto you, eventually her sobs and tears turning into slight hiccups and sniffles as the sun began to rise and you gently whispered that the two of you should try to get a few hours of sleep before you'd need to be up and leaving for the airport.

you felt her nod lightly and slid off of her, standing to your feet and offering her your hand which she accepted. "wait here baby." you lead her inside and urged her to sit on the edge of the bed, gently prying her hands off of you and bringing them to your mouth with a soft kiss.

the girl watched on as you slipped into the bathroom, grabbing what you needed and quickly returning to her side where once again she latched onto you. you pressed a caring kiss to her lips before showing her what you'd brought back with you and you smiled softly as her eyes welled up with tears again, overcome with love for how deeply you cared for her.

wiping away her tears with your sleeves you stood in between her legs, tenderly kissing her forehead as her eyes slid close and you began to do her skincare routine, you'd memorized each step with the upmost precision, having watched the older girl go through the motions almost every night since you'd started seeing one another.

finishing up you stole a kiss and mumbled against her lips for her to get back in bed as you ducked off to put everything back where you'd taken it from. when you returned she was curled up in the blankets, only the top of her head poking out as you re-locked the balcony door, drawing the shades and setting an alarm on your phone for in a few hours time.

slipping back into bed beside her you wrapped your arms tightly around your girlfriends torso, the blonde tossing around onto her other side so she could press her face tightly into your neck, fists again balling your top and tugging your body as close into her own as you could physically get.

you rubbed soothingly at her back and whispered sweet nothings into her ear until you felt her hold loosen a little and her breathing even out, finally drifting off into a restless sleep as you closed your eyes and eventually did the same.

the mood was tense as the team stood in sydney airport awaiting their flight to board, you'd all plastered fake smiles onto your faces and waved till your hands ached as you were cheered all the way to the gate.

but now you couldn't help but feel like a fish in a tank as onlookers gathered just outside the check in desk, oggling for a glance at the squad who almost won the whole world cup.

but it wasn't the fans who were causing the main issues, it was the media.

it was the middle aged men in chinos, volleys and dark graphic t-shirts asking ridiculous questions to try and illicit a reaction, hurrying from player to player reeking of desperation as they angled for any sort of click bait title for a trashy article they could scrounge up, like vultures picking at a roadkill carcus.

thankfully with media training on lock and a few members of security shouldering them out of the way you all made it to the gate mostly unscathed.

you were stood in a small huddle with alessia, ella, lotte, lucy and jordan, making polite small talk about your plans for the brief break before the wsl season was due to start, preseason having already commenced for your respective teams.

you watched on carefully as ella stepped away as soon as the topic shifted to the oncoming club season, a soft frown creasing your features as you shared a look with mary who walked off after her.

both of you were aware of how the transfer was affecting her, it likely suddenly feeling very real now that you were all out of the bubble of denial that was camp in australia, all now needing to scatter to different places throughout the world.

"you alright baby?" you quietly asked alessia who was sat down on her suitcase, resting her chin on the handle. "m'fine." the blonde mumbled back and you nodded, not pushing her for anything further knowing she was exhausted and still quite upset, the two of you having another tear filled cuddle this morning once your alarm had gone off.

"he's still watching us." alessia grumbled as she glanced off to the side, yourself and lotte looking over your shoulders to see the same man from the daily mail who'd been following you since you stepped foot in the airport loitering around with his camera in hand.

"they're so relentless its vile." lotte muttered as you hummed in agreement. "less do you-" you started to ask if she wanted anything to drink but your words fell short seeing the blonde had her face buried in her hands, trying to wipe away the tears which threatened to spill over.

"oh love." you sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently as she peered out of her hands with a broken look. "oh for fuck sakes he's recording now, of course." alessia shoved your hand off and turned her head away, you swallowing the pang in your heart as she did and instead turning around to shoot a filthy glare towards the paparazzi who paled at the murderous look on your normally calm and soft features.

"ignore him, he's a prick." you sighed, moving your body so that your back blocked her from being filmed any further, lotte squeezing in beside you to give the blonde as much privacy as possible as she quietly excused herself to use the bathroom, hurrying off still furiously wiping at her eyes with her sleeves.

"hey, you okay?" lotte bumped her shoulder into yours with a small smile, the two of you hadn't grown up together as her and alessia had, but having played for arsenal together for several years now you looked to the brunette as a sister of sorts and the two of you cared quite deeply for one another.

it was all the more reason alessia and yourself had fallen so head over heels, lotte in both of your ears about how sweet of a couple you'd make, unknown to the both of you having been gunning to get you two together for many many months before it finally happened.

"no, you?" you smiled honestly, lotte chuckling and giving you the same answer back. "soon enough we'll be back home and your biggest worry will be avoiding the balls kicked at your head by katie and jen when you run your mouth onruststoker." lotte grinned, your eyes rolling at her nickname for you which you'd eventually harassed viv into translating the dutch for you since lotte refused to give you the satisfaction, it meaning troublemaker.

"do you and less have plans to go away at all before preseason? or should i say before i have to deal with the two of you being atattched at the hip every single day." lotte asked as you noticed your girlfriend return from the toilet, making her way over to her best friend who was sat hunched over with mary, alessia sitting on her other side and slinging an arm over ellas shoulder clearly leaning in to talk to her.

"don't be silly, i'll always make time for my work wife." you winked and nudged her as she playfully rolled her eyes. "and now we can go on double dates instead of me having to third wheel you and tao or being dragged along on your disgustingly cute bike rides." you were now the one to roll your eyes.

"but no not really, we're just spending a few days with our families." you answered her, not having the chance to take the conversation further as your flight was called and it was as if the team breathed a collective sigh of relief as they all began to board, filing down the tunnel toward the private plane which was to be the first flight of three.

you slipped your headphones on over your ears as they dimmed the lights in the cabin, you'd all been flying for a few hours now and as part of the jetlag plan set in by the staff you knew you all now needed to readjust back out of the australian time zone so despite it being midday it was important you all did your best to sleep.

well, most of you.

the plane had all but split into two, those who wanted to chat seated up front together in pairs while the rest of you who wanted to sleep took up the back. you were seat buddies with mary, the two of you having flown together on the way as well both appreciating the long flight as a chance to catch up on a lack of sleep from the excitement of a pre cup camp.

your girlfriend was again seated with ella and you'd left her to it, knowing there were conversations the two of them would need to have during the last of their time together before for the first time in several years they'd not be returning together to manchester together.

but that exact fact is why you jumped in surprise as a soft hand landed on your knee and you opened your eyes to see the taller blonde squatted down beside you. "you alright?" you asked tiredly, having been asleep the last few hours and with a quick glance around it seemed almost all of the girls still were, you weren't brave enough to check the time, knowing you still had a long way to fly.

"i can't sleep, i need you." was all that she muttered in a small voice before motioning for you to scoot over, slotting her body in beside yours, the two of you wriggling around until you found a somewhat comfortable position squished into the single seat together.

"i love you." you whispered quietly, pressing a few sweet kisses to her lips as she echoed those 3 words back to you before encouraging her to try and sleep as she tucked her head into your neck, your nails scratching softly at her scalp where her hair was scraped back into a messy bun.

"oi what are you-" mary slid down her eye mask and glared toward you, ready to tell you off for the noise of your shuffling around but her eyes softened seeing the two of you curled up together, sending you a smile and a nod before tucking her airpods back in.

