Football singularity-Chapter 708 Rot-Weiss Essen (DFB:2/3)
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[2021-03-03 | Stadion Essen, Essen | DFB-Pokal Quarter-Final]
[Rot-Weiss Essen 1-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
[30’]
The shock goal electrified the Essen side, completely reviving their sluggish momentum. Naturally the Leverkusen tried to respond immediately following the restart. But the third division side remained steadfast as they warded off the waves of attacks from the visitors.
Palacios collected the ball in midfield, driving forward with purpose. He played a quick pass to Wirtz, who had dropped deep again, searching for space. The teenager turned sharply, evading his marker, then played a diagonal ball out to Gray on the left.
Bellarabi tried to cut in from the right flank, but his long-range attempts were blocked by the nearby left back. The rebound fell to Wirtz, but before he could even think of looking at a goal, a defender was on him. Reacting quickly, he turned away, nimbly flicking the ball to the nearby Palacio, who flicked it onto Alario, making a run into the box.
"Lucas Alario!" the commentator exclaimed as the striker wrapped his foot around the ball, smacking it goalward. "So close to the equaliser! Leverkusen need to be more clinical if they want to avoid an upset."
The ball had narrowly missed the near post, smashing against the outside netting. Frustrated at missing the Leverkusen side, continued to up the tempo, suffocating their opponents with possession. They continued to launch attacks that failed as luck seemed to favour their opponents.
It wasn’t until the 43rd minute that they were given a free kick just outside the box after Demarai Gray was clipped, falling to the ground. Wirtz stepped up to take it, taking deep breaths as the referee made his final checks. (FWEEET) He took a measured run-up at a curve, looking beyond the four-man wall.
Wirtz’s left foot connected sweetly with the ball, sending it curling over the wall with vicious dip. The Essen goalkeeper tracked it, launching himself to his right, fingers fully extended. He got a hand to it, but the power was too much—the ball deflected off his palm and crashed against the inside of the post.
The rebound fell into the six-yard box as a wave of players rushed at it. The Keeper tried to crawl forward to try and secure it, but before anyone could react, Lucas Alario nudged it into the back of the net. The striker pumped his fist, running toward the corner flag as his teammates mobbed him.
"TOOOOR!" the commentator roared. "LUCAS ALARIO! Leverkusen equalize on the stroke of halftime! What a crucial goal!"
[Rot-Weiss Essen 1-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Lucas Alario 43’]
[45+1’]
Essen tried to respond immediately, launching the ball long toward Engelmann, but Leverkusen remained composed. Dragović rose above the striker, flicking it on toward Palacios, who deftly turned away from his marker, spraying the ball wide. Bellarabi received the ball and immediately charged forward pressing the counter dribbling all the way to the byline, lofting a cross into the box.
Alario won the ball, flicking it goalward, but the effort wasn’t enough to beat the keeper, who deftly flicked it beyond the goal. The referee didn’t even wait for the corner to be taken as he blew his whistle, ending the first half.
*(FWEEET! FWEEET!)*
[HT: Rot-Weiss Essen 1-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
~~~
[50’]
Bosz made a change early, bringing on Leon Bailey and Tin Jedvaj for Gray and Dragović, who had picked up a knock. The change didn’t have an adverse effect as the league leaders continued to dominate possession, sending throwing balls down the wing. Bellarabi received an outlet pass on the flank and immediately flicked the ball past his marker.
He drove towards the byline with his marker, scrambling to recover. The veteran winger looked up, spotting movement in the box, and whipped in a low cross toward the penalty spot. Alario made his run, but the Essen centre-back read it perfectly, stepping across to clear with a powerful header.
The ball flew out to the edge of the box, where Wirtz was lurking. The teenager controlled it instantly with his chest, letting it drop to his feet. Before the approaching midfielder could close him down, Wirtz struck it cleanly with his right foot.
