Football singularity

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[18:13 German Time | Bay Arena, Leverkusen | Bayer Leverkusen 1 vs 0 Dusseldorf]

"OH MY—!" Derek Rae's voice cracked half a register. "Rex with an absolute missile!"

On the screen, Rakim raced off to the corner flag, sliding on his knees, and he did a quick salute with his left hand before springing back onto his feet. Facing their fans at the corner flag, he stood there, his arms spread wide as he stood there for a few moments before nodding at the camera.

In Emma's lounge, tortilla chips were scattered as Miles and Zak exploded off the sofa. "What a hit, lad!" Miles bellowed, slapping the leather sofa as he came down from his celebratory high.

"Bro, you are just happy that your bet panned out, sit down," Zak exclaimed yanking his friend back on the sofa so he would stop goofing around.

Hailey, still half-asleep, on Maddie's shoulder, blinked at the replay and murmured, "Physics checks out."

~~~

[13]

The restart was frenetic. Düsseldorf tried to shake off the shock of that thunderbolt by hemming Leverkusen with relentless attacks. They relentlessly attacked the flanks with their midfielders peppering long diagonals toward their wide men. It almost paid off in the 16th minute: Skrzybski ghosted outside Wendell to collect a through ball from Zimmermann and zipped a cross through the six-yard corridor.

Hrádecký gambled, flinging himself forward into traffic, pawing the ball clear a half-second before Hennings could poke home. The BayArena roared its approval, drowning out the groans of disbelief from the visiting side. "A showstopper moment from the keeper," Taylor Twellman noted as the replay froze on the Finn's outstretched fingertips. "He's earned his W tonight, but his defenders leave much to be desired for."

"Indeed, that Leverkusen defence is leaking from all sides, and if they don't tighten up, this could unfold terribly," Rae noted as the play on the screen continued to unfold. After Hrádecký's save, Tah's clearance followed, but they were unable to launch a direct counter.

[24]

What followed was a back-and-forth of positional warfare with neither of the two teams willing to give an inch. Leverkusen dominated possession but struggled to find the killer pass through Düsseldorf's compact midfield block. Havertz dropped deeper, trying to connect with his teammates as they slowly widdled at their opponents.

It was hard as a couple of times when they lost the ball, they found themselves on the wrong side of a Dusseldorf counter. However, their defensive line seemed to have remembered how to do their job after being chewed out by Peter Bosz on the sidelines. In the 26th minute, Thommy skipped past Diaby on the flank, curving inwards as Lars stepped up to meet him.

Under the experienced captain's pressure, he was forced to attempt a long-range pop, which fizzled into nothing, comfortably ending up in Hrádecký's gloves. In the 30th minute, Leverkusen won a free kick from 30 yards out after Rakim found himself on the wrong end of a sliding tackle. Havertz and Demirbay stepped up to take it, waving Rakim off who stood a couple of yards on the flank, ready to receive a short pass to deliver a cross.

[30]

Pulling a defender down the flank, Demirbay didn't glance his way, though, delivering an in-swinging cross into the box. His cross arced viciously and flat to the apex of the six-yard box. Jonathan Tah climbed highest, shrugging Ayhan aside and thundered a header that seemed goal-bound—until Kastenmeier clawed it off the line at full stretch, the ball smacking the inside of the keeper's left wrist and ricocheting against the post.

A forest of legs hacked, stabbed, whiffed at the ball, but it was finally Hoffmann who hoofed it clear. "Brilliant reflexes from Kastenmeier!" Rae exclaimed as the replay showed the keeper's desperate dive in slow motion. "That was destined for the back of the net until he got a fingertip on it!"

Back in Emma's lounge, May leaned forward, clutching a throw pillow. "Come on, just one more!" she muttered, eyes glued to the screen as Leverkusen maintained their pressure. Her hands would tightly clutch her phone whenever Rakim got on the ball or Dusseldorf got a goal-scoring opportunity.

[35]

The game's tempo shifted as Düsseldorf began sitting deeper, content to absorb pressure and hit on the break. Rakim was becoming increasingly isolated on the left flank, as their opponents got used to his movements. It was one thing seeing his movements during video sessions, but actually having to defend them was another story.