"thank you amore mio." you felt the striker mumble into your collarbone as she kissed gently at your exposed skin. "for what?" you whispered back, digits still messing with her hair as hers had snuck up your jumper, tracing circles on your ribs.

"just being here, being you. you're just...my person, and i love you for it." alessia shrugged lightly and you swooned, a slight rosy pink blush covering your cheeks, alessia glancing up and noticing with a smile, placing a tender kiss to your jaw.

"my best girl." she whispered lovingly, squeezing you a little tighter as mary grumbled a gentle warning for the chatter and you both shared a much lighter smile, your presence allowing alessia to finally let down her walls as she pressed her face into your shoulder and closed her eyes, both of you lulling the other off to sleep with the comfort of one anothers ever present love.

you might not have won the world cup, but you still had one another and were about to embark on a whole new journey together, and though the pain of that bitter loss would hang around for awhile, so long as alessia had you by her side she knew each day it would get a little easier.

#woso #woso x reader #alessia russo #woso fanfics #woso imagine #alessia russo x reader #engwnt #woso blurbs

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overtrred28 · 9 months ago

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Stargirl | matildas x original character fic [part fifteen]

Words; 1.5k

Pairings; matildas team x astrid taylor (OC)

Warnings; mini panic attack

masterlist

After two days of training at the stadium, game day finally came and everyone was more than ready. Especially Astrid when it had been revealed during their pre match talk that she would be in the starting line up today. It was safe to say she did not expect that, gasping in shock when Tony revealed her name and the rest of the team cheered her on. But after her performance against South Africa and during training, the coaches were more than certain she deserved it.

Astrid was very nervous once they headed to the changeroom after a warm up, feeling the pressure she was putting on herself start to bubble up. She hadn’t started for the national team since the game she got injured in, only coming on later in the games as fresh legs and she was very worried her performance wasn’t going to meet everyone's expectation.

Her leg bounced up and down, hands shaking slightly as she sat on the bench, everyone around her finishing up getting ready for the game. Her heart was pounding and she tried to focus on taking deep breaths but it felt like she was suffocating in the room.

Hastley, Astrid stood up and headed for the door, ignoring the calls of her teammates asking where she was going. She didn’t even know where she was going, just knew she needed to get away from everyone for a moment. An empty hallway away from the noise of the stadium was all she needed, stopping and leaning up against a wall finally being able to breathe properly.

For a few minutes she basqued in the quiet, letting her thoughts go and emptying her mind of anything that would prevent her from having a good match. That was until she heard footsteps approaching and getting closer to her. She didn’t react, just kept her eyes closed and fell farther into the wall.

“Hey.” A soft voice and instantly Astrid felt a wave of calm fall over her. Kyra. Astrid opened her eyes and met Kyra’s worried face.

“Hi.” Astrid’s voice was barely a whisper. “Sorry.” She avoided Kyra’s eyes and looked down at their feet.

“Don’t be. Just had us worried is all.” Kyra confessed and let out a soft smile. “You okay?” She asked softly, not pressuring her to respond fully.

“Yeah. Just needed a second.” Astrid looked back up at Kyra and gave her a tight lipped smile. “Nervous.” She spoke again and Kyra just nodded.

“You got this.” Kyra spoke into her eyes and Astrid nodded along with her, feeling her heart rate slow and more air coming back into her lungs. “Come on.” Kyra held her hand out for Astrid and waited for her.

Astrid silently took her hand and they began walking back down the tunnels, the noise from the teams and the fans in the stands growing louder as they approached the line ups, slotting in behind Katrina. They dropped their hands quickly, Astrid sending a quick thumbs up to Charli further up the line who was looking at her with worry.

Before she knew it, both teams were standing in position and ready to start the game, the anxiety from before now replaced with adrenaline. The whistle blew and immediately Astrid was focused on the game, running down to her position on the right side, sharing the front with Sam.

Denmark took possession very quickly, leading the scoreline with a goal from Karen Holmgaard within 47 seconds. Astrid and Sam watched with disbelief from the other side of the pitch, knowing this would set them up for a long and hard game.

The Matildas almost get a chance to equalise soon after, Steph sending a ball for Sam who knocked just too high over the goal and missing their chance. But Astrid is really making her mark early on with early touches and creating amazing chances for Sam in the centre. But still, nothing managed to make its way past the Denmark defence and into the back of the net.

The half time whistle blew and the only thing the Australian could take from it was Mini’s yellow card. That didn’t stop them becoming even more motivated to turn the rest of the game over to their side. After Tony’s speech, a water break and some refocusing, the team was ready to get back out and win this match.

The second half, Astrid was fueled with more energy than she’s ever had even though this was the longest she’s ever played for the national squad. But there was a hunger for her to equalise and overtake the Denmark side early on and take the lead.

Astrid watched the pass from Tegan to Mini to Hayley and kept her eye on the ball, running closer to the ball and trying to keep her distance from the defenders. Hayley came close to the goal but there wasn’t enough of a clear shot for her, eyeing where Astrid was positioned near the goal and going for it. Hayley shot the ball low through the middle of two defenders and it ended at Astrid’s left foot, taking less than a second to tap it in gently past the keeper's legs and against the back of the net in the 53rd minute.

As soon as it made it past the white line Astrid beelined it for Hayley, the two players jumping into one another over excitement for their shared goal. The rest of the girls came over screaming, piling on top of the pair and giving well deserved head pats for their fantastic footwork.

The girls began to disperse, Charli and Kyra hanging back to give the 18 year old striker another hug before returning to their places and just like that Astrid had helped them equalise early on.

It took another 10 minutes before Caitlin scored one of the most chill, easiest goals ever. After being thrown back in by Charli, Caitlin bounced it off her chest and passed to Mini and Hayley before the ball was sent back to her. She easily dribbled it through the defenders, basically a 5v1 at that point, before nutmegging Sørensen and letting it roll into the goal, deflecting off the fingertips of Christensen and hitting the net.

The game ended in their favour, 4-1 to the Matildas after Mini and Caitlin scored within a minute of another and a full international game under Astrid’s belt. After congratulating each other and consolidating the other team, it was time for the post-match huddle, Astrid slipping in between the other two goal scorers of this match.

“Sam, Steph,” Tony began. “This is your team, your talk tonight.” He smiled at the two captains who were side by side.

“Um, me and steph were just saying the second half is what we’re about. Like, we're a pressing team and we live and die by it.” Everyone was nodding in agreement at Sam’s words.. “So it was really fucking cool to see us all going for it. And I think we’re gonna concede chances. Maybe we concede one, but the way we pressed and covered for each other.” Sam looked around the circle. “That’s what this team’s about. So we need to bring that for 90, but that second half was incredible,” Sam looked over at the goalscorers that were holding onto each other. “So well done girls.” She looked over at Steph to continue.

“Yeah, the end was a really mature performance, as well.” Steph was moving her eyes to reach everyone in the circle. “Having five at the back defending how we did, how we organised, that’s how we’ve got to be major tournaments, that’s what it’s about. Sometimes we’ve just got to get the win and I thought we did that really well, so, good performance.” Steph concluded and everyone turned to Tony for the final words.

“Freaking solid performance, fantastic night. Good job everyone.” The captains had said everything that was needed to, so he was more than happy to show his excitement and happiness, finishing up the huddle and leading everyone into celebration.

