Football singularity-Chapter 680 Munich

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#Continue from where I left off:

[19/12/2020 | BayArena, Leverkusen | 18:30 CET]

[Bundesliga Matchweek 13 | Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs FC Bayern Munich]

The floodlights carved through the December darkness, illuminating the BayArena like a colosseum. Ten thousand voices—all that COVID protocols allowed—created a wall of sound that defied their numbers, echoing off empty seats and reverberating through Rakim's chest as he stood on the left flank awaiting the opening whistle. It had been a while since they had this many fans in the stands, and it was against Bayern Munich, raising the atmosphere further.

Derek Rae's voice filtered through the broadcast speakers: "Good evening, and welcome to the BayArena for what promises to be an absolutely fascinating encounter. League leaders Bayer Leverkusen host Bayern Munich in a match that could define the title race."

Stewart Robson's response crackled through: "It's a huge test for both sides, Derek. Leverkusen have been exceptional—25 points from 12 matches, only one loss. But Bayern are Bayern. They don't lose these matches easily."

The referee—Felix Brych, a silver-haired man, completed his final checks before bringing his whistle to his lips.

(FWEEET!)

[1']

Lewandowski rolled the ball back to Müller, who immediately found Kimmich. The German midfielder's first touch was silk, his second a laser-guided diagonal toward Gnabry's run down the right. But Wendell had read it well and was alert enough to react in time to intercept with perfect timing.

His clearance trickled up the flank, finding Rakim on the left flank before Gnabry could even react. He brought it under control and began his charge up the flank with Pavard soon upon them. The French defender's positioning was textbook, forcing Rakim toward the touchline without committing to a tackle, leaving no angle or open space to exploit.

Rakim tried a stepover, the ball dancing around his standing foot, but Pavard remained composed. Another stepover, sharper this time, yielded the same result: he shifted the ball onto his left foot, creating half a yard, then exploded with speed, whipping in a cross. Alario attacked it at the near post, but Alaba rose higher, his header clearing the danger with authority.

"Early warning shot from Leverkusen," Robson noted through the broadcast. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

[4]

Kimmich received the ball from Boateng, turned away from Wirtz's press with a Cruyff turn that made it look easy, and launched a sixty-yard diagonal pas to the left flank. Davies exploded down the flank, his pace frightening as he overlapped Coman, forcing Lars Bender to give chase. But it might as well have been running through quicksand as the Canada remained a step ahead, widening the distance slightly.

The Canadian cut inside sharply, at the side of the box, drawing Tapsoba across, then slid a low cross toward Lewandowski at the near post. The Polish striker's movement was poetry—peeling away from Sven's shoulder at the exact microsecond the ball was played. His shot was struck cleanly, aimed for the bottom corner—but the backtracking Baumgartlinger threw himself into the path.

The ball cannoned off his thigh and spun out for a corner, the midfielder grimacing as he hit the turf. "What a block!" Rae shouted. "Julian Baumgartlinger saves Leverkusen!"

Kimmich's corner swung in with a wicked curve. Bodies collided in the six-yard box—red shirts and white shirts battling for position. Lewandowski rose above everyone, his header powerful and directed downward—Hradecky reacted purely on instinct, diving to his right, his gloves meeting the ball at full stretch.

His fingertips deflected the ball just enough to send it spinning over the crossbar. "LUKAS HRADECKY!" Rae roared. "What a save! Lewandowski thought he had the opening goal!"

The second corner came in deeper, finding Boateng at the back post. The German defender's header was accurate but lacked power, allowing Sven Bender to position himself perfectly, heading it clear. The ball fell to Aránguiz at the edge of the box, who immediately looked forward.

Goretzka tried to challenge him, but a quick shift of his body and a use of his body to create space found Diaby on the outlet pass. The Frenchman sped forward with gusto. Coman, who had been sitting back for the corner, was caught too high up the pitch.

Diaby took off, his acceleration explosive, quickly eating up yards of green. Alaba scrambled across to cover, backpedalling frantically, and Diaby cut inside sharply onto his left foot, drawing the Austrian toward him, then played a clever reverse pass into Wirtz's run.

The German teenager had ghosted between Bayern's midfield lines, receiving the ball twenty yards out with time and space. His first touch was perfect, cushioning it away from Kimmich's sliding challenge. His second was a strike toward the bottom right corner—Neuer got down quickly, his long frame allowing him to palm it wide.

