CHAPTER 625: CHAPTER 625 SEMI-FINAL BALL

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[18/08/2020 | Time: 14:00 PM | Hotel Tivoli Avenida Liberdade, Lisbon]

Cinderella, for five entire days, the Leverkusen side felt like they were in a fairy tale. They could all feel it in the air, or maybe it was in the water at the hotel, but every member of the team was brimming with the belief that they could go all the way. Five days was also all the time they had between making history against Leipzig and facing Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.

Five days to recover, prepare, and somehow find a way to beat one of Europe’s most expensively assembled squads, and they did just that. The Leverkusen players sat in the team meeting room, the euphoria of their quarter-final victory now replaced by focused tension. On the screen at the front, footage of PSG played on a loop, showcasing the Mbappé, Neymar, and Di María trio.

The attacking line-up was arguably the best in the world and, for sure, one of the most dynamic, with each player bringing a different kind of playstyle. They were the definition of Moneyball, with players on their bench that any mid-table team would salivate over. All that was held together by the rock-solid presence of Thiago Silva, who marshalled the defence.

"They’re beatable," Peter Bosz said, though his voice carried less conviction than usual. "But we need to be at our best. No mistakes, no lapses in concentration. One moment against these guys, and they’ll punish you."

Rakim watched the footage intently, studying how PSG’s full-backs pushed high in response to the attacking players’ movements. They were frighteningly good, and everyone in the room knew it. Fans joked about how much money the club wasted each year but couldn’t manage to win a major trophy. But the fact remains that they have some of the best currently playing players.

Peter Bosz continued to break down their opponent as he went more in-depth into their game plan. The squad had already been announced, and this was just about getting them ready to perform on the night.

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[18/08/2020 | Time: 20:45 PM | Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon]

The Estádio José Alvalade hummed with artificial crowd noise piped through speakers, a surreal attempt to recreate atmosphere in the empty stadium. PSG, in their iconic navy and red, looked every bit the European powerhouse. Leverkusen, in their red and black, looked determined, ready to conquer another giant on their path to glory.

Peter Drury’s voice carried its usual gravitas: "Good evening from Lisbon, where two different footballing philosophies are set to clash. Bayer Leverkusen conquered Leipzig on their way here, and Paris Saint-Germain, a team built to win this very competition, beat the likes of Dortmund and Atlanta. Can the German underdogs produce another miracle?"

Jim Beglin added, "It’s a fascinating contrast, Peter. PSG’s squad cost over half a billion euros to assemble. Leverkusen’s? Probably a tenth of that. But we’ve seen a couple of times that money doesn’t always guarantee success."

The two continued to entertain the viewers as the opening ceremony commenced. Everything went by promptly, and before the viewers knew it, they were lined up on both sides with PSG set to kick off.

[1’]

The whistle blew, and PSG immediately stamped their authority on the match. Their passing was crisp and measured as they quickly settled into the match. Verratti collected the ball deep, played it wide to Bernat, who found Di María with a delicate chip. The Argentine’s first touch was sublime, and within thirty seconds, Leverkusen were facing an attack.

"Early pressure from PSG," Drury observed. "They’re not giving Leverkusen a second to breathe."

The Argentine forward stormed down the right flank, dribbling past Wendell with a nifty piece of footwork. Instead of trying to cross the ball to Neymar, who was playing the striker role, he cut the ball inwards to Marquinhos. At the top of the box, the Brazilian nudged the ball beyond Demirbay and let loose a shot from range. The strike was explosive, flying past Tah’s outstretched leg as it sped towards the bottom left corner.

Hradecky, between the sticks, scrambled to move across his line and over to meet it, managing to get a hand to the ball, deflecting out for a corner. "Marquinhos from range sends a warning shot," Beglin commented as the Finnish keeper sprang up to give his team an earful.

[12’]

Things calmed down following the first strike as the German side played compact, working on absorbing pressure and launching quick counters. Diaby on the left flank and Wirtz on the right became the outlets, putting pressure on Kehrer and Bernat. Despite creating a couple of threatening chances, they were unable to threaten Rico in the PSG goal much.

PSG wouldn’t let them figure it out either, as a shift in Neymar’s position disrupted their entire formation. The Brazilian dropped deep to collect possession, turned Baumgartlinger inside out with a casual elastico, and threaded a pass through to Mbappé. The French striker’s pace was electric, Lars had him covered one moment, and then he was gone.

Inside the box, Tah moved to close down the angle, but a nifty hesitation and feint toward the near post threw him off. Hardecky was also caught off guard, moving too close to the near post. Before he could react, the young Frenchman simply dinked it over his reach to the far side of the goal, sending the ball floating into the net.

"MBAPPÉ!" Drury’s voice rose. "And PSG lead! One chance, one goal and now they celebrate." The celebrations from the PSG side were professional as they expected this much. Just like the Galactico, they were built to win this trophy, still they were happy to stamp their authority early.

[PSG 1-0 Leverkusen - Mbappé 12’]

[23’]

Leverkusen tried to respond, but PSG’s press was suffocating, with Verratti and Herrera working in tandem to cut off passing lanes. Every time Havertz dropped deep to collect, he found himself surrounded by navy shirts. Their usual build-up play wasn’t working as well, forcing them to play faster.

In the 23rd minute, Wirtz finally found space on the right, receiving from Lars Bender. He drove forward, but Bernat showed him outside. The young German tried to cut back, but Marquinhos read it perfectly, sliding in to win the ball cleanly. Before Leverkusen could reset, PSG were countering.

Neymar collected near the halfway line, his first touch taking him away from Baumgartlinger. He glided forward, drawing defenders, before sliding a perfectly weighted pass into Di María’s run. The Argentine was through on the right side of the box, but Hradecky rushed out bravely, making himself big and forcing the shot wide.

"Hradecky to the rescue again," Drury said. "But Leverkusen are being carved open here. This isn’t the same team we saw against Leipzig."

"They look nervous, Peter," Beglin observed. "The occasion might be getting to them. PSG are playing with such confidence, such swagger. It’s men against boys at the moment."

[34]

Failing to find an answer for Neymar, the forward received the ball thirty yards from goal, with Baumgartlinger closing him down. The Brazilian simply dropped his shoulder, executed a perfect roulette spin, and glided past him as if he weren’t there. Approaching the box, Bender stepped up to block his path but Neymar shifted the ball with a toe-poke and drew the foul right on the D.

Bender was warned but did not recive an outright booking as teh referee awarded a free kick. The wall was quickly formed with Di María and Neymar standing over the ball. Following the whistle a short run-up from the Argentine saw the ball whipped over the wall, dipping toward the near top corner.

Hradecky read it, shuffled, across his line and clawed it away with his right hand. The rebound dropped at Herrera’s feet but Tah wedged himself between him and teh ball and cleared it out for a Corner. Di María fizzed it flat to the penalty spot. Marquinhos attacked it, with a glancing header toward the back post but it was wide by inches.

"Leverkusen hanging on," Drury said. "They need a spell of control."

[38’]

Leverkusen finally stitched a string of threatning passes togetehre creating a real attacking opportunity. Demirbay dropped between centre-backs, slid Wendell down the line. One-twos with Diaby opened a gap allowing them to find Havertz’s in the middle of the field; he cushioned it, rolled it past Kehrer, and snapped a shot through Thiago Silva’s legs.

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To Be Continued...