Football singularity-Chapter 695 VAR
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[24/01/2021 | Puskás Aréna, Budapest | 22:00 CET]
[UEFA Champions League Round of 16 - 1st Leg | Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs Manchester City]
[78’]
He kept the ball in play with a deft touch, cutting it back inside before it could cross the line. He immediately looked up, spotting Wirtz making a run toward the top of the box. His pass was weighted perfectly, bypassing De Bruyne’s attempted interception. Wirtz took it in stride, his first touch taking him past Gündoğan’s challenge with only Ruben Dias to beat.
Wirtz drove forward with purpose, the ball glued to his feet. Dias backpedalled, his positioning textbook-perfect, refusing to commit too early, giving his teammates time to track back. The German teenager shaped to shoot just at the edge of the D, drawing the Portuguese defender’s weight forward.
Wirtz tried to slip a through ball into Schick’s run, but Dias suddenly sped up forward, his long leg reaching forward. Before he could react, the defender’s right boot met the ball at his feet, knocking it free as he lost his balance. Aránguiz tried to pounce on the loose ball, but Rodri beat him to it, spinning away with the ball.
Not letting Demirbay get close, he set an outlet pass towards the left flank, finding Foden. The Englishman exploded forward with pace, forcing 20-year-old Frimpong to back pedal hard, trying to stay in front of him. He drove at him with his close control immaculate despite the speed at which he was dribbling.
The young Scottish right-back retreated frantically, trying to perform textbook defending, knowing one wrong step would leave him exposed. Foden performed a quick stepover, then another, his feet a blur of movement. The young fullback panicked and lunged in trying to poke the ball away, but Foden had already shifted it onto his right foot, cutting inside sharply. The space opened up, and suddenly he was twenty yards from goal with a clear sight of the target.
"Foden’s got space!" Tyldesley’s voice rose. "This could be dangerous!"
The shot came quickly—struck with the instep, rising toward the far right corner with vicious curve. Lomb, who had been shuffling to the near corner, backtracked, launching himself across his goal, fully extended. His fingertips fully extended as he reached for the incoming ball at the last possible moment.
He just about managed to graze it, sending it rattling against the post, but the goal shook the next second. "Phil Foden with a thunderstrike!" Drury roared as the City side roared in excitement, meeting the sliding Foden at the corner flag. "We’re back level at the 80th minute with everything to play for."
[Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Manchester City — Phil Foden 80’]
[82]
The equaliser had swung momentum entirely in City’s favour. Guardiola’s substitutions had worked as De Bruyne became more active in midfield, adding control and quality that Leverkusen couldn’t match. The German side looked exhausted, their legs heavy, their pressing less aggressive.
Bosz stood on the touchline, hands in his pockets, seemingly trying to decide what to do next. The only saving grace was the fact that the double pivot held steady, as did the flanks, as the wingers tracked back actively. "The city has found another gear," Tyldesley observed. "De Bruyne is trying to exert his presence in the midfield."
In the 84th minute, Belgium found itself at the edge of the box after breaking through the middle of Leverkusen’s midfield. Demirbay tried to track back with a slide tackle, but the playmaker escaped with a quick one-two with Jesus, who spun into the box. Tah stepped forward to intercept, but De Bruyne got the shot off before the defender could stop him.
"Kevin De Bruyne!" Drury exclaimed as the ball soared low, flying toward the bottom right corner. "But Lomb is equal to it"
"That was pure reaction speed." Tyldesley commented as the replay of Lomb dropping low to palm the ball past the post was shown. "Still level at the 84th and City has a corner."
[85]
The corner was taken short with Rodri laying it up for Sterling, who came to collect it with Sinkgraven in toe. The Dutch fullback tried to stand him up, but the Englishman stayed composed, back arched as he shifted left and right. The full ack tried to match him, but before he knew it, his legs were tangled, and Sterling found an opening to swing it in.
