Godfather Of Champions

Chapter 860: The Final Three Minutes

Arsenal might still be leading 2:1, but Manchester City’s goal has given Nottingham Forest an immense confidence boost. They felt like all the hard work they had put in up till that point was worth it.

The fans started singing Bendtner’s song and cheering for Manchester City at the stands. They had completely put their feelings of hostility towards Manchester City aside.

The Nottingham Forest players began to get even more lively on the pitch as well. They were relentless against a Sunderland side that had lost all will to fight.

The Forest players could not help Manchester City score goals against Arsenal. All they could do right now was to try and score as many goals as they could so as to boost their confidence and hopes of becoming champions of the Premier League.

If they could, they really wanted to score at least six goals against Sunderland in this home game.

Sadly, Forest was slightly down on its luck. Almost all the Sunderland players had retreated backwards to defend, and Forest was not able to score a goal at all.

The 3:0 score was enough for Forest to win the game. Thus, Twain slowly began directing his attention towards the match between Arsenal and Manchester City.

This final league match sure is exciting…

As a fan, he absolutely adored the excitement, but as a manager, he absolutely despised it.

The match entered its 80th minute. However, there were no further meaningful news regarding the match between Arsenal and Manchester City ever since Bendtner’s goal.

The Forest players and fans started getting tense. If the match were to end with a 2:1 victory for Arsenal, Forest would not be able to clinch the champions trophy.

Everyone hoped that Manchester City would work harder and turn the match around.

However, they could not decide the outcome of the match just with their thoughts or hopes alone.

※※※

Bendtner was tightly marked by Arsenal’s defenders. If one defender was not enough, then two would be employed to mark Bendtner.

Arsenal was hell-bent on ‘freezing’ Bendtner and not letting him have a chance to move about on the pitch. There were times where Bendtner could do nothing but stand rooted at a spot. He could not even retreat backwards to help with his team’s defense.

Even the toughest of men would feel exhausted after running about non-stop for 80 minutes under a scorching weather of 32 degree Celsius.

However, Bendtner did not want to make his exhaustion known, because he was afraid that McClaren would substitute him and take him off the pitch.

This was perhaps the most tiring match he has ever played in throughout his life. Not only did he have to battle with his opponents on the pitch, but he also had to battle with his own manager.

He was not giving his all because he wanted to help Nottingham Forest become champions. He just did not want to see the hard work he had put into the match so far end up being humiliated by others. If he were to get substituted, then everything would be over for him, and his goal would have been utterly meaningless.

In order to conceal his exhaustion, Bendtner forced himself to run all about the pitch. He tried to find a way to break through Arsenal’s defense, and also tried to act as a decoy so as to provide more space for his teammates to make their runs into the penalty box and shoot at the goal.

Sadly, Jack Reed was not able to capitalize on all the chances that Bendtner had created for him. If it had been Robinho, he would definitely have scored at least two goals by now.

Reed was eager to play in matches and prove himself as a player, but his techniques, experience and spatial awareness were not up to mark just yet, and he still had a long way to go before he could play like Robinho.

Wenger was slightly upset with Arsenal’s defense as he watched the match by the side. His team had focused all their attention on marking Bendtner, but they had missed out on marking the young player Reed.

Wenger began to throw a temper by the side of the pitch. At the sight of Wenger’s unhappiness, Philippe Senderos ranted to his team captain Fàbregas. “That lad doesn’t pose a threat at all… I think things would be much worse if we were to let Bendtner make his runs freely… The greatest threat in the Manchester City team is Bendtner. We’d be able to win this match as long as we mark him tightly. I don’t think we need to be scared of any other Manchester City player. I really don’t know what the boss is worried about… Even if Bendtner does manage to score a goal, we’d still win the match anyway…”

Fàbregas agreed with his views and told him to act as he saw fit. He would help in defending against Reed when the situation calls for it.

Senderos and Fàbregas were not the only players who thought that way. In fact, the entire Arsenal team thought the same way as they did. They were all exhausted and wanted to take it easy after running about under such a scorching sun for close to 90 minutes.

