Chapter 605: Chapter 605 Rising Tension
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[Half-Time | Bayern Munich Locker Room]
Flick stood tall in the centre, his voice a mixture of calm authority and simmering frustration. "We’re better than this. Right now, we look second to every ball. Leverkusen are sharper, hungrier—and that’s unacceptable for Bayern Munich."
He tapped the board with a marker, circling wide areas. "The middle is too congested for us to make things happen quickly enough. So I need Kingsley and Serge to be brave, take your men on, and make them earn their wages. Don’t hesitate, we have the better players, Wendell and Lars can’t live with you if you’re direct."
"Midfielders, I want quicker passes and smart distribution down the channels." He said, outlining what he expected on the board, garnering a few nods from the players. "Rakim and Diaby will continue to attack the flanks hard, and we won’t be able to stop them. However, I want us to lock down any chance at the goal and dominate the aerial battle."
For the next few minutes, he spent outlining areas he wanted the team to force the opposing wingers in. For Rakim, the strategy was to keep him wide to neutralise his long-range threat, while for Diaby, the focus was on stopping him high on the field. He wanted his players to make their opponents uncomfortable holding the ball.
"This is our championship to lose, now go out there and play to the calibre that is expected of you." Flick finally voiced, ending his half-time speech, giving the players a chance to recompose themselves.
~~
[04/07/2020 | Time: 21:01 PM | DFB-Pokal Final Leverkusen 1 : 0 Bayern| Location: Olympiastadion Berlin]
[46]
The whistle went, and the second half began with a Bayern kickoff. "Bayern Munich trailing by a goal here in Berlin, and they know they’ve got a huge task ahead of them now. Leverkusen are forty-five minutes away from ending their season with silverware." Derek Rae voiced as the opening clashes of the second half unfolded below.
Robson cut in, doing his job of keeping the viewer entertained. "Derek, Bayern have been here before. I expect them to come out firing, Flick will have demanded a reaction, and the first ten minutes are going to be crucial. If Leverkusen can weather that storm, their confidence will soar."
Bayern wasted no time showing their intentions to attack as Kimmich orchestrated an early switch out to Coman. The Frenchman chested the ball down at the edge of the final third, and he immediately went at Lars Bender. The Leverkusen captain tried to jockey him wide, but a quick shimmy and a burst of acceleration saw him burst down the line before cutting a ball across the six-yard box.
Lewandowski slid in, desperate to make contact, but Hradecky lunged off his lines, his hands grasping the ball before soemothering it. "Quick reaction from the Finnish at the start of the second half." Derek Rae noted. "But a positive start from Bayern. They’re not wasting time, Stewart—they want to make a statement."
Robson replied quickly: "That’s what we expected. They’ll look to overload the wings and feed Lewandowski, but Leverkusen’s centre-backs will relish that challenge if they can keep their composure."
[51]
In the first five minutes, things remained stable as possession exchanged quite a few times between both teams. A few threatening chances were created, but none could really mount a worthwhile attack to get the keepers to react. The match began to open up as Bayern didn’t relent, steadily pushing up the field.
Their pressure forced the Leverkusen defenders to play quicker passes before they could be isolated. Sven Bender looked to feed a simple ball into Aránguiz, but Müller anticipated it, cutting across to intercept. In a flash, Bayern had bodies pouring forward, charging into the box. Müller drove to the edge of the box before slipping a pass to Gnabry, who had darted inside off the right.
Gnabry wasted no time, striking low across the goal with his left foot. The ball fizzed toward the bottom corner, but Hradecky once again came to the rescue, getting down quickly to parry it wide with his fingertips. "That’s another big stop from the Leverkusen keeper!" Rae exclaimed.
[55]
Leverkusen had their first real counter in the second half in the 55th minute when Amiri charged through the middle. He fought past Goretzka marking to unleash a wide through ball onto the left flank for Rakim. The winger latched onto the ball before Pavard could interfere and immediately tried to shimmy away.
Cutting inward ahead of the full back, he sent a through ball into the box, but found himself falling to the ground a second later. The ball whizzed right into the path of Haverts, who timed his run to perfection, holding off Alaba. Receiving the ball with his right, he laid it off for his left, leaning into the Austrian defender as he fired with his left foot.
"Havertz pulls the trigger from close range!" Derek Rae’s voice cut through the tension as the German striker struck cleanly with his left, the ball arrowing toward the near post. Neuer reacted in a flash, diving low, left arm stretched out, managing to parry the effort with just enough force to steer it wide.
The rebound bounced dangerously inside the six-yard box, where Amiri chased the second ball. He moved to steady the bouncing ball, but Boateng came sliding in a second later, hacking the ball out for a corner. "That was a massive chance for Leverkusen!" Robson exclaimed. "A test of nerves had Neuer digging into his bag, and if Boaten isn’t alert there, that’s 2–0."
The corner that followed saw Wendell whip in a curling delivery toward the back post. Tapsoba rose highest, climbing over Lewandowski to meet it, but his header lacked direction, looping harmlessly over the bar. A sigh of relief swept across the Bayern bench, Flick clapping his hands furiously, urging his men to stay switched on.
[60]
The match had turned into a battlefield, each tackle sparking raw emotion from both sets of players. In the 62nd minute, Leverkusen launched a counter after Bender broke up a Munich attack. Quick sequences of passes saw Aránguiz charging up the middle of the field, dribbling past a couple of defenders.
But Kimmich launched himself into a 50–50 tackle with Aránguiz around midfield, their shins clashed as both men tumbled, rolling on the grass, but the referee waved play on. The ball squirted loose to Müller, who charged forward like a man possessed, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Baumgartlinger’s slide tackle.
"Look at the fight here, Stewart!" Derek Rae cried out, his voice matching the electricity of the contest. "Neither team is willing to give an inch."
[65]
[Leverkusen substitutions: Amiri (out), Volland (In), Aránguiz (Out), Demirbay (In)]
In the sixty-fifth minute, Amiri left the game for Kevin Volland, who took up the striker role, pushing Havertz back to the CAM role. Aránguiz also joined him after being forced to sit down due to the earlier tackle. Kerem Demirbay replaced him, rejuvenating the Leverkusen midfield. The changes had an immediate effect, stabilising the midfield, allowing them to control the ball for longer spells of time.
Demirbay broke up a pass meant for Muller with a nifty interception before unleashing a pass wide to Rakim. The winger tapped the ball inwards first time into the run of Havertz, who took it on the half-turn and immediately threaded a delicious through ball into the channel for Volland. The striker, fresh off the bench, muscled his way between Boateng and Alaba, bursting into the box.
The Leverkusen bench rose in anticipation as he struck cleanly across the face of the goal, only for Neuer to stick out a boot and deny him at the near post. The rebound split wide to Diaby, who was making a late run. Davis beat him to it, though, sliding forward to poke it toward Neur, who had risen to his feet. Neuer didn’t even take a touch before launching the ball clear, ending the panic rising in Flick’s heart.
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To Be Continued...