Chapter 513 - 119 — Istanbul (IV)

The stadium turned instantly. Galatasaray’s players retrieved the ball from the net like the equalizer was already guaranteed, their bench on its feet, the end behind the goal bouncing hard enough that Bruno’s attempt to organize the restart barely carried over the noise.

"Same again, same again!" Onana shouted at his own back line, jabbing a finger toward the edge of the box, more frustrated with himself than with anyone in front of him.

Maguire jogged over to him anyway. "Forget it. Ball’s still there to be won."

"I know that," Onana said. "Doesn’t mean I have to like it."

Bruno gathered the midfield in with both arms before the restart. "Nobody panics. We’re still up. Play the way we’ve been playing, not the way they want us to."

Demien looked at the scoreboard once.

Not again.

That was all the room Copenhagen got.

Galatasaray pressed the restart hard, expecting United to panic into a hurried clearance. Torreira jumped at Demien, Aktürkoğlu angled his run to cut off the backward option, Sérgio Oliveira tucked in near Bruno.

Demien received anyway and refused the easy ball away.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」

He rolled off Torreira and held the ball long enough to make Aktürkoğlu commit to a different angle.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Andrés Iniesta — La Pausa」

He waited a half-second longer than instinct wanted, let Torreira’s momentum carry him past the ideal pressing distance, let Aktürkoğlu step closer still — and only then played it back into Maguire. Maguire returned it because Demien had already drifted into a new lane to receive it again. He shifted it to Shaw, got it back when Shaw came inside, and switched the point of attack toward Wan-Bissaka.

The sequence ran long enough to take the air out of Galatasaray’s surge. Their crowd whistled every safe United pass, wanting the ball back immediately, and didn’t get it.

"He’s just demanded the ball over and over in the loudest ten minutes of this match," the commentator said once the move finally broke down. "That’s exactly how you stop one goal becoming two inside thirty seconds."

Galatasaray were still dangerous, and the Chapter didn’t let that disappear either. Ziyech cut inside again and forced a proper save out of Onana. Icardi went for the rebound, and Maguire shielded him off it long enough for United to clear. Galatasaray won the second ball and released Zaha down the opposite side, forcing United’s defense to retreat once more. United survived the cross, but the clearance only reached Sérgio Oliveira, who switched the play and kept Galatasaray’s attack alive a little longer.

The pressure held until Demien finally got onto a loose ball outside the area, carried it away from Torreira’s lunge, and drew a foul near the halfway line. United used the stoppage to push their defensive line forward and take a little more of the momentum with it.

Then came the phase that mattered most.

Aktürkoğlu kept finding pockets between Shaw and Lindelöf, Ziyech came inside on the ball, and Icardi occupied both center-backs just enough that neither could step into midfield. Shaw couldn’t simply follow Aktürkoğlu inside, either — Galatasaray still had width to exploit outside him if he did.

The lane opened. Ziyech saw the run.

Demien had been watching Aktürkoğlu’s position through the whole phase.

He moved before the pass arrived.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Ball Winner」

He stepped across the lane and took the ball off Aktürkoğlu’s foot before it could ever reach him cleanly, the pocket that had looked so dangerous a second earlier suddenly empty.

The stadium groaned — they had seen the opening too, the same way they’d seen it before.

Demien carried through the space rather than clearing it. Bruno moved to support, Garnacho stretched the left, Højlund held both center-backs deep. Demien found Bruno, who got into range and forced Muslera into a strong save. Galatasaray only half-cleared it, McTominay won the second ball, and possession worked its way back to Demien.

The halftime freeze-frame had become the actual match.

Torreira wouldn’t leave the lane toward Bruno. Sérgio Oliveira held the center. The center-backs wouldn’t step, not with Højlund and Garnacho ready to attack the space behind them.

Demien had twenty-five yards of grass in front of him.

He took the first touch forward.

Nobody came.

A second touch brought him closer still.

