Football singularity

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[85']

The free-kick was placed just outside the right edge of the D. Demirbay and Rakim stepped up to take it. They debated on what to do for a few moments as the four-person wall got set up. Neither could agree on who should take it, but they decided on one thing: they should go for the goal.

The whistle blew, and Demirbay made his run up, hopping over the ball at the last moment, acting as a decoy, his motion freezing the wall as one of them hesitated whether to chase him. For the briefest heartbeat, they stood rooted, barely managing to react to Rakim, who bore down on the ball a second later.

His left foot wrapped viciously around the ball, whipping it up and over the left side of the wall with a snap of his ankle. The players in the wall barely managed to hop, trying to stretch their heads, but it wasn't meant to be as the ball glazed past the head of Eggestein. It dipped a little later due to the contact, the ball's spin dragging it down toward the top-left corner like a string pulled it.

Pavlenka barely managed a step before he realised that he wouldn't reach it in time, but the loud clang from the bar quickly jolted him back to life. The ball bounced off the bar violently, hitting the ground around the six-yard line as both teams' players pounced upon it. Veljkovic was the first to reach it, but with Alario breathing down his neck and the ball's awkward bounce, he barely managed to divert its path with the top of his thigh.

The ball flew behind them, skipping past a few players who tried to get their feet on it. Osako and Bailey both swung their feet at the ball that bounced in front of them. Both hit the ball almost simultaneously, but Bailey was slightly faster and hit the leather dead centre, skimming off the top of Osako's foot.

Pavlenka, who had been on high alert during this entire turmoil, jumped to his left using both hands to palm the ball away. The save proved useless as the ball rebounded into the path of Rakim, who stood a couple of yards from the near post with his foot already drawn back. Without hesitation, he took the shot on the half volley, catapulting the ball goalward.

The strike was pure violence wrapped in precision. The ball rocketed off his boot, skipping off the slick turf once before slamming into the roof of the net at the near post. Pavlenka hadn't even gotten up from his previous save as the sound of the ball hitting the net cracked through the empty stadium like a whip.

"OH, he has done it!" Derek exclaimed as Rakim raced off towards the corner flag. "When at first you don't succeed, then try, try again."

"That goal was a thing of beauty but easily preventable." Robson analysed as he watched Pavlenka shoot a dirty glare at his teammates. "If I'm the keeper, I'm asking them whether they even want to win. Leaving a player of Rakim's calibre unmarked inside the box is simply asking for trouble."

[Goal Rakim '86': Bremen 1 vs 2 Leverkusen]

[87]

They say when it rains, it pours. That was what one would use to describe the current match that was unfolding. The scoreboard that hadn't changed much during the entire game had now shifted for the fourth time as Alario could be seen racing off to the corner flag in celebration. The replay showed him racing into the box following a through ball coming in from Rakim as he fought off his marker.

He spun on his axis the moment he received the ball, turning past Moisander, who tried to keep hold of his shoulder. The forward's movement was swift, allowing him to get loose enough to take aim, and the Bremen keeper couldn't stretch enough to reach the ball.

[Goal Rakim '88': Bremen 1 vs 3 Leverkusen]

[90]

Still, they weren't, as in the last minute of regular time, Baumgartlinger intercepted a Bremen throw-in. He chested the ball down and, in one motion, poked it into the path of Paulinho, and the Brazilian took it in stride, dragging it along with him. Dribbling past two opponents, he played a clever one-two pass sequence with Leon Bailey on the wings.

Their give-and-go tore apart the shape of the nearby Bremen fans, and he suddenly had more space as he bore down on the box. He fed the ball to the inside channel into Demirbay's run, who flicked it wide to the feet of Rakim. He didn't bother controlling it and instead swung his left foot, lobbing a through ball over the defensive line towards the left side of the box.

Leon slipped past Gebre and managed to touch it down, but the pressure was soon upon him from both the keeper and nearby defenders. Instead of taking it himself, he squared it across the face of the goal, managing to find Alario, who slid in to tap the ball into the empty net.

[Goal Alario 90': Bremen 1 – 4 Leverkusen]

The final whistle was almost a formality after that. Bremen's shoulders slumped as they trudged back to the centre circle, the fight that had burned so brightly after their equaliser now reduced to embers. The Leverkusen players didn't gloat and were simply content with enjoying their lead.

They expected the win; achieving it convincingly was simply a cherry on top for them. As the saying goes, when you keep winning, it becomes a habit, which perfectly describes the mindset of this Leverkusen side. The board went up — three minutes added on.

Bremen tried one last hopeful push, a long ball slung toward Bartels, but it was cut out in mid-air by Tapsoba's towering leap. His header found its way to Rakim out wide, who took it on the bounce, cushioning the ball into his stride with ease. He didn't charge up the wing this time, though, but instead chose to calmly play it out with Baumgartlinger, who proceeded to ping passes backwards.

They were simply content with knocking passes around and running out the clock, and the home side was content with letting them do that. The final seconds ticked away with Leverkusen stroking the ball in triangles, pulling green shirts into pointless chases. When the referee finally lifted the whistle to his lips, the sound was more like a call to freedom to the home side, who were relieved that their nightmare was finally over.

"Well, there you have it, Derek. After a fairly contested 93 minutes, Leverkusen walks away with 3 points after a 1:4 victory." Robson commented as the players went through the post-match routines of congratulatory messages and some interviews, which consisted of a press area and a camera. "What can we expect from both sides moving forward in this now compressed second half of the Bundesliga season?"

Derek Rae's voice had that wrap-up cadence now, the one that framed a match in hindsight rather than heat. "Well, Stewart, it was cagey for long stretches, but the floodgates opened once the visitors found their rhythm—particularly down that right-hand side in the final fifteen minutes."

Robson nodded, eyes still scanning the slow-motion montage rolling on the feed. "Absolutely, Derek. That switch on the flanks midway through the half changed everything. Suddenly, the home defence was being pulled apart at will with runs into space, late balls across the box, and, of course, that finish for the second goal. A thing of beauty, how he managed to be there."

Down on the pitch, masked staff hustled the match balls and water crates toward the tunnel. Rakim was surrounded by a couple of cameras in the designated press area, straining to listen to the speakers set up by the ZDF sports pundits.

"You had a phenomenal impact on this match, 1 goal and an assist with many more threatening runs, would you say that's mission accomplished?" Lothar Matthäus asked from behind the pundit podium, leaning forward slightly out of interest as he gazed at the live broadcast of Rakim.

"Hard to say if I'm being honest, a win is always welcomed, but I'm sure some of the fans and coaches would have preferred we put the game away much earlier," Rakim responded with a calm gaze after taking a moment to think over his response. "I personally would say our performance was acceptable if you consider the circumstances we now live in. Our mindset going forward will be all about hitting those little targets and continuing to focus on our game."

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To Be Continued...