Football singularity-Chapter 407 Late Drama

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[81]

Kubo’s strike skimmed off the turf, rocketing towards the bottom right corner like a guided missile. Luca Unbehaun, Germany’s last line of defence, had been stepping forward ever so slightly as he watched the counter develop, instinctively reacted, diving low with lightning reflexes. His fingertips met the ball, barely grazing it, but it was enough to alter its course.

The ball struck the inside of the post and spun wildly along the goal line giving the German fans the scare of their lives. Luca came to the rescue though as he jumped up from the ground firmly grasping the loose ball. The stadium gasped, hearts collectively stopping for a split second.

Luca clutched the ball to his chest, his heart pounding as he rolled onto his back, momentarily staring up at the floodlights. The collective sighs of relief from the German fans washed over him, quickly replaced by roars of encouragement as he scrambled to his feet. He wasn’t going to waste time. He took a few deep breaths before stepping forward and launching a long, driven throw toward Simon Asta on the right flank.

Germany moved with urgency now, sensing the danger of Japan’s counter-attacking momentum. Asta controlled the ball smoothly, resisting Hiroki Abe’s immediate press with a quick turn inside before shifting possession to Yannik Engelhardt. The midfielder took one touch before launching a raking diagonal pass toward Rakim on the left wing.

He lightly hopped into the air flicking his left leg behind his left leg he deftly touched it down. His move drew gasps from the stadium as he took control of the ball with nearby fans hoping to see something special. Ritsu immediately latched onto his back ready to stop him as he carefully watched for the slightest movement.

Rakim didn’t attempt a dribble though as he simply fainted turning outward before dropping a short pass to Wirtz in the centre. Not stopping though he casually drifted behind Ritsu who followed the ball to close down Wirtz. Wirtz, sensing the pressure from Ritsu Doan, took a sharp touch to his right, shielding the ball with his body as he turned away from the Japanese midfielder. He didn’t dwell on possession, however, as he quickly rolled the ball back toward Niklas Tauer, who was sitting deeper to orchestrate play.

Tauer, taking a moment to assess the field, lifted his head and pinged a precise switch of play toward the right flank, where Jamie Leweling had begun to accelerate. The ball sailed through the crisp night air, Leweling already on the move before it even arrived.

[83]

Leweling controlled it beautifully with his chest, allowing it to drop at his feet as he turned toward goal. Daiki Sugioka sprinted across to meet him, keeping his body low as he anticipated the winger’s next move. Leweling, known for his direct style, pushed the ball forward, forcing Sugioka into a full sprint alongside him.

With a sudden feint, Leweling cut inside, dragging his trailing foot to flick the ball toward the centre. Yannik Engelhardt had timed his run perfectly, arriving at the edge of the box. Engelhardt took one touch to steady himself before hearing the voice of Rakim shouting here causing him to halt his shooting motion.

His head quickly snapped to his left just in time to spot the winger feint a run-out word before breaking into the box. Not hesitating he sent a crisp ball into the box aiming for the space behind Riku.

Rakim anticipated the ball’s trajectory and timed his run to perfection, ghosting in behind Riku Handa with a sharp burst of acceleration. As the ball zipped toward him, he let it roll across his body, using the momentum to take a deft touch with his left foot. The Japanese defender scrambled to recover, but Rakim had already made his next move.

A quick shimmy of his shoulders sent Riku lunging to block a potential shot, but Rakim had feinted. Instead, he chopped the ball back onto his right foot, opening up a shooting angle. The goal was in his sights, and the German supporters roared in anticipation. Kosei Tani, Japan’s goalkeeper, surged forward, narrowing the angle, his arms spread wide.

With ice-cold composure, Rakim opted for precision over power. He shaped to curl the ball toward the far post, his posture selling the shot perfectly. Tani reacted, shifting his weight in preparation to dive, but at the last second, Rakim adjusted, cutting his shot low toward the near post. Tani, completely wrong-footed, flung himself down in desperation. The ball skidded off the slick grass, slipping just beyond his fingertips. The net rippled. GOAL!