"Manuel Neuer says no!" Robson exclaimed. "Both goalkeepers in fine form early on!"

[15]

The match settled into controlled chaos with Bayern monopolising possession, their passing crisp. However, Leverkusen's shape remained compact and disciplined, refusing to yield space. On one chance, Müller dropped deep to collect the ball from Kimmich, drifting into the pocket between midfield and defence.

A quick one-two with Lewandowski followed—the striker laying it off first time before spinning away from Tapsoba. Müller returned the ball perfectly, but Lewandowski's touch ran a fraction heavy. Sven Bender slid in decisively, clearing before the shot could come.

The loose ball fell to Coman on the left, and he struck it first-time from twenty yards, feeling the pressure from Lars. The effort rose toward the top corner, urging the keeper to react, but he was unneeded, as it sailed inches over the bar. "So close!" Rae exclaimed, "But that one wasn't troubling the keeper"

[19']

Baumgartlinger timed a tackle on Goretzka to perfection, poking the ball free and releasing it forward to Alario before the Frenchman could react. The striker held off Boateng with his back to goal before laying it into Wirtz's path. Under pressure from Kimmich, Wirtz killed the ball dead with his first touch, spun away, as the wingers surged forward.

Rakim cut in from the left, dragging Pavard inside whilst Diaby stayed wide on the opposite flank, stretching Bayern's back line. Wirtz drove ten yards, drawing Alaba forward, then slid a disguised pass between Pavard and Boateng. Rakim stayed onside by inches as he exploded into the box.

He barely got a touch on the ball, and Neuer was upon him. The keeper committed to a ponce, making himself as big as possible as he slid forward on his knees. Not panicking, raking the ball back and chipping the ball delicately over the keeper. The ball floated in the air toward the empty net—only for Neuer to spring up from his knees, hand outstretched, doing just enough to smack the ball clear from under his goal.

"HOW DID THAT NOT GO IN?!" Robson shouted. "Heroic from Neuer!"

[25']

The tempo escalated as both sides became eager for a goal. Every challenge became a collision, as they fiercely contested for every loose ball. Even the duel between Rakim and Pavard turned physical with the Frenchman getting handsy.

Rakim called for the ball from Wendell and was immediately shoulder-checked, stumbling. The referee waved play on, and he tried again, dragging the ball back to create space, but Pavard stayed tight, hand all over him as he guided him toward the line. Rakim spun free with a cleaver flick, bumping his shoulder to create some separation, then accelerated.

Pavard stayed on him, matching him stride for stride, blocking the inside route, then the outside. Finally, Rakim sold the inside dummy and burst outside, creating just enough separation to whip in a low cross. It didn't get past Alaba, who slid across to deflect it behind.

[29']

On the 29th, Kimmich crunched through Wirtz with a vicious slide tackle that was borderline legal to win possession. Ignoring the boos, he launched a sixty-yard diagonal pass toward Gnabry. The winger took it in stride, putting Wendell on the back foot, who scrambled back in panic. At the edge of the box, Gnabry performed a quick set of stepovers before cutting inside and sending a curler toward the far post. Hradecky shuufeld across and dove full stretch, palming it away, deflecting it off the unprepared MÜLLER's shin out for a goal kick.

"Lucas Hradecky to the rescue!" Rae cried. "That should be one-nil!"

[36']

In the 36th, Wendell won a defensive header, nodding it to Baumgartlinger, who spun away from pressure and fed Aránguiz. The Argentine spun free with one touch, then sent a diagonal pass toward Rakim. Pavard was on him, trying to get physical, but he remained standing, let the ball bounce, and shaped to control with his right.

Pavard was forced to shift as the winger let it run across his body, spinning away in one fluid motion. Space opened, and he drove forward, as Pavard gave chase, but once Rakim got beyond him, a foul was the only thing that could stop him.

The Munich defender couldn't help getting booked this early and could only watch as the winger cut inside at the edge of the box. Alaba moved to cut off the angle, but Rakim slipped a pass through the narrowest gap into Wirtz's stride. Unmarked at the top of the box, Wirtz took one touch, then fired with the outside of his boot.

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To Be Continued...