CHAPTER 145: CLOSE

The game resumed after the celebrations died down, with Frankfurt moving the ball around confidently. Bochum tried to respond, pushing more bodies forward in search of an equalizer, but the Frankfurt midfield trio held firm. Skhiri and Hojlund did the dirty work, breaking up play and slowing the tempo whenever Bochum built any kind of rhythm.

Lukas, meanwhile, drifted in and out of pockets between the lines, dictating the play whenever the ball found him. His quick turns and calm passes helped keep control, frustrating the home side’s attempts to press.

"Frankfurt seem to be managing the game now," one of the commentators noted. "They’re not forcing things, just keeping possession and killing the crowd’s momentum after that opening goal."

There were a few half-chances toward the end of the half — a long-range strike from Bero that Trapp caught comfortably, and a header from Ekitike that went just wide — but nothing that truly threatened to change the scoreline.

The home fans grew restless. Every misplaced pass or wasted cross drew groans and whistles. Frankfurt didn’t mind; they were in control.

After a final spell of patient passing along the backline, the referee glanced at his watch and blew the whistle for halftime.

Halftime: VfL Bochum 0 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt

The players jogged off the pitch, the away end singing loudly behind them. Lukas gave Ekitike a light tap on the shoulder as they headed down the tunnel, both of them smiling. It wasn’t a perfect half, but it was efficient — and it was theirs.

Inside the dressing room, Toppmöller’s tone was calm. A few tactical reminders, a word on keeping focus, and that was all. Everyone knew the job wasn’t done yet.

As they re-emerged for the second half, the late afternoon sun was dipping behind the stands, painting the Ruhrstadion in shades of amber and shadow. The crowd was loud again, hopeful that their team could fight back.

The referee checked both goalkeepers, took one last look around, and raised the whistle to his lips.

FWEEE!

The second half kicked off with Frankfurt leading by a single goal. The away supporters were in full voice, urging their team to finish the job.

"Second half underway here in Bochum. Eintracht Frankfurt with a narrow 1–0 lead courtesy of Hugo Ekitike’s first-half strike. But Bochum are a dangerous side, especially at home. You can feel that pressure building already."

Bochum came out with intent. Their forwards pressed higher, forcing Trapp to go long more than he would’ve liked. The midfield battle was getting scrappy, with Stöger dictating play for the hosts. Frankfurt tried to slow things down, but Bochum were having none of it.

Then came the moment of brilliance that silenced the Ruhrstadion.

48th minute.

Skhiri intercepted a loose pass in midfield and quickly laid it off to Bahoya, who turned and found Ekitike dropping deep.

Ekitike nudged it to Bahoya again, who switched the ball to Buta on the right flank. Buta saw Bahoya’s forward run, but instead rolled it square for Bahoya to continue the play.

"Eintracht patiently working it around... Buta, Bahoya, Skhiri... and now it’s back with Ekitike. They’re looking for an opening."

Ekitike spotted Bahoya darting into space down the left and threaded a pass between defenders. Bahoya got to it first, cut inside, and squared for Lukas Brandt, who was waiting just outside the box.

He took one touch forward and smashed it with his right foot.

"Lukas Brandt! That’s flying— OH! OFF THE CROSSBAR! But it’s fallen for Ekitike! 2–0 Eintracht Frankfurt! The teenager denied by the bar, but Ekitike was there to clean it up! Frankfurt double their lead!"

The Frankfurt bench erupted. Bahoya ran straight to Lukas, grabbing his shoulders and shouting something in disbelief — that could easily have been the goal of the night.

Bochum’s defense looked rattled. The crossbar was still shaking. Lukas just smiled, shaking his head slightly as Ekitike pointed at him during the celebration. Everyone knew who’d made that goal happen.

After the restart, Bochum tried to claw their way back. They pushed forward aggressively, and Frankfurt were pinned deep for stretches of the next 15 minutes.

Lukas had to drop back several times to help Kristensen on the right. He wasn’t just attacking — he was defending, orchestrating, shouting instructions.

By the 62nd minute, Bahoya was subbed off for Ansgar Knauff, who immediately took up position on the right wing. Lukas drifted into a slightly central role, linking up between the lines.

"Here’s the young man again — Lukas Brandt. You just feel like something happens every time he gets the ball, don’t you?"