Torreira hesitated, because stepping meant opening the exact pass he’d been protecting all half.

Demien stopped waiting.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Long Shot Taker」

He set himself cleanly and drove through it — the same shot that had forced Muslera into a save before halftime, except this one carried the full weight of everything Galatasaray had done to take away his other options. It beat the goalkeeper high, into the corner he couldn’t reach in time.

GALATASARAY 2 — 4 MANCHESTER UNITEDDemien Walter 73’

"WALTER! From distance, and United are two clear again!" the commentator shouted over the away end erupting.

"They backed off him all night to protect the passing lanes," the analyst said once the replay ran, "and the one thing they left him was exactly this — space to hit a ball like that."

Garnacho reached him first, then Bruno, then Højlund, the away section suddenly loud enough to be heard clearly for the first time since Ziyech’s second free kick. Galatasaray’s own crowd didn’t fall completely silent — some sections kept singing regardless — but the belief that had carried the last ten minutes had visibly cracked.

Ten Hag was already on his feet gesturing everyone back into shape before the celebration had properly finished.

Galatasaray came again from kickoff, because collapsing their group position meant they had no other option. Aktürkoğlu drove forward, Ziyech looked for another shooting position, Boey kept pushing. United dealt with one cross, then a second phase, before finally winning the ball back clean.

Demien made sure it stayed that way.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Toni Kroos — Metronome」

Maguire to him, across to Shaw, back once Galatasaray shifted, out to Wan-Bissaka — Galatasaray pressing harder because two goals were now the only thing that mattered to them, which was exactly what he was waiting for. The instant three of their players committed to one side, he changed the tempo and drove the vertical pass through the space they’d just vacated.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 8/8 — COMPLETE」

Bruno turned and released Garnacho into the space outside Boey. Garnacho reached shooting range and forced Muslera into another save, the ball skimming just wide of the far post a moment later off the rebound. No goal, but Galatasaray had been made to sprint back toward their own box again instead of building anything sustained around Onana.

Ten Hag started preparing changes. Pellistri warmed up to replace Garnacho after the ground he’d covered all night; Mainoo readied himself to add another composed body in midfield. Højlund stayed on — Galatasaray’s defensive line was getting higher out of desperation, and his running in behind still mattered.

Before United could make the game fully safe, Galatasaray produced one more real chance. Zaha got enough separation to drive into the box and cut a low ball across the six-yard line. Icardi attacked the near post, United only partly dealt with it, and Aktürkoğlu arrived on the second phase with a clean sight of goal.

Onana got down and saved it, holding on this time rather than letting anything spill loose.

"Two mistakes tonight," the commentator said, "but he hasn’t switched off. That’s a proper save when Galatasaray needed it."

Maguire reached him first. "That’s more like it."

"Wasn’t planning on a third," Onana said, already back on his feet.

Onana rolled the ball out to Demien rather than launching it long. Torreira closed in fast, but Demien used his balance to hold the ball off him and turned into space. Galatasaray’s shape had stretched badly — Boey still high, one center-back stepping forward, Torreira committed to the challenge that had just failed.

Højlund read it immediately and began his run between the two remaining defenders.

Demien carried first. One center-back kept retreating to track Højlund. The other eventually had to step toward Demien — Galatasaray couldn’t risk giving him another clean sight from range.

The moment he stepped was the opening.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」 「Mesut Özil — Eye-of-Needle」

The pass split the exact channel that had just appeared. Højlund ran onto it, took the touch he needed to adjust his angle as Muslera came off his line, and finished.

GALATASARAY 2 — 5 MANCHESTER UNITEDRasmus Højlund 82’ (Assist: Demien Walter)

One goal and two assists on the night.

Højlund knew exactly where the ball had come from and found Demien before celebrating with anyone else, McTominay and Bruno arriving a step behind him.

"You keep finding that pass," Højlund said, still catching his breath, "I’ll keep running onto it."

"Then keep running," Demien said.