The excitement over their win continued into the changerooms and eventually on the bus on the way back to the hotel. But it was safe to say Astrid was exhausted after playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in a while, beginning to fall asleep against Alanna’s shoulder. So as they arrived at the hotel, the blonde defender had the pleasant job of attempting to wake the teenager who seemed very happy against her in the seat.

“Hey, Asteroid.” Alanna nudged her gently, Astrid groaning as she began to wake up. “We’re back at the hotel.” Astrid began to open her eyes more, seeing Alanna and a few of the other girls look down at her.

“Coming.” She spoke softly, waving them off. They nodded and began walking off the bus, but there was someone still lurking, waiting for her.

“Need a hand?” Kyra asked her, Astrid looking up as she retrieved her small bag, sending Kyra a tired smile.

“Thanks.” Astrid reached for Kyra’s hand and pulled herself up, bag and phone in her other hand. They began walking off the bus, always last but somehow always together.

to be continued...

#auswnt #woso x reader #matildas #matildas x reader #alanna kennedy #steph catley #mary fowler #caitlin foord #kyra cooney cross #woso #charli grant #mackenzie arnold #sam kerr

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unitedbydevils · 1 month ago

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Match Review: Manchester United Women 3-1 Crystal Palace Women

A Terland double and a finishing blow from Grace Clinton saw the glass walls come tumbling down for a plucky Crystal Palace.

United took the lead after just nine minutes, with a poor goalkeeper's clearance finding Grace Clinton in the middle of the Palace half. A tidy squared pass to Miyazawa and a quick throughball to Terland saw the Norwegian pivot to sell Majasaari and shoot at the far right post rather than the nearer left.

Terland almost made it 2-0, hitting the post after a tidy low cross into the box from Ella Toone, with the rebound skipping past the onrushing Clinton who was actually celebrating the goal rather embarrasingly.

Palace then did the unthinkable and equalised - a 38th minute goal from Danish midfielder Mille Gejl after a lovely ball over the top from Lily Woodham. For some reason the defending duty was left for Hinata Miyazawa rather than Maya Le Tissier, and unsurprisingly the Japanese international hadn't got the right positional awareness to stop Gejl from getting up close with Phallon Tullis-Joyce and firing a tight shot between her right shoulder and the near post.

Luckily, United would continue their good run of goalscoring form and bounce back. A Majasaari error off a Clinton lobbed pass almost put both Leah Galton and Tooney in for the rebound, but it would take until the 64th minute for Terland's second to restore United's lead. A Clinton pass meant for Toone was deflected back through the Palace line and into the path of Terland, who broke the line with a timely run to stay onside and rounded the outrushing Majasaari for an easy tap-in.

Anna Sandberg swung in a deep cross which narrowly missed the head of substitute Celin Bizet, but Grace Clinton wouldn't miss; leaping onto a deep free kick from Ella Toone in the 85th minute for a well-deserved goal to secure the three points.

A good performance and a good result for United, but the first half was a little lacklustre and Palace certainly could have punished more - and better teams would have. Still, we looked more focused and were visibly more assertive in the second. My only wonder is why only three subs and why, if bringing Aoife Mannion on with five to go, couldn't Simi Awujo have done the same for Janssen?

The fixture marked 150 appearances for Leah Galton, pictured above with her partner, as well as 100 outfield starts for Ella Toone - the first player to achieve this for United.

Next up, Leicester City at 12:30pm on Sunday March 2nd. Before then though, INTERNATIONAL BREAK woo... Actually, it's not as bad as it is with men's football so I'll let it slide. Come back safe, ladies.

youtube

#manchester united #man u #man united #man utd #manchester reds #manchester united women #leigh sports village #lsv #wsl #womens super league #ella toone #grace clinton #elisabeth terland #crystal palace women #leah galton #Youtube

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rashfordxbruno · 1 year ago

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Matchday! United Women welcome Arsenal in the Women's Super League this evening, in our first home game of the season.

The stage is set for a lively atmosphere in front a sell-out crowd at Leigh Sports Village, as Marc Skinner's side aim to make it two wins out of two following Sunday's opening day victory at Aston Villa.

Lucia Garcia's equaliser and Rachel Williams's injury-time header sealed the comeback victory at Villa Park, after Rachel Daly put the home side ahead.

The Gunners will be looking to bounce back from their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, in their WSL opener last weekend.

This is probably the first game against a rival club that United aren’t the underdogs and it will be a great test for the team.

Show lots of fight tonight, girls. Come on United! 🔴

#matchday #manchester united #mufc #arsenal women #women's super league #wsl #come on united #ggmu

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itscarshub · 4 months ago

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Heidenheim 0-2 Chelsea: Highlights, man of the match, stats as Blues continue perfect Conference League campaign

Chelsea continue flawless Conference League campaign with hard-fought 2-0 win over Heidenheim, thanks to goals from Christopher Nkunku and Mykhaylo Mudryk. Chelsea continued their flawless start to the Conference League with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Heidenheim on Thursday evening, with goals from Christopher Nkunku and Mykhaylo Mudryk giving Enzo Maresca's side the win. Kevin Muller and Filip Jorgensen were the stars of the show in the action-packed opening 25 minutes, both repeatedly tested as the two teams sliced through each other's defences, while Marc Guiu was notably wasteful in the final moment, failing to convert five great opportunities from inside the box. Chelsea maintained control of the possession for the rest of the half, holding 69% of the ball after 45 minutes, but Heidenheim stood strong and remained dangerous on the counter, though neither team were ultimately able to find the breakthrough, leaving the scores level at half time. After failing to find their clinical edge in the first half, the Blues needed just minutes in the second to break the deadlock, as Jadon Sancho's cross was brilliantly controlled by Nkunku, who fired into the far corner to give Chelsea the lead and net his seventh goal in Europe this season. Heidenheim pushed for an equaliser as the game progressed, and the hosts briefly thought they had found it when Maximilian Breunig found the net with a stunning diving header, but their celebrations were swiftly cut short as the offside flag was raised, leaving the score at 1-0 as the clock ticked towards the final whistle. Chelsea doubled their lead just minutes later when Mudryk was found inside the box from Sancho's pull-back, and the Ukrainian fired a stunning first-time shot, curling it into the top right corner. Heidenheim continued to search for a way back into the game, and deja vu struck just moments after Chelsea's second when Breunig thought he had scored, only for the offside flag to be raised immediately, dashing the hosts' hopes once again as the game finished 2-0 to the visitors. The evening was slightly marred for Chelsea in the final moments when Cesare Casadei was shown a second yellow card, a harsh dismissal for the midfielder, but Maresca will ultimately be satisfied with the result as his side stay top of the Conference League table.

