Football singularity-Chapter 720 Un-Rewarded
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[2021-04-05, 19:45 | BayArena, Leverkusen | Champions League Quarter-Final 1st leg | Leverkusen 1 v 2 Dortmund]
[70’]
Catching the ball at the side of the box, he tried to fake out Tah with a feint and shoulder drop, but the Defender kept his composure. Knowing he couldn’t waste time, he nudged the ball towards the byline and exploded after it with a quick set of side steps. He sent a first-time rebona cross into the box just before the ball could cross out for a goalkick.
The ball whipped across the face of the goal with wicked pace, curling toward the penalty spot. Haaland attacked it with predatory instinct, rising ahead of Tapsoba. His header was powerful, directed goalward—but Hradecky had read it. The finish reacted quickly, dropping to his left, securely catching the incoming ball.
"LUKAS HRADECKY!" Drury bellowed. "WHAT REFLEXES! Dortmund cannot believe it! The Finnish goalkeeper is denying another goal!"
[76’]
Diaby collected the ball on the right touchline, taking on Guerreiro with a sharp burst of acceleration. The Portuguese fullback tried to track back, but the Frenchman was too quick. He drove to the byline, drawing Akanji across, then cut it back sharply to the edge of the box.
Demirbay arrived, striking it first-time with his right foot. The ball flew toward the bottom left corner—Hitz dove, getting a strong hand to it, pushing it wide. "MARWIN HITZ!" Beglin exclaimed. "Yet another save! These goalkeepers are refusing to be beaten!"
The corner was delivered by Wirtz, curling toward the penalty spot. Tah rose highest, powering a header goalward. It was on target, goal-bound—but Can was in the way, blocking it with his chest.
[81’]
Leverkusen continued to push forward desperately, throwing everything at Dortmund. Rakim collected the ball on the left, immediately taking on Piszczek with a series of sharp feints. The veteran Polish defender held firm initially, but Rakim dropped his shoulder and exploded inside onto his right foot.
He drove toward the edge of the box, drawing Can out of position, then slipped a pass to Wirtz in the pocket. The German teenager turned sharply, creating space for a shot. He struck it cleanly from eighteen yards, the ball rising toward the top right corner.
Hitz tracked it, launching himself across his goal. His fingertips brushed the ball, just enough to send it spinning onto the crossbar. The rebound fell kindly to Schick six yards out, the goal gaping—but Akanji slid in desperately, clearing it before the striker could strike.
"HOW IS IT STILL TWO-ONE?!" Drury screamed. "Leverkusen are battering Dortmund, but they cannot find the equaliser! The woodwork, the goalkeeper, the defenders—everything is conspiring against them!"
[85’]
Terzić made his final substitution, bringing on Mahmoud Dahoud for the exhausted Bellingham. The English teenager trudged off slowly, wasting as much time as he could, to the annoyance of the home side, but no one could fault him, as he had run himself into the ground. Still, after a warning from the referee, the teenager hurried his exit.
Dahoud immediately dropped deep, helping Can and Akanji defend the increasingly desperate Leverkusen attacks. Dortmund had fully retreated into a 5-4-1 shape, every player behind the ball, absorbing the pressure. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
[88’]
Leverkusen won a free kick on the right flank, thirty yards from goal. Demirbay placed the ball carefully, surveying the Dortmund box where every yellow shirt had retreated. Bosz was on the touchline, gesturing frantically for everyone to calm down—shooting a glare at Hradecky, who attempted to push past his final third.
The Finnish keeper obediently stayed back, along with Bender and Wendell, in case of a counter. Demirbay delivered it with pace, curling it toward the penalty spot. Bodies rose in a chaotic scramble—Tapsoba fought with Akanji in the air and managed to get a head to it.
But the Dortmund defender managed to defend it, rebounding it out of the box in a high arc. They breathed a sigh of relief as heads snapped to the location where the ball was dropping. A red shirt with the number 22 was chasing the ball to the left edge of the box with no one around them.
Everyone reacted immediately, springing into action to shoot him down, but he suddenly jumped into the air despite the ball still being a meter above his head. His back fell vertically as his hands reached out as if to embrace the sky. His right foot whipped up, stopping thirty inches before the falling ball, then tucked back.
