By now, Field 2 is surrounded by an even larger crowd than at the start. People are standing three-deep along the sidelines. It feels like the entire tournament has gathered to watch this unfolding upset. The Utrecht supporters are singing non-stop; they know the final is within touching distance.
Across the way, some fans from Field 1 (where the Ajax-Man United game has concluded with Ajax winning on penalties) have fully joined the masses here. It's a remarkable sight: Ajax and Utrecht fans side by side, all cheering for the boys in orange and black.
On the pitch, Bayern's frustration is evident in every challenge. Their players start to make sloppy fouls – yanking shirts when beaten, arriving late to tackles. In the 53rd minute, Amani steals the ball from a heavy-touched dribble by a Bayern midfielder and looks to burst forward yet again.
A Bayern player, having none of it, grabs Amani's jersey from behind and halts his progress blatantly. The whistle blows and a yellow card is shown. Hamadi, rather than reacting angrily, simply takes a deep breath and places the ball for the free kick, letting the referee handle the discipline. He exchanges a knowing look with Sofyan Amrabat – they can taste the opponent's frustration. Amani's demeanor almost says, "Stay cool; their frustration is our advantage."
Utrecht take the free kick short, preferring to keep possession and run down more of the clock. Every completed pass by Utrecht now is cheered like a mini-victory by their fans, who chant "Olé!" with each touch (cheekily borrowing a chant usually reserved for when a team is toying with the opposition).
Bayern, despite their pride, look exhausted and demoralized. Their pressing has lost its bite; their defensive shape is ragged. They've essentially gone to a very attacking formation, leaving only two or three at the back at times. This is dangerous against a team as clinical as Utrecht have been.
As the match enters the final 10 minutes, a realization sets in around the ground: FC Utrecht U17 are actually going to reach the Aegon Future Cup final. The question seems no longer if they will win, but by how much. And the answer is delivered emphatically in the 56th minute.
Bayern, still pushing forward out of duty more than belief, send a few players into the Utrecht box for a hopeful cross. The cross is overhit and sails out for a throw-in to Utrecht on the opposite side. Utrecht's left-back jogs over, towel in hand to wipe the ball (the air is damp, and every second off the clock is welcome).
He heaves the throw down the line. A Bayern midfielder gets to it first but miscontrols under pressure from Pieter. As always, the loose ball rolls invitingly toward Amani, who lurks nearby to sniff out any opportunity.
Amani Hamadi collects the ball near the halfway line with one thing on his mind: drive forward. He surges ahead, immediately skipping past a tired Bayern midfielder who lunges and fails to trip him. Now Amani is on the run, and it's a familiar scene – Bayern have only two defenders backpedaling frantically, and Pieter, the striker, is sprinting to one side, with Malik charging up on the other flank.
Hamadi glances up. Pieter has peeled off to the left, calling for the ball into space. One defender moves to shadow Pieter, the other steps toward Amani, trying to delay him. With perfect timing, Amani slides yet another weighted through pass between the defenders, this time into the left channel for Pieter. It's so well weighted that Pieter can hit it in his stride.
The stadium collectively holds its breath as Pieter enters the box from the left, the goalkeeper racing out to meet him. Pieter attempts to round the keeper with a touch to the right. The goalkeeper manages to get a hand on the ball, disrupting Pieter's dribble, and the ball rolls loose toward the center of the box. But guess who hasn't given up on the play? Amani, who continued his run.
Showing incredible desire, Amani beats everyone to the loose ball just inside the penalty area. The goalkeeper scrambles back, and one defender desperately slides in, but Amani stays ice-cool. He sidefoots the ball first-time with his left foot, threading it between the recovering defender's legs and past the off-balance keeper. The ball rolls over the line and nestles into the net.
GOAL! 4-0 to Utrecht! Amani Hamadi has his second goal of the game, and Utrecht have put an exclamation point on the result. The crowd goes absolutely wild – it's pure elation all around. The noise is such that it grabs the attention of people even outside the pitch area.
Amani runs to the corner where the largest contingent of Utrecht fans are and slides on his knees, pumping both fists. His teammates rush after him. Sofyan Amrabat arrives first and basically jumps onto Amani's back, laughing and shouting in celebration. Tijmen comes barreling in and wraps his arms around both of them, soon joined by every other Utrecht player on the pitch. It's a gigantic group hug of unbridled joy.
On the sidelines, Coach Pronk and his assistant leap out of their seats. Pronk turns and hugs his assistant, Coach De Vries, both of them grinning like children. They know the job is done – they're going to the final.
The Bayern players are scattered around the field in despair. A couple of them have their hands on their hips, staring at the ground. Their goalkeeper kicks the goalpost in frustration. It's not just a defeat now, it's a rout. Some Bayern supporters in the crowd start to trickle away quietly, unable to watch anymore, while the majority stay, perhaps out of respect or shock.
The game still has almost 2 minutes plus stoppage, but the life has been sucked out of Bayern and their fans. Meanwhile, the Utrecht supporters are in full carnival mode. They start chanting an old Utrecht anthem, clapping in unison. Many of them have their smartphones out, recording this moment for posterity – after all, how often do you beat Bayern Munich 4-0 at any level?
Before the restart, Amani is engulfed in hugs from teammates. Even the substitute players on the sideline are bowing in a joking manner toward him. He's laughing, a mix of happiness and perhaps disbelief. But being who he is, Amani quickly gestures to everyone to finish strong. You can catch him yelling to the group, "Clean sheet!" – he wants that shutout as the cherry on top. The defenders and the goal keeper in goal respond with raised fists of agreement.
The final minutes of regulation tick away with Utrecht in complete control. They knock the ball around confidently, each pass met with cheers. Bayern, emotionally and physically spent, can only chase shadows at this point. Every duel that Utrecht wins is celebrated by the crowd. Tijmen and his fellow defenders are focused on not letting anything past – you can see them still blocking shots, still closing down wingers as if it were 0-0.
In the 60th minute, Bayern get one last chance to at least grab a consolation. They earn a free kick about 22 yards out, slightly to the right of center – a dangerous spot. Their captain places the ball; he's been one of the few fighting until the end. He runs up and curls a left-footed shot around the wall, aiming for the top left corner.
It looks destined for the net. But in keeping with how this day has gone, Simon van der Meer flies across his goal, at full stretch. The keeper's fingertips graze the ball, pushing it onto the crossbar with a faint touch. The ball ricochets straight down and out.
Before any Bayern player can react, Amani – of course it's Amani – is back helping on defense and hoofs the ball clear with no nonsense. The fans behind the goalkeeper's post roar as if another goal was scored, applauding the save and the captain's defensive effort. Even at 4-0, they refuse to be beaten.
The fourth official signals only two minutes of added time. There's a palpable excitement in the air; everyone is just waiting for the final whistle to let the celebrations really begin. Utrecht's bench players are all standing now, arms around each other, some bouncing in anticipation.
Amani gets a brief rest in stoppage time – not by leaving the field, but by wandering to the corner with the ball to shield it from two Bayern players. He smartly lets it deflect off an opponent for a throw-in, eating up precious seconds. There's a grin on his face as he does it, the crowd appreciating the professional move. He's playing like a seasoned veteran, doing everything to seal the victory in style.
When the referee finally puts the whistle to his lips and blows for full time, the reaction is instantaneous and rapturous. The Utrecht players fling their arms in the air. Some collapse to the ground, overcome by emotion and exhaustion. The bench empties as substitutes and coaches rush onto the field.
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