HEIDENHEIM VS. CHELSEA HIGHLIGHTS

Christopher Nkunku goal vs. Heidenheim (51st min, Heidenheim 0-1 Chelsea) Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku combine to give Chelsea an early lead in the second half 🤝 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/N9Vk8ejEZq — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2024 Nkunku again for Chelsea, he just can not stop scoring in Europe! Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall picks up the ball and plays it out wide to Sancho, who faces up his defender and chips a pass towards the penalty spot, where Nkunku is lurking. The forward takes a superb first touch to bring the ball into his control, letting it bounce before side-footing his strike into the far corner, giving Chelsea the lead. Mykhaylo Mudryk goal vs. Heidenheim (86th min, Heidenheim 0-2 Chelsea) What a finish that is from Mykhailo Mudryk 😮‍💨 Chelsea look set to continue their fine form in Europe 🔥 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/glsbdVCaUY — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2024 Wow, what a finish from Mudryk to surely give Chelsea the win! Sancho and Dewsbury-Hall combine again on the right, with the winger receiving the ball back just inside the penalty area and taking a moment to pick out a teammate in the box. His cross is pulled back once more, this time into the path of Mudryk, who curls a sublime first-time strike into the top right corner, surely securing the victory for Chelsea. 96th min: Cesare Casadei (Chelsea) Red Card The night is slightly soured for Chelsea as Casadei receives his marching orders, the midfielder shown a second yellow card. The Italian pulls down Leo Scienza as Heidenheim look to advance up the pitch, and the referee shows him his second yellow card of the evening, meaning the midfielder will miss Chelsea's next match against FC Astana.

MAN OF THE MATCH - CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU

© Imago Nkunku scored the crucial opening goal for Chelsea, capitalising on a well-taken opportunity shortly after the break, slotting the ball into the far corner to give his team the lead. The forward's performance deserves far more recognition than just his goal, with Nkunku a constant threat throughout his 76 minutes on the pitch, registering four shots and also creating a chance for his team. Both goalkeepers also deserve mention for their stellar performances, each making a series of brilliant saves to keep their teams in the contest and ensure the game remained tight throughout the full 90 minutes.

HEIDENHEIM VS. CHELSEA MATCH STATS

Possession: Heidenheim 33%-67% Chelsea Shots: Heidenheim 16-17 Chelsea Shots on target: Heidenheim 11-8 Chelsea Corners: Heidenheim 3-6 Chelsea Fouls: Heidenheim 14-10 Chelsea

BEST STATS

4 - Christopher Nkunku is the first Chelsea player to score in each of his first four major European appearances for the club, and first to score in four in a row overall since Olivier Giroud in 2018-19. Notable. pic.twitter.com/8wl3SFyjH1 — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 28, 2024 Jadon Sancho has 5 assists in just 6 starts for Chelsea this season 😳 pic.twitter.com/2krCikg8Rv — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 28, 2024

WHAT NEXT?

The defeat for Heidenheim is their first of the league phase, but it does become their third successive loss across all competitions, and they now face two difficult encounters with Eintracht Frankfurt (home) and Bayern Munich (away) in the Bundesliga. Victory for Chelsea means they maintain their perfect record in the Conference League with four wins, while they remain unbeaten in their last five outings across all competitions, and they will look to extend that run when they face struggling Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. Source link Read the full article

#Blues #campaign #Chelsea #Conference #continue #Heidenheim #Highlights #League #Man #Match #perfect #Stats

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news365timesindia · 5 months ago

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[ad_1] India celebrates a goal (Image: Hockey India) India’s Men’s hockey team secured a thrilling 5-3 victory over Germany in the second game of a two-match series. The visitors, who are the current world champions, however, took the series honours with a 3-1 win in the decisive shootout. In regulation time, India’s Sukhjeet Singh (34′, 48′), Harmanpreet Singh (42′, 43′), and Abhishek (45′) all found the back of the net, while Elian Mazkour (7′, 57′) and Henrik Mertgens (60′) managed to score for the visitors. Although India began the match on the front foot, earning a penalty corner in the fourth minute, it was Germany who struck first with a swift counter-attack three minutes later. Abhishek’s earlier attempt to penetrate the German defence was unsuccessful, which led to the opening goal for the visitors. Germany, having won the first match 2-0, continued to press but missed out on converting a penalty corner in the 12th minute. India’s own attempts at a penalty corner in the 14th minute were thwarted by a brilliant save from German goalkeeper Jean Danneberg. The second quarter saw India intensify their search for an equaliser, with Vishnu Kant and Shamsher pressuring the German defence, but they couldn’t break through. Trailing 1-0 at halftime, India made a tactical shift in the third quarter. Shilanand Lakra set up Sukhjeet Singh, who deflected it backhanded into the goal to equalise. This goal sparked a resurgence, with Harmanpreet Singh netting back-to-back penalty corner strikes in the 42nd and 43rd minutes to give India a 3-1 advantage. Abhishek added another field goal in the 45th minute, and Sukhjeet extended India’s lead to 5-1 in the 48th minute after a solo run. Germany responded with Mazkour’s second goal and Mertgens’ strike in the final minute to force the match into a shootout. Despite India’s strong performance, Germany held their nerve in the shootout, winning 3-1 and securing the series. Post-match, Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh expressed pride in his team’s efforts, stating, “We analyzed our opponents carefully after yesterday’s game and minimized errors to bounce back. Though we couldn’t win the series, I’m proud of our performance today.” The post India beat Germany 5-3, but lose series after shootout setback appeared first on Sports News Portal | Latest Sports Articles | Revsports. [ad_2] Source link

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news365times · 5 months ago

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jrpneblog · 11 months ago

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Milly`s trilogy sends Deepdale silly

A seven minute second half hat-trick lifted the gloom on a chilly Deepdale evening as Osmajic set the ground alight with three superb goals to give North End a 4-1 victory over Huddersfield Town. One down at half time and the season seemed over especially as Norwich were two up at Hillsborough. However, football is a funny old game and with North End`s excellent second half display added to a couple of goals from the Owls ninety miles away a ten point gap suddenly became a five point gap with Norwich the visitors to Deepdale on Saturday. It was a torrid first half for North End with the visitors playing the better football and deserving the lead but after the break North End quickly equalised but only really surged ahead with the introduction of Browne and Osmajic a quarter of an hour from the end.

Ryan Lowe made two changes to the team that started the disappointing draw at Watford on Saturday with Holmes and Frokjaer replacing Osmajic and Whatmough. The visitors started the better but around the twenty minute mark we had five corners on the bounce all which came to nothing. I thought Huddersfield looked the more likely to break the deadlock on the counter attack but both teams struggles to get in meaningful efforts on target in the first quarter of the game. Ten minutes from the break Brady fired a 30 yard effort just over the bar but seven minutes later it was the visitors who took the lead when North End had several attempts to clear the ball before Koroma fired across Freddie Woodman and gave the visitors the lead much to the delight of the 1,292 visiting fans who had made their way from West Yorkshire.

There were a few grumblings as North End left the pitch at the break but we came out with more purpose after the break and took the game to Huddersfield right from the first whistle. There were only seven minutes gone in the second half when Keane was brought down from behind in the box and the striker made no mistake in bringing North End level from the spot. Kean had another huge shout for a penalty but this time the referee waived play on. With fourteen minutes on the clock Ryan Lowe made the two changes that turned the game on its head. Brown and Osmajic were introduced and within seven minutes North End were in the lead. A great ball from Holmes on the right found the big striker and it was 2-1. We hadn't long to wait before Alan Browne put the big fella through and he made no mistake making it 3-1 and winning the points for North End. The Whites weren't done though and when a beautiful from Frokjaer found Osmajic again the striker claimed the match ball and a great North End comeback was complete.