Why should they work so hard if Manchester City isn’t even going to threaten their goalpost?

They should slow down their tempo and not try to fight for the ball so aggressively like before. It would be all right to let Manchester City move up and attack them. All they needed to do was to mark Bendtner.

There were even some Arsenal players who started to fantasize about the scenes at the end of the match where they would lift the champions trophy, just like how many of the fans were as well.

Bendtner would have been disappointed if he were to overhear Senderos and Fàbregas’ conversation.

He thought that Reed’s liveliness on the pitch would help to take away some of the attention that had been placed on him by Arsenal’s players, but it was clear that Senderos was smarter than he thought and he did not take the bait.

Bendtner was slightly lucky to have scored with his long range effort from before, but Arsenal did not even give him the chance to be lucky now. He would be defended against when he is still about 10 meters away from the penalty box.

Manchester City relied solely on Bendtner for its offense. There was not a single player left on the current Manchester City team who could organize the team’s attacks after Elano was taken off the pitch.

Bendtner had to actively retreat backwards to pick up the ball and pass it about. He would not even have the chance to touch the ball if he continued to stand at the front of the pitch…

The match had turned into a battle between a single player and an entire team.

Wenger looked at the watch on his wrist. There were 10 minutes left till the end of the match. He and his team would become the champions as long as they pull through these 10 minutes.

For some reason however, the 10 minutes felt like an eternity to him…

He kept reminding himself in his mind: We would become the champions as long as we don’t commit mistakes. Our destiny is in our own hands.

※※※

Bendtner ran all over the pitch looking for a way to break through and shoot for goal. He tried attacking from the left, then he tried from the right, but they were both futile attempts. He lacked support from the midfield. Even if he managed to create a moment of a chance, the ball would not reach him on time, and all his efforts up till then would be for naught.

He had depleted a lot of his stamina by then, and his pants got heavier and heavier.

Looks like he can only rely on himself to score a goal…

Bendtner furrowed his brows under the sweltering sun. He was starting to feel a little dizzy from the heat.

He suddenly remembered his past, when he still wearing a red Nottingham Forest jersey and was not a Manchester City player yet. His main task back then was to provide chances for his partner van Nistelrooy to shoot at the goal by attracting the defenders over to him.

How he wished that he too, had a partner who could attract Arsenal’s defenders over to him right now…

In the past, he had always dreamed of becoming a solitary hero. He would be the star player in the team, and he would also be basked in applause from the crowd after each and every match. The media would constantly report about him, and he would be extremely popular and famous.

However, he has finally come to realize now that not everyone can become a solitary hero…

I am so tired…

Bendtner had lost all trust in his teammates. He had stopped passing the ball to them, and he would bring the ball forward himself.

However, the result was the same. The ball would be intercepted by Arsenal’s defenders.

Three minutes had passed. The entire Manchester City team had snapped out of their euphoria and excitement of scoring the goal earlier.

There were 10 minutes remaining in the match, but none of the Manchester City players was willing to fight with Arsenal to the death. It would be great if they could level the score, but it was not like they would die if they lost the match, so why should they try so hard?

※※※

Twain looked down at his watch on the 83rd minute of the match.

Kerslake was silent beside him. Twain did not know if he was not making a sound because he was paying attention to the radio, or if he was feeling dejected about how Manchester City had yet to score another goal.

Forest had just scored their fourth goal of the match, and they were leading Sunderland 4:0.

Twain decided to perform three substitutions consecutively and use up his quota for the match.

Ibišević was substituted by Nicolás Millán, Fernández was substituted by Cohen, and Gago was substituted by Tiago.

Both Millán and Tiago did not have much chances to play in games this season. Thus, Twain sent them onto the pitch so as to ensure that the two were qualified to receive a medal should the team end up becoming champions in the end.

As for whether or not they would really end up receiving a medal… No one knows just yet.

Wenger might have thought that time was passing by extremely slowly, but it was the opposite for Twain. He felt that time was passing by too quickly. The fourth official had already lifted the board to signal that there would be three additional minutes to the game, but he still did not hear any new updates about the game between Manchester City and Arsenal.

