Football singularity

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[Glebe Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, Emma's Crib| 26/01/2020 | Time: 16:50]

The bass from the garden speakers pulsed through the floorboards like a second heartbeat. The unmistakable smell of grilled halloumi and spiced chicken wafted in through the open patio doors, mingling with laughter, spilt cider, and the clean citrus of Emma's favourite diffuser trying desperately to keep up. The living room was lit by the golden wash of the setting sun spilling through the large sash windows and the flickering colours from a disco light one of the twins insisted on setting up.

Students similar in age could be seen mingling around the house, catching up with friends after their winter break. They needed an excuse to decompress, reconnect, and show off new fits after a month away. Students from different friend groups that spanned over to nearby colleges spilt across the sleek couches and hardwood floors, red cups in hand, while others danced or debated about whose sports car was the best.

A shorter Asian man around the age of 20, dressed in a Cambridge cardigan, could be seen comparing his Richard Millie RM88 with another boy. "Oh, this little thing (KA-CHOW), this light, my old man got me this acing last semester's exams. Something about how the value of my brain should be reflected on my wrist,"

"Boy, you know that my boy Jho low got that bread, don't even test my boy," his friend exclaimed, dressed in an outfit that screamed money from head to toe. "Show them the picture of you and Leo at the Grammys."

Before the debate could escalate into a full-blown "my billionaire dad could beat up your billionaire dad" contest, a familiar voice cut through the hum of party chatter.

"Yo, Emma!" Emma turned from the drink station where she was refilling a bottle of sparkling elderflower to see two familiar faces pushing through the crowd—Miles and Zak, second-year Econ and computer students from King's College, both known for their obsession with football, overpriced sneakers, and their endless supply of parties.

"Tell me you've got ESPN set up," Zak pleaded, his eyebrows raised with urgency. "Leverkusen kicks off in ten minutes and I am *not* watching it on some dodgy stream with Polish commentary again."

Miles nodded, already pulling his phone out. "We brought the Chromecast. Just in case."

Emma blinked. "It should be on the stick? Wait, is it that time already?"

Emma's eyes widened as she glanced at the wall clock above the bookshelf—16:50. "Oh crap. It is that time," she muttered, handing off the elderflower to a girl waiting behind her and heading straight for the flat screen mounted on the wall. "Jenna! Take the music outside! We've got a match to stream!"

Across the room, Jenna caught mid-laugh with a guy from Med School, gave a salute and ducked behind the kitchen bar where a control panel hung. She selected the speakers outside, pairing them with the laptop that was playing the Spotify playlist as she let the TV connect with the speakers in the living room area. A collective groan of protest rose from the people, but cheers quickly followed as they heard the music resume outside.

Emma navigated around the Amazon sticks portal page and immediately found the ESPN sports app, locating the Bundesliga live section in moments. Selecting the Leverkusen VS Dusseldorf match, it quickly came to life, showcasing both teams' players in the midst of singing the national anthem.

A hush—even if only a relative one—settled over the living-room crowd as ESPN's Bundesliga feed snapped into focus. On-screen, the BayArena choreography shimmered red and black; in Emma's lounge, bodies jostled for floor cushions, sofa arms, beanbags, anything with a line of sight. The garden playlist thumped faintly through brick and glass, but inside it was Derek Rae's brogue that held court.

"A damp January evening on the banks of the Rhine, and Bayer Leverkusen know how important these three points are after narrowly securing a draw against relegation side Paderborn in their last match.

May lowered herself onto a beanbag, TitanFit hoodie inches from a bowl of tortilla chips. When the camera panned the Leverkusen XI, she caught her breath: Rakim stood in line, gaze focused, but it was his hair that caught her attention. Half his waves bleached blond, little black stars making up a bigger one carved into his left fade. On the opposite side, where his hair remained black, three blond claw stripes were marked out.

"Dang, your brother looks like he jumped right out of the Alex Hunter game." Zak laughed, as the boys present started to reminisce about the days when game companies made an effort to create story modes each year.

"All right—everyone sit down, they are about to kick off," Emma ordered, remote in hand as the players took their positions.

~~~

[18:00 German Time | Bay Arena, Leverkusen | Bayer Leverkusen vs Dusseldorf]

(Fweeeeet)

"We're underway here at the Bayern, Ladies and Gentlemen, hold on to your bratwurst as this derby clash promises to be an action-packed encounter." Derek Rae said into the mic just as Hennings Dusseldorf's striker knocked the ball back to his midfielders.

Taylor Twellman, his ESPN counterpart part did his part in keeping the conversation going. "Given the proximity of both clubs, it's no wonder that this rivalry emerged on both corporate and fan levels."

[1']

On-screen, Düsseldorf's kick-off immediately turned into a spell of high pressing, much to the delight of the away fans. Sobottka harasses Demirbay near the centre circle, not allowing the midfielder to get into their rhythm. For the opening minutes, they very much dominated the match and were able to work their first real chance in the 7th minute.

[7]

Morales spotted Thommy on the left flank making a diagonal run towards the box and didn't hesitate. Spinning onto Havertz's weaker foot, he unleashed a defence-splitting through ball through the home team. The away fans jumped to their feet in anticipation as Thommy managed to beat the offside trap, catching the ball just as he stepped into the box.

He took a touch to adjust his speed and size up a shooting angle as Hrádecký came rushing out. "Hrádecký to the rescue," Rae loudly exclaimed as the keeper somehow managed to get an elbow to the ball, deflecting it over the bar.

"He did everything right from his run to his hit to the far corner, but Lucas Hrádecký rose to the challenge." Taylor explained as a replay of the actions that led up to the goal was shown on the screen. "Hrádecký does not look happy, but can you blame him? That was far too easy for Dusseldorf to make it into his box."

[12]

Leverkusen finally punched back in the twelfth minute after settling into the game's rhythm. It began with Hrádecký rolling the ball short to Sven Bender, and three slick passes later, the ball was at Havertz's feet just inside the Düsseldorf half. He angled a diagonal thirty-yard switch over Fink's head that dropped perfectly for Diaby on the right touchline.

Diaby cushioned in with his instep before immediately accelerating down the flank past Suttner. He managed to whip in a wicked cross past the outstretched leg of the opposing left-back. The ball flew along the six-yard box at its apex before curling back outward. Volland and Ayhan lunged forward feet first, but neither of them managed to get a glimpse of the ball's shadow.

It looked like it would harmlessly fly out of the box, but then a figure dressed in crimson red ghosted into the area between Hoffmann and his team's right-back Zimmermann. Aligned with the penalty spot, Rakim pivoted on his right foot, balancing on his tippy toes as he let the ball pass by the front of his body.

(Bang) In the next moment, his left foot whipped around, catching the ball in the centre, and catapulted it goalward. Time seemed to warp as the ball rocketed off Rakim's left boot, travelling like a tracer round. Kastenmeier, in between the sticks, reacted quickly, hands fully outstretched, trying to reach the swerving ball.

The shot was too violent, though and had too much velocity as it curved past his fingertips. (Bang) A second later, the ball reverberated on the underside of the crossbar, before smashing into the back of the net, detonating the BayArena. Kastenmeier crashed to the ground as bear pitchers were thrown into the air, as the home team's jubilation resounded.

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To Be Continued...