Chapter 552: Engagement
On the evening of March 17th, Manchester United hosted Brighton in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Mourinho made extensive rotations to the starting lineup, with McTominay playing as the lone striker, supported by Mata, Lingard, and Mahrez. Herrera and Fellaini took up the holding midfield roles. At the back, Lindelof and Smalling partnered as center-backs, with Luke Shaw and Valencia as full-backs, and Romero in goal.
In the 37th minute, Luke Shaw sent a pass back from the left side, and Mahrez crossed to the far post, where McTominay headed it home. United led Brighton 1-0.
In the 83rd minute, Ashley Young, who had come on as a substitute, delivered a free kick from the left to the far post. Bruno, also a substitute, headed it into the net. United won 2-0 and advanced to the FA Cup semifinals.
The following day, the other two teams advancing to the FA Cup semifinals were decided. Southampton eliminated Wigan Athletic 2-0, and Chelsea defeated Leicester City 2-1 in extra time.
The semifinal draw resulted in Manchester United facing Tottenham and Chelsea against Southampton. Both semifinals were scheduled to be held at Wembley Stadium on April 21st and 22nd.
Although United was drawn as the nominal home team, Tottenham had played most of their home games at Wembley that season, effectively making it a home game for Spurs. Tottenham's strong home form meant they regularly attracted over 80,000 spectators.
The new week saw the first international break of 2018. The Portuguese national team had two friendly matches, one against Egypt, led by Salah, and another against the Netherlands, featuring Van Dijk. However, Bruno did not join the national team after discussing it with coach Santos.
The upcoming months of April and May presented a packed schedule for United, with matches in three competitions. The Premier League season was set to end on May 13th, meaning United had eight league matches between March 31st and May 13th. In addition to reaching the FA Cup semifinals and the Champions League quarterfinals, United could play up to 15 matches if they advanced to the finals of both cup competitions.
After the season, the World Cup in Russia would begin, leaving Bruno with little time to rest. Thus, this international break was likely his last chance to rest before the World Cup.
But the main reason for Bruno's absence from the national team was his engagement to Vanessa. In January, Vanessa, who had just turned 30, told Bruno at her birthday party that she wanted to get married. Reflecting on their four years together and her silent support during that time, Bruno decided to move forward with the engagement.
They planned a low-key engagement ceremony in Bruno's hometown of Maia, inviting only close family and friends, with fewer than thirty guests in total.
After the engagement ceremony, Bruno and Vanessa took their newly delivered Gulfstream G650 private jet to Switzerland for a vacation. Meanwhile, the Portuguese national team played Egypt in Zurich. In the first half, Rolando's goal was disallowed. In the second half, Salah scored a long-range goal to give Egypt the lead, but Ronaldo scored two headers in stoppage time to secure a dramatic victory for Portugal.
Bruno and Vanessa watched the match as fans from a VIP box.
Three days later, the Portuguese team played another match in Geneva against the Netherlands. Despite failing to qualify for the World Cup, the Netherlands showed their strength. In the first half, Depay, Babel, and Van Dijk each scored, with De Ligt providing two assists. After the break, Cancelo received his second yellow card and was sent off. The match ended with a 3-0 victory for the Netherlands.
These two matches highlighted a glaring issue: without Bruno, Portugal's midfield control was significantly weakened. They struggled against even a moderate team like Egypt and only won thanks to Ronaldo's individual brilliance. Against a stronger team like the Netherlands, Portugal's midfield was completely overrun, leaving Ronaldo unable to perform his magic.
After a week-long vacation in Switzerland, the couple flew back to Manchester, and Bruno began preparing for the upcoming challenging schedule.
On March 31st, at 3 PM local time, Manchester United hosted Swansea in the Premier League. United took the lead in the 5th minute when Lingard set up Bruno, who crossed from the left, and Harry Kane scored from 13 yards out.
In the 20th minute, Bruno scored to make it 2-0. "GOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLL!!!! Bruno! Bruno!! Bruno!!! He scores his 36th league goal of the season!" Andy Gray exclaimed. "What a lucky goal!" he continued. "When a player is in such good form, even luck is on their side."
The replay showed Gundogan's through ball being flicked on by Harry Kane, who used his heel to set up Bruno. Bruno's shot was partially saved by Fabianski but hit the post and then rebounded off Bruno's head into the net as he was getting up.
At halftime, United led Swansea 2-0. Swansea's coach Carvalhal walked straight to the dressing room, frustrated by United's good fortune.
Carvalhal had taken over Swansea in December and had led them to five wins, three draws, and two losses in ten league matches, lifting them from the bottom to 14th place, four points above the relegation zone. His success had earned the trust of the Swansea players.
During the halftime break, Carvalhal made bold changes, substituting former Liverpool forward Carroll and Chelsea loanee Abraham for midfielders Dyer and Ki Sung-yueng. Swansea switched to a three-forward formation, with Carroll and Abraham as the central strikers and Ayew supporting from a slightly deeper position.
Mourinho discussed the adjustments with Carrick, noting Swansea's new approach and their reliance on crosses from Clucas to Carroll and Abraham.
Initially, Swansea's changes brought some effect, especially with Clucas repeatedly sending in crosses. However, his deliveries consistently missed his teammates, leading to frustration. Mourinho quickly responded by substituting Kante for Herrera. This change had an immediate impact as Kante intercepted a pass from Clucas and started a quick counterattack.
Mahrez played a long ball to Kane, who flicked it on. Swansea's Van der Hoorn attempted to clear but collided with Fabianski, leaving Rashford to score into an empty net. United now led 3-0.
Carvalhal was exasperated by his team's mistakes and misfortune, but continued to urge them forward, hoping for a miracle.
Seeing Swansea's aggressive approach, Mourinho brought on Mbappe to replace Bruno, instructing him to exploit the spaces left by Swansea's attacking push. This move paid off as Mbappe's pace caused problems for the Swansea defense. In the 76th minute, a counterattack saw Mahrez send a long pass to Mbappe, who sprinted past the defenders and scored, sealing a 4-0 victory for United.
Carvalhal could only watch helplessly as his team's efforts fell short. The match ended with United securing a comfortable win, keeping their momentum going as they faced the grueling schedule ahead.