It was only then that Twain realized that he was about to reach the end of a 90-minute match.

The fans who had been singing and cheering earlier at the stands all went silent. Everyone felt disappointed.

It looks like Forest would not be able to perform a comeback at the end despite their efforts. The title of being Premier League champions was starting to slip away from them.

Twain stood by the side of the pitch. He had pressed his lips together tightly, and he had an awful expression upon his face.

※※※

The second half of the match between Arsenal and Manchester City had only kicked off two minutes after Forest’s match against Sunderland. Hence, it was only the 87th minute of the match for Arsenal and Manchester City when Twain saw the fourth official lift the board to signal the additional stoppage time.

McClaren used up his last substitution for the match on the 87th minute.

Ashley Young was a little surprised when he was called off the substitution bench.

He quickly finished his warm-ups, and before he even knew it, he was already standing on the turf in the Emirates Stadium. He had been pushed out onto the pitch by the coaching staff hastily and he was still feeling a little dazed from the sudden change in events.

He noticed that Bendtner was looking at him. Sweat was pouring down the latter’s face like a river.

Young understood why Bendtner was looking at him.

All right, looks like I’m the only person in the entire Manchester City team who can help him…

He ran towards his position on the pitch. Bendtner pulled him over and was just about to open his mouth in between pants when Ashley Young cut him off with a wave of his hands.

“I know what I have to do. I just need to pass the ball over to you, right?”

Bendtner nodded his head.

“Wait for it at the front.” Young patted Bendtner on the shoulder before running away.

Bendtner suffered a cramp shortly after Ashely Young got onto the pitch. He suddenly fell to the ground while he was trying to snatch the ball away at the front of the pitch. He pressed a hand over his calf, and his expression was one of agony and pain.

Ashley Young bolted over and helped to press down on his leg.

McClaren did not react to Bendtner’s injury, because he had used up all his substitutions for the game.

If Bendtner was not able to continue with the game, then Manchester City would have to play with 10 men.

Bendtner’s cramp was an unexpected event, but he was back on the pitch after the team doctor and his teammates helped him with his injury for two minutes.

Additional stoppage time was given as a result of Bendtner’s cramps. The fourth official held up a board, and the time that was shown was 5 minutes!

The Arsenal fans at the Emirates Stadium began booing in discontent. They wished that the match would end right away. Five minutes of stoppage time was ridiculously long to them.

Bendtner would limp a little every time he walked on the pitch, but it was impossible to tell that he was injured when he ran. He continued to run about the pitch tirelessly as he looked for a chance to break through Arsenal’s defense.

Ashley Young had the most stamina out of all the Manchester City players on the pitch right now. His pace troubled the Arsenal defenders, who were eventually left with no other choice but to split up their forces. Some of them had to switch from marking Bendtner to marking Young instead. Bendtner finally felt the pressure on him lighten a little after Young’s arrival.

Senderos also did not seem to be marking him as tightly as before either. Perhaps he did not deem Bendtner to be as much of a threat anymore after he suffered from a cramp earlier.

Ashley Young suddenly crossed the ball into the middle of the pitch!

Bendtner jumped up into the air to head the ball, but he headed nothing but air. The ball fell into the hands of Almunia who had rushed out of his goalpost, and Bendtner subsequently crashed onto the ground.

Almunia hugged onto the ball in his arms and refused to kick it away. He looked down at Bendtner, and was planning to only kick the ball away after Bendtner had made his way out of the penalty box.

Bendtner enjoyed lying on the ground, because it meant that he could take a rest. Nonetheless, he could not lie there forever. There was not much time left in the match.

Bendtner climbed to his two feet after sensing Almunia’s gaze on him. He then slowly ran away from the penalty box.

The ball flew over his head as he ran.

※※※

A queer silence filled the City Ground Stadium for the final three minutes of the match. Both the Sunderland fans and the Nottingham Forest fans did not care about the match that was being played before them. They had their minds elsewhere.

The Sunderland fans were busy wiping their tears at the stands after knowing that their team was going to be relegated. As for the Nottingham Forest fans, they were all engrossed in listening to the radio for the latest updates from the Arsenal match.