"That’s his second assist of the night," the commentator said, letting the replay run twice. "But if you want to know where this match actually turned, go back to the interception on Aktürkoğlu at two-three. Everything after that has been one-way traffic."

With a three-goal cushion, Ten Hag finally closed it down properly. Mainoo replaced Garnacho, Pellistri came on for one of the tiring wide players, and Højlund made way after his goal. Demien stayed on the pitch — his legs still had more in them than most of the squad’s, and Ten Hag wanted his control through whatever remained.

"Good half," Ten Hag told Højlund as he came off, clapping him on the shoulder. "Go and rest that."

Mainoo jogged past Demien on his way into position. "Anything I need to know?"

"Keep it simple," Demien said. "Don’t force anything through the middle unless I’ve already moved. They’re still chasing this — let them run themselves out."

Mainoo nodded once and got on with it.

Galatasaray kept attacking, because their Champions League position was collapsing in real time and there was nothing left to lose. Ziyech put another cross toward Icardi, Maguire headed it clear, and this time United collected the second ball through Mainoo and Demien rather than facing an immediate third phase. Galatasaray recovered later and released Zaha again, forcing one more genuine save from Onana. United answered by moving the ball patiently through Mainoo, Demien and the back line, the home end whistling every pass that didn’t come back to them.

When a real chance did appear, United still took it. Bruno found room from distance again and rattled the crossbar with a strike that had Muslera beaten completely. Pellistri got in behind late and forced one more save. Nobody needed a sixth goal, but the point stood regardless — Galatasaray couldn’t commit numbers forward without paying for it in transition.

As stoppage time approached, Demien’s decisions got more conservative by design. A loose ball reached him near halfway with Galatasaray briefly disorganized, and rather than look for another killer pass, he protected it, carried toward the touchline, and drew the contact. United took the resulting free kick slowly, walking their line forward before restarting possession. Galatasaray’s last real attack saw Maguire deal with the aerial ball and Demien collect the second, moving it safely to Mainoo and asking for it straight back rather than gifting Galatasaray one more transition.

The travelling end started singing before the whistle had gone. Galatasaray’s crowd stayed loud, but the noise had changed shape — nobody in it believed in a comeback anymore.

The referee checked his watch and blew for full time.

Fweeeeeeeettttttt!

FULL TIME: GALATASARAY 2 — 5 MANCHESTER UNITED

Nobody rushed toward the tunnel.

Demien turned first toward the nearest teammates — Højlund reaching him almost immediately, Bruno a step behind — and the group gradually made its way toward the travelling support packed into one corner of the stadium, applauding the supporters who’d made the trip to Istanbul on a Wednesday night. Galatasaray’s own players stayed out on the pitch a while longer, acknowledging their end of the ground despite the result.

Only once that was finished did the system return.

「UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCH COMPLETE」 「GALATASARAY 2 — 5 MANCHESTER UNITED」 「DEMIEN WALTER」 「Goals: 1」 「Assists: 2」 「Clear Chances Created: COMPLETE」 「Line-Breaking Actions: COMPLETE」 「Midfield Recoveries: COMPLETE」 「Pass Accuracy: 92%+ — COMPLETE」 「TEAM OBJECTIVE: Win and Secure Qualification — COMPLETE」 「Reward: +100 MP」

MATCH RATING: 9.6

No bonus notification followed it. No surprise skill, no extra draw. The mission had promised exactly this reward before kickoff, and it paid exactly that.

Demien was still walking toward the tunnel with the others when a UEFA official caught his arm gently and told him, in careful English, that he’d been named Player of the Match.

He nodded once, more tired than surprised, and kept walking.

United had just won 5-2 in Istanbul. He’d finished with a goal, two assists, and every objective complete, and when the match had threatened for ten minutes to turn into another Copenhagen, he’d been the one who stopped it going that way.

But the group table wasn’t decided yet.

Bayern Munich were still playing Copenhagen.