CHAPTER 642: CHAPTER 642 BUSINESS AS USUAL

Please vote to show me your support for the story. The higher we climb in the rankings, the more motivated I will feel. Mass releases will be rewarded for each 10 rankings we manage to climb.

Join Discord to connect with me and share your thoughts on the story so far. https://discord.gg/hTQJtj2K9U

#More than 10 Chapters ahead on my Patreon: patreon.com/TrikoRex

{!!!Please leave a review; it helps me a lot and lets me know how many people are invested in the future of this novel!!!}

~~~

[90+4’]

The strike left Rakim’s boot like a thunderbolt. The ball sliced through the rain, swerving mid-flight with terrifying velocity. Courtois saw it late, frozen for half a heartbeat before hurling himself toward the top corner. His fingertips brushed air, and nothing more.

The stadium seemed to pause as the ball neared. (THWACK!) The booming sound of the ball smacking against the underside of the crossbar resonated. It bounced straight down onto the goal line and spun away. Schick lunged for the rebound, but Ramos was there again, sliding across the turf like a man possessed, clearing it with his boot just before the Czech could connect.

"Ohhh my word!" Tyldesley’s voice broke through the tension. "It hit the bar! It hit the bar and stayed out! Leverkusen were inches—centimetres—from glory!"

McManaman groaned audibly beside him. "How many times have they hit the woodwork tonight? That was destined for the top corner, Clive! Courtois beaten, the crossbar saves Real Madrid again!"

The ball rolled toward midfield, where Modrić collected it calmly, looking to slow things down. The Croatian playmaker shielded it under pressure from Bellarabi and Rakim, waiting for the inevitable whistle. He didn’t have to wait long as Orsato brought the whistle to his lips, blowing it loudly, sending three loud shrieks into the air.

[FT — Bayer Leverkusen 1–2 Real Madrid](Schick 31’ | Benzema 57’, Hazard 75’)

~~~

Rakim and the gang did not have the time to wallow in the first loss of the season, ending a 7-game winning streak. The loss put them in third place, two points behind Inter, who had handed Shakhtar their second group loss. They did not linger on that, though, as they prepared for the next set of games, and their calendar was busy.

---

Their calendar for the next three games looked like this:

01/11/2020 Freiburg, Bundesliga

03/11/2020 Shakhtar, Champions League

08/11/2020 Gladbach, Bundesliga

---

~~~

[01/11/2020 | Bundesliga Week 6 | Europa-Park Stadion | SC Freiburg vs Bayer Leverkusen | Attendance: 0]

The Madrid defeat still lingered in the squad’s collective memory, but professional football waits for no one. Three days later, Freiburg hosted them in what should have been a routine away fixture.

However, Freiburg, compact and well-drilled under Christian Streich, frustrated Leverkusen for seventy minutes. Their low block absorbed wave after wave of attacks, with goalkeeper Florian Müller in inspired form. Rakim, still nursing bruises from Ramos’s physical attention, found himself watching from home under the doctor’s orders.

The breakthrough finally came in the seventy-third minute. Wirtz picked up the ball in midfield and played a sumptuous through ball that split Freiburg’s defence. Schick latched onto it, holding off his marker with strength before slotting it calmly past Müller.

[Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 SC Freiburg — Schick 73’]

Relief more than joy flooded through the team at finally being able to score. For Freiburg, trouble came in pairs as the visitors added a second five minutes later when Diaby broke free on the counter, his pace too much for Freiburg’s tired legs, finishing clinically to seal the three points.

[FT: Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 SC Freiburg]

~~~

[03/11/2020 | Champions League MD3 | NSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv | Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bayer Leverkusen | Attendance: 0]

The trip to Ukraine was brutal. Not the match itself, Leverkusen were professional, but adjusting to the weather conditions took its toll. The NSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium sat empty and freezing, temperatures hovering just above zero as a bitter wind whipped through the open bowl. The Germans could hardly imagine how affected they were despite having a similar winter weather back home.