The referee’s whistle that signalled the end of the match resonated loudly and much more clearly within the silence.

“The match is over!” The commentator said. “Nottingham Forest has beaten Sunderland 4:0 at home. But, it looks like their dream of becoming champions of the Premier League has gone up in flames…”

The Forest players on the pitch quickly rushed to the side to ask for the latest news from their teammates regarding the match between Arsenal and Manchester City the moment the match ended.

They could not conceal the sadness and disappointment on their faces when their teammates told them the score had remained 2:1. The players then sat by the side of the pitch and waited for Arsenal’s match to be over. All they could do then was to wait.

Twain could not sit down like his players did. He still had to shake hands with Sunderland’s manager.

Nielsen was in low spirits given how his team had just been relegated. Similarly, Twain was also downhearted, and both managers only gave each other a simple handshake before turning to leave.

Nielsen walked onto the pitch to console his players, whereas Twain sat down at his seat in the technical area and spaced out.

The Sunderland fans began applauding their team’s efforts. They knew that their team had tried their best. It was a shame that they had to face Nottingham Forest, who were hell-bent on achieving a victory, for their final match.

The Nottingham Forest fans did not leave the stadium. They stayed behind at the stands and continued to listen to the news from the radio.

The FA officials who had been sitting in the VIP room stood up to shake hands with the chairman of Nottingham Forest Football Club, Evan Doughty. “It’s a real shame… This was an exciting match.”

However, Evan was not willing to admit his loss just yet. “The match over there has not ended.”

That’s right. There were still three minutes remaining in the match at the Emirates Stadium.

His words made the FA officials feel a little awkward.

There are only three minutes remaining in the match. Are you saying that a miracle could happen? It’s already quite the feat that Manchester City was able to score a goal in that match. It means that they did put in effort and they did try to compete against Arsenal.

The trophy that they had brought over to Nottingham was nothing but a replicate. The real one is in London right now.

Don’t tell me Forest still dreams of becoming champions?

Stop dreaming!

※※※

Arsenal’s substitutes had all crowded collectively by the side of the pitch. They were all waiting to rush onto the pitch and celebrate with their teammates the moment the match ended.

The Arsenal players on the pitch all had their heads in the clouds by then. What they wanted to hear the most then were the three blows to the referee’s whistle, and what they wanted to do the most was to hug their teammates and celebrate becoming champions of the Premier League.

Who cares about the match?

The Arsenal players certainly did not care. Manchester City was hardly even a threat against Arsenal ever since they entered stoppage time. Even their best player Bendtner was not able to create any chances for his team due to a lack of stamina.

Wenger sat nervously on his chair. He pressed a hand against his chin and stared at everything that was happening on the pitch.

Pat Rice, who sat beside him, did not share his nervousness. He started giving high-fives to the other coaches to celebrate their victory.

They knew that Forest had just ended their match with Sunderland and that they had won 4:0.

However, those things did not matter to them, because Arsenal was still going to become the champions.

Ashley Young made his way down the left flank. The Swiss midfielder on their team, Valon Behrami, passed the ball over to him.

Young did not pass the ball away. Instead, he brought the ball forward by himself and tried to force his way into Arsenal’s penalty box.

He then crossed the ball into the middle of the penalty box, but his shot hit Sagna on the body before flying out of bounds. Manchester City was awarded a corner as a result.

Manchester City’s defenders all rushed up towards Arsenal’s penalty box from the back. They instantly became players that the Arsenal players had to mark as well.

“I want all of you to defend this ball at all costs!” Almunia roared before his goalpost. He was feeling a little nervous. His heart was beginning to beat faster and faster as the match approached the end.

If they were to let in a goal… They would be finished.

Almunia could not shake off the negative thought.

Bendtner squeezed his way through the crowd. His head was hung low and he was panting heavily. He was so tired and he desperately wished that he could lean against the body of one of the Arsenal defenders for support.

Ashley Young walked over to take the corner. He carefully positioned the ball on the pitch, and even made sure that the Nike logo on the ball was pointed in the direction of the goalpost.

