Chapter 639 - 3 IN NINE!

For thousands watching from elsewhere, that was reason enough to stay glued to their screens.

Then, a few seconds later, another notification appeared.

@Kudo21: NUKE THE WHOLE CLUB. WIGAN HAVE JUST SCORED AGAIN!

:???????

....

[A Minute ago]

Manchester United had barely settled after the restart when they began pushing forward again.

Luke Shaw received the ball on the left and sent it wide, looking to stretch Wigan’s shape.

The rest of the United side advanced with him, pushing into the home half in search of a foothold.

If they could keep the ball there, they could finally breathe, force Wigan backwards, and stop the match from slipping any further out of their hands.

It was a reasonable idea that some of Europe’s biggest clubs were using it too.

And it was golden when it worked.

If it worked?

Shaw’s pass ran towards the touchline, threatening to roll out.

In reaction to this, the United players began venturing forward, keen on not giving Wigan any chance to breathe.

But Femi Seriki sprinted after it, throwing himself towards the ball just before it crossed the line.

His body twisted awkwardly in the air, one leg kicking out behind him as he hooked the ball back into play with his heel.

It was an improvised, almost acrobatic clearance, but he’d kept it in

He landed hard, caught himself, and watched the ball bounce infield and by then United had succeeded in moving their players into Wigan’s half.

What they hadn’t done was establish control, a very vital part of the plan, and the distinction became painfully clear within seconds.

Tiehi moved towards the loose ball as Bruno Fernandes charged at him, committing himself to a lunge in an attempt to win possession before Wigan could turn the situation around.

Tiehi saw him coming and simply let the ball run past, letting Bruno’s boot sweep through space.

Behind him, Leo Calderon collected it, and the reaction from United was immediate.

Players who had been spreading out to support an attack suddenly turned towards their own goal.

The defenders began retreating before Leo had even taken his second touch.

They had learned what happened when he was allowed to run at them, but even in this moment, with the head start, they were still late.

This time, Leo didn’t give them the chance to close him down.

He drew back his right leg and struck the ball on the volley, meeting it before it could bounce properly.

He didn’t turn his body fully towards his target, nor did he pause to look for a teammate.

His boot caught the ball cleanly, sending it skimming along the grass with frightening pace.

It was a pass, not a clearance.

A deliberate, first-time delivery struck through a narrow window, travelling forward before United’s players could even decide which way to move.

Nobody could react in time, not even Leo’s own teammates.

Much less United, whose entire defensive line scrambled.

"OH, THAT IS A BALL!" Steve Bower shouted.

"Calderon has seen something there! Who has he found? Is it Carlo?"

"And he does. Look at the pace on that pass! He hasn’t even needed to bring it under control!"

The ball raced through the open space behind United’s advancing defence.

It seemed to be travelling towards an empty stretch of grass, somewhere ahead of the defensive line and the left flank where Carlo appeared.

His legs were pumping furiously, his chest thrust forward as he fought to reach the ball before it ran away from him.

He had started his run the moment Leo collected possession, gambling that his teammate would see the opening.

Now the entire United defence was behind him, chasing desperately as he reached the pass and brought it under control, and the touch was just enough.

"CARLO REGUTTI! He’s got the whole of the United half in behind him! He’s in here!"

Onana, not wanting to remain a sitting duck, began to race from his goal.

The goalkeeper advanced quickly, spreading his arms as he tried to narrow the angle, if there was any to narrow with how large the area he was trying to cover was.

Despite this, Carlo kept running, his eyes flicking between the ball and the approaching keeper.

The penalty area rushed towards him and behind, the sound of the crowd rose into a wall of noise, with Wigan supporters on their feet and the travelling United fans watching in dread.

In all this, Carlo never slowed or faltered.

Eventually, Onana committed himself, dropping his weight and preparing to throw himself at the ball.

With barely a metre separating them, Carlo nudged it between the goalkeeper’s legs.

Onana went down in a heap, his hands reaching back, but it was too late as Carlo darted around him.

The winger stumbled for half a step, recovered his balance, and raced after the ball as it rolled towards the unguarded goal.

For a moment, it looked finished.

Then Harry Maguire came charging into the picture.

The United defender had made it back from deep, throwing everything into his recovery run.

He was still several yards behind Carlo, but the sight of him arriving was enough to make the winger take one final look at the goal.

Instead of taking the easy route, Carlo cut inside.

The net was open in front of him.

Maguire was closing fast, and the ball sat perfectly at Carlo’s feet.

He shaped to shoot and finally, that prompted Maguire to launch himself into a desperate slide, stretching a leg towards the ball in the hope of making one last intervention, but at the last, Carlo pulled out of the strike.

Maguire slid past him, unable to stop his momentum and only watching helplessly.

Then without even looking towards the goal again, Carlo calmly poked the ball forward with his right foot.

GOAAAAAAAAAAAAALLAL!

"CARLO REGUTTI! OH MY GOODNESS WIGAN HAVE DONE IT AGAIN!"

Bower’s voice nearly cracked as the winger wheeled away.

"THREE-TWO! THREE-TWO TO WIGAN ATHLETICS! WHAT ON EARTH IS HAPPENING HERE?"

"CALDERON!!!! My goodness, that pass! One touch, first time, and he has sent Carlo straight through!"

Bower returned, almost laughing in disbelief.

