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[2021-03-06 | MW24 | Borussia Mönchengladbach 2 vs 2 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
[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 getting his fingertips to it, but the ball was too fast, slamming into the back of the net. Hofmann sprinted toward the corner flag, sliding on his knees as Thuram leapt onto his back. The ho side was electric, with fans across Germany erupting in their living rooms.
"GOOOOOAL!" Derek Rae scread. "JONAS HOFMANN! Gladbach takes the lead! Three-two! The Borussia-Park is bouncing!"
[83’]
Bosz made a desperate double substitution—Leon Bailey on for Diaby, and Lucas Alario for Charles Aránguiz. The formation shifted into a more attacking 4-2-4, with Leverkusen throwing everything forward. The pressure was a stark contrast to the score line as the boys in red sward the ho side’s half.
Almost as if having woken up from a daze, the league leaders stacked rcilessly, coming close to scoring a few tis. Raklm, who had been missing for most of the ga, suddenly got hot as he dissected defenders trying to get in his way. In one attempt, Yan barely managed to make a save, granting them a corner kick.
Wirtz delivered it with pace, curling it toward the penalty spot where bodies leapt into the sky. Tah rose above Neuhause, powering a header goalward amid pressure. Somr tried to get a hand in the way, but the ball was too close to him, and he couldn’t adjust in ti. It smashed past him and into the net.
Tah picked up the ball from the net and imdiately sprinted back to the halfway line. The rest of his teammates followed him, giving each other pats on the back. "GOOOOOAL!" Robson roared. "JONATHAN TAH! The captain heads ho to equalise! Three-three!"
[88’]
Gladbach pushed for a late winner, unwilling to end this with just a point after tasting a coback. Stindl got to orchestrate from midfield, sliding a pass into Pléa’s run. The striker held it up brilliantly, bringing Thuram into play on the left, who skipped past Wendell.
Thuram drove forward, cutting inside Tapsoba with a sharp feint. He entered the box, drew Tah across, then squared it back to Pléa, who had ghosted to the back post. The striker struck it first-ti, but his connection was off, and the ball sailed over the bar.
"Oh, what a chance!" Robson exclaid. "Pléa will be kicking himself. That could have sealed it for Gladbach!"
[90’]
Leverkusen responded with their own attack as Bailey collected the ball on the right, his pace causing Gladbach’s tired left-back serious problems. He drove all the way to the byline, then cut it back sharply for Demirbay, who had to shift to avoid a tackle. He got a pass off, slipping the ball into the left side of the box, finding a charging Rakim with right-back Lainer glued to his side.
With both the keeper charging out and his marker looking to interfere as the ball goes close to their collision course, Rakim made his move. He stretched out his left foot, leaning his weight on his marker, choppining the ball back, as he ca to a sudden stop. Before the ball could escape his reach, his right foot wrapped around the ball again, smashing it goalward with force.
The keeper attempted a dive to his side but was too late as the ball slipped under him, smashing the back of the net. Rakim barced his fall with a hand and imdiately took off to the sidelines to celebrate. Bosz was on his feet, fist pumping at the touchline, relief and joy washing over his face in equal asure.
"GOOOOOAL!" Derek Rae’s voice exploded with barely controlled emotion. "RAKIM REX! NOT TO BE MISSED ON TODAY’S SCORE SHEET! FOUR-THREE! LEVERKUSEN TAKE THE LEAD IN THE DYING MINUTES!"
[Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-4 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Rakim Rex 90’]
[90 3’]
Gladbach pushed desperately for an equaliser, throwing everyone forward. Stindl delivered a corner with pace, and Ginter rose highest, but Hradecky, despite the chaos in the box, managed to punch it clear. Leverkusen broke forward on the counter, Bailey racing down the right with the ball. But before a counter could develop, the referee blew his whistle the mont he crossed the halfway line, ending the match.
(FWEEET! FWEEET! FWEEEEEET!)