His cross found Gundogan near the fort post, and the German tried to guide it goalward, but it rebounded off Demirbay’s chest. Players converged to get to the ball first, and it trickled out to the edge of the box, falling kindly for De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder struck it first-time on the volley, his technique clean.
It didn’t get far as Tah threw himself into the path, the ball smashing against his shin, spinning away. The German captain stayed down this time, winded, physios rushing on to check him. Tah waved away the medical staff after thirty seconds, grimacing, but he pushed himself to his feet, jogging gingerly back into position.
"Jonathan Tah again!" Drury exclaimed. "How much more can he give? He’s been heroic tonight!"
[87’]
Bosz made his final change: Tapsoba on for the injured-looking Tah. The Burkinabé defender was put in to add some steel in the back line, and he did just that. City won possession immediately, Fernandinho intercepting Aránguiz’s pass. He played it forward to De Bruyne, who took one touch then launched a diagonal ball toward Sterling’s run.
The English winger cut inside, putting Sinkgraven on skates, and the shooting angle opened up. Before he could get the shot off or charge into the box, Yapsoba slid in with violence, cleanly winning the ball. Sinkgraven pounced on the loose ball, knocking it to the midfield, finding Aránguiz.
"Edmond Tapsoba!" Tyldesley roared. "What a tackle!"
[90’]
In the 90th minute, Leverkusen won a free kick just outside the box. The foul came after Rakim got free on the left flank, skipping past De Bruyne and Sterling, trying to stop him on the flank. He played a one-two to avoid Rodri, and he was through charging at Dias and the approaching Walker.
Rakim shaped to cut inside, drawing Dias toward him, then knocked it past Walker’s outstretched leg. The English right-back, desperate to stop the counter, clipped Rakim’s heel from behind. The winger went down in a heap just outside the penalty area.
*(FWEEET!)*
Clément Turpin pointed immediately to the spot—no, just outside. Free kick in a dangerous position, twenty-two yards out, slightly left of centre. Walker received a yellow card, his second challenge of the match, protesting weakly before accepting his fate.
"Free kick to Leverkusen in a very dangerous position!" Tyldesley exclaimed. "This could be their chance to snatch victory in the dying minutes!"
The fourth official’s board went up, signalling one minute of added time. None of the players had time to care, though, as Rakim stood over the ball, joined by Demirbay and Aránguiz. City organised their wall, putting five men in there, arms linked, protecting the near post. Ederson positioned himself carefully, barking instructions to his defenders.
"Who takes it?" Drury wondered aloud. "Rex has the technique, Demirbay has experience from set pieces, Aránguiz—"
In the end, Rakim and Aránguiz won the debate, and Demirbay left them, joining the throng of players in the box. "This is it," Tyldesley said quietly, his voice taut with anticipation. "One kick to win it. One moment to change the tie completely."
Rakim stepped back first, taking three paces. Aránguiz moved to the right of the ball, creating another option. The referee checked that both teams were ready, then blew his whistle. Aránguiz began his run-up, but at the last second, he stepped over the ball entirely.
The wall flinched, bodies tensing, expecting the strike. Instead, it was Rakim who arrived a heartbeat later, his right foot already drawn back.
The strike was venomously driven with pace rather than curve, aimed directly at the gap between Rodri and Fernandinho. The ball flew like a missile, dipping slightly as it approached the wall. Rodri jumped, trying to block it, but the trajectory was too good. The ball skimmed over his shoulder, dropping rapidly toward the top right corner.
Ederson saw it late, his view blocked by the wall. He launched himself desperately, fully extended, fingertips trying to reach it. The ball grazed the underside of the crossbar and bounced down. For a split second, time froze, no one knowing whether it crossed the line.
Tapsoba reacted first, sliding in to make sure, but Ederson had already recovered with superhuman reflexes, palming it away before it could settle. The rebound fell to Walker, and he put a big boot behind its bounce, sending it out at the side for a throw.
The Leverkusen side immediately called for a VAR check after the ball flew out, insisting the ball had crossed the line...
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To be continued...