The shot flew toward the top corner, dipping viciously. The Essen goalkeeper launched himself across his goal, fingertips fully extended. He barely got a hand to it, but did just enough to push it wide for a corner. "WHAT A SAVE!" the commentator roared. "Florian Wirtz nearly puts Leverkusen ahead! The Essen keeper is keeping his side in this tie!"
*(FWEEEEEEE)*
The referee blew the whistle and motioned for the Leverkusen players to take their corner. Daley Sinkgraven, Leverkusen’s wing-back, immediately made a short run toward the cornerflag whipping in a quick cross. His accuracy was spot on, and he found Tah as the Leverkusen centre back rose above his marker.
He powered down a header goalward, forcing the keeper to lunge across the goal. He managed to graze it, but it wasn’t enough to stop it as it bounced off the line rolling into the back of the net. "GOAL! Jonathan Tah scores as Leverkusen takes the lead."
[Rot-Weiss Essen 1-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Jonathan Tah 50’]
[57’]
As if a switch had been flipped, Leverkusen continued to attack relentlessly after taking the lead. In the middle, Wirtz seemed to come alive, connecting passes with Baumgartlinger and Palacios and dictating attacks more forcefully. In the 57th, following an outlet pass, Bailey floated a cross for Alario to attack, but the shot went wide.
Three minutes later in the 60th, the young playmaker danced through the compact Essen midfielder, slipping a through ball for Bailey. The Jamaican winger speared into the box, collecting the ball under pressure, drawing Heber Essens, the centre-back, towards him. The nimble winger snapped his right foot back, sending the ball into the path of Wirtz, who had continued his run.
"Florian Wirtz!" The commentator exclaimed as the midfielder sent a carpet shot to the past. The keeper dove across the goal, but he couldn’t even touch its shadow as it sneaked inside the post, nestling into the back of the net.
[Rot-Weiss Essen 1-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Jonathan Tah 57’]
[64’]
Essen managed to work out a counter in the 64th minute when midfielder Marco Kehl-Gómez intercepted a wayward pass from Palacios. He immediately drove forward, spotting space opening up as Leverkusen’s defensive line had pushed high.
He played a quick ball down the right channel to Isaiah Young, who had peeled away from Sinkgraven’s coverage. The American winger collected it with a deft touch, accelerating toward the byline. Sinkgraven tracked back desperately, but Young had already cut inside onto his left foot.
Tah, who had been covering the space, was forced to come to a sudden stop, stretching his foot out to stop the through ball. He couldn’t reach it, though, as Simon Engelmann got to the end of it, stepping in front of Jedvaj. The striker fired the ball goalward, directed toward the bottom corner—but Hradecky reacted brilliantly, diving low to his left and pushing it away with a strong hand.
"LUKAS HRADECKY!" the commentator bellowed. "What a save! Essen is so close to getting back into this tie!"
The rebound fell to Oguzhan Kefkir at the edge of the box. The midfielder struck it first-time, but his technique was all wrong—the ball ballooned high over the crossbar into the empty stands.
"Chance wasted!" the commentator lamented. "That could have been two-three, but Essen can’t capitalise!"
[72’]
In the 72nd minute, Wirtz collected the ball in the centre circle, turning away from his marker with a smooth pirouette. He drove forward, drawing two Essen midfielders toward him before slipping a pass wide to Bailey on the right. The Jamaican winger took one touch to control it, then exploded down the flank with frightening pace.
Essen’s left wing-back tried to keep up, but Bailey had already shifted the ball onto his right foot and whipped in a low cross. Alario attacked it at the near post, but the Essen centre-back got there first, clearing with a desperate sliding tackle. The ball flew out to Baumgartlinger at the edge of the box.
The Austrian controlled it instantly, then played a quick pass to Wirtz lurking in the pocket. The teenage prodigy took one touch to set himself, drawing the defender toward him, then backheeled it into Palacios’ path. The Argentine footballer had peeled away from his marker reciving the ball with the shooting lane wide open.
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To Be Continued...
