Football singularity-Chapter 414 Gli Azzurri (4)

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[Wed, 29/05/2019, 17:26, Zdzisław-Krzyszkowiak-Stadion, Poland]

The celebrations had barely ended before Italy were back at the centre circle, eager to restart the match. Sandro Tonali, visibly irritated, grabbed the ball and placed it down before looking up at his teammates. He clapped his hands, shouting instructions as if demanding an immediate response.

Paul Gartner’s voice carried over the noise of the crowd. "Italy will need to find an answer, and quickly. There’s still plenty of time, but they can’t afford to let Germany dictate the game from here."

With a sharp blast of his whistle, referee Andrés Matonte signalled for play to resume. Tonali tapped the ball forward to Rovella, who immediately spread it wide to Bellanova. The Italian right-back, still fuming from his earlier humiliation at the hands of Rakim Rex, took a deep breath before advancing down the flank.

However, Rakim was waiting for him, and while he may not be the best defender he has good enough instinct and most of all the confidence to try. The moment Bellanova attempted to push forward, the German winger pounced, pressing him aggressively and forcing a back pass.

"And look at that! Rex is still harassing Bellanova. The Italian right-back will be having nightmares about him if this continues!" Gartner chuckled.

Italy’s play slowed as they shifted into their patient buildup, looking to stretch the German formation. Unlike Germany, whose attacks were direct and fluid, Italy relied on methodical possession, carefully moving the ball between midfielders, waiting for the right moment to penetrate the final third. But the German defence was well-drilled, moving in sync, blocking off passing lanes and pressing at the right moments.

[30]

In the 30th minute, Italy finally found a gap. Vignato, dropping deep, received the ball under pressure and quickly spun away from Engelhardt, breaking free into space. Before the German midfield could react, he released a piercing through-ball between Bella-Kotchap and Ehlers, right into the path of Raspadori.

"Beautiful pass from Vignato! Raspadori is through!" Gartner’s voice rose in excitement.

Raspadori, with only Unbehaun to beat, took one touch before pulling the trigger. He aimed low, trying to slot it past the German keeper. Unbehaun, showing incredible reflexes, threw himself down, his right leg extending just in time to block the shot with his shin. The ball deflected upward, spinning wildly before Ehlers hooked it away. The German fans breathed a sigh of relief before roaring in approval.

"What a save from Luca Unbehaun! That was a huge chance for Italy, but Germany’s goalkeeper comes up big once again!" Gartner exclaimed.

Raspadori buried his head in his hands, knowing that was a golden opportunity. Meanwhile, Tonali simply shouted at him to get back in the game and put the next one away. However, Baum at the side seeing his team being beaten so easily started shouting instructions on the sidelines trying to get them to step it up.

It worked as the German side sensing Italy’s growing frustration, slowed the pace of the match, controlling possession with short, precise passes. Engelhardt and Tauer dictated the rhythm in midfield, while Florian Wirtz positioned himself intelligently between the lines, constantly looking for an opening.

In the 36th minute, Germany nearly doubled their lead. Moukoko, who had been silent since his goal, dropped deep to receive the ball, linking up with Batista Meier before turning sharply and accelerating forward. With his explosive pace, he shrugged off Bove and surged into the box.

With Gabbia closing in, Moukoko quickly played a disguised cut-back pass to Wirtz, who was making a late run into the penalty area. Wirtz let the ball roll across his body before striking it first-time with his right foot. It flew towards the right side of the goal like a cannonball, but Plizzari was there fully stretched, and managed to get a fingertip on the shot, pushing it just past the post.

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"Oh, my word! That was inches away from being Germany’s second!" Gartner gasped. "Plizzari keeps Italy alive with a crucial save!"

The Italian goalkeeper, still on the ground, exhaled sharply before being pulled up by Bove. He clapped his gloves together, urging his team to refocus. As halftime approached, the match’s intensity remained high. Italy pressed harder, looking for a late equalizer before the break, while Germany stood firm, disciplined and unmoving as they tightened the defence.

Italy just wouldn’t stay down though as they came agonizingly close to levelling the game in the 40th minute. Kean, who had been relatively quiet, finally got his moment. Receiving the ball on the left flank, he used his strength to brush past Asta before cutting inside on his right foot. With a quick shift, he unleashed a thunderous curling shot toward the near post that almost tricked Luca into jumping to the far post.

The ball rocketed off his foot, travelling like a missile as it curved like a boomerang towards the top left corner. Unbehaun barely managed to react to jump but even though he knew he wouldn’t reach it in time, God was on his side though and the ball ricocheted off the post. The shot struck the post with a deafening clang, bouncing back into play.

The shot struck the post with a deafening clang, bouncing back into play fought with Giacomo Raspadori to reach the ball first. The German defender sensing the danger, reacted instinctively, throwing his body in front of Raspadori. The two players clashed, their boots meeting the ball simultaneously, sending it spinning into the air. For a brief moment, time seemed to slow as the ball hovered near the penalty spot.

Then, out of nowhere, Sandro Tonali arrived. The Italian captain had been lingering on the edge of the box, anticipating the rebound. As the ball descended, he lined up his strike, planting his left foot firmly before swinging his right boot through the ball. "Tonali goes for it—!" Gartner’s voice crackled with excitement.

However, he was met with a strange residence as the ball seemed to bend before throwing him backwards. He wasn’t the only one as Noah Katterbach who had also performed a side volley was also thrown to the ground as they hit the ball simultaneously.

The stadium collectively held its breath as the ball rebounded off both players’ boots at the exact moment of contact, sending it spiralling high into the air. A clash of sheer force and determination had rendered the ball momentarily weightless, spinning wildly above the penalty box.

Paul Gartner’s voice was a mixture of amazement and disbelief. "I’ve never seen anything like this! Tonali and Katterbach strike the ball at the same time, and it’s up in the air—who’s going to claim it?"

Unbehaun had been on edge throughout this sequence of events and didn’t waste this opportunity while the ball was floating in the air. He quickly assessed the ball’s unpredictable descent. He shuffled his feet, adjusting his stance as he prepared to leap. The German keeper was not the tallest, but his reactions were razor-sharp. As the ball finally began to drop, he launched himself forward, punching it clear just as Emanuele Vignato leapt in for a header.

The clearance, though decisive, was not entirely out of danger. It fell to Wilfried Gnonto, who chested it down just outside the box, his eyes locked onto the goal. "Gnonto—on the volley!" Gartner roared.

The Italian winger didn’t hesitate. He adjusted his footing and struck the ball with venom, aiming for the bottom corner through the sea of bodies. It was a textbook half-volley, sweetly struck and arrowing toward the goal. But just as the Italian fans jumped to their feet in anticipation, a flash of white intervened—Armel Bella-Kotchap.

The German centre-back threw himself across the path of the ball, his massive frame absorbing the impact as it struck him square in the torso. The force sent him reeling back, but he held his ground, quickly scrambling to his feet to ensure the danger was fully averted.

"Unbelievable defending from Bella-Kotchap!" Gartner praised. "Germany is throwing everything at Italy to protect this lead!"

With the ball still loose, Engelhardt reacted first, getting his body between Gnonto and the ball before sending a clearance upfield. The Italian pressure had been relentless in these last moments, but they had survived finally allowing the supporters to come up for air. Baum on the sidelines also breathed a sigh of relief as he had been expecting any of those shots to go in.

He couldn’t even have blamed his players if they had conceded as those were good chances that the Italian side had created. Lucky for him his players dug deep and showed what they can do, defending their lead at any cost. As the clock ticked toward 45 minutes, the fourth official raised the board: 2 minutes of stoppage time.

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To Ce Continued...