So from a season ending half time position North End live to fight another day and are still just about in the play off race with five games to go. The Canaries visit Deepdale on Saturday for what is the biggest game of the season without doubt where a win could put us right back in the mix and a defeat would be the end of the road for this term. North End showed great fighting spirit in this game and for all the criticism aimed at Ryan Lowe this season you simply have to give credit for substitutions made when they have the impact that Browne and Osmajic did against Huddersfield. It is still odds against North End pulling it off but we have been handed a lifeline and we need to make Deepdale shake to it`s core on Saturday when Norwich City come to town in the big one.

PRESTON 4-1 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

WOODMAN 7

STOREY 7 LINDSAY 7 CUNNINGHAM 6

BRADY 8 McCANN 8 HOLMES 7 HUGHES 7

FROKJAER 7

RIIS 7 KEANE 7

SUBS

BROWNE 8

OSMAJIC 9

STEWART 6

MAWENE 6

MOTM: Milutin Osmajic

Attendance 14,698

Preston Fans 13,406 (91.21%).

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jfbuckley · 1 year ago

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This was a finish that was on a par with - or even better than - the Champions League final in 1999. Obviously the circumstances are vastly different - you can’t really compare beating a struggling premier league team with winning the European Cup - but in a way it was just as momentous. It comes after the worst run I can remember United having since 1999. I felt that there was a real danger that this might be the end for Ten Hag if we lost - not necessarily immediately, but probably the start of a slide that he would not recover from. It seemed ominous at 90 minutes when Mark Goldberg said on United Stand: “He’s lost the players!! 100%”. Ten Hag then seemed to be starting his departure from the club, but five minutes later everything had miraculously changed. McTominay had suddenly changed from “McShite” to “Scotty”. How fickle football fans can be…

In 2009, I witnessed another late, late show by United that has gone down in the annals. Coming to the climax of the season it looked like United were going to throw it all away. Injury time was looming and we were 2-1 down to Aston Villa. A few minutes later, Federico Macheda gave us an extraordinary 3-2 victory. I was watching at home with my football correspondent as guest: I was treated to a display of exuberant victory celebrations that has surely never been equalled. Fourteen years later and he was at this match and I am led to understand that his celebrations exceeded even those of the Macheda goal. It really must have been something to behold!

—————

hi - most united fans would agree the highpoint last season was the victory over barcelona - the starting XI that night at old trafford was de gea, wan bissaka, varane, martinez, shaw, fred, casemiro, fernandes, sancho, rashford, weghorst

for this game united had a completely new defence whilst of the rest only fernandes, rashford and casemiro survived - and some fans would say that in general all 3 are not performing to their usual high standards

no wonder i wrote last week that united don't seem the same as they did last season - however we had a chance to look at the promising duo of maguire and evans in central defence

after recent results it was understandable that it was a low key start to the match - not much happened until 26 minutes when united rushed a free kick and put themselves under pressure - a ball into the box was weakly cleared by an off balance lindelof - eventually the ball fell to jensen whose effort would have been saved by a keeper from the womens super league - unfortunately onana is not playing well and the ball went thru his weak right hand - last week i said opposition only need to wait for a united mistake - well this was a perfect example

at half time i observed to a fellow fan that one day he'd be leaving old trafford smiling and full of joy but when that day was going to come i just didn't know

the 2nd half trundled on - brentford did a palace and set their stall out for a 1 goal win - united pressed without conviction - casemiro was replaced at half time, rashford went off after an hour - the final sub was mctominay after 87 - just before 90 minutes united found the net - relief was short - VAR ruled martial offside - we sank back into our seats

the announcer boomed 'there will be 6 minutes of added time' - after 3 minutes garnacho picked up the ball on the left - he worked his way to the bye line and pulled the ball back to the edge of the area - dalot fired at goal - it was spilled by the keeper and kicked away - it went to mctominay who controlled the bouncing ball and knocked an equaliser just inside the post - we roared with relief and stayed standing - martial had a chance a minute later but the keeper saved

in the last seconds dalot took a free kick from the half way line - it soared to the far edge of the area where maguire won the duel and headed forward - it was met by the on rushing mctominay whose header was touched but not saved by the keeper - joy unconfined - celebrations all around me - as for me ? i was once told that my reaction to machedas goal against villa in 2009 was something to behold - i suspect that was repeated and then some

as we calmed down i said to that fellow fan - you know what i said at half time, well ..... ITS TODAY !!!!!

bye

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stephspurs · 4 years ago

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A Family Affair | Euro 2020 Football Fanfiction

My loves, this is the end of AFA & I can't tell you how sad I am for this little story to be over :( There are a couple of people I need to thank so bear with me...Amy (@footballffbarbiex) for making me believe I could write this and that people will want to read it, thank you forever. Em (@emwritesfootball) for being my fabulous proof reader and always being there for me to bounce ideas off of, thank you. And to allllllllllll of you who read, like, reblog and message me - THANK YOU I LOVE YOU!!! Ok enough with my Oscar's speech, please enjoy la parte finale. Love always, Steph xx

Part 12 | la parte finale

warnings; none - except maybe tears because this is the final part :( word count; 2367 writing tools; third person until dashed line, first person thereafter. tags (as requested by users); @footballffbarbiex @obsesseds-world @abysshaven link to fic masterlist here

The end of the international break had approached both squads with rapid speed, before they knew it the 3 weeks was up and it was time for their final friendly match before returning to club duties. It was a rematch of the European final from just a few months earlier, only this time - it was being played in Rome. Preparing her team to meet their opponents had been a bit trickier than last time. Of course, the boys were fired up and raring to go, but the bitterness and anger that drove her to push them harder last time wasn’t there. They were now going up against some of her closest friends as well as her family.

In a strange moment of deja vu, Amelia looked down the tunnel as both teams lined up side by side to walk out onto the pitch together. Just like the last time, her father passed her and gave her a reassuring rub to the back of her neck and made his way down through the centre aisle with his staff. Following him, and just like last time, she made her way down whilst pressing a kiss to both cheeks of her Italian men. Reaching her brother, she pressed a kiss to his cheek also, however unlike the last time he gave her a wink back. The atmosphere was different this time, it was a friendly game and there was no title at stake here - only pride. This time, however, as she passed the Three Lions Number 21, her right hand found his left one for just a moment, before giving it a gentle squeeze and continuing down her own line. He had maintained his focus forward, didn’t even blink at the girl’s actions, and by the time she got to Fede who had been watching the encounter she had made her mind up that he wanted nothing to do with her.

This friendly-match had Amelia in a bundle of nerves, dissimilar to the euro final, Amelia was confident in her ability purely due to the fact that she was well prepared. This time however, whilst she was just as well-prepared as last time, she also knew that a fair few English players had adopted her playing style as their own and knew the kind of tactic required to stop the Italian attack and penetrate the great wall of Rome: Chiellini and Bonucci. This, coupled with the fact that both sides seemed to be playing with a touch more aggression than she expected, led to her being on the edge of her seat for most of the game. A late first half goal from Jorginho had her up out of her seat, cheering for the midfield maestro. However, it was a late second half goal that had her smiling from ear to ear, whilst trying to remember to keep her bum in her chair - she wasn’t supposed to be cheering for the enemy after all. How could she not though? Ben Chilwell had scored the equaliser. Using the play they had spent so many hours perfecting, just the two of them out on the pitch at Cobham. Scoring his goal, celebrating with his team and the away fans, she had clapped with an appropriate level of enthusiasm until she noticed him look her way, pull the centre of his jersey toward his face and give it a kiss. She moved her hand to touch that spot on her own jersey. Fingers running over the embroidery that she had stitched into every one of her official matchday tops, a memento to keep her family close to her heart - the embroidery featured the word ‘WHITE’ followed by the colours of the italian flag. For this match however, she had something extra added. Did Ben know about her newest addition?

