CHAPTER 639: CHAPTER 639 MADRID 2

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Just in time to dodge a lunge from Casemiro, who had attempted to steal the ball from behind. Moving the ball past his body, he played a weighted through ball behind Madrid’s now disjointed defensive line. Schick had timed his run to perfection, staying onside by inches as he latched onto it.

Varane was tracking him, but the Czech striker had half a yard of space and pushed off him, creating some separation. As Courtois rushed out, Schick didn’t panic; he opened up his body and calmly side-footed it past the advancing keeper into the far corner.

"GOOOAAAAAL!" Tyldesley roared. "PATRICK SCHICK! Leverkusen have taken the lead against Real Madrid! What a finish!"

"A bit of brilliance and they take the lead," McManaman added, his voice full of admiration. "Rakim picks him out beautifully, and Schick’s finish is ice-cold. Courtois had no chance."

[Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Real Madrid — Schick 31’]

[38’]

Madrid tried to respond immediately after conceding, they pushed higher, forcing Leverkusen deeper in their own half. In the thirty-eighth minute, they created a golden opportunity. Kroos picked up the ball in midfield and played a sublime through ball that split Leverkusen’s defence.

Benzema was onto it in a flash, beating his man and racing through on goal with only Hrádecký to beat. The French striker raced towards the ball, trying to get there before the keeper. Realising he didn’t have enough time, he chose to strike it with his first touch, aiming toward the bottom right corner.

Hrádecký kicked out his foot, managing to clip the ball enough to divert it wide of the goal. "HRÁDECKÝ AGAIN!" Tyldesley screamed. "What a beautiful save."

"Benzema hit that sweetly," McManaman said. "But Hrádecký somehow reaches it, great goalkeeping display here in the BayArena"

The corner was cleared, and as the half entered its final minutes, both teams continued to create chances. Asensio forced another save from Hrádecký with a curling effort, while at the other end, Diaby’s shot was deflected just wide by Ramos’s outstretched boot.

[45+2’]

The final action of the half came in stoppage time. Madrid won a free kick thirty yards from goal after Baumgartlinger fouled Valverde. Moments later, Kroos and Valverde stood over it, discussing who would take it.

After a round of discussion, Kroos stepped up to take it. His delivery was sweetly hit, curling over the wall with a wicked dip, heading toward the top corner. Hrádecký was already moving, launching himself to his left. His fingertips reached the ball just enough to tip it onto the crossbar.

The rebound fell into the six-yard box, where Tapsoba and Asensio were both immediately lunging toward the ball. They both hit the ball almost simultaneously, sending it ricocheting around the box, bouncing off a few legs. Casemiro smacked at it at the edge of the box, sending it goalward with force.

"Casemiro!" Tyldesley roared as the ball shot towards the goal. It never reached the goal, though, as it deflected off Benzema’s boot, slipping out for a goal kick. "It’s not meant to be, and Leverkusen narrowly escape the equaliser?" The referee glanced at his watch and raised the whistle to his lips.

[FWEEEEEEET]

[Halftime: Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Real Madrid]

"Well, Steve, that was one of the most entertaining first halves of Champions League football we’ve seen this season," Tyldesley began.

"Absolutely," McManaman agreed. "Both goalkeepers have been sensational. Courtois was bested once, while Hrádecký managed to keep his net safe."

"Madrid will feel they should be level," Tyldesley continued. "Benzema and Vinícius both had clear chances. But credit to Leverkusen for keeping their lead."

"Zidane will need to change something," McManaman added. "Maybe bring on Modrić or Hazard to add more creativity. Because right now, Leverkusen are matching them everywhere on the pitch."

~~~

[46]

The second half began with a Leverkusen kickoff, and unlike in the first half, when they sat back, they full-on attacked. The front quartet launched waves of attacks forward as Rakim and Diaby became active on the flank. Around the 69th minute, Palacios dinked a pass over Valverde, finding Raki in a bit of space.

The winger chested it down under pressure and laid it off to Amiri, who was running ahead of Casemiro. Resisting the Brazilians’ attempt to hold him, he slipped a through ball towards the right side of the Madrid box. Diaby and Mendy came racing in neck to neck, trying to reach the ball first.

Both Frenchmen fought tooth and nail, but Diaby reached it a fraction of a second faster and chose to hit it directly. Courtois instinctively dove to his left in response, but he wasn’t needed as Mendy slid in, deflecting the shot away with an outstretched boot. Varane picked up the loose ball but quickly found himself under pressure from Shick and Rakim.

Playing it wide to Vázquez did not alleviate the pressure, as the German side’s formation merely shifted that way, and two more bodies pressed the Madrid man. Forced to play the ball back to Courtois, the keeper booted the ball long before anyone could get close. It alleviated the pressure for a moment, but Tah managed to wrestle the ball free from Benzema, who attempted to hold up play.

The Leverkusen attacks continued relentlessly, raining down shots from every angle that opened up. The younger squad seemed to make it their mission to run more than their opponents, as they never arrived second to a ball. In the first ten minutes of the second half, they managed seven unanswered shots on target, but narrowly failed to convert.

[55]

Zidane had seen enough. In the fifty-fifth minute, he made his first changes, bringing on Luka Modrić and Eden Hazard for Valverde and Asensio. Hoping to unlock the situation with the Croatian’s experience and Hazard’s creativity to push back on their opponents’ relentless pressure.

"Big changes from Zidane," Tyldesley noted. "Modrić and Hazard—two world-class players coming on to try and salvage this match."

"Madrid needs something different," McManaman agreed. "They’ve been second best for most of this match and Zidane knows it."

The change did not have an immediate impact on Leverkusen’s offence, but when Madrid won the ball back, they regained more control. Leverkusen found it harder to put pressure solely on Kroos now that Modric was there to help guide the passes. In the 57th minute, Kroos lost his marker and demanded the ball from Vinícius on the flank.

The pass came in hot with Baumgartlinger hustling to make up for his defensive error, but the German did not panic. He scanned forward before flicking the incoming ball backwards into the feet of Casemiro. The barzillain released it forward into the run of Modric, and the Croatian playmaker dribbled forward at pace.

He skipped past Amiri as he crossed the halfway line, dribbling past two black and red shirts in his way. Before Palacios could close him down, he released a sharp through ball down the left flank. His ball found the feet of Vinícius Junior, who was on the far shoulder of Frimpong.

The Brazilian Superstar didn’t even give Frimpong a chance as he faked a cut inwards before bursting past on the wing. Before the Dutch fullback could react, he cut across him, charging into the box at full speed. Tapsoba stepped across to cover, but Vinícius was already shaping to shoot.

His strike was fierce and low, aimed at the near post. Hrádecký dropped quickly, getting down to push it away with a strong hand, but the rebound spun loose to the edge of the six-yard box. Benzema was already there, reacting faster than anyone, and from six yards out, he couldn’t miss. The French striker side-footed it into the empty net.

"KARIM BENZEMA!" Tyldesley roared. "Real Madrid are level! Modric barely in and he gets Vinícius moving!"

"That’s world-class movement from Benzema," McManaman added. "He’s always in the right place at the right time. Modrić’s introduction has changed the game completely—that pass was sublime."

[Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 Real Madrid — Benzema 57’]

The Madrid bench erupted in joy, and Zidane pumped his fist in celebration. Benzema sprinted toward the corner flag, sliding on his knees in celebration as his teammates mobbed him.

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To Be Continued...