Using the generated momentum, his left foot whipped up, meeting the ball with the top of his boot. (Boom) The sound of leather meeting leather resounded throughout the BayArena as the ball exploded off Rakim’s boot like a cannonball. Time seemed to slow as the bicycle kick sent the ball rocketing through the air on a perfect trajectory, fluttering slightly as it sliced through the air, flying toward the far right corner.
Hitz, who had just recovered his position after the initial clearance, could only watch in horror. He threw himself across his goal, arms fully extended, fingertips straining—but couldn’t reach it as much as he wanted. (Dong) Maybe Lady Luck smiled upon them, or the home side was simply unlucky, but the ball didn’t drop a few inches enough and skimmed off the top of the bar.
"GOOOOOOOOOA— Oh No!" Drury’s voice shattered the quiet, his words tumbling over one another as the ball flew harmlessly into the stands. "Rakim Rex! With an audacious Bicycle kick, but he is denied by the crossbar."
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Beglin roared, his usual composure replaced by disbelief as he slowly sat down. "I think we all saw that in the back of the net, but the score remains unchanged, Leverkusen one and Dortmund two."
Rakim remained on the ground for a few seconds, staring at the sky as if asking for an answer. His breathing was noticeably heavy, showing just how much effort it took. He could only sigh as his efforts remained unrewarded. Wirtz appeared in front of him a second later, "Nice try, let’s see this out," he said as he pulled him up.
[90+1’]
Rakim’s world-beater of a striker took the wind out of both sides as the game restarted. Dortmund didn’t want to risk a last-minute counter as the fourth official indicated an added 3 minutes. As for the home side, they were listless at having such an attempt miss in the last minute.
A goal like that in the last minute can change the tide of the game, but missing can also dampen morale. Still, they kept attacking, slowly building up from the back. Following a pass back, Hradecky launched the ball long, finding Schick on the halfway line.
The Czech striker held it up under pressure from Can, then laid it off to Demirbay. The German midfielder turned sharply, driving forward before playing it wide to Diaby on the right. The French winger took one touch, then whipped in a cross toward the penalty spot.
Bodies rose—Schick got a glancing header, but it lacked power. Hitz caught it comfortably, immediately falling to the ground to waste time as he cradled the ball. After a few moments, the referee jogged over, gesturing for him to hurry up. Hitz took his time getting to his feet, then slowly walked to the edge of his six-yard box before launching it long. The ball sailed toward Haaland on the halfway line, but Tapsoba was there, heading it clear.
[90+3’]
Wirtz placed the ball at the corner flag, his hands trembling slightly as the moment weighed on him. This was likely the last chance to make something happen, and this time Hradecky was allowed to come forward. Only Wendell remained back, stationed on the halfway line in case of a counter.
The referee checked his watch, then signalled for Wirtz to take it. The German teenager took a deep breath, then delivered it with pace, curling it toward the penalty spot. Rakim, close to the front post, jumped into the air, directing the ball goalward with the side of his head.
A chaotic moment followed as Hitz fell to his left, palming the ball out of his goal. Dibay tried to swing at it, but Guerreiro managed to nudge it away. Can botted it, but it pralled off Schicks shin, flying toward Dahoud. He barely had enough time to shield the ball as Aránguiz pounced on him.
Hitz tried to pounce on the ball, but Aránguiz kicked at the ball from behind, managing to flick it goalward. It rebounded off the left post, trickling back into the six-yard box, but Akanji was there to boot it away.
"Manuel Akanji to the rescue, and the visitors can finally breathe out." Before the ball could leave the field for a throw-in, the referee’s whistle pierced the air.
(FWEEET! FWEEET! FWEEEEEET!)
[FT: Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-2 Borussia Dortmund]
"IT’S OVER!" Drury bellowed. "Dortmund hold on! They take a one-goal advantage back to the Westfalen Stadium! What a match! What drama!"
"Leverkusen will feel hard done by," Beglin added, his voice filled with sympathy. "They hit the woodwork more times than they made the keeper work, countless chances went unanswered, and were denied by an inspired Marwin Hitz. But football can be cruel, and tonight, Dortmund were clinical when it mattered."
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To Be Continued...