After the match.

“Chilwell! Wait Up!” Federico Bernardeschi called down the tunnel whilst jogging to catch up with his opposition player.

“Can I give you some advice? Don’t let her go. I did, and whilst it was the right thing for me to do, it's something I regret deeply. You don’t realise just how much she adds to your life until she's gone. You’ll come to realise that she is the sunshine after any storm, but she is also the storm itself. Any day without her is a little less bright.”

In a moment of vulnerability, Ben decided to open up to the man that he didn’t know more than a bar of soap, who was coincidentally the same man who knew all there was to know about Amelia.

“She really is sunshine personified, isn’t she?” Ben smiled at the thought of the girl, thinking back on all of the laughs that they shared together in Mykonos.

“Normally yes, but these past few weeks that she has been without you she has been a little less bright. You complete her, whether she has realised yet I’m not sure but I am sure that she misses you. I think more than she ever missed me.”

“Ben, there are two kinds of compliments you can give a woman. The first, something she already thinks about herself but needs reconfirmed. The second, the things she doesn’t think anyone else notices about her. The second kind matters more.”

“You like because, and you love despite. Think about that Ben.”

“I don’t know if I love her, yet.”

“I think you do know. Otherwise you wouldn’t have asked the kitman for a little something extra on tonight's jersey.”

“What are you talking about? How do you know?”

“Ah, Benjamin, a good spy never tells his secrets” With that, Federico continued his walk back to the changerooms. “She’s out on the pitch, Ben.” He called without looking back, confident that the player was already making his way out there.

Walking up to the centre circle, where Amelia was currently sitting down on the pitch with her arms behind her and her legs stretched out in front. Taking in the atmosphere of Stadio Olympico in Rome, her favourite stadium in the world. What surprised her the most was just how quickly Stamford Bridge had crept itself up the ranks and into the second spot of her heart.

Without wanting to startle her, Ben started talking to her from a few meters away - not bothered about the few lingering souls out and about. This was his time to make her his, and nothing was going to get in his way.

“You know, a wise person once said to me that you like someone because, but you love them despite” He called out to her.

Turning around, she was surprised to see him. After the cold shoulder she received earlier she hadn’t imagined she would have the opportunity to talk to the blue-eyed beauty any time soon.

“What person was that?” She asked back, softly, not wanting to spook him off.

“Fede”

She tried to hide the shock on her face, what on earth had told her ex-lover she wanted him to talk to her current lover...if you could even call Ben that. Maybe it was more appropriate for him to be referred to as Amelia’s almost-until-she-fucked-it-lover. That was a bit long winded...maybe-lover should suffice. Whilst she was having this internal struggle, all thoughts swirling around her head, Ben had reached the centre circle and sat to the left of the girl, close enough that she could see the calmness behind his eyes.

“He’s right you know, he’s not always right but this time he definitely is. For example, he was wrong to let you go. There would be no chance in hell that I would let you slip away from me as easily as he did.

“I like you because you’re smart, so unbelievably beautiful and just as confident as anyone I've ever met. But I love you, despite the fact that you drive me mad with just how brilliant you are even if you don’t acknowledge yourself. You are destined for greatness, Amelia White. And I just hope that when you do get to where you want to be, that I'm still right there with you.”

Looking at him with tears in her eyes whilst his own were telling her that there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation behind his words. He loved her. And that's all she needed. Standing up, she pulled him up by his hands and pulled him in so close that she could feel the muscles in his back contract as he wrapped her up in a hug of his own, these were the hugs that she wished could be reserved for her. No one else needed to know the power behind these hugs, they could make her fall for him over and over again. One hand across her shoulders, the other palming the back of her head and pushing her into his chest so she could feel his heart beat - after all it beats just for her.

“Ben, why did you kiss your shirt today after you scored?” She asked the taller man as he continued to enjoy the feeling of having her back in his arms, where she belonged for all of this time.

“I wanted to feel close to you, and I thought maybe you were onto something with your superstitions”. Regrettably pulling himself away from her, he pulled off his shirt to reveal the toned skin of his chest, but also the small embroidery on the inside fabric that resembled her own...except this time it read MILS with a small Italian flag. Feeling her heart swell inside her chest, she beamed up at the man who was patiently waiting for her reaction to the gesture of love.

“I think it worked Ben” Pulling her shirt away from her chest enough that she could stretch it and show the inside fabric to him, hers reading WHITE with the Italian flag, but also a small BENJ with the British flag next to it. Her way of keeping him, and her family, close to her heart where she felt them the most.

He could only imagine that Amelia felt when reading his shirt was only a fraction of what he was feeling at that moment, for it was impossible for anyone to love someone the way that he loved her. His mum always told him not to fall for the girl who gives him butterflies, because he would be addicted to the feeling and would constantly be on the chase for it, but to fall for the girl who calmed him down, made him feel secure and like he needed her air to breathe. Butterflies were warning signs, but the sight of Amelia reminded him of seeing the light on in the hall after an away match - he was home. She was his home.

Pulling her back to his chest, except this time he was shirtless. Amelia ran her hands down his back whilst his hands settled at the base of her spine, she rested her chin on his chest and stared up at the man that her heart had grown to love. Ben moved his hands upwards until he tangled them in her wavy hair, moving his lips to cover her own. The kiss said everything they needed to share with each other. I miss you. I love you. Never leave me again.

“Oi! You two! Break it up! There are kids here!” A quick yell broke the two out of their bliss, looking over to see none other than Kyle Walker standing at the end of the tunnel, looking towards them with a mischievous look on his face.

“Kyle, cover your eyes, you’re too pure to be exposed to such adult behaviour!” And just as though God had been listening, from behind him walked out Federico, to cover the eyes of Kyle Walker. Amelia and Ben didn’t realise that the two were even remotely friendly, however they had found a mutual interest - annoying their two friends that had finally admitted their feelings to each other.

“Pipe down you two” Ben joked as the pair of them walked hand in hand towards the jokesters, Ben eventually lifting his left hand to move their entwined hands to Amelia’s left shoulder, her own right arm moving to wrap around his waist. A way he could bring her physically closer to him. Amelia not resisting the gesture, anything to feel his smooth skin against her own.

“Fede, I hope you know that I'm going to be Amelia’s maid of honor at the wedding. That's not going to be a problem for you is it?” Kyle began to seriously discuss the future event with his new Italian partner in crime.

“No Kyle, that's fine - I'm the flower boy though. Jorgi is going to pull me down the aisle in a red cart while I throw rose petals at everyone” Fede joked back, the two of them pretending that the new couple couldn’t hear them as they walked down the tunnel back to the changerooms.

“What are they like?” Ben laughed into the top of Amelia’s hair, still maintaining his grip on the girl he had been without for 3 weeks. With a grin from ear to ear, and an overwhelming feeling of love about her, Amelia stopped Ben in his tracks before the two had to go their separate ways to rejoin their respective teams.

