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[2021-05-15 | Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany | 18:35 CET]

[Bundesliga MW 34: RB Leipzig 0-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]

[21’]

Leipzig settled into possession, playing methodically, moving the ball around the midfield, utilising their numerical superiority. This quickly caused the game to fall into a pattern of the home side probing for a crack that Leverkusen expertly absorbed. Kampl received the ball from Upamecano, taking two touches as he scanned the field, but the opposing side remained compact, holding their positions.

Kampl played it square to Sabitzer, who knocked it back to Halstenberg on the left. The Defender controlled it, then drove forward five yards before playing it inside to Olmo. The Spanish playmaker’s first touch was heavy as he tried to escape Demirbay’s pressing. His sudden reaction caused the ball to skip ahead of him on the damp turf, and Amiri read it, stepping across to intercept cleanly.

The away crowd’s noise shifted in anticipation, building as Leverkusen won possession. Amiri turned, looking to spring the counter, but Rakim was tightly guarded by Mukiele, who tracked back, and Sabitzer did the same to Bellarabi. Not finding an outlet with Paulinho, who Upamecano tightly guards, he had to turn away from Kampl, who was already closing him down. In the end, he had to play it safe and knock it back to Dragovic.

"Leipzig controlling the tempo," Fuss observed. "But Leverkusen is staying disciplined in their shape."

[28’]

In the 28th, Rakim got moving on the left flank after tracking back to pick up the ball from Wendell, who dispossessed Mukiele. He looked infield for a moment but never looked back upon beating Dani Olmo on the turn, exploding up the flank. His acceleration opened up a visible gap with the Spanish midfielder, who turned to give chase.

Crossing into the final third, he faced Lukas Klostermann, who shuffled across to kite him wide. The German Defender kept his body angled, positioning himself between Rakim and the goal, not committing to a tackle. Rakim slowed his pace slightly, controlling the ball with short touches as he assessed his options.

Klostermann mirrored his movements, his shoulders tensing as he sized up his opponent, but Rakim suddenly burst into action. He feinted inside with his shoulder, his foot flashing over the ball, but the Defender didn’t bite, simply adjusting his stance. In the centre, Upamecano had left Paulinho to drift across to cover the space and the passing lane to Amiri in the centre was blocked by Sabitzer dropping deep.

He could feel the space closing, and his foot that wrapped around the ball knocked it forward toward the byline, trying to use his pace to get around Klostermann. The Defender was late to react but still managed to step across, using his body to force Rakim wider, toward the corner flag. The angle tightened with each touch, the closer he got to the byline, and he forced a cross past the Defender’s lunge.

The ball sailed off his boot cleanly, curling into the box, but Upamecano had read it. The French centre-back rose into the air, heading it clear to the edge of the area. Kampl pounced on the first bounce, controlling it on his chest, and Leipzig transitioned.

"Good defending from Klostermann," Freund noted. "Didn’t give Rex anything to work with there."

[37’]

The Red Bull Arena’s drum section sped up in rhythm as Leipzig worked the ball down the left flank. Marcel Sabitzer sprinted down the line, connecting with the long outlet pass from Kampl in the middle of the field. The winger wedged himself between the ball and Tah, doing his best to keep the Defender at bay, but quickly realised he wouldn’t win in a duel of strength.

Pushing off him, he came to a sudden stop and looked inside as he created some separation. Watching his opponent opening his body as if to pass inside, Tah stepped across to cover the way inside. Sabitzer seemed to have been waiting for that, though and dragged the ball down the line, accelerating after it.

Tah tried to recover, but the winger sent in a first-time cross at the side of the box, trying to connect with a white shirt. The ball curled low, barely above knee height, just past the penalty spot. Sørloth made his run, getting ahead of Dragovic, but the angle was awkward, and he stretched, trying to redirect it with his heel, but the contact was all wrong.

The ball skidded off his boot, trickling harmlessly wide of the far post. Groans rippled through the home sections. Sørloth slapped his hands together in frustration, shaking his head. "Should’ve done better there," Fuss said simply. "The cross was there."

[40’]

In the stands, the Red Bull ultras kept up their chants, drums beating steadily. The away section answered back, smaller but loud, claret and black flags waving. Upamecano received the ball from Klostermann, taking a moment to scan the field. He played it inside to Kampl, who knocked it on to Sabitzer with his first touch.

The Austrian midfielder turned, looking for Olmo’s run, but Demirbay was there, staying tight on his shoulder. Sabitzer checked back, playing it square to Halstenberg instead. The Defender drove forward a few yards, then sent a diagonal ball toward Mukiele on the opposite flank.

The cross-field pass was slightly overhit, and Mukiele had to stretch for it, his first touch pushing it a yard ahead of him. Wendell closed the space immediately, forcing the Frenchman back toward the touchline. Mukiele tried to cut inside, but Wendell angled his body perfectly, forcing him wide, not diving in.

Frustrated, Mukiele played it back to Halstenberg, who had continued his run inside. The German Defender controlled it, then struck a long-range effort from twenty-five yards. The shot was struck cleanly enough, but it was rising from the moment it left his boot and sailed comfortably over the bar, never troubling Hradecky.

"Halstenberg from distance," Fuss noted. "Leipzig is getting a bit frustrated now."

[43’]

Hradecky took his time with the goal kick again, letting a few extra seconds tick off as Bosz barked instructions from the side. He played it long this time, aiming for Paulinho near the halfway line. Upamecano rose above him, nodding it back to Gulácsi, and the Hungarian keeper controlled it with his feet.

He had to quickly release it, though, as Bellarabicharged in from the right, quickly closing him down. He played it short to Klostermann on the left, but the Defender quickly found himself under pressure from Rakim and was forced to empty with a long boot. Charles Aránguiz Won the aerial duel with Haidara, chesting it down smoothly before exchanging a quick one-two with Demirbay.

The Chilean charged forward, sparking an attack as he sent the ball forward, meeting the backtracking Rakim. The winger flicked it down the line, connecting with Wendell on the overlap. Wendell collected the ball on the run, his legs already pumping as he drove into Leipzig’s final third.

Klostermann tracked back alongside him, keeping a yard’s distance, not committing. The Brazilian fullback took a touch as the space closed in at the side of the box, but Klostermann continued to angle him wide. Wendell tried to cut back inside, but the German Defender was already there, forcing him toward the corner flag.

Wendell played it back to Aránguiz, who had tracked the play forward. The Chilean midfielder controlled it 25 yards out, shaped to shoot, then checked, playing it square to Demirbay. The German took one touch, looked up, but Leipzig’s shape had already reformed to a five-man across the back, three screening in midfield.

The midfielder seemed to be thinking about it and suddenly took a big touch and pulled the trigger, catapulting the ball forward. The ball cannoned forward, flying over the line of defence, heading toward the right side of the goal. It dropped late as Gulácsi backpedalled frantically, his eyes locked on its trajectory. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He leapt, arms stretched overhead, hitting the underside of the ball, sending it clanging against the top of the bar. "Kereeeeeem Demirbay." Fuss called out. "He catches Gulácsi off his line, but the keeper recovers enough to make the stop!"

[45’]

The fourth official raised his board on the touchline, indicating one minute of added time. Leipzig worked the ball around the back, Upamecano to Klostermann to Halstenberg. The clock was ticking down as they went through the motions, which was finally ended by a big clearance from Gulácsi. The referee checked his watch as the ball crossed the halfway line before blowing his whistle.

*(FWEEET! FWEEET!)*

[HT: RB Leipzig 0-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]

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TO BE CONTINUED...