FOOTBALL UNITED LEAGUE CUP SEMI-FINALS

By: Saad Maan
Part 1: Goals galore as Madrid come out with an advantage

In a thrilling match which saw both teams throw caution to the wind, Madrid were the eventual winners.

Fans of Madrid will leave the stadium tonight delighted with the 2 goal advantage they gained themselves following their 3-1 thrashing of Zagreb, whose supporters will feel hard done by.

Midfielder Leo Sanic gave Zagreb the lead with a powerful back post finish from an impossible angle in the 23rd minute. Madrid’s star man, Jethro, playing in an attacking role tonight equalized in the 39th minute after a majestic through ball from Lucifer Grealish. Moritz ‘Handyman’ Hoffman grabbed his first of the night in the 58th minute, by doing what he does best – being in the right place at the right time.

In the 80th minute winger Alex Alpha looked certain to equalize the standings. Not once, but twice! However, Becky Blake made two incredible efforts to stop both shots. In the 90th minute, after a sequence of end to end play Moritz Hoffman would add to his tally and score his second of the night, ending the scoring at 3-1 for Madrid.

When asked about the performance of Becky Blake, Zagreb captain Scooter McGavin refused to answer and stormed off to the locker room.

Part 2: Shock as Berlin management goes AWOL

Fans were promised all out war on the pitch however, it was everything but that.

Berlin management are certain to face an inquest following the first leg, not only because of the 1-0 loss the team suffered but because all forms of management were absent. George ‘Smurf’ Charles Senior, captain of Berlin, wasn’t at the match and the team was a mess, unable to penetrate Vienna’s wall of defenders.

Bradley Keetch, who was recently out injured following a botched plastic surgery returned in style by giving Vienna the lead in the 60th minute with a beautiful finish to a move orchestrated by Matheus Dos Reis. When asked about the possibility of complacency going into the second leg of the tie, the Vienna vice-captain commented: “We know it’s a fragile lead but we also know that Kang and our defenders just put in an immense performance. That can only fire us up in the reverse fixture. Kain also knows he needs to do better and get us a decisive goal.”

Berlin fans will feel all but confident going into the second leg, a goal down and a missing manager doesn’t bode well for the German based club. This event will only add salt to injury after a disastrous debut league campaign.

Part 3: Order & chaos to face each other in final

Both semi finals offered very entertaining football in opposite games, Madrid v Zagreb being a goal-fest whilst Vienna v Berlin was a methodological matchup where both teams prioritized defense first.

Madrid 5 – 4 (agg) Zagreb

It has been a lengthy, frustrating and painful wait for Jethro and his Madrid side to touch silverware, and they haven’t been closer since they bottled the league title in the final matchday.

As an exultantly noisy, energetically black-and-yellow-flag-waving crowd celebrated all kinds of goals from Hoffman and Jethro which swept Madrid into the League Cup’s final two. Jethro and Hoffman set the tone in the first leg, being involved in everything that happened in the final third of the pitch. They went into the second leg with a 3-1 victory and would extend that lead to 5-1 before half time. Clearly, Madrid believed it all to be over but Zagreb said otherwise. They kept clawing closer and closer, scoring three times in the second half, but ultimately fell short, losing 5-4 on aggregate.

Although Alex Alpha’s missed chances in the first leg may have cost them a spot in the final, both sides believe it to be just that Madrid are the ones to do so. Zagreb lacked the intensity and composure in defense to have any real shot at advancing.

Vienna 2-1 (AET, agg) Berlin

The Grenzkrieg rivalry promised us a lot. It was one of the few ties to result in extra time drama so far this season, and it lived up to the hype.

Although the score line over two legs may suggest that it was a slow matchup, it was everything but. From missing players, horrible tackles and organized defensive play – it was a joy to behold. Vienna left the first leg with a 1-0 lead after Bradley Keetch finished a lovely move in the 60th minute. He would then minutes later have a chance to double his tally and the lead, but would miss the open net.

Going into the second leg there was no fear of complacency from Vienna, and Berlin made sure to punish them. The score line was 1-1 and the game was headed for extra time. As each and every player battled for the ball and space, it was none other than Bradley Keetch who’d make up for his missed chance in the first game and win the game for Vienna in the 109th minute.

Experts and fans alike favored whoever made it through this tie to win the entire cup, and I can’t help but agree. The defensive approach is a proven way to sort out the chaos-inviting approach of Madrid.