“Just so you’re aware, I love you too. And I am so sorry for everything that I put us through these past weeks. I want you to know that i’m all in, and i’m all yours...if you’ll have me”

“Stop being a silly muppet, of course I'll have you, all of you. Even the parts that drive me insane. There is no way I am letting anyone else have you. You’re all mine, Mils”

“Glad to know the feelings mutual, Chilly”

“Oi, what did I say about that! Only friends call me Chilly...and you are not my friend”

Bursting into laughter as she tried to pull away from him, only to be pulled back and wrapped up into his arms, her head against his chest.

“I love you, Benj”

“I love you right back, Mils”

finito.

BONUS #BAMELIA MOMENT - Champions Again | di nuovo campioni

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yes3me · 4 years ago

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Manchester United West Ham United

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was pleased with his players' mentality in their FA Cup fifth-round win over West Ham United after "feeling low" following the draw with Everton.

Scott McTominay scored in extra time to send the Red Devils into the quarter-finals.

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An otherwise flat match did contain the first use of a concussion substitution - when Issa Diop was replaced at half-time by Ryan Fredericks after a clash of heads with Anthony Martial.

And Solskjaer felt his players provided the perfect response to conceding a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with the Toffees on Saturday.

"We needed to have a good result and a good feeling today because we were low after the Everton game," he said.

"That was hard to take but they were really focused and did the job."

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire said he felt the players showed their strength of character to bounce back from the Everton result.

"Last Saturday was tough - especially in the second half," he said.

"We showed great spirit and a good mentality to come back and perform. We know it's a long season and tonight was perfect. It's important to get through."

On a bitterly cold night at Old Trafford, the hosts came closest to breaking the deadlock inside 90 minutes when Lukasz Fabianski reacted quickly to turn the ball on to a post after Victor Lindelof's header had taken a huge deflection off Craig Dawson.

But McTominay had the final word. Following a break that took them from one penalty area to the other, Marcus Rashford - on his 250th United appearance - flicked a delicate pass into McTominay's path with the outside of his foot and the Scotland midfielder's first-time finish flew low into the net.

It means Manchester United have reached the last eight for a seventh consecutive year as they bid to lift the trophy for the first time since 2016.

Watch all of the latest FA Cup highlights and reaction here Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast Tough night for Moyes It was another disappointing Old Trafford night for former Manchester United manager David Moyes.

Other than during his own ill-fated eight months in charge, it is a ground he has never won at, either with Everton, Sunderland or West Ham.

Before kick-off, the Scot had a good chat with current boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and doubtless wished he had been granted the same time afforded to the Norwegian, who is attempting to win a trophy after losing four successive semi-finals.

Moyes' hopes of stopping the hosts in their tracks were badly affected by injuries that now threaten to derail what so far has been an excellent season.

The sight of Angelo Ogbonna hobbling down the tunnel with his left boot removed, after being stood on by Martial, did not look great, and the manner of Diop's exit suggests Moyes will be without two central defenders for Monday's encounter with Sheffield United.

With their only orthodox striker, Michail Antonio, also missing, West Ham never really gained any momentum and were not helped by yet another injury - this time to Antonio's replacement Andriy Yarmolenko - early in the second half.

Said Benrahma had the Hammers' only effort on target, but even if he had beaten Dean Henderson with a close-range header at the end of extra time, it would almost certainly have been disallowed for offside.

Telles makes most of opportunity A £13.6m summer deadline-day signing from Porto, Alex Telles has been a bit of a conundrum during his time at Old Trafford so far.

The Brazilian evidently has ability - and a vicious left foot - but consistency has eluded him and, with Luke Shaw in the best form of his career, Telles has been unable to force his way into Solskjaer's team on a regular basis.

This was one of his better all-round performances.

It was a Telles corner that created the chance Fabianski kept out and it was his surging run and cutback that Donny van de Beek badly miscued, drawing a frustrated slap at an advertising hoarding from the defender.

Telles also had a fierce shot blocked and then, with the game entering its final 10 minutes, he curled over a superb cross that Martial headed wide.

He was also decent doing the defensive work he is employed for, most notably showing an excellent turn of speed to prevent a threat on the home goal as he got back to rob Jarrod Bowen after Yarmolenko had sent his team-mate through.

Telles did not reappear for extra time as Solskjaer changed both his full-backs, but Telles could still be pleased with his contribution.

First concussion substitute

This game will have a place in football history after Diop became the sport's first concussion substitute in England.

The French defender was introduced as a replacement himself after Ogbonna was forced off with an ankle injury when he was caught on the follow through by Martial.

Diop clashed heads with his compatriot as the pair rose to compete for a header at a West Ham corner.

Both players received treatment and continued to half-time. But after a further examination in the dressing room, in line with the adopted protocols, Diop was replaced by Fredericks, with the visitors reverting to a three-man defence.

"He was fine and I think he is fine," said Moyes. "But he had a bump on the head and we didn't want to take any chances.

"I hope there are no problems. I don't think there is."

Man Utd's record-equalling run - the stats Manchester United have won their last nine home FA Cup matches, their joint-longest home winning run in the competition, equalling their nine consecutive home wins between 1908 and 1912. West Ham have now been eliminated in each of their last four FA Cup ties against Manchester United, losing in a different round each time: fourth round in 2002-03, third round in 2012-13, quarter-final in 2015-16 and fifth round in 2020-21. Scott McTominay has scored seven goals in 30 appearances for Manchester United this season - as many as he scored in his 84 appearances in his first four seasons between 2016-17 and 2019-20. Marcus Rashford registered his ninth assist in all competitions for Manchester United this season, his best return in a single campaign for the club and second only to Bruno Fernandes for the Red Devils in 2020-21 (11). Aged 23 years and 101 days, Marcus Rashford became the fourth youngest player in Manchester United's history to reach 250 games for the club, behind only Norman Whiteside (22 years 192 days), George Best (22 years 199 days) and Ryan Giggs (22 years 301 days). Both Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial played their 250th matches for Man Utd in the same game tonight, only the second time in the club's history that has happened - the other occasion was also at home against West Ham, in August 1986 when both Mike Duxbury and Frank Stapleton did so. What next? Manchester United are next in action at West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Sunday (14:00 GMT). West Ham entertain Sheffield United on Monday (18:00).

#news

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justlightthefirstspark · 5 years ago

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United vs Chelsea - Conti Cup Semi Final - 29/01/2020

So the line up and bench for this one was interesting. Aimee Palmer was cup tied for this one, having already lined out for Sheffield United earlier in the season, Ella Toone is currently serving a 3 game suspension following a (questionable) red card vs Spurs, and both Kirsty Hanson and Leah Galton are out injured, which led to a very sparse bench, and pretty much the same XI as vs City. Lauren James started in place of Jane Ross, which was very clearly a good idea.

First half:

This game was a little cagey to start with, but ultimately a lot better than Saturday’s showing vs City. LJ had a decent shot around 6 mins, after some great build work from Groenen.

Abbie’s constant back passes to Earps returned, as did my anxiety. To be honest, Earps never looks completely comfortable to be on the receiving end of back passes so I don’t understand why the majority of that back 4 insist on playing that way so often?

Aside from those back passes, I though Abbie had a really good game. At least until she was forced off injured deep into the second half. She played an absolute stormer from the first whistle, and she was literally everywhere. Had a decent chance to get the first goal too around the 25 minute mark, very unfortunate to have that header go straight at Telford. She really, really redeemed herself after that performance vs City at the weekend.

