Football singularity

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Bailey sniffed it first, taking it on the half-turn and burning up the right touchline. Friedl followed him step for step, his arm outstretched, doing everything to stop the Jamaican from turning on the afterburners.

But Bailey had learned from his previous encounter with the Austrian defender. This time, he didn't try to outmuscle Friedl - instead, he showed him the inside, enticing the defender to commit before flicking the ball around the outside with his weaker right foot. The move was so unexpected that Friedl was left grasping at thin air as Bailey burst into the final third.

The cross that followed was sublime, curling in from the right with pace. It found that Havertz, who had little time to react as he fought off Moisander, somehow managed to twist his body enough to angle his boot to the oncoming ball. The German's boot connected with the ball, firmly thundering it towards goal.

Pavlenka rooted on his spot, he couldn't even react, but lady luck still favoured him as the sound of the ball skimming the side of the post resounded a second later. "Oh my days, that could have been it," Rae exclaimed as the German stood in front of the goal in disbelief, watching the still reverberating post. "He did everything right to get into that position, but simply couldn't execute."

[77]

In the 77th minute, veteran Bartels replaced Vogt on the Bremen, moving up to act as a second striker as their formation shifted to a 4-4-2. Rashica also made his exit as Osako replaced him on the left flank. On the Leverkusen side, Paulinho replaced Amiri at the centre of the field, and Havertz made way for the veteran Alario.

The game that had been rather balanced now quickly turned tumultuous following these changes, as both sides mounted efficient attacks. Bremen's tactical shift injected a new energy into their press as they played more direct football. Bartels acted as the target man, nodding down a high ball into the path of Selke.

In one such instance in the 79th minute, Eggestein lofted a ball forward to the edge of the Leverkusen 18-yard box. Bartels rose above the figure of Bender, twisting his head as he nodded the ball downwards into the path of Selke. The Bremen Striker latched onto the ball, killing its bounce with a deft first touch before unleashing a fierce half-volley toward goal.

The ball flew like a cannonball, but Hrádecký was equal to it — the Leverkusen keeper diving sharply to his left, palming the shot out for a corner with both hands as he grunted on impact. The resulting corner was taken quickly, with Osako stepping up to take it. The forward whipped in a delicate cross that flew towards the penalty spot.

Tapsoba, Bender, Veljkovic, and Bartels fought in the air using their bodies to collide with one another as they stretched their necks to reach the ball. None of them managed to reach it, tho no matter how high they stretched their necks. Around the back, past just as the ball began to dip, the figure of Gebre Selassie could be seen soaring into the air, his knees reaching the side of Sinkgraven's head.

(Boom) A loud thud reverberated as the defender's head smacked the ball downward, redirecting it goalward. Hardeckey had no more pixie dust left and could only helplessly watch as the ball pierced the back of the net as the Bremen defenders landed on top of the downed Sinkgraven.

Derek Rae's voice resounded over the speakers, matching the energy of all the Bremen fans at home who jumped for joy. "And Bremen have clawed one back! It's 1–1 now and what a header from Gebre Selassie!"

The replay flashed across the screen, showcasing how Gebre had last his marker, allowing him to make his run up. His leap caught Sinkgraven off guard, but the defender did not care as he smashed the ball down with such violence that it knocked off the wet droplets on the net, zipping past Hrádecký before he could even twitch. The Bremen bench erupted in joy as if they had just scored a Champions League winner instead of an equaliser.

"Well, Derek, when they give him that much space, they shouldn't expect anything else. Sinkgraven just happened to be the victim this time, but the mistake wasn't his." Robson Cooley analysed, pointing out that Pulinho failed to track his man.

[Bremen: 1 vs Leverkusen 1]

[82']

A sense of belief swelled from the Bremen bench as their players re-centred for kickoff, the equaliser breathing new life into a side that had looked out of ideas just ten minutes ago. Leverkusen didn't panic, but their rhythm gained more urgency, their spacing tighter. From the touchline, Peter Bosz barked a sharp string of German/Dutch orders, motioning for an aggressive press reset.

Hearing the man's shout from up close, Rakim promptly decided to switch flanks with Bailey just before the restart. The confused Jamaican figured it was the coach's instructions and simply nodded bumping shoulders lightly as they passed each other. He only realised it wasn't when the coach asked him why he was here, but by then it was too late and Alario had kicked off the match.

The ball rolled back to Baumgartlinger, who lightly flicked it forward, remaining composed despite the onrushing defenders. He picked out a red figure blitzing up the right flank and immediately sent a weighted through ball into his path. Almost like a wide receiver catching the ball from his QB, Rakim turned towards the ball, his back facing Friedl, who stepped up to mark him.

His left foot lashed towards the oncoming ball, flicking it backwards towards the back line. The ball took a hop, causing Friedl to turn to chase it as Rakim spun past him from the other side. The winger's first step proved faster as he exploded past Breman's leftback, catching the ball before it could roll out of bounds.

Turning to face Friedl, he performed a step over with his left foot, feinting backwards before his right foot nudged the ball through the defender's open legs. The crowd noise from the substitutes' bench and scattered staff spiked as Rakim burst through, the ball glued to his stride. Friedl spun desperately to recover, but his heels slipped on the damp turf. That half-second stumble was all Rakim needed.

He drove toward the byline with the pitch opening before him, the Bremen defence shuffling in panic. Veljković stepped across to cover, but Rakim cut inside sharply, the ball swept under his sole in one smooth drag. Veljković lunged, studs grazing leather, but the winger's weight shift carried him away in a blur.

With two defenders now chasing across, Rakim whipped in a low delivery toward the six-yard box. It zipped through the corridor of uncertainty, skimming the turf just beyond Alario's lunge and grazing Moisander's shin before Pavlenka parried awkwardly at his near post.

The rebound spilled into the arc. Paulinho steamed onto it and lashed first-time, the strike cannoning off Eggestein's thigh and spinning out for another corner.

[84']

The set piece came to nothing, Bremen clearing long, but Leverkusen reset quickly. The ball came back down Rakim's flank and this time he didn't wait for help. He shaped to drive straight down the line again, baiting Friedl into angling his body wide, then rolled the ball inward and snapped into a diagonal run toward the corner of the box.

Eggestein tried to clamp the space, stepping in just as Rakim's studs rasped over the ball in a tight double scissors. His body swayed with his movements, completely hiding his intentions as the midfielder's foot missed by inches. Rakim slipped between him and Friedl, his stride now head-on with the retreating Veljković.

Veljković planted hard to stop him, but got sold—Rakim faked the strike, let the ball run across his body, then accelerated into the space left behind. The Bremen centre-back recovered enough to clip his trailing foot just as he crossed the white paint of the penalty area.

The whistle shrilled instantly as Rakim tumbled, to the ground rolling forward to kill the momentum. The referee's decision was unchangeable not bothering to cater to the complaining Bremen players who attempted to change his mind. There was a debate on wethere it was a penalty but a quick VAR check confirmed the referees decision of a free kick.

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To Be Continued...