The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 3 plus 5 letter word CUP FINAL
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
C
U
P
F
I
N
A
L
More clues leading to the result CUP FINAL
- Sporting event, initially comfortable, turning painful
- Charlie delighted playing Alf in match
- Chelsea’s opener precedes painful play in big match
- Copper and friend nabbing fellow in the big match
- Charlie raised hand, content to halt contest
- Terrible flu panic for match at Wembley?
- Chelsea’s opener precedes painful play in important match
- Flu panic disrupted a sporting event
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The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.