‘27 - some Wales on Wales crime. Sophie Ingle booked for an almighty challenge on Hayley Ladd. Fair enough, the way Hayley fired herself into Ingle may have made it look more than it was. Entertaining tho. I’m also gonna take this opportunity to confess that I may be a little bit (a lot) in love with Hayley Ladd. I gotta be honest, I didn’t really know much about her before she signed in the summer, but she’s really, really great. I feel like she’s kinda underrated a little bit? Anyway, I genuinely don’t think this girl feels any pressure, like at all. A little bit like LJ I guess. She just gets her head down and does her job - calm and cool 100% of the time. I would very much like her to stay forever. I’m definitely gonna have to start watching more of this Wales team aren’t I?

‘34 - Earps with a cracking save. I feel like she’s more of a shot stopper than anything else, her distribution can be a little off sometimes, but she did really well to deny Chelsea there.

I think James and Arnot linked up quite well last night, especially around the 40 minute mark, unfortunately Lizzie was called just offside. She’s really impressed me (whenever she gets a shot) this season tbh, I hope she manages to get herself in the XI more often from now on.

‘42 - Jess Sigsworth pulling double shifts again. She’s constantly down around that back four, helping out and sometimes doing other people’s jobs for them and I’m kinda terrified that she’s gonna run herself into a brick wall at some stage? Like I think it’s fairly clear that we need to reinforce and add depth and quality defensively but I also think it’s pretty clear that Jess isn’t the answer to that particular problem, as impressive as her drive and her work rate is.

‘43 - United should have been clear and away on the counter there. There was an earlier challenge from Ladd (I’m pretty sure) that the ref took an age to make up her mind on, and by the time she decided to call it back, Groenen (again, I’d have to rewatch to be 100% certain) was up and over the halfway line on the break. Annoying af.

Halftime:

Tbh I thought United did really well to not have conceded and to still be in the game at the half. The first half as a whole was pretty decent, Chelsea ultimately had the better chances and were the slightly stronger team. I just wish we could have taken the few chances we had in the first half and made something from them, Telford isn’t the world’s best keeper and I feel like we could have tested her more and I was kinda disappointed we didn’t.

Second half:

‘47 - a fairly decent (surprisingly. It’s no secret we’re pretty piss poor at set pieces) from Zelem resulted in Amy heading just over, which hurt my soul. (I wanted her to score so bad youse have no idea)

‘52 - Arnot had a decent chance, and was 100% in cause Telford came about 82739 miles off her line, but unfortunately it was cleared away. (Sidenote: I HATE when keepers come off their line and out of their box like that, even opposition keepers. It just really shits me out. Anyway)

‘53 - a decent Chelsea opportunity goes wide. I saw somewhere (twitter probably) that it took a deflection, but I’d have to rewatch to be certain. FA Player get your shit together and upload the game so I can double check challenge 🙄

The game really started to come to life around the 50 minute mark. Both teams had decent chances within about a minute of each other, and United’s intensity really stepped up - they came out guns blazing in the second. Both teams pressing and passing really cleaned up around this time too.

‘61 - decent chance for Sigsworth. Angle was just too tight, but I think the build up was massively overworked. She passed it off the Zelem who held it for a little too long imo, before sending it back to Jess who lashed it into the side netting. Think Jess could have made something of it first time but hey, what’s done is done now.

Game started to get a little scrappy heading into the last 20 mins - back to the rushed and mismatched and intercepted passes of the first half.

‘70 - Chelsea free kick saved well by Earps.

‘71 - Goal - Chelsea. Really tight angle, just about squeezed home. Really good work from Mjelde in hindsight but I feel like Earps could have saved that one. I hate to blame her entirely but she really should have done better with closing that one down.

‘72 - almost an instant response from United. LJ had a fantastic chance to equalise but unfortunately scorched it over the bar. I’m not gonna lie, I expected a little better from her there, but I understand the urgency.

‘73 - pretty soft yellow for Sigsworth

‘74 - Ross 🔁 Arnot.

Seemed like all the wind was sucked out of United after that goal, approaching the 80 minute mark. Most of that intensity and urgency was still kinda there and evident in small bursts, but was mostly lacking.

‘80 - United forced into a change. Harris (don’t talk to me) 🔁 McManus. Abbie took a bit of a blow around 20 minutes in, committing a challenge she was ultimately booked for. Fair play to her, she played through it, but she was definitely struggling for a while there. Apparently she was on crutches after the game, so I hope it’s nothing too serious. Also interested to see what Casey does with that back 4 if she’s out for a while. Amy obviously goes back in and CB but it would appear Martha is higher than Ökvist in the pecking order, which is annoying. I get that Casey is more defensive minded and might not want to play two more attacking FB’s at once (Ökvist & Smith) but Martha... 🤐

‘84 - James had a great ball in that forced a corner that - you guessed it - nothing came of

‘85 - Earps had a great block to deny Chelsea a second (and really and truly kill me off)

‘88 - Harris decides to try her luck from a little way out. It was a decent shot to be fair, given the circumstances, just couldn’t get the dip it needed and never really troubled Telford on it’s way over the bar.

4 minutes at the end of the 90 but United couldn’t get anything to stick, which was massively unfortunate.

Two semi final defeats in a row is absolutely gut wrenching, and very hard to take, but last night taught me a lot about this team. I personally thought that this game was miles better and such an improvement on Arsenal away last season. They were much better all round, in every position than last weekend vs City. To come so close against the 3 best teams in the league 5 times now and walk away with nothing is hard, and I feel so bad for those girls. They give their all everytime they step out on that pitch, and they deserved more. This week in particular. Seeing them all in literal bits at the final whistle nearly broke me tbh.

But it’s becoming more glaringly apparent as the season goes on that we are in desperate need of a more clinical, stone blood killer up top. I’d also be open to giving Mikalen a run in goal to prove herself - I think Earps has been a bit off lately.

Galton and Hanson were massively missed last night, and I think we could have done with Toone as well, but oh well.

I had my issues with the ref as well last night, I have to say. I thought she handled the knocks and (most of) the bookings correctly, as well as the penalty shout (which was not a penalty, sorry Jess) but she missed a clear foul on Jackie (59 mins) as well as a clear tug on Arnot (64 mins) in the second half. I also thought LJ was very lucky to get away with just a yellow for her foul on Ingle at the end of the first half, looked a little more like a red to me 😬

Hopefully Galton will be back for Sunday - she absolutely tore Reading to shreds the last time out and I would very much like to see more of that 🔥, but I’m kinda worried about that midfield trio too. The last thing we need is three defeats on the bounce, but they must be dyinggg cause they literally never, ever stop.

I know this one is a little later than usual and the format is slightly different too, but I was watching the men (for some reason) as well, and it was kinda hard to keep track of two games at once lol. Plus I just wasn’t really in the mood to try and to this last night. Also - if anyone has critiques or corrections or questions about my opinions or anything else pls don’t hesitate to drop them in my ask and I’ll edit things and answer whatever as best as I can ✌🏽

#that was... a lot #this annoyed me more than last year’s SF tbh #i also have seem to have a lot of opinions #sorry - i think #muwfc #manchester united women #my writing

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