Football singularity

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[05 / 02 / 2020, Location: BayArena, Leverkusen – Clear, –1 °C | DFB-Pokal, Round of 16 | Bayer Leverkusen vs VfB Stuttgart]

Despite the first match of February ending in a less-than-ideal draw, the BayArena was sold out for the cup game. The night crackled with excitement from warm-ups to the first whistle as the fans cheered on their players. Peter Bosz rotated only lightly for the Cup game while Pellegrino Matarazzo's second-tier Stuttgart arrived fearless, buoyed by more than six thousand travelling Swabians packed into the North stand.

[12]

Leverkusen were on a mission to put the game away quickly, and they announced their intentions early. Bailey, starting on the right, torched Borna Sosa with a blur of step-overs, earning himself a half-yard and hung an arcing cross toward the penalty spot. Lucas Alario timed his run to perfection as he rose into the air, beating Kempf and Badstuber, and he kept climbing, his hips almost level with Sosa's ear, to smash a header low inside the far post.

"They needed a spearhead to anchor their offence, and he did just that, perfect execution from Lucas Alaric." Derek Rae roared above the din. "The decision to start him is already paying dividends."

[Leverkusen 1 – 0 Stuttgart]

[22]

In the 22nd minute, Stuttgart's first serious foray occurred, producing quite a bit of controversy. Silas Wamangituka spun away from Jonathan Tah near the touchline, and the big defender tugged the shirt just long enough for the winger to hit the turf theatrically. Referee Daniel Schlage produced a yellow card amid Stuttgart's pleas for a red, which quickly received a flood of boos from the home fans.

Robson audibly winced. "Tah's lucky VAR can't upgrade yellows in the Pokal—anywhere else he might be walking." The resulting free kick, whipped in by Didavi, was palmed away authoritatively by Hrádecký, but the gloves were off for both sides.

[31]

Stuttgart struck true in the 31st minute after Wamangituka once again slipped behind the defence. He didn't bother taking a touch to control the ball and fired off a shot first time. The power in the strike was undeniable—an outside-of-the-foot rocket that kissed the inside of the post before bulging the net.

"A moment of silence for Leverkusen's high line," Rae muttered, as the away end exploded. "Silas ruthlessly punishes them, Bosz will have some questions for his back line."

Robson chimed in: "That run came from the blindside again. Same channel. Stuttgart's wide forwards are having a field day isolating the centre-backs."

[Leverkusen 1 – 1 Stuttgart]

[38]

Rather than panic, Leverkusen responded with poise. Demirbay, orchestrating from deep, began taking extra touches to shift Stuttgart's block laterally. He nearly unlocked them in the 38th with a disguised chipped ball into the left channel. Hugging the line, Rakim caught it on his instep and sliced inside Stenzel with an ankle-breaking shoulder feint that saw him explode past his marker.

He tried curling one toward the far post, but Kobel stretched at full extension to claw it away. The BayArena crowd groaned in disappointment but was quick to shout in encouragement. Even though the score was levelled, they could practically sense a goal coming their way.

[43]

It didn't take long for their wishes to come true after a Stuttgart corner was cleared by Lars Bender, launching a quick counter. Every Leverkusen player seemed to explode forward like well-oiled machines, and within three passes, Leverkusen had engineered a goal-scoring opportunity. Wirtz, linked cleverly with Bailey before sending a reverse pass into the run of Rakim, who exploded past the last defender.

One-on-one with Kobel, he remained composed, not panicking in the slightest as he faked a shot. A quick shoulder drop sent the keeper sprawling right, and Rakim dragged the ball left, sneaking past him. Nudging the ball deftly with his left foot, he dodged a sliding defender before comfortably slotting the ball into the empty net.

"At this point, it would be more surprising to see him miss," Rae breathed, almost in disbelief. "He makes that look like a routine finish. It's anything but, keep in mind those are professional players down there."

"Calm as you like," Robson said. "He's 16, but his decision-making under pressure is one of the coldest in the industry."

[Rakim Rex – 44', Leverkusen 2 – 1 Stuttgart]

[58]

The second half began with Stuttgart trying to pull Leverkusen into a scrap after realising the technical disparity between the two sides. Endo and Mangala closed spaces quickly and tried to rattle Wirtz and Demirbay in midfield. But Leverkusen held strong, and with Adrian stanielwicz acting as an enforcer, things quickly became a pound-for-pound game.

The defensive midfielder understood his assignment, flying into tackles with zero regard for niceties. His defensive instincts in the game were on point; the fact that he had only picked up warnings till now was the best proof. With him anchoring the defence, it gave Wirtz and Demirbay room to manoeuvre in relative peace.

In the 58th, Bailey switched wings with Rakim and received the ball wide left, ghosting past Förster before drawing a foul right on the edge of the box. The defender had misplanted his foot, inadvertently stepping on Leon's foot just as he tried to explode forward.

[59]

Demirbay was the one to orchestrate the set piece, as moments later he stood over the ball eyeing the far corner past the four-man wall. But instead of striking, he disguised a short pass to Wirtz at the top of the D. The Stuttgart defenders in the box immediately scrambled to close him down as the ball rolled its way.

It was too late, though, as the young wunderkind fired a first-time dart towards goal. The ball took flight, narrowly missing the head of one of the onrushing defenders as it homed in on its destination. There was nothing the keeper between the sticks could do as the ball pierced the left side of his net.

The BayArena immediately exploded for its Darling. "GOLAZO! Wirtz with a thunderbolt!" Derek Rae howled over the eruption of cheers. "He asked for it at the top of the D—and delivered like a seasoned sniper."

Robson added, "Sometimes I wonder what kind of luck Leverkusen stumbled into to get two of the hottest wunderkinders in one team. And what a team it is, they look like they could go all the way, barring any misfortunes."

Stuttgart players stood momentarily frozen, but Wirtz didn't care as he sprinted toward the corner flag, arms wide, his face beaming with Joy as teammates mobbed him.

[Florian Wirtz - 59', Leverkusen 3 – 1 Stuttgart]

[64]

Knowing the tie was slipping away, Matarazzo shuffled his deck again, sending on Kalajdzic and Klement to replace the tired legs of Badstuber and Mangala. Stuttgart, with nothing more to lose, switched to an ultra-attacking shape, pushing Sosa higher up the pitch and leaving just three at the back.

Bosz countered immediately, withdrawing Demirbay from the match, who exited to a standing ovation as Charles Aránguiz entered the stage. The introduction of the Chilean brought calmness and structure to the midfield as he supported Adrian stanielwicz. The tempo quickly slowed, as they retained possession despite the visitors' hectic pressing.

The ball circulation sharpened, and they began to toy with the rhythm of the game. From moving the ball around slowly to suddenly increasing the tempo once their opponents got too daring, keeping Stuttgart at bay.

[68]

Rakim, now stationed back on the left flank, found himself in space after Aránguiz pinged a clever diagonal to his feet. With the crowd urging him on, he dipped a shoulder and surged past Stenzel with ease. Bursting into the box, he feigned a cutback but instead rolled the ball through the defender's open legs.

Sneaking past him, he squared the ball across the penalty spot, trying to locate a red jersey. Alario was millimetres away from getting a toe on it at the front post, but the ball zipped just beyond his reach. Bailey, crashing in at the far post, arrived a second late, and the ball trickled across the box untouched. The collective "OHHH!" from the crowd echoed in the rafters.

"That deserved a finish, you don't get a better assist than this," Rae lamented.

"Knowing him, he would have preferred to take the shot himself, but the angle was too tight. Though I bet hell think twice before deciding to pass the ball next time," Robson added.

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To Be Continued...