Chapter 603: Chapter 603 Heating Up
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[13]
The through ball slid between Boateng and Davies, tearing open the defensive line. Diaby timed his run immaculately as the linesman’s flag stayed down, as Boateng tried to play him off to the corner flag. The French winger had room to manoeuvre, and he used it to pick out a cross.
Diaby’s cross was whipped in with pace and precision, curling toward the penalty spot where Havertz had slipped between the two centre-backs. The young German forward rose magnificently, arching his back and powering a header toward the top corner. But Neuer, showcasing exactly why he’s considered the world’s best, threw himself full length to his right, fingertips stretched to maximum extension.
The ball crashed against his gloves and spun away harmlessly. "What a save!" Derek Rae bellowed. "Manuel Neuer showing his class when his team needs him most!"
Stewart Robson added breathlessly, "That was destined for the top corner, Derek. Absolutely destined. Havertz couldn’t have placed it any better, but Neuer defies physics with that reaction!"
[18]
The intensity was building with every passing minute, as the tempo would spike suddenly every now and then as the player found attacking opportunities. Bayern tried to wrestle control back through possession football, but Leverkusen’s pressing game was suffocating every pocket of space. Thiago’s absence from the starting lineup was becoming apparent as Goretzka and Kimmich struggled to find their usual rhythm under the coordinated Leverkusen harassment.
Müller dropped deeper than usual, trying to create an extra man in midfield, but Aránguiz shadowed his every move like a hunting dog who had caught a sweet scent. The Chilean was on his ass using his body and football IQ to break up plays with perfectly timed tackles, and keeping Bayern’s primary creative outlet under wraps. Seeing Müller and the middle being bogged down, Davies tried to spark something down the left flank.
Overlapping with Comman at the halfway line, he skipped past Diaby with pace. Baumgartlinger came in hot, trying to interfere, but the Canadian came to a sudden stop, sending the latter skidding. He beamed a diagonal pass forward to the feet of Lewandowski, who had dropped back slightly.
The striker tapped the ball back into Müller’s path, who received it on the run, peeling away from Aránguiz. With one fluid motion, he threaded a through ball into the inside channel for Gnabry, who had crossed Wendell’s shoulder. The ball arrived perfectly at the edge of the box, setting Gnabry up to shoot first-time with his right foot.
He lashed at it, the strike rising venomously toward the top corner, but Hradecky reacted brilliantly. The Leverkusen keeper leapt high, palms open, parrying the shot over the bar with a strong hand. The echo of the impact rang around the empty Olympiastadion.
"Hradecky to the rescue again!" Derek Rae’s voice sharpened. Stewart Robson followed with conviction: "That’s a world-class save. Gnabry couldn’t have struck it better, and yet he’s denied. Leverkusen owe their keeper big time here." The resulting corner was cleared, but with a mighty header from Baumgartlinger.
[25]
The game’s first real flashpoint came not long after. Havertz drifted deeper to help relieve the pressure, calling for the ball from Sven, who was under pressure. Turning with the ball glued to his feet, he skipped past Goretzka with an elegant flick before being scythed down cynically by Kimmich.
The referee wasted no time pulling out a yellow card, the Bayern midfielder raising his hands in protest but knowing full well what he’d done. Tobias Welz was having none of it, even when some of his teammates tried to plead on his behalf. "That’s clever from Kimmich," Robson admitted. "He knew Havertz was about to drive into open space. Take the foul, take the booking—it’s calculated."
Rae interjected: "But Stewart, that’s twice now Leverkusen have looked threatening when Havertz drops deeper. The moment he does that, those wingers push forward with pace, just waiting for an outlet pass to latch onto. Bayern are wary, and rightly so." The free kick did not lead to much as Amiri curled toward the box, but Boateng cleared it back from whence it came.
[30]
In the 30th minute, Goretzka fought off Amiri just outside of his team’s penalty box. The midfielder charged up the field, exchanging a one-two with Kimmich, which allowed him to bypass Baumgartlinger. With the ball glued to his boots, Goretzka powered through the centre of the pitch like a steam train, shrugging off Baumgartlinger’s tug on his sleeve before releasing it out wide to Coman.