Shakhtar, already eliminated in spirit after losing their first two matches, offered little resistance. Leverkusen took control early, with Wirtz opening the scoring in the fourteenth minute, finishing off a flowing passing sequence involving Rakim and Amiri. That had the winger sneaking past his man and whipping in a beauty with the outside of his right foot.

Wirtz, as if reading his intention, appeared exactly where the ball would be, poking it in at the near post just as it rounded the centerback. The keeper never stood a chance as the ball blitzed past him, officially moving the scoreboard operator to action.

[Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen — Wirtz 14’]

Rakim added the second just before halftime, resuming his scoring streak that had been interrupted in the Madrid match. Collecting the ball on the left, he skinned his man with a nifty flip flap, cutting inside at pace. Before nearby defenders could close him down, his right foot curled a beautiful effort into the far corner from twenty yards. The ball sailed past Anatolii Trubin, who could only watch as it nestled into the top corner.

[Shakhtar Donetsk 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen — Rex 42’]

The second half was a formality as Bosz got into his back, making substitutions to see the game out. Diaby added a third in the seventy-eighth minute after a quick counter-attack, which saw him leave everyone behind. One on one with the keeper, he was never going to miss and slotted it home, making it three. Schick completed the rout in the 90th minute with a tap-in from close range after a Bellarabi corner.

[FT: Shakhtar Donetsk 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen]

The comprehensive victory put Leverkusen back in the qualification race. With four points from three matches, they sat third in the group behind Inter, who had drawn with Madrid 2-2 earlier that evening.

---

Group B:

Real Madrid - 7

Inter - 5

Leverkusen - 4

Shakhtar - 0

~~~

[08/11/2020 | Bundesliga Week 7 | BayArena| Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Mönchengladbach | Attendance: 0]

The Rhine derby, even without fans, was intense. Gladbach, flying high under Marco Rose, pressed aggressively from the opening whistle. Their gegenpressing style caused Leverkusen problems, forcing turnovers and creating dangerous counter-attacks.

Marcus Thuram gave Gladbach the lead in the twenty-third minute, finishing coolly after a brilliant through ball from Lars Stindl. The goal stunned Leverkusen, who had dominated possession but lacked cutting edge. The early goal boosted the away side’s momentum, and they continued attacking with greater effort.

[Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen — Thuram 23’]

Bosz responded by pushing Rakim more centrally, allowing him to increase his area of activity without being confined to the flank. He immediately made use of the freedom by getting involved in the midfield passing play. He made it look easy playing two-touch football, manoeuvring the ball around the Borussia.

Allowing him to get involved created confusion on the awya side as no one knew who was supposed to mark him at any given time. In the forty-first minute, he snapped to life and for the first time in a while, he didn’t immediately move the ball to a nearby teammate. He exploded past his marker, who had subconsciously moved to block a passing lane, and drove at Gladbach’s defence.

The sudden shift left the defenders flat-footed, and by the time they reacted, he had already crossed past the centre circle. One of the opposing defensive midfielders tried to get in his way, but he did not stop. His left hand pointed left, prompting Alario to make the run, drawing one of the centerbacks.

The player in front of him also reacted, but it was too late as Rakim performed a nimble reverse elastico, breaking through on the right of his man. Swiping past him, he sent an Ozil-style bounce pass into the box, skipping over the outstretched leg of Matthias Ginter into the run of Wirtz. The youngster was well onside as he used his right foot to gently trap the ball down as he surged into the box.

Yann Sommer suregd out trying to apply pressure, but he remained ice cold. Using one touch to control, another to set himself, and finished with a powerful shot, placing it beyond Yann Sommer’s reach.

[Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen — Wirtz 41’]

The second half became a war of attrition. Both teams created chances, but the keepers seemed to be auditioning for their National teams. They played like their careers depended on it, pulling out saves that left both managers awed and frustrated. Hradecky sprung into action, denying Alassane Pléa point-blank with a brilliant save.

Sommer tipping Alario’s header onto the bar after the Argentine had vaulted over Elvedi. In the end, no one could find a winner, and the match ended 1-1, a fair result that left both teams satisfied but not thrilled.

[FT: Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen]

.

.

.

.

To Be Continued...