"From two goals down to leading three-two! Wigan have turned this around in nine minutes! Nine minutes! Manchester United were in control of this game, and now they have conceded three times!"

Carlo sprinted towards the corner, turning his head to find his teammates.

He beckoned them over with both arms, urging them to join him.

He had barely reached the advertising boards before he stopped in front of the travelling United supporters.

The away end was already furious.

A few fans stood with their arms spread, shouting at the players on the pitch.

Others shook their heads or hurled abuse towards the goal, but to all that, Carlo raised both hands to his ears.

He held the pose for a moment, letting the reaction wash over him, and it was reactionary.

The United supporters answered with a fresh wave of shouting, but Carlo only grinned.

His teammates arrived in a rush, but none could match Leo, who came flying in.

He had barely celebrated the previous two goals, collecting the ball and returning to the centre circle while the others enjoyed the moment.

This time, he made no attempt to hide how much it meant to him.

He sprinted towards the group, launched himself into a knee slide beside Carlo, and skidded across the grass with both fists clenched.

As he rose, he pumped his fists towards the home crowd, roaring along with the supporters who had made the DW shake while Carlo caught him by the shoulders.

"Fucking hell!" he shouted over the noise. "What was that ball."

"I know. I gave it to you."

"You gave me half the fucking pitch!"

Leo laughed, pulling him into another embrace before the others crowded around them.

For a few seconds, the celebration swallowed everything else.

But with the celebrations going on in front of the faces of their fans, the United players didn’t let up.

Maguire was among the first, his face tight with frustration.

He shoved at the nearest Wigan player, demanding they stop celebrating in front of the away end while Bruno came charging in behind him, shouting at the referee, muttering something about agitating the crowd.

The referee hurried over, blowing his whistle repeatedly as both benches rose from their seats.

The away supporters were no calmer.

Bottles and other debris came flying from the stands towards the celebrating Wigan players.

One landed on the grass a short distance away, while another bounced near the advertising boards.

The Wigan players glanced towards the objects but didn’t allow the incident to spoil their celebration.

They raised their arms to the home supporters, then began moving away as the referee and stewards tried to restore order.

"There’s trouble now!" Bower reported.

"The United players are furious, and you can understand the frustration, but this is getting out of hand!"

Fletcher sounded just as stunned as he had during the goal.

"It’s boiled over completely. United have lost their discipline, the supporters are throwing things, and it is understandable for a club of United’s calibre."

The referee continued speaking to the players, warning several of them before finally directing both sides back towards their positions.

Dawson watched all this from the sides and raised his hand, calling his players away from the confrontation, but even he seemed to be struggling to process what had happened.

The commentary team took a moment to catch their breath.

"What a game we’ve got on our hands," Bower finally said.

"We have barely reached the thirty-second minute, and we’ve already had five goals, a remarkable comeback, and now another confrontation after the latest one."

"And the manner of that third goal," Fletcher added, "is what will be replayed all over the country tonight. Leo Calderon sees the run, hits that pass without breaking stride, and Carlo does the rest. You cannot give those two that much space. You simply cannot."

...

[Present]

@Kudo21: NUKE THE WHOLE CLUB. WIGAN HAVE JUST SCORED AGAIN!

The post spread almost as quickly as the goal had happened.

@TxSadz: A MAN CAN’T EVEN TAKE A DUMP IN PEACE WITHOUT WIGAN SCORING? I JUST STOOD UP GNG.

@RedDevilTom: THREE GOALS IN NINE MINUTES. AT WHAT POINT

DOES SOMEBODY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS SHIT?

@lADUS: The first pass from Leo Calderon should be illegal. How has he even seen Carlo there?

@BlueMoonRising: City fan here. I don’t care what anyone says. Carlo Regutti might genuinely be the best winger in the Premier League this season. That finish was filthy.

@MancCitySam: He nutmegged Onana, waited for Maguire to slide past him, and finished without looking. I’m actually sick. What a goal.

@MASATOSHI K: The pass is the ridiculous part. Everyone’s going to talk about Carlo, and rightly so, but Leo hit that ball first time without even turning properly. Who the fuck sees that?

@Kumatetsu: Wigan scored their equaliser and then scored again about a minute later. UNITED, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

@Leo_8273: Manchester United led 2–0. Wigan have scored three times in nine minutes to take a 3–2 lead. This match has completely turned.

@UnitedTillIDie: Stop posting the score. I’m watching it. I CAN FUCKING SEE IT.

....

The comments kept coming, with supporters from across the country trying to catch up with the game.

Back at the DW Stadium, the players were finally returning to their positions.

Carlo was still grinning as he jogged away from the corner.

Ezra gave him a shove between the shoulder blades, while Reyes caught up and said something that made the winger laugh again.

The referee followed the group towards the centre circle, keeping a close eye on the players after the confrontation.

Leo, on the other hand, walked a little more slowly.

While he did, he glanced up at the scoreboard.

WIGAN ATHLETIC 3–2 MANCHESTER UNITED.

The smirk returned, and he intended to keep it that way for the rest of the match.

......

"Leo, you are forgetting something," Vittoria, back in Leo’s apartment, said with her mouth full of food.

"What?" Mia, who had just come over, said, while also slurping a bowl of noodles.

Vittoria coughed and then set the bowl down before pointing at Leo.

"He has to score. He owes me a celebration!"