Football singularity

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[Home Deluxe Arena, Paderborn | 19/01/2020 | Game week 18 | Minute: 58]

The first chance after the restart was almost scripted as the ball fell naturally to the new man. Demirbay, now anchoring alone, chested the throw-in down as he muscled his marker away, causing him to stumble. He didn't bother to check on him, though, as he clipped a clever chip out toward the right touchline.

Rakim Rex cushioned it on the outside of his boot, glided inside Jans and took a second to scan the field in front of him. "Oh, he might fancy a pop from out there and he strikes..." Derek Rae exclaimed as Rakim fired a shot from 25 metres out. The ball flew violently, moving erratically in the air as it dipped nastily, forcing Zingerle to shuffle and tip over with both palms.

"What a save from Zingerle, he nearly had a moment to react to that shot," Stewart Robson noted. "What a way for the young lad to introduce himself to this crowd."

The corner that followed was only half-cleared, and moments later Amiri drove a low skimmer from distance that scraped the advertising boards. Leverkusen's intent was clear: raise the tempo, force errors, shoot on sight.

Paderborn tried to play the goal kick short, but Jans Berley had the chance to take control of the ball before Rakim closed him down. The winger used his fresh legs to pressure the left-back, forcing him to hastily play the ball back to Zingerle. "Oh, that's a hospital ball," Derek exclaimed as both the keeper and Volland charged towards the ball that seemed to rapidly lose speed.

Zingerle lunged forward and put his foot through the ball, smashing it clear a heartbeat before Volland could slide in. The home team breathed a sigh of relief as the watched the ball fly up the field, but the mocking words of the commentators quickly pissed them off. "Derek, is that what they call a deer-in-the-headlights moment?" Stewart Robson asked his co-commentator with clear amusement laced in his tone.

"No, my friend, the only way to describe that is sloppy, no buts about it. A bit of composure is a basic requirement; being so easily rattled to make a mistake that almost caused his team a goal is worrying." Derek Rae commented as the game unfolded below continued to unfold.

Amiri and Rakim injected new energy into the Leverkusen squad as they searched for a goal. Rakim and Diaby quickly started attacking both flanks using their pace and skills to cause nearby defenders to panic. It quickly became apparent that the Paderborn defence was struggling to legally contain them.

Quite a few times, both wingers found themselves at the end of a foul, but it was in the 63rd minute when the referee reached into his pocket. "Gjasula will be thanking his lucky stars for only receiving a yellow after that tackle," Derek stated with exasperation as Diaby received medical attention a couple of yards out of the box.

"I don't know what he was thinking coming in from the back like that, it was always going to result in a booking," Stewart Robson commented as they continued to analyse how the Red Lions could utilise this setpiece.

[64]

With Diaby gingerly back on his feet, the referee paced out the ten yards between the wall and the ball, placing a hand on his whistle. Kai and Rakim stood over the set piece this time, murmuring to each other. The home fans whistled, stomped, and waved scarves to throw off the taker, but the Leverkusen bench rose as one in anticipation.

Kai feinted a run, letting Rakim take it instead, who didn't hesitate to whip in an out-swinging delivery towards the back post. The ball curled nastily just over Schonlau's leap and clipped the crown of Volland's head. It ricocheted inches wide of the far post. "OH, that could've gone anywhere!" Derek Rae bellowed, his voice nearly drowned by the reactions of the crowd.

[67]

The crowd's nervous chatter hadn't yet died down when Zingerle restarted play quickly, hoping to bypass Leverkusen's increasingly intense press. But Paderborn were beginning to show cracks—not just physically, but mentally. Gjasula, already on a yellow, hesitated under pressure from Amiri and played a limp sideways pass toward Vasiliadis.

Demirbay pounced, intercepting the pass and immediately feeding Diaby, who had drifted inside. The Frenchman skipped past Dräger, took a touch too heavy, only for the ball to ricochet kindly off Kilian's boot and fall at the feet of Rakim. The crowd held its breath as he deftly took control of it, looking poised to take a shot.

The expected shot never came, though, as instead, he dipped a shoulder, freezing Jans mid-lunge. Before the fullback could regroup, he looped a curving pass around him, aiming for the far post. Havertz, who had peeled off his marker, charged forward, sliding feet first to reach the ball first.

Zingerle tried to shuffle across his line and dived towards the ball, but it was too late, as Kai's foot hit the ball. A second later, the only sound resounding in the area was that of the jumping away fans who let their joy be heard. "2–1! And it's game on at the Home Deluxe Arena!" Derek exclaimed as the Leverkusen players stormed after Havertz in celebration.

"That's a sensationally composed assist by Rakim Rex. He had the shot on, but he made the right decision. His awareness and timing to spot Havertz's run and deliver that perfectly measured ball—it's just superb." Stewart shouted over the rising roar from the away end. The Paderborn ultras fell silent for the first time all night. A few looked stunned, while others shook their heads in frustration. On the sidelines, Peter Bosz could be seen pumping both fists in joy before going on to bark instructions.

[Paderborn 2:1 Leverkusen]

[70]

The stadium atmosphere had shifted dramatically with the shift in momentum. Where once the home faithful had been a wall of noise, now pockets of frustrated murmurs rippled through the stands. Baumgart prowled his technical area like a caged animal, gesturing wildly at his players to push higher up the pitch.

"Paderborn needs to respond quickly here," Derek Rae observed as the home side passed the ball within their backcourt under pressure from the Red Lions. Steffen Baumgart paced frantically along his technical area, his animated gestures betraying his frustration as he watched his team's composure crumble under Leverkusen's relentless pressure.

No longer able to hesitate, he motioned for two of his players who had been warming up to approach. "Stephan, I want you to go in there and contain that Kid, let him have the wing but the moment he cuts in give him a warm welcome," he instructed as he watched the Filipino national nod his head in understanding as his gaze remained focused on the pitch.

"Kapič, I need you to break up that midfield play and remain seated on that 11 Amiri when defending, don't let him organise attacks from the back." He instructed, locking eyes with Bosnian to see if his instructions were received. Upon seeing the nod and slightly goofy smile of a player who was simply excited to play he held back a sigh. "Gentlemen were so close to the finish line now we just bring it over the finish line."

[73]

He managed to make his substitution after a wild pop from Rakim who had abruptly cut inwards at the edge of the box. His move had left everyone lacking allowing him to gain a bit of space to take the shot. With the keeper closer to the near post his short which arced to the top left corner seemed destined for goal.

He failed to wrap his boot around the ball enough, not generating enough spin, missing the inside of the goal by mere inches. The away section gasped in unison, a handful of fans already on their feet, thinking it was in. Rakim stood frozen for a beat, hands on hips, lips pursed in frustration, as he shook his head in frustration. Zingerle, who had barely moved, reached for his water bottle and towel, wiping another bout of sweat.

"Rex again, he's brought his game boots today and is making it his personal mission to give that Paderborn defence a hard time," Stewart Robson observed. "Every time he touches the ball, something happens."

Baumgart finally made his double substitution: Gerrit Stephan Holtmann replaced Laurent Jans taking over the left-back position. Kapič replaced the Albanian Klaus Gjasula in midfield who had been struggling to find footing since the beginning of the second half.

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To Be Continued...