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[MW24 | Borussia Mönchengladbach 0 vs 2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
[43’]
Lars Stindl stepped up to take the penalty, placing the ball on the spot with deliberate care. The Gladbach captain took several steps back, his eyes fixed on Hradecky, who was bouncing on his line, trying to make himself look bigger. The stadium was filled with heavy tension, with all eyes on the two players in the box. The referee checked that both players were ready, then blew his whistle.
*(FWEEET!)*
Stindl began his run-up, slow and asured as he closed in on the stationary ball. At the last mont, he stuttered slightly, trying to send Hradecky the wrong way. The Finnish keeper committed early, diving low to his right—but Stindl had aid for the opposite corner.
The ball sailed toward the left side of the goal, piercing the goal unhindered. "GOAL! Gladbach," Derek Rae exclaid. "Ice cold from the captain easily sending Hradecky the wrong way."
The ho players celebrated enthusiastically, Stindl being mobbed by his teammates near the corner flag. "Gladbach have pulled one back," Robson observed. "But Leverkusen still lead two-one, and they’ll be keen to get back on the front foot before halfti."
[Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Lars Stindl 43’]
[45’]
Leverkusen kicked off calmly, determined just to see the half out and kill Gladbach’s montum of the penalty goal just before halfti. Wirtz received it from Schick, turning away from the press. He drove forward ten yards, scanning for options before playing it wide to Rakim on the left.
The winger took his ti, shielding the ball from the incoming challenge. He looked up, then played it back infield to Aránguiz, who knocked it across to Amiri. He held possession calmly, keeping the ball away from Gladbach’s energised pressing until the referee’s whistle brought the first half to a close.
*(FWEEET! FWEEET!)*
[HT: Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
~~~
[Leverkusen Dressing Room | Borussia-Park]
Bosz stood at the whiteboard, marker in hand, waiting for the players to settle. The mood in the room was cautiously optimistic—two goals up, but the penalty had handed Gladbach a lifeline. "Let’s not even discuss that penalty, as far as I am concerned, the ref sold us to make that call."
"However, letting them reach that faris on us," he continued, tapping the board to make sure they were all paying attention. "Good first half. Two goals, dominant possession. But you need to stay alert until the final whistle, kill the ga early, and we can start exploring stuff."
He drew two arrows on the board, pointing toward Leverkusen’s defensive line. "We need to be disciplined in the box—no silly fouls. No wrestling. For the second half, I want us to push the line higher as we suffocate them with possession and attacks."
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He clapped his hands together. "Forty-five minutes. Keep it tight, keep the ball, and if the chance cos, take it. Let’s go."
*(FWEEET!)*
[45’]
Plans were good, but implentation is an art in itself. Gladbach started the second half with renewed aggression, pressing Leverkusen high from the outset. Hradecky was forced to distribute quickly, finding Tah, who played it across to Tapsoba under pressure.
The Serbian centre-back held his nerve, driving forward before releasing it to Baumgartlinger, who turned and played it wide to Rakim. The winger collected it with ease, his marker arriving a step too late. He drove forward, drawing the left-back out before cutting the ball back to Wirtz, who had drifted inside.
Wirtz took one touch forward, then looked up. Schick was making a run across the back line, pulling his marker with him. The teenager threaded a pass into the gap, but it was just slightly behind the striker. Schick stretched but couldn’t quite reach it, and the ball rolled out for a goal kick.
"So close to putting things to bed," Derek Rae noted. "Wirtz with a brilliant idea, just a fraction off."
[54’]
Gladbach pushed forward again, winning a free kick thirty yards out after Wirtz clipped Neuhaus’s heel. Monts later, Marcus Thuram placed the ball, surveying the wall. Hradecky organised his defensive line—four players lined up in a row, jumping in unison as Marcus struck the ball.
The Frenchman curled it toward the top left corner, but it sailed just over the crossbar. Hardecky had read it early enough to resist the urge to leap through the air.
"Thuram with a free kick that was always going over," Derek Rae comnted. "Gladbach is looking for any way back into this match."
[61’]
The building pressure as both sides looked for a goal finally tilted in the 60th minute. Gladbach won the ball in midfield after a Leverkusen mispass—Wirtz had tried to find Rakim, but Florian Neuhaus intercepted the ball. The German midfielder burst forward, exchanging a quick one-two with Jonas Hofmann on the right before driving into the box.
Tah slid across to block, but Neuhaus had already squared it to Alassane Pléa, who fired low toward the near post. Hradecky dove, but couldn’t get a hand to it, gliding past him into the corner of the net. The striker sprinted toward the corner flag, sliding on his knees as his teammates mobbed him. The atmosphere inside the Borussia-Park shifted completely as Gladbach saw the end of the tunnel.
"GOOOOOAL!" Derek Rae exclaid. "Gladbach equalise! Two-two! This match has co alive!"
[Borussia Mönchengladbach 2-2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Alain Saint-Maximin 61’]
[67’]
Bosz was on his feet at the touchline, furious as he gestured frantically for the players to wake up. He could be seen clapping his hands as he barked instructions to his players, not at all pleased to have lost the lead. "Listen to !" he snapped, his voice sharp. "That was sloppy. Wake UP!"
Seeing his team failing to normalise after the restart, Bosz made a substitution, bringing on Lars Bender for Jeremie Frimpong. Kerem Demirbay also made his entry for Nadiem Amiri in midfield, sharing a few words with Rakim as he took his position. Their introduction definitely brought so stability as the ho team could no longer easily march forward.
Around the 70th Demirbay sprayed a ball out wide, finding Rakim at the edge of the final third. The winger faked a cut inside before exploding on the outside to beat his marker, who gave chase. He wasn’t fast enough to get in his way through as he sent a cross from the side of the box.
The ball arced just ahead of the penalty spot, finding Schick surrounded by two defenders charging into the box. They all stretched out a foot trying to make the connection, and it was Ginter who got to it first. The ball awkwardly hit the side of his shin, sending it spinning high into the air, but it was enough to allow Yann Somr to pluck it from the air.
[73’]
Three minutes later, Rakim was dribbling down the left flank again, exchanging a one-two with Wirtz to escape two Gladbach players. He cut inside close to the edge of the box and sent in a dangerous curler for the far right corner. The ball sailed past Nico Elvedi, attempting to put his body in the way, curving goalward, as Goal Keeper Yann Somr shielded across, leaping into the air.
His fingertips caught the edge of the ball, deflecting it just enough to send it crashing against the far post. The rebound bounced sharply back into the box, and Schick was first to react, but Ginter threw himself in front of it, blocking the back of his heel. "OH, SO CLOSE!" Derek Rae bellowed. "Rakim Rex is showing so signs of life in this match."
[76’]
Gladbach, galvanised by the equaliser, pushed forward as Thuram collected the ball on the left, driving forward at speed. He exchanged a one-two with Stindl, who had dropped deep to orchestrate. The captain played it wide to Hofmann on the right, who cut inside onto his left foot.
Tapsoba rushed across, but Hofmann had already fired—the angle was sharp, speeding toward the near post. Hradecky dove...
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To Be Continued...
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