The Frenchman, already at full tilt, dropped his shoulder and darted beyond Lars Bender, the Leverkusen captain, hesitant to dive in because of his earlier yellow. Coman drove toward the edge of the area, cutting the ball back cleverly to Müller, who had managed to lose Aránguiz. He took it the first time, letting it fly toward the right side of the goal, forcing Hradecky to shimmy across his line.
He didn’t need to jump in the end as the elevation on the shot was too high, skimming off the bar out for a goal kick. "That’s a warning sign," Derek Rae warned. "Leverkusen have gotten too comfortable, this will wake them up."
[34]
Moments later, Alab initiated a counter that saw Kimich flicking the ball wide to Pavard. The French full back picked up speed as he belw past Amiri, trying to get in his way.
A nifty overlap with Gnabry allowed him to skip past Wendell, reaching the side of the box where he whipped in a low cross into the six-yard box. Lewandowski bet Tapsoba toward the ball, sliding in feet first to slot the ball past Hradecky. The net rattled as Bayern’s bench leapt to their feet in celebrations; however, it was cut short.
The linesman’s flag went up instantly, and the referee’s whistle followed, halting proceedings. "Oh, that one will hurt, but the Bayern side doesn’t seem to be convinced by the decision," Rae noted as the Bayern players surrounded Tobias, arguing their case.
"Well, you couldn’t expect anything less when you get a goal denied," Robson explained. "Well, Hansi flick won’t be accepting the decision without a VAR check."
The VAR check took nearly two minutes, with Tobias Welz pressing his finger to his earpiece as the technology officials reviewed the footage frame by frame. On the giant screens around the Olympiastadion, replays showed Lewandowski’s run in slow motion—his shoulder appeared level with Tapsoba’s hip as Pavard delivered the cross. However, it was his foot that was clearly over the offside line, confirming the linesman’s decision.
"Well, Stewart, that’s the beauty and the cruelty of VAR. A matter of inches keeps this game level." Derek Rae commented amid the disappointed exclamation of the Bayern players.
"They’ll be disappointed by the decision, but those inches are keeping Leverkusen alive, Derek. Bayern are knocking, and you feel like a goal is coming sooner rather than later." Robson replied as the players below set up for a free kick to restart the match.
[37]
The game’s tempo remained relentless as both sides refused to give an inch. Leverkusen, energised by their narrow escape from conceding, immediately looked to hit back. The free kick was played short out wide to Wendell, who dribbled past Gnabry before sending it inwards to Baumgartlinger.
The CDM turned inward, sending a precise pass to Amiri, who had found space just beyond the halfway line. The Iranian playmaker’s first touch was sublime, cushioning the ball with the outside of his right boot as Goretzka thundered toward him. With Bayern’s midfielder bearing down, Amiri executed a perfectly weighted through ball that sneaked just past Kimmich’s reach.
Rakim had timed his run to perfection, staying onside by mere inches as he latched onto the pass before it went out for a throw inside the final third. Pavard stepped up, sidestepping to guide him outward, as the distance between them narrowed.
Rakim shifted the ball onto his right foot, teasing Pavard with a slower dribble, the ball rolling lazily between his studs. The French defender crouched low, arms wide, trying to anticipate the youngster’s next move. With a sudden burst, Rakim darted forward, pushing the ball past Pavard’s left boot with the outside of his boot before cutting sharply inside.
The elastico caught the full back flat-footed as the ball slotted through his legs. He tried to get in his way, tugging at his shirt, but the winger fought past him, driving into the edge of the box. Alaba slid across with a crunching slide tackle, hitting the ball of Rakim’s shin before sweeping his feet.
The ball spilt loose, ricocheting dangerously toward Havertz, at the top of the box, but Boateng muscled across, clattering into the Leverkusen forward as he tried to shield it. The whistle shrilled immediately—foul to Leverkusen, right on the corner of the penalty arc.
"Boateng’s late there, Derek," Robson remarked as the replay showed Havertz rolling under the heavy contact. "He didn’t need to go through him like that a bit of composure, and he could have held him off. Now Leverkusen have a dead-ball situation exactly where they want it."
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To Be Continued...