Football singularity

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[Gladbach 1 vs 1 Leverkusen - Second Half]

[73]

Wirtz burst through the last line with speed, the ball skipping perfectly into stride off his deft touches. Sommer had hesitated for a moment too long, surprised at how effortlessly the teenager had sliced through his defence, and that half-beat was fatal. Wirtz squared his body after entering the box and coolly slotted into the bottom far corner.

The ball curved past the keeper's outstretched leg and nestled into the side netting, kissing the post on its way in. "Florian Wirtz!" Rae bellowed, his voice rising with the theatre of the moment. "The seventeen-year-old is showing us just why he is so special!"

Robson's tone carried awe. "The composure, the bravery, the audacity to run at defenders like that, it's unbelievable." Wirtz sprinted toward the corner flag, sliding knees-first through the puddled grass, arms out wide, before teammates mobbed him in celebration.

*Gladbach 1–2 Leverkusen | Wirtz 73'*

[78]

The rain had calmed down, creating an almost mystical atmosphere reminiscent of the players under-16 days when they played on the roadside pitch with their boy clubs. Back then, there were also really few fans in attendance, quite like today, as the players could quite literally hear each other shout instructions.

Gladbach's response to Wirtz's wonder goal was immediate and furious. Embolo, who had been a battering ram since coming on, dropped deep to collect the ball off Neuhaus. With one swift turn, he muscled past Amiri, dragging Leverkusen's midfield backwards. Herrmann sprinted wide on the right, stretching the pitch, while Thuram lurked between Tapsoba and Dragović, waiting for the kill.

The ball went out to Herrmann, whose first-time delivery skipped wickedly on the wet turf. It was too quick to judge, too heavy, and too clear to be easy. Bender lunged to intercept but only managed to get the faintest touch, enough to flick it toward the penalty spot instead of safety. Embolo, continuing his charge, burst between two defenders, the ball bouncing invitingly into his path. Without breaking stride, he lashed his laces through it.

The sound was thunderous — leather smacking waterlogged ball — and in an instant it rocketed high past Hradecky into the roof of the net. The goalkeeper had no chance, arms barely lifting before the ball bulged the back of the goal. Spray shot upward from the soaked net as Embolo sprinted away, sliding on his knees, hammering his chest with a primal roar.

"Back again!" Rae roared. "Gladbach will not die in this match! Breel Embolo, with sheer power and determination, drags them level once more!"

Robson added, his tone reverent: "Some players help build play and others execute it. Embolo does it both here in spectacular fashion." The Gladbach bench leapt to their feet, Marco Rose pumping his fists skyward, his drenched coat clinging to him like armour.

*Gladbach 2–2 Leverkusen | Embolo 78'*

[84]

Leverkusen didn't linger on the goal and instead got back to work as if deciding the winner would be who scored the most, not who defended their lead. Amiri dropped deeper, orchestrating possession with the precision of a surgeon, spreading the play from left to right despite the waterlogged pitch. He somehow managed to get not only his teammates but also their opponents to move in his desired direction.

Gladbach's defensive line shifted one way too many times, and he immediately seized the opportunity by sending a lofted throughball up the right flank. Wirtz, brimming with confidence after his goal, raced past his marker to stretch out his foot high in the air to bring the ball down. Facing the recovered Bensebaini at the side of the box, he coolly stood him up, his right foot, touching behind the ball, just waiting for a reaction.

The left-back lunged forward, and in that precise moment, Wirtz rolled the ball delicately inside before bursting into the penalty area. Elvedi rushed across to cover, but the teenager was already shaping to shoot. Instead, he disguised a clever cutback toward the edge of the box where Havertz had ghosted into space, completely unmarked.

The German international didn't hesitate. With the outside of his right boot, he curled a sublime effort toward the far corner. Sommer flung himself across the goal, fingertips straining, but the ball arced beautifully around his desperate dive. The wet ball kissed the inside of the far post before nestling into the side netting with a satisfying squelch.

"Oh, what a finish! Kai Havertz with the outside of the boot!" Rae's voice cracked with excitement. "Leverkusen have found their winner in the most exquisite fashion!"

Havertz sprinted toward the corner flag, arms outstretched like an aeroplane, before diving belly-first through a puddle. His teammates swarmed him as Peter Bosz finally allowed himself a smile, his hands emerging from his coat pockets to applaud the sublime football from his young stars.

Gladbach 2-3 Leverkusen | Havertz 84'

[87]

With time running out and the rain beginning to ease, Gladbach threw everything forward in desperation. Marco Rose made his final substitution, bringing on forward Oscar Wendt to replace Thuram on the left flank. The formation shifted into a 4-2-4 with Embolo also moving up to form a dual striker role with Plea.

The home side abandoned all pretence of defensive stability, instead choosing to bombard their opponents with long balls. From a corner on the left, Hofmann whipped in a dangerous delivery that caused chaos in the Leverkusen box. Bodies collided, boots flailed, and for a moment the ball ricocheted between three different players before Tapsoba finally managed to head it clear.

The clearance fell to Neuhause thirty yards out, who took a touch to stabilise it and then simply struck it from range. "Neuhause from way down town," Rae exclaimed as the shot screamed through the night air, dipping wickedly as it approached the goal.

Hradecky backpedalled furiously, his gloves clawing at the air, but the ball crashed against the crossbar with a reverberating clang that echoed around the empty stadium. The rebound bounced kindly for Leverkusen as Sinkgraven hooked it away to safety. "So close to a dramatic equaliser!" Robson exclaimed. "The crossbar denies Gladbach what would have been a spectacular leveller!

[90+2]

In the dying moments, with three minutes of added time displayed on the fourth official's board, Gladbach launched one final assault. Hofmann battled for a long ball with Dragović, using his physical presence to shield possession before laying it off to the onrushing Embolo. The Swiss striker, with his last reserves of energy, drove forward with purpose.

His cross from the right was dangerous, skipping off the wet surface as it arrowed toward the penalty spot. Pléa rose highest, outmuscling Bender in the air, but a pair of fists appeared before he could get to the ball, powerfully punching it out of the box as they all crashed down. The rebound fell outside the box where Oscar had tracked it back, but before he could chest it down, Aranguiz appeared at his side and shoulder-checked him out of the way.

The midfielder brought the ball down with a deft thigh flick, spun out of danger before launching a long ball into the hinterland. "Heroic defending from Leverkusen!" Rae shouted above the drama. "They're clinging on here as Gladbach throw the kitchen sink at them!"

"The kitchen sink, cupboard and even the washing machine, but sometimes no matter what you try, you just can't succeed," Robsone noted as they watched the final seconds of the match tick away with the Leverkusen squad charging upward so their opponents would be offside. The rain had stopped completely now, leaving the pitch glistening under the floodlights like a mirror. When the final whistle pierced the night air, Leverkusen's players bent over on their knees in exhaustion.

FULL TIME: Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-3 Bayer Leverkusen

Goal scorers:

Pléa 69', Embolo 78' | Diaby 18', Wirtz 73', Havertz 84'

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To Be Continued...