Football singularity-Chapter 464 Free Kick

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[55']

Aidonis drove into the box with intent, the ball skimming just ahead of his stride as Hwang Tae-Hyeon scrambled to recover ground. The right-back took a quick glance up before cutting the ball across the face of the goal. Moukoko lunged toward the near post, but Kim Hyun-woo intercepted with a sliding clearance that sent the ball bouncing out toward the edge of the area.

Wirtz was the first to react, charging onto the loose ball. "Hyun-woo with the interception, but wait, it's not over. Wirtz has another chance to score Barce here," Stewart exclaimed, but the expected shot never came as the young midfielder faked the shot and simply dragged the ball behind his leg, dodging the desperate slide tackle from Hong Hyun-Seok.

Manoeuvring around the sliding body, he swung his left foot, sending a crisp pass towards the far post where Rakim was lurking. "Rakim and Choi battle to reach the ball first," Gartner exclaimed as both of them could be seen angling their run towards the oncoming ball.

Lee Gwang-yeon had also moved across his line, lowering his body as he closed down the angle at the post. Just as Rakim squeezed in front of Choi, he felt a tug at his left arm, messing up his balance. The linesman's arm twitched, ready to raise his flag as the referees had twitched to his whistle, ready to intervene as Rakim was falling to the ground.

However, the winger was unwilling to give up swinging his right foot down onto the oncoming ball. He hit the ball at an odd angle, as instead of his instep hitting the side of the ball, it hit the top of it, causing it to hop up. He still managed to send it in his desired direction towards the near post, and since Wirtz's pass had enough momentum, the ball shot forward like a pinball.

Lee Gwang-yeon, who had already lowered his stance, reacted instinctively, spreading his left arm and leg wide. However, the ball, spinning with awkward topspin and moving faster than expected due to Wirtz's initial velocity, slipped through the narrowest of gaps—right between Lee Gwang-Yeon's extended arm and leg. For a heartbeat, the entire stadium froze and then came the sound of the net.

The ball struck the inside netting just inside the post, burying itself beyond the keeper's reach before anyone had time to process what had happened. "It's in!" Paul Gartner's voice cracked with disbelief. "Rakim somehow finds the smallest pocket of space, and Germany doubles their lead!"

"That angle was tighter than a needle's eye!" Stewart added. "The keeper did everything right—he closed the space, he got low, he read the strike—but Rakim's touch, even off-balance, was razor sharp."

[GOAL – Germany 2: 0 South Korea | 56' – Rakim Simon Rex]

Rakim didn't rise to celebrate immediately. He stayed on his knees, chest heaving, face caught in a moment of disbelief before the adrenaline took over. Not even he had expected that to go in, but he thought it was better to try than waste the opportunity. His teammates swarmed him, Moukoko lifting him to his feet, and they quickly jogged to the corner flag to celebrate with their fans.

"That is his 11th of the tournament, just one behind the tournament leading goal scorer, Erling Haaland," Stewart commented with a light smile as the replay of the goal was shown on the screen.

"Indeed, his shooting boots have been on fire in this tournament. Wirtz also takes a step closer to that Assist King crown with this being his 7th of the tournament." Paul commented with a light-hearted tone as the referee proceeded to give the Korean player who had committed the offence a warning. "Both of them have been on fire, and if I were Peter Bosz back at Leverkusen, I would start making plans that included Germany's gold and silver duo for the second half of the season."

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[Re-Start – 58']

South Korea resumed play quickly after the goal, determined not to let the momentum spiral further out of control. There was no panic in their touch, but the urgency was now unmistakable. Hong Hyun-seok signalled for his teammates to stay calm as he took the kick-off short to Kim Jung-min, who immediately switched play toward the left, hoping to bypass Germany's central pressure.

The Korean bench began stirring, with several substitutes warming up intensely down the sideline as their coach could ill afford not to make changes when his team was struggling. On the field, Germany looked more compact now. With a two-goal cushion, they began to emphasize structure and control, pressing selectively rather than relentlessly. Angelo Stiller anchored the midfield with a steady hand, directing traffic and maintaining Germany's rhythm in transition.

[63]

After struggling to move the ball ahead with Germany determined to play defensively, they were forced to think outside of the box. In the 63rd minute of the game, Lee Kang-in dropped deeper to orchestrate possession, drifting wide to drag a marker with him before slipping a disguised pass between the lines to Jeong Woo-yeong. Jeong turned quickly, evading a lunging challenge from Jamie Leweling, and threaded the ball out wide to Oh Se-hun, who was already in motion down the right.

Oh Se-hun didn't waste time. With one touch to steady himself and another to push into space, he accelerated down the flank, drawing the attention of Aidonis. He glanced up, spotting Jeong Woo-yeong continuing his run through the left channel and Lee Kang-in arriving late at the top of the box. Rather than force a cross into a crowded area, he checked his run and pulled the ball back to the edge of the area for Kang-in, who shaped to shoot with his left foot.

Kang-In's shot came low and quick, skipping across the grass with pace, but it lacked placement. Jan Olschowsky, positioned smartly in the centre of his goal, got down swiftly and held onto the ball without spilling. "That was better from Korea," Gartner noted. "Much more calculated. But that finish… it needed more venom, more direction."

[68]

Germany made their first substitution of the match—Youssoufa Moukoko was withdrawn, having worked tirelessly up front, and Malik Tillman came on to provide a fresh attacking option. The change signalled to their opponents to pay attention to their counterattack and not to overextend themselves.

[70]

Two minutes later South Korea responded with a double substitution of their own. Hong Hyun-Seok and Oh Se-hun were replaced by Park Jeong-in and Song Min-kyu, both of whom immediately slotted into attacking roles. Park took over at centre forward, while Song moved to the right wing, pushing Eom Won-sang to the second striker position. Korea's formation shifted to a more direct 4-1-3-2, taking a different approach in hopes of sparking a comeback.

[72']

South Korea's new setup led to a noticeable shift in energy. Park Jeong-in made his presence known almost immediately by pressing hard on Malik Talabidi, forcing a hurried pass out wide that was intended for Aidonis, but the latter could only lunge in vain as the ball flew out for a throw-in. This gave Korea a throw-in deep in the German half. From there, Lee Kang-in picked up the ball again, orchestrating from a deeper role and finding Song Min-kyu on the right wing.

Song's first involvement was promising. He took on Katterbach with a burst of acceleration and managed to swing a cross into the box. It looped toward the far post, where Park had peeled off his marker, but the striker couldn't get the right elevation on his header, sending it looping well over the bar.

[78]

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Korea's change in pace and attacking focus bore fruit in the 78th minute as Park managed to earn a free kick just outside the box after a miss-timed tackle by Kevin Schade. "That is rather harsh from the referee," Paul called out as said referee reached for his pocket and held up a yellow card officially marking his entry into his books.

That was just a small interlude, as moments later Germany had formed a four-man wall, leaving them slightly short-handed in the crowded area of players looking for a cross. Lee Kang-in stood over the ball, calmly assessing his options. He had two teammates lurking near the edge of the box and a packed crowd of players waiting to pounce inside.

The referee's whistle pierced the noise. Lee Kang-in took a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and began his run-up. Instead of lofting a delivery into the melee, he went for the goal directly.

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To Be Continued...