Football singularity

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[Time: 19:14 | Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund | Match Week 21 | Bundesliga]

[44]

The game surged into its final five minutes of the first half with a manic tempo. Dortmund, stunned by Diaby's audacity, refused to retreat. Lucien Favre barked instructions from the sideline, urging his players to calm down and reset their structure. But with the crowd roaring and Leverkusen players sensing blood, structure was the last thing on anyone's mind.

Axel Witsel tried to slow things with a few sideways passes, but the pressure from Lars Bender and Amiri was relentless. He barely had time to control the ball before being hounded by either of the two midfielders. It wasn't just him; every player started feeling the pressure from the home side, leading to a poor pass from Witsel under pressure, which forced Guerreiro to turn back, and Volland nearly intercepted it.

But nearly wasn't good enough—because the moment Guerreiro turned back toward his own box, he didn't account for Havertz on the wing closing down at full sprint. The right winger lunged forward and poked the ball off Guerreiro's toe just as he tried to play it back to his keeper. A foot Race ensued between him and Burki, chasing the loose ball that now trickled towards the six-yard box.

Havertz, being closer to the ball, reached it first, but Burki was but a meter in front of him. The pressure was immense, but Kai didn't hesitate in sweeping his left foot across the ball. Despite it being his weaker foot to a player of his calibre that didn't mean much as he sent the ball curling around the keeper heading to the far corner.

Burki wasn't there for show, though, as he began adjusting his stance the moment Havertz drew his legs back. Planting his body tensed for a second, and the moment the ball was struck, even before the sound reached him, he sprang into action. He launched himself to his right like a man shot out of a cannon, arm outstretched, fingertips twitching for impact.

Seeing the wickedly spinning ball get closer, he smacked his right palm forward, his gloved hand firmly hitting the centre of the ball. The contact was clean, sending the ball flying to the chest of Hummels, forcing the experienced defender to adapt. He did so by using his body to hold off Lars, who had sneaked forward as he deftly brought the ball down.

Killing the momentum, he set it flying towards the right flank for a throw-in. "Heroic actions by Roman Burki and clinical follow-through Mats," Rae commented with excitement as the arena finally dared to breathe. "Guerreiro will be thanking his lucky stars that his teammates came through for him."

"Absolutely, Derek," Stewart Robson followed. "That's what experience buys you—Hummels reading the danger and calming the play down in one movement. Burki's save might be forgotten in the stats, but that's one of the most crucial moments of the half."

[45+2]

The referee glanced at his watch as the ball was thrown back into play by Hakimi on the far side. Dortmund was desperate not to concede again before the break, and so they played it safe, stringing together short, controlled passes in their own half. The home side tried their best to pressure them, but the wasps showed grace under pressure, holding out until the whistle for the halftime break blew.