More than being fast, it was his first step and acceleration that often left them lagging behind. Zimmermann and Ayhan had opted to double up on him whenever he touched the ball. Using a combination of zonal and man marking, they limited his creative impact on the attacking end.

But the young winger's persistence was paying dividends, he was drawing fouls, making them work for every inch. By now both were drenched in sweat, their breathing more laboured than it should have been. In the 37th minute, Rakim collected a pass from Baumgartlinger near the touchline, flicking it lightly across his body as Zimmermann closed in.

Before the Dusseldorf right-back could compute what was happening, he executed a beautiful drag-back. Spinning around the defender, he collected the ball that had slipped through his legs to a chorus of excited cheers from nearby fans. "Ups, close your legs," Rae exclaimed as Zimmermann lunged to recover, but Rakim was already gone—two rapid touches launched him to the edge of the box, forcing Ayhan to step up.

He didn't try to beat him, though, as he swung his right foot, sending a chipped ball into the box. Ayhan tried to jump, but the ball sailed way over his head, drawing a rainbow-like arc as it spun towards the area in front of the back. The chip floated over everyone's head, gravity teasing it into the heart of the six-yard box.

Diaby came racing in, beating his man for speed, slipping in front of the recovering midfielders. Lunging forward headfirst, he connected with the ball, redirecting it downward and towards the goal. Kastenmeier had no chance of reaching it despite doing his best to hustle across his line at Olympic pace.

The header bounced hard off the turf, smacked the inside of the post and nestled into the back of the net. "GOAL! 2–0 BAYER LEVERKUSEN!" Derek Rae exclaimed as pandemonium ensued for a second time. "Rakim said let me return the favour, and picked him out with a beauty of an assist. Taylor, I don't even know how he managed to see him from that angle."

Taylor Twellman was already laughing through his reply. "I don't either, Derek! Maybe it's a gift from god or simply luck, but what matters is that Moussa Diaby was able to finish it off." He replied as he went on to analyse what led up to the play. "This winger link-up is one we were all wondering about since the start of the season. Diaby sat out due to injury, and Rakim left for Poland almost the moment he returned, but if this is an indication of what's to come, then the Bundesliga has a problem."

On-screen, Diaby was mobbed by teammates near the corner flag, Rakim still on his back, waving his arms vigorously in celebration. In the BayArena, the ultras were bouncing now, the roar from the Südtribüne resonating in the arena. Flags waved, red smoke curled through the stands, and a drumline pounded beneath the chants of "Number 19 Moussa DIABY!"

[40]

The match resumed on a chipper note with the fans merely chanting their teams' songs. Many could be seen waving their flags or wrapping their arms over their neighbours. Despite the cheery mood when the ESPN cameras cut to the sideline, Peter Bosz stood still, arms folded, lips pressed into the barest of smiles as he watched the match unfold.

Their visitors didn't seem to want to risk conceding another goal and entered full survival mode. The home side also seemed content with the status quo, focusing on possession rather than forcing another attack. The midfield triangle of Havertz, Demirbay, and Baumgartlinger calmly recycled possession, dictating the flow, only initiating probing attacks.

The fans didn't mind. The BayArena was theirs to enjoy tonight—two goals up, and their stars were shining. In the end, 2 long-range attempts from Demirbay and Rakim that didn't amount to much were all they could muster. Dusseldorf managed to launch a counter in the last minute, which saw Hennings beating the last man with a through ball from Morales.

He seemed destined for a one-on-one, but Tah came in clutch, his slide tackle so vicious and clean that he clamped down on the ball at the striker's feet. He fell forward into the box, calling for a free kick, but Tah didn't wait to hear the verdict, springing up to clear the ball up the flank. Lucky for him, the whistle stayed down with no amount of pleading, managing to change referee Daniel Schlager's mind.

(Fweet, Fweeet,)"Well, there you have it, folks, in match-week 19, the first-half clash between Leverkusen and Dusseldorf ends in a 2:0 victory for the visitors." Derek Rae's voice resounded through the surround system speakers at Emma's house as the camera panned over the players promptly making their way off the field. "Taylor, what do you make of the first half?"

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To Be Continued...