The stadium erupted in a cacophony of cheers and stunned gasps. The German bench exploded in celebration, players rushing to the touchline with fists pumping the air. On the pitch, Rakim wheeled to the corner flag already doing his griddy only to come to an abrupt stop at the sound of the referee’s whistle. "He scored to make it a hat-trick in a last-minute winner, but it looks like the linesman had other Ideas.

Paul Gartner was right as on the left side of Japan’s half the linesman can be seen holding up his flag signalling an offside. "This one is sure to hurt... Having a late-minute winner ripped from your arms is something I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemies."

Rakim froze, his celebration cut short as the reality of the situation sank in. The crowd’s roar shifted into a wave of groans, the German fans voicing their frustration while the Japanese supporters erupted in relieved cheers. The linesman stood firm; his flag raised high, unmoved by the protests from the German players.

"This is heartbreak for Rakim Rex! The youngster thought he’d sealed his hat-trick and sent Germany through with a last-minute winner, but the assistant referee disagrees!" Paul Gartner’s voice crackled over the commentary as the camera panned over the player’s stunned expression. "Looking at the replay his hand did indeed land him offside, it happened during Yannik’s hesitation before slipping in the assist."

Rakim tried to plead his case to the official, arms spread wide in disbelief. "No way, man! No way I’m offside!" he shouted, his voice barely cutting through the chaos. Wirtz was already by his side, gesturing emphatically toward the referee. "Check it! VAR, check it!" he demanded, motioning toward the giant screen in the stadium.

The referee, a composed figure amid the swirling emotions, raised his hands to calm the Germans and Japanese players trying to influence his decision. "Kid this is an under-20 youth competition there is no VAR. This means it’s my prerogative and I chose to trust my colleague to do his job the decision stands Offside." The man quickly explained before blowing his whistle and signalling for a Japan freekick to be taken.

Rakim could only clench his fists, barely able to contain the frustration boiling beneath his skin. This was football though and he had to deal with this reality, even though the goal would have sealed his hat trick and the win for his team. Shaking off his distracting thoughts he quickly dropped back to his position 4 minutes were still enough time to score another goal.

[86]

Japan wasted no time restarting play. Kosei Tani placed the ball down for the free kick, allowing his teammates a moment to regain their composure. The Japanese defenders took deep breaths, some exchanging nods of encouragement, while their coach signalled instructions from the touchline. With a short pass, the ball was back in motion, and Japan looked to run down the final minutes of the match.

That goal had not only surprised Germany but had more importantly rattled them. Feeling the possibility of having their lead cut down at the final step made them much wearier, especially of the opposing left flank. Thus, from the moment they restarted the match, they subconsciously played it safe opting to turn back rather than try a risky match.

Germany recognized Japan’s change in tempo immediately. They were sitting back now, playing cautiously, killing seconds rather than pressing forward. Rakim, still simmering from the disallowed goal, snapped his gaze to Florian Wirtz.

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"Press them!" he barked, urging his teammates forward.

Wirtz, who was meant to set the midfield tempo in this formation agreed as he read the situation the same way. Waving both hands forward he indicated his decision to the rest of the team he immediately charged forward. This ignited the rest of the Germans to push up field putting pressure on their opponents as they dropped back further.

Their tactic worked as very quickly they forced the Japan midfield to make hasty passes. In one of these hasty passes, Ao Tanaka was forced to send the ball out to the wing trying to escape a double team from Jamie Leweling and Niklas Tauer. Hiroki Abe who was hugging the sideline was caught off guard by the sudden pass and since he was out of position, he was not able to react in time.

Simon Asta didn’t miss this chance and surged forward poking the ball free and immediately accelerated down the wing. Daiki Sugioka tried to get in his way just as he reached the area parallel to the penalty box, but Simmon never planned to take him. Looking up he squared a pass across the face of the box to the on-rushing Rakim who had overlapped with Wirtz as he broke into the middle.

"Riku Handa is hot on his trail, but Rakim’s got another chance, and he is not one to miss these twice," Paul Gartner exclaimed with excitement as he watched Rakim flash to the ball’s location. He had some space after Takehiro Tomiyasu and Yuki Kobayashi had dropped into the box in preparation to defend a cross.

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To Be Continued...