(FWEET, FWEEEET)

~~~

[Half-Time Analysis – BayArena | Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund]

"That is all she wrote in the first half along the Rhine. Leverkusen comes out on top with 2 goals, while the visitors walk into the locker room trailing with 1," Derek Rae stated as the players began making their way off the field. "Steward, what's your take on this first half?"

"Derek, it's been an absolute whirlwind of a half," Stewart Robson replied as the camera panned to the players exiting the tunnel, sweat glistening on their brows and their shoulders tense. "Dortmund started well—sharp on the press, good tempo through the middle—but it's Leverkusen who've imposed their will. And let's be honest, the difference-maker has been Kai Havertz."

The broadcast cut to highlights: Diaby's sensational goal, Volland's exceptional control of the chipped through ball before rifling a shot past Burki. Havertz's various runs were shown on the screen and Burki's last-ditch save that denied a third just before the whistle.

"Leverkusen's tactical shape has been incredibly compact," Robson continued. "Their midfield pairing—Lars Bender and Amiri—has made life miserable for Witsel and Can. They're forcing errors with intensity and turning them into instant attacks."

As replays played of Leverkusen's two goals, Rae added, "And you have to appreciate the composure in the final third. The decision-making has been razor-sharp. Volland and Diaby have caused havoc with their movement, and Havertz is playing like he has a joystick controller in his head."

The camera shifted back to the pitch side reporters as both teams disappeared from view. A graphic on the screen popped up with first-half stats: Possession: Leverkusen 48% – Dortmund 52% Shots on Target: Leverkusen 5 – Dortmund 3 Fouls: Leverkusen 8 – Dortmund 6 Pass Accuracy: Leverkusen 84% – Dortmund 87% Distance Covered: Leverkusen 57.2 km – Dortmund 55.9 km.

"Interesting that Dortmund edged the possession and passing metrics," Rae pointed out, "but the real story is the territory. Leverkusen have forced the ball into dangerous areas more consistently."

Then, with a smile in his voice, he added, "And Stewart—just before halftime, we saw Rakim Rex warming up down on the touchline. What do you think, could we see the young phenom introduced in the second half?"

Robson chuckled. "Well, Derek, if I were Bosz, I'd be tempted. You're already ahead, but imagine adding Rakim's explosiveness to that left flank, especially now that Akanji's legs are wearing down. The kid's got goals in his boots, and if Dortmund push too high, there'll be space to exploit."

"Whatever the case, don't go anywhere, folks. Leverkusen lead 2–1 at the break in this electrifying Bundesliga clash, but with the intensity both teams are playing at, I can see goals in their future; the second half could flip at any moment..." Derek's voice trailed off as the commercials cut on the screen.

~~~

[Location: Atlantis Fund, 42nd floor Goliath Building, Wall Street, Manhattan, | Time: 13:30]

A 20-seat obsidian table bisected the conference room like a runway of polished night. Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass, February drizzle streaked New York's skyline; inside, numbers bled red across the eight wall-mounted Bloomberg terminals. The room was currently silent, unlike the trading floor outside the doors, as everyone's attention was focused on the man at the end of the table.

Victor Parker, dressed in a $2,000 navy Giovani suit, could be seen leaning over the table with his fingers interlocked. His slightly long hair was trimmed a tad with the sides cut in a light fade, but it was his piercing blue eyes that captured everyone's attention. He exuded natural charisma at the apex of the table despite the gloomy atmosphere that persisted like a bad cold.

A platinum trident pin with the fund's insignia of a city submerged in golden water glinted on his left lapel. From his confident demeanour, one couldn't tell that he was currently sitting at a US$2 billion deficit on private client investment. The fund's main portfolio that he led had been torpedoed, and in his effort to double down on his next investment, he only ended up losing more.

The solution to this problem came in the form of the long-term private fund each named partner ran. When they merged to create Atlantis fund, it was written in the charter that each partner had the right to privately manage the funds they attracted from individuals they themselves had attracted. This only worked for individual funds, not the money businesses entrusted to them to manage.

Using this loophole, Victor has been cycling money from the closed private fund to cover the deficit in his portfolio. However, starting last year, he had been trying his best to clear his books with calculated bets; however, now something came up that threw a wrench in his plans. "Shall we get this emergency meeting on the way?" he asked the room as he nodded for the project manager to take the stage.

To his right, Alexandra "Lex" Wu, the First Trident partner, traced a stylus over her tablet, lips pursed. On the far wall, a 98-inch screen displayed Lorenzo "Enzo" Giordano, the Third Trident, dialling in from the Geneva office—espresso in hand, Alpine twilight behind him.

Alexandra took that as her cue to present the progress of the M&M Acquisition, heels clicking once on the marble inlay. Her tablet's screen, mirrored to the wall, displayed a forest of candlesticks sliding downhill beside a headline banner, "SOFTBANK EYES EXIT — $9.5 BN RESCUE AT RISK."

"Current chatter out of Tokyo is they'll trigger the MAC clause by quarter-end," Lex began, voice clipped, Singaporean accent surfacing when she was irritated. "If SoftBank walks, WeWork's covenants trip immediately. On mark-to-market, we're looking at a $740 million impairment by next Monday's close, plus contingent liabilities on the 'keep-open' leases."

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To Be Continued...