Football singularity-Chapter 729 Now You C It & Now You Dont’t

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[2021-04-14, 20:23 | Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund]

[Champions League Quarter-Final 2nd leg |Dortmund (3) 1 v 1 (2) Leverkusen]

[53’]

The corner was delivered by Reus, curling toward the back post. Hummels rose highest, but his header sailed over the bar.

[58’]

Bosz made his first change, bringing on Leon Bailey for Diaby, who seemed to be struggling with a pulled muscle. The Jamaican winger didn’t need long to get to work when, moments later, he collected the ball on the right. Dribbling up the flank, he feinted a cut inwards with a shoulder drop but used a nimble La Croqueta to burn past Guerreiro with pure pace.

He drove to the byline, then cut it back to Wirtz at the edge of the box. The teenager took one touch, then slipped a pass to Rakim on the left. The winger controlled it with the outside of his right boot, skipping inside beyond Morey’s lunge. He shaped to shoot, drawing Can across, then slipped it through to Schick in the box.

The Czech striker struck it first time, but Bürki blocked it with his legs, and the rebound fell to Amiri. The German midfielder manoeuvred it beyond Bellingham and struck it. It had too much upward momentum, though, and flew over the bar.

"So close!" Beglin exclaimed. "Leverkusen are throwing everything at Dortmund, but they just can’t find that second goal!"

[64’]

Terzić responded with his own substitution, bringing on Axel Witsel for Reyna. The Belgian midfielder dropped into a deeper role, forming a three-man shield in front of the defence. Dortmund’s shape shifted to a 5-4-1, with every player behind the ball, absorbing the relentless Leverkusen pressure.

[68’]

Leverkusen won a free kick on the right flank, thirty yards from goal in the 68th. Wirtz placed the ball carefully, surveying the crowded Dortmund box. He delivered it with pace, curling it toward the penalty spot. Bodies rose—Tah got a glancing header, but Bürki caught it comfortably.

The goalkeeper immediately launched a counter, throwing it long to Haaland. The Norwegian held it up brilliantly, then laid it off to Hazard on the left.

The Belgian winger drove forward, cutting inside Frimpong, then shaped to shoot. Before he could fire, though, the Dutch full back doubled back with a slide, nimbly sweeping the ball away. Despite the Belgian winger falling, the referee’s whistle remained silent, and Tapsoba picked up the loose ball.

[70’]

He planned to hold up play until his retreating teammates returned to position fully, but a shout caught his attention. "Here," Rakim called for the ball just beyond the halfway line. He only needed a second to flick the ball forward before beaming a lofted ball towards the right side.

The returning winger only needed to move a couple of steps inwards to reach the ball’s landing point. With the ball approaching, Bellingham was closing in from behind, so he had to think fast. He angled his body, trapping the descending ball with the side of his right foot.

Not stopping there, he drew his foot back with the ball, pulling it behind his left, flicking it over the English midfield. Wirtz received the ball with his chest at the edge of the centre circle, doing his best to hold off Can. Not lingering, he volleyed it to the flank, finding Rakim again, who took it down in stride.

Charging at Morey, he crossed into the final third, quickly gaining steam. The fullback closed in cautiously, trying to guide him wide. The winger didn’t give him the luxury of dictating the play, performing a set of feints and step overs as the distance neared.

Losing composure, the Spanish defender stepped up, lunging in, but the German phenom seemed to have been aiming for that. He immediately knocked the ball past him with a heavy touch and accelerated past him from the flank, rounding in two steps. Akanji tried to beat him to the loose ball, and a foot race ensued at the side of the box.

Both reached the ball almost simultaneously, but Rakim got a foot to it first, nudging it through the Swiss defender’s legs. The defender tried to hold him as he tried to get past him, but he fought through, reaching the ball just before Bürki could pounce on it. The confrontation wasn’t long, and Rakim immediately opened up his body, shaping to square the ball across the goal.

He sold it with his eyes, and the Swiss keeper reacted on instinct, taking a large step across as he lunged. Like a magician making the rabbit disappear, the ball vanished, slipping underneath the keeper’s outstretched legs. "GOOOOAL! Leverkusen scores again." Drury exclaimed as Rakim took off to the corner flag to get his well-deserved celebrations.

The whole attack sounded long, but in reality, it happened in a matter of moments. From Tapsoba picking out Rakim to the winger arriving before the goal, it took less than 20 seconds, silencing the home side.

"That is an outrageous display of individual skill to not only create that goal but the composure to slip it through Bürki’s legs? At this stage? That’s nerve." Jim added. "Three-three on aggregate! With both teams drawn for away goals, this is anyone’s match, Peter something the home side will be dreading."

[74’]

Dortmund kicked off with renewed urgency, appearing far more attack-minded than they did all game. Reus played it back to Can, who knocked it across to Hummels. The German centre-back stepped forward with purpose, then played a long diagonal to Hazard on the left.

The Belgian winger controlled it, immediately taking on Frimpong with a series of quick feints. He managed to skip past him, driving toward the byline before whipping in a cross. Haaland attacked it like a battering ram, rising between Tah and Tapsoba.

His header was powerful, but it was too central, and Hradecky only needed to stretch out to grasp it. The Finnish keeper caught it cleanly, immediately racing to the edge of his box to launch a counter. "Hradecky again!" Drury exclaimed. "The Finnish international has been immense tonight!" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

[77’]

Bosz made his second substitution, withdrawing Amiri for Kerem Demirbay, adding some fresh legs in midfield to help see out the match. The German midfielder immediately dropped into a deeper role, giving Lars Bender support in shielding the defence. This change helped stabilise the midfield somewhat, acting as a closing valve for the home team’s attack.

In response to this, Terzić responded by bringing on Jadan Sancho for Thorgan Hazard, looking for some creativity on the wing. The twenty-one-year-old winger came out hot, winning a free kick after turning Frimpong inside out with a dizzying display of skills. Tah ended up clipping him outside the box after the Englishman performed a nimble La Croqueta to move the ball past them.

The referee had no choice but to blow his whistle and show a yellow card to the Leverkusen defender. They tried to protest, but couldn’t get far once the official had made up his mind.

[79’]

Moments later, Marco Reus stood over it initially, but stepped aside, allowing Sancho to take it short. The Englishman shaped as if to whip it in first time, but instead nudged it to Guerreiro, who overlapped on the outside. The Portuguese fullback delivered a first-time cross from the side of the box before Bailey could interfere, curling it viciously toward the penalty spot.

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TO BE CONTINUED...