The players shoved and pulled each other in the penalty box. Before the ball could be sent into the penalty box however, someone fell to the ground. The referee immediately blew on his whistle to halt the match.

Deafening boos erupted from the stands. The player who had fallen to the ground was a Manchester City player. The Arsenal fans all thought that he was trying to win a penalty for his team by pretending that he had been fouled by the Arsenal players.

The referee did not award Manchester City with a penalty, and neither did he punish the Manchester City player for diving. He called the players from both teams over to him and spoke to them. He wanted them to calm down and avoid excessive physical contact.

The atmosphere in the stadium became tense in the final two minutes of the game.

Wenger stood up from his seat and walked to the side of the pitch. He had pressed both his lips together and was staring at the pitch anxiously with a clenched jaw.

After ascertaining that all the players were not misbehaving in the penalty box, the referee made his way away from the penalty box and signalled for Ashley Young to kick the ball.

Ashley Young did not raise his hand and then run up to kick the ball like what some other players would. He sent the ball straight into the penalty box the moment the referee signalled that he could kick the ball.

His shot had happened so fast that it caught all the Arsenal players off guard.

As the Arsenal players all stood dazed at the ground, one player had jumped high into the air within the penalty box.

Straighten your back. Exert force. Swing your head. Attack the goalpost!

The ball flew into the goalpost and all Almunia could do was to wave his hands, as though he was waving goodbye.

Goodbye, Premier League champions…

The Emirates Stadium fell silent.

The commentator was the only one who made noise amidst the silence as he roared, “Arsenal’s hopes of becoming champions have just been crushed by Bendtner! He has headed the ball into the net adeptly! He has scored a brace in the match! 2:2! Arsenal has now fallen a point behind Forest! How dramatic can this be? Even the best scriptwriters in Hollywood can’t write a plot like this! This is football for you! This is the football that so many people are crazy about!”

Bendtner ran towards Ashley Young after he scored the goal. The two hugged each other and began rolling about on the pitch. Their teammates rushed towards them and flung their bodies on top of theirs.

It was supposed to be a match in which there was a clear winner.

But, the efforts of one man has introduced suspense into the match at the end…

※※※

Twain stood by the side of the pitch and Kerslake stood beside him. It had only been three minutes since the match ended for them, but they felt as though three years had gone by.

The City Ground Stadium was silent. It was as though no one was present in the stadium and everyone had left.

Everyone in the stadium was waiting for the latest news from the match between Arsenal and Manchester City.

Everyone was hoping that a miracle would happen.

Suddenly, a voice was broadcasted throughout the stadium.

It was the voice of the commentator who was commentating on the match between Arsenal and Manchester City. His voice was hoarse, impassioned, and a little gibberish…

“Arsenal’s hopes of becoming champions have just been crushed by Bendtner! He has headed the ball into the net adeptly! He has scored a brace in the match! 2:2! Arsenal has now fallen a point behind Forest! How dramatic can this be? Even the best scriptwriters in Hollywood can’t write a plot like this! This is football for you…”

The City Ground Stadium regained life in a flash. Everyone lifted their heads to listen to the broadcast absent-mindedly. It soon dawned on them that whatever they were hearing did indeed come from the match between Arsenal and Manchester City, because they had just heard the same voice from their radios.

Deafening cheers erupted in the stadium thereafter.

Kerslake fell to his knees by the side of the pitch. He held onto the radio in his hands and tears streamed down his face.

Twain did not get worked up and jump into the air. He slowly sat back onto his seat at the technical area. He felt like his heart was about to fail him.

The players around him all started shouting at the top of their voices. The last minute goal excited them too much.

The voice being broadcasted throughout the stadium did not stop. Everyone in the stadium lowered their volume, because their attention had been seized by the commentator’s voice once again.

“… The referee has gestured for Manchester City to not drag on with their celebrations. Arsenal’s players are all protesting… The match starts once again… A long shot! Fàbregas has performed a long shot!”

Everyone in the stadium had their hearts in their mouths when they heard the commentator raise his voice abruptly.

“Brilliant save by Joe Hart!”

The Forest fans in the City Ground Stadium all cheered, “All hail Hart!” in response.

