Football fans had the opportunity to enjoy a real spectacle and one of the craziest matches in the history of the FA Cup! Leeds United eliminated West Ham at the London Stadium after a better penalty shootout (2:4), after the score was 2:2 after 120 minutes of play. This is the first semi-final for Leeds since 1987, and there they will face Chelsea at Wembley.
Shock in stoppage time: West Ham come back from the dead
The match started well for Leeds, who took a 0:1 lead through Ao Tanaka in the 26th minute (the ball bounced off the crossbar and crossed the goal line). The situation became critical for the home team in the 75th minute, when, after a VAR intervention, referee Craig Pawson pointed to the penalty spot, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin converted for 0:2.
When thousands of West Ham fans started to leave the stadium thinking that everything was over, real madness began in the 11 minutes of stoppage time. First, Matheus Fernandes reduced the score to 1:2 in the 93rd minute, and then Axel Disassi in the 96th minute (with the help of VAR which confirmed the regularity of the goal) equalized to 2:2, throwing the stadium into a trance!
VAR drama in extra time and goalkeeper debut before penalties
In the extra 30 minutes, West Ham were a much better opponent. The Hammers had two goals disallowed for offside (Castellanos and Pablo), and Jerrod Bowen hit the post twice!
And just when the drama seemed to be at its peak, West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was injured in the dying seconds of the 120th minute. This meant that 20-year-old debutant Finley Herrick (who had been playing in the fifth division for Boreham Wood this season) had to come on in his place, precisely for the penalty shootout.
Lucas Perry – Leeds hero
Young Herrick became an instant crowd favourite, saving Leeds' first penalty from Piroe. However, the real hero of the night was Leeds' Brazilian goalkeeper Lucas Perry. He saved shots from Jerrod Bowen and Pablo, while Leeds' players (Calvert-Lewin, Aronson, Nyonto and Struijk) were unerring in the rest of the series to win 2-4.
"We always do this the hard way, it's never easy. This is a great reward for everyone associated with the club. We're still in euphoria, but we're already thinking about survival in the Premier League," Leeds manager Daniel Farke said after the match.
Tragic Bowen, meanwhile, briefly commented: "I'm devastated. It hurts after coming back from 0-2 like this. I missed a penalty and I can only apologize."
Both teams now have to recover quickly from this marathon, as they face crucial battles for survival in the Premier League (West Ham vs. Wolves, and Leeds vs. Manchester United).