[FT: Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-4 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]
"IT’S OVER!" Derek Rae bellowed. "What an incredible match! Seven goals, drama from start to finish, and Bayer Leverkusen survive! Rakim Rex with the winner in the 90th minute! What a player!"
"Talk about a nailbiter. That was one of the finest Bundesliga matches we’ve seen this season," Robson added, his voice still buzzing with the energy of the match. "Both teams gave absolutely everything. But Leverkusen’s quality in the final minutes showed why they are so dominant this season."
~~~
[2021-03-21
The following two weeks, following thenailbiterr against Gladbach, it was back to business for the Leverkusen squad. Since they sohow managed to win in the end, their season was still on track, maintaining a narrow one-point lead on Bayern. Arminia at ho on the 14th was their first opponent, and they ca out swinging.
Rakim once again made a start, and in this ga, he was unplayable, walking off in the 70th minute with four goals. His first ca early in the 5th minute as he latched onto a lofted through ball played by 18-year-old Sad Onur. He had exploded forward into the space behind the Arminia right back, jumping high into the air at the edge of the box.
His left foot was fully stretched out, reaching for the falling balls. The keeper raced out to stop him. With the keeper only two ters away from him, everyone expected a close play the mont the winger brought the ball down. But what he did next bamboozled the keeper and all those watching with bated breath.
He flicked the airborne ball at the tip of his toe back, letting it hit his chest as he landed. The ball rebounded off his chest, looping over the keeper, already in a crouched position. Rakim landed, and in three quick steps, his long legs carried him around the flailing keeper, burying the ball in the back of the net.
His second ca from a tap-in at the goal following a corner swung in by Grey. Baumgartlinger had gotten to the end of it, powering down a head, but the keeper had reacted well to palm the ball that was flying at his face away. A clobernukle ensude in the box with players trying to get on the end of the ball, and Rakim ca out on top at the back post.
His last two, surprisingly, both ca from set pieces: a free kick in the 55th and a penalty in the 65th. Both were made on him, and he punished them for it, but that was also head coach Bosz’s cue to sit the winger down. He wasn’t too bothered, though, as his team sent the visitors packing with zero points after giving a 7:0 thrashing.
A week later, relegation-threatened Hertha BSC gave them more trouble as they sat deep playing counterattacking football. Bosz had rotated the squad heavily, and while his team played well, executing the team plan, luck wasn’t on their side. In the first half alone, they had hit the woodwork 8 tis, firing off a total of 22 shots on target.
Hertha got a few good counterattacking chances, but just because the league leaders were struggling to create goals didn’t an the sa was on the defensive end. 18-year-old Goalkeeper Marcel Jonen, making his season and Bundesliga debut, had excitedly prepared for the day, but his services were called upon only five tis throughout the ga.
The occasional pop was shot his way, but they didn’t even threaten the goal, let alone his defensive line, which played like gladiators. Tapsoba, Jedvaj, Sinkgraven, and Fosu-nsah put on a clinic along the defensive line. But as the saying goes, when you try long enough, you will eventually succeed, and their mont ca in the 80th.
18-year-old debutant striker Emrehan Gedikli turned into a pri Lewandowski, sniffing out the loose ball in the box. Following another failed attack that ended in a scramble in the box, the ball had bounced around the box like a pinball. Gedikli, who had barely touched the ball all ga, instinctively stepped forward as the chaos unfolded.
The ball rolled toward his feet as if drawn to him, and the young Turk didn’t hesitate—guiding it past the scrambling Johnen and into the bottom corner. The teenager stood frozen for a split second, barely comprehending what he’d done, before the reality hit him. He sprinted toward the corner flag, arms windmilling wildly, his teammates chasing after him with wide grins. Even Bosz, watching from the touchline, couldn’t suppress a smile at finally getting a goal.
"GOOOOOAL!" the comntator bellowed. "EMREHAN GEDIKLI! The debutant scores! Hertha takes the lead! What a mont for the young striker!"
[Hertha BSC 1-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Emrehan Gedikli 80’]
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To Be Continued...
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