“A corner… This is perhaps Arsenal’s last chance to attack for the match. The referee is looking at his watch. The match might end the moment the ball fails to land in the back of the net after being kicked from the corner…”

Everyone’s hearts was in their mouths once again.

Twain lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. If he could, he also wanted to plug his ears…

Who is the bastard who came up with this? Whoever came up with it is obviously out to stimulate his weak heart!

“Almunia has rushed over to Manchester City’s penalty box as well…”

The Forest fans began to boo at the stands.

“All the players have squeezed themselves into Manchester City’s penalty box. Manchester City was able to level the score with a corner kick earlier. Can Arsenal win the match by doing the same?”

The boos grew louder in decibels. This time however, the fans were booing at the commentator’s words.

Don’t jinx it!

Twain was still able to hear his own heartbeat despite the cacophonous environment he was in. He suddenly felt like time had slowed down.

Why has the corner not been taken yet? Did they score or did they not? Just tell me right now, pal…

“Almunia was not able to head the ball… Senderos…!”

The commentator dragged out his last word as he shouted. His actions terrified Twain so much that he nearly jumped off his seat.

Twain might not have jumped off his seat, but there were many other people in the stadium who did.

“The ball has gone over the bar!”

For f*ck’s sake…

Twain wanted to swear at the commentator for scaring him. He was so frightened by the commentator’s words that his heart had really stopped for a moment back then.

Deafening cheers erupted from the stands. The cheers were like rolling thunder, and they electrified the stadium.

Everyone was certain that Forest had become champions of the Premier League, because the commentator went on to announce loudly, “The match is over! Nottingham Forest are the champions of the Premier League! They have successfully defended their title!”

The Forest players embraced one another tightly.

It was not easy for them to become champions this season. In fact, they might even have relied on luck a little. It was definitely much more difficult for them to lift the trophy this season as compared to the previous season…

※※※

The referee blew on his whistle to signal the end of the match.

Arsenal’s players could not believe what had just happened. They stood rooted before Manchester City’s goalpost. Each and every one of them was dumbstruck.

Fàbregas lowered his head. Van Persie raised his head to the skies and sighed. Wilshere balled his eyes out.

They were so close to being champions…

Arsene Wenger stood by the side of the pitch silently and was not able to speak for a long period of time. Behind him, the Arsenal fans could not believe what had just happened either.

The red Emirates Stadium was just like a volcano that had erupted for 90 minutes, but now it had stopped and was starting to cool down …

※※※

Evan Doughty reached out a hand towards the FA officials with a smile on his face. “Please make the necessary preparations to present the trophy to us, sir.”

“Ah…” The FA officials were feeling very awkward. They could not believe that the trophy would change owners in just three minutes.

“Uh, congratulations on becoming champions.”

Evan smiled merrily. He then raised his head proudly and accepted the well wishes from the FA officials.

※※※

Twain was just about to sit back down on his chair to rest when he was suddenly hoisted up into the air by his players. They then carried him about the stadium to bask in the cheers from the fans.

Twain sat on the shoulders of his players and waved at the stands.

It had not been easy for them to become champions of the Premier League this season, and it was perhaps the most unforgettable champions trophy he has ever achieved throughout his entire managerial career so far.

Twain smiled happily at the fans. Shania heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Twain’s smile from the VIP room.

15 minutes later, the players returned to the pitch to receive the trophy from the Football Association after changing into t-shirts that had been specially designed to celebrate the team becoming champions of the Premier League.

Twain and Wood were the two individuals who lifted the Premier League champions trophy high into the air.

The 2013-14 Premier League season came to an end amidst the cheers from 30,000 fans. Nottingham Forest has bade farewell to the City Ground Stadium by attaining their fourth Premier League champions trophy.

However, becoming champions of the Premier League was not a way for Forest to bid farewell to their season. On the contrary, it signalled the start of their journey.

Six days later, the FA Cup trophy awaits them at the Wembley Stadium.

11 days later, the Champions League trophy awaits them at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

Becoming Premier League Champions was nothing more than the start of a great season ahead.