Football singularity-Chapter 699 2nd Leg (2)
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[16/02/2021 | Puskás Aréna, Budapest | 21:00 CET]
[UEFA Champions League Round of 16 - 2nd Leg | Manchester City (1) 0 vs 0 (1)Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
The familiar floodlights of the Puskás Aréna blazed against the Budapest night sky, as 22 men took their positions on the field below. The emptiness of 67,000 seats had become a common sight, and the players had more to worry about than not being able to receive the attention of a live audience. This was knockout football, and after ninety minutes, one team would advance to the quarterfinals while the other’s European dreams would end.
Clive Tyldesley’s voice carried over the broadcast as cameras panned down, showing the referee completing his final checks. "Good evening, and welcome back to Budapest for the second leg of this captivating Champions League tie. Manchester City and Bayer Leverkusen are locked at one-all after the first encounter three weeks ago. Tonight, we find out who progresses to the last eight."
Peter Drury’s magnetic voice followed seamlessly. "Ninety minutes—or more—to decide whether Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, English champions, perpetual contenders, seeking the trophy that has eluded them for so long. Or Bayer Leverkusen, the Bundesliga’s surprise leaders, who won their first trophy in decades last year, looking to reach the grandest stage."
---
Formation - Manchester City (4-3-3):
GK: Ederson
RB: Kyle Walker
CB: Rúben Dias
CB: John Stones
LB: João Cancelo
CM: Kevin De Bruyne
CDM: Rodri
CM: İlkay Gündoğan
RW: Riyad Mahrez
ST: Gabriel Jesus
LW: Raheem Sterling
Substitutes: Zack Steffen, Benjamin Mendy, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Ferran Torres
Manager: Pep Guardiola
---
Formation - Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1):
GK: Lukas Hradecky
RB: Jeremie Frimpong
CB: Edmond Tapsoba
CB: Jonathan Tah (c)
LB: Wendell
CDM: Charles Aránguiz
CDM: Julian Baumgartlinger
RW: Moussa Diaby
CAM: Florian Wirtz
LW: Rakim Rex
ST: Patrick Schick
Substitutes: Niklas Lomb, Sven Bender, Aleksandar Dragović, Kerem Demirbay, Nadiem Amiri, Leon Bailey, Demarai Gray, Lucas Alario
Manager: Peter Bosz
---
"Guardiola has made changes from the first leg," Tyldesley observed as the graphic lingered. "Stones partners Dias at centre-back, De Bruyne starts from the beginning, and Mahrez replaces Foden on the right wing. It’s City’s strongest available eleven."
"And Leverkusen," Drury added, "have responded in kind. Hradecky returns in goal, Tapsoba and Baumgartlinger back in the starting lineup. Bosz shows no intention of sitting back and defending—he’s brought his best attackers. This will be open, Peter. This will be spectacular."
Rakim stood on the left wing, bouncing lightly on his toes, eyes scanning City’s defensive shape. Walker would be his primary opponent again, and while he had gotten an idea of how to deal with the veteran Englishman, it was the players around him who could prove to be a problem.
(FWEEET!)
~~~
[1’]
Jesus rolled the ball back to Gündoğan, who immediately played it square to Rodri. City’s possession game began instantly, their passing crisp as they moved the ball amid their ranks. Rodri found De Bruyne, who took one touch before switching play to Mahrez on the right.
"City settling into their rhythm," Tyldesley noted. "They’ll want to control this match from the outset."
Mahrez’s first touch was silk, bringing the ball under his control despite Wendell’s pressure. He played it inside to Gündoğan, who had drifted into space between Leverkusen’s lines. The German midfielder turned sharply, evading Aránguiz’s challenge, and threaded a diagonal pass toward Sterling’s run.
But Tapsoba read it perfectly, stepping across to intercept with impeccable timing. His clearance found Wirtz in space, around halftime, the German teenager immediately looking forward.
[4’]
Wirtz drove ten yards, drawing nearby City midfield toward him, then slipped a pass through to Rakim on the left. The winger took it in stride, immediately accelerating at Walker with no hesitation. The fullback sidestepped, trying to stand him up but ready to follow him if he used his pace to escape.
But the winger gave no indication of doing so, performing a sharp stepover, then a cutback created separation. Walker recovered quickly, but Rakim had already whipped in a low cross toward the penalty spot. Schick attacked it, his run taking him between Dias and Stones.
The ball dropped in front of him a couple of steps in front of the 6-yard line, and he struck it first-time. The ball was hit cleanly, rising toward the top corner—Ederson reacted brilliantly, diving to his right, palming it over the bar. "What a save from Ederson!" Drury exclaimed. "Leverkusen got their first real chance!"
The corner came to nothing, Dias rising highest to head clear. But the message was sent—Leverkusen weren’t here to sit back.
[11’]
City responded with sustained pressure, their passing becoming more intricate. De Bruyne orchestrated from deep, his vision picking out runs as they developed. In the 13th minute, he received from Rodri from thirty yards out, turned away from Baumgartlinger’s press, and launched a diagonal ball over Leverkusen’s defensive line.
The ball dinked over the turning Jermie Frimpong into the run of Sterling, who stretched out his foot to bring the ball under his control. Frimpong gave chase desperately, but Sterling had the angle as he charged into the box. He sheped and fired a shot, leaving the ball over the slide tackle from Tapsoba.
The ball sliced through the air, curving around the diving Hardecky, nestling into the bottom right corner of the goal. "GOAL Manchester!" Drudy exclaimed as Sterling took off to the sideline.
(FWEET FWEEEET)
Before the celebration could unfold, the referee’s piercing whistle resounded, halting it as he pointed to the linesman. "Oh, look at that, the linesman is calling it back for offside, that has to sting," Tyldesley commented as Pep could be seen storming to the fourth official.
The replays appeared on the big screen, showing Sterling’s run from multiple angles. The VAR lines were drawn—half his was just ahead of Tapsoba’s boot by a clear margin. The technology wasn’t even needed to determine that, and the decision stood ’No Goal’.
Sterling stood with hands on his hips, frustration evident, while Guardiola continued his animated discussion with the fourth official. The Catalans’ gestures were emphatic, but the decision was going to be changed.
"Unlucky on the call, one that might come back to hurt them." Drury observed, "But offside is offside. Manchester City denied, left to wonder how different this tie might have been had that stood."
"And that’s the beauty of VAR," Tyldesley added. "We know for sure who is in the right. Denying a goal will always sting, but the rules are the rules."
Hradecky took his time with the free-kick, allowing his defenders to reorganise, wasting precious seconds. When he finally launched it long, Leverkusen’s shape had reset completely.
[18’]
The match settled into a tense pattern—City probing with possession, Leverkusen defending compactly and looking to counter. The away goal from the first leg meant City held the advantage; so it was the Germans who needed to score, and they knew it.
In the 20th minute, De Bruyne received the ball thirty-five yards from goal, turning away from Aránguiz with a clever drag-back. His vision picked out Mahrez on the right, the Algerian having drifted into space behind Wendell’s defensive line. The pass was threaded through perfectly, and Mahrez controlled it with his first touch, cutting inside onto his left foot.
(FWEEET)
He didn’t get far, though, as the referee’s whistle blew once again, gesturing to the linesman’s raised flag signalling offside. "Another offside call and this one more clear than the last," Drury noted as the referee didn’t even bother checking for the VAR and called for the Germans to take the set piece. Pep on the sidelines, seeing this, could only frown as his team reset to resume the match.
.
.
.
.
To Be Continued...