He picked up possession near the halfway line, Stöger closing him down. A quick feint, a drag-back, and Stöger was left facing the wrong direction.

Lukas skipped past two more, Osterhage and Losilla, before cutting inside onto his left. The crowd gasped.

"Brandt still going... look at the balance! He’s gliding past blue shirts like they’re cones... still Brandt! Into the box— tries to curl it— SAVED! Brilliant stop by Riemann!"

The rebound was cleared, but the stadium buzzed with energy. Even the home fans applauded that run.

"He might not have scored, but that was special. A real glimpse of what this kid can do. He just carved through half the team."

Time ticked on. The game was still open, but Frankfurt looked in control.

Then came the 74th minute, the move that sealed the points.

Lukas received the ball on the right flank, just inside Bochum’s half. He looked up, saw Knauff making a diagonal run behind Wittek, and knew exactly what to do.

"Brandt with space to run into... skips past one; lovely footwork to beat Osterhage again... Still going... now the through ball— that’s perfection! Knauff is in!"

Knauff took it in stride, raced into the box, and cut it back toward the penalty spot. Skhiri arrived late and struck first time.

"Skhiri!!! 3–0 Eintracht Frankfurt! That’s stunning! What a move! Brandt to Knauff to Skhiri — pure precision football!"

The Frankfurt players mobbed Skhiri as Lukas jogged over with a grin. He didn’t score. He didn’t assist officially. But his fingerprints were all over it; every spark in the attack traced back to him.

Moments later, Toppmöller made the change — Lukas off for Uzun in the 75th minute.

The young midfielder left the pitch to a chorus of applause from both sets of fans. Even the home supporters knew they had just seen something special.

"Substitution for Eintracht Frankfurt: number 49, Lukas Brandt, replaced by number 16, Can Uzun. What a shift from the youngster tonight. He’s been everywhere."

Bochum kept pushing, and they were rewarded late on.

In the 88th minute, a corner was swung in from the right, headed down, and Hofmann reacted quickest to poke it past Trapp.

"Bochum pull one back! 1–3 with just minutes to go."

But it was too little, too late. Frankfurt held firm through stoppage time.

Full Time: VfL Bochum 1 – 3 Eintracht Frankfurt

"An excellent away performance from Eintracht Frankfurt. Goals from Ekitike, Skhiri, and that crossbar-shaking effort from Lukas Brandt leading to the second — that’s what made the difference tonight," the commentator rounded up.

Down on the pitch, Lukas smiled as he high-fived Ekitike and Knauff. He hadn’t been on the scoresheet — but everyone could feel it:

the game had his mark everywhere. Together, they applauded the away fans who had travelled to support them.

After this win, Eintracht Frankfurt had amasssed 50 points and remained 3 points behind Leverkusen. Bayern had 62 points, and were already running away with the title, but a place in the Champions League as well as a Europa League trophy were still up for grabs, and Lukas was adamant on pushing his team over the finish line.

* * *

The ride back to Frankfurt was calm, the kind of quiet that came after a satisfying win. A few players were chatting at the back of the bus, their laughter breaking through the hum of the engine every now and then, while most others scrolled through their phones or watched clips of the match on the team tablets.

Lukas sat halfway down the aisle, by the window, headphones on but no music playing. The city lights from passing towns flickered across his face as he leaned against the glass, thinking. He could still picture the ball rattling off the bar before Ekitike tapped it in. Close — too close. He wanted that one.

Across the aisle, Koch stretched his legs and turned toward him. "You really can’t sit still after a game, can you?"

Lukas smiled faintly. "Just replaying stuff in my head."

"Let me guess," Koch said, taking a sip from his water bottle. "The one that hit the bar?"

"Yeah," Lukas replied with a quiet laugh. "It should’ve gone in."

"Relax. You created it. That’s what matters," Koch said, leaning back. "Besides, the rebound went in. You can still claim half a goal."

"Half a goal doesn’t show up on the stats," Lukas said, shaking his head.

A/N: How are y’all doing. For me, I feel terrible. Think I’ve got some new strain of covid. I’ve felt like crap the past two days. Literally had to force myself to write the last 3 Chapters for MGS and win-win. Hopefully tomorrow’s better. Did the test today, waiting for the result. Hopefully it’s nothing and I’ve just caught a cold.

Stay safe y’all.

Love y’all.

-Writ.