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[25/11/2020, 20:35 | UEFA Champions League Group Stage 2nd Leg | BayArena, Leverkusen]

[Bayer 04 Leverkusen Vs Shakhtar Donetsk]

[Commentary Box]

"Good evening and welcome to the BayArena in Leverkusen," Derek Rae's voice carried the familiar warmth of countless European nights. "I'm Derek Rae, alongside Stewart Robson, and we're set for what could be a pivotal evening in Group B of the UEFA Champions League."

"That's right, Derek," Robson added, his tactical mind already engaged. "Leverkusen come into this match sitting third in the group with four points after three matches, but they know a win tonight would put them in contention. Shakhtar, meanwhile, have lost all three of its matches so far. They're out of the race, but as we've seen so many times in European football, a team with nothing to lose can be incredibly dangerous."

The camera panned across the pitch as players completed their final warm-ups. "The team news is particularly interesting tonight," Rae continued. "Peter Bosz has made one significant change from the weekend—Florian Wirtz comes in to start, and notably, Rakim Rex retains his place on the left wing. That's quite a statement from the manager."

"It is indeed," Robson agreed. "You can tell how much faith he has in his young wunderkinds, entrusting them with responsibilities. He can't be faulted as evidence has proven that these two 17-year-olds are indeed special."

While the two were in conversation, Bosz stood with arms crossed, watching the warm-ups with a stoic demeanour. Beside him, assistant coach Marcus Sorg held a tablet displaying Shakhtar's recent tactical setups.

"As we expected, they'll likely sit deep," Sorg observed, gesturing at the screen. "Look at their positioning in the Inter match. Two banks of four, very compact. They're comfortable conceding possession and hitting on the break."

"Which means we need patience," Bosz replied, his eyes never leaving the players. "Our wingers will be key in unlocking their defence. If they can find space between the lines, it will create a lot of problems for them to exploit..." He trailed off, making a small gesture with his hands that suggested fluidity, movement.

"Their fullbacks will push up when they counter," Sorg noted. "Dodô especially. If we win the ball in transition—"

"Exactly." Bosz's expression remained neutral, but there was a glint in his eye. "We've worked on this all week. Now we see if they can execute."

~~~

[25/11/2020, 21:000| UEFA Champions League Group Stage 2nd Leg | BayArena, Leverkusen]

[Bayer 04 Leverkusen Vs Shakhtar Donetsk]

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Formation - Bayer Leverkusen (4-2-3-1):

GK: Lukas Hradecky

RB: Lars Bender

CB: Edmond Tapsoba

CB: Sven Bender

LB: Wendell

CDM: Julian Baumgartlinger

CDM: Kerem Demirbay

RW: Moussa Diaby

CAM: Florian Wirtz

LW: Rakim Rex

ST: Patrick Schick

Vs

Formation - Shakhtar Donetsk (4-2-3-1):

GK: Anatolii Trubin

RB: Dodô

CB: Valeriy Bondar

CB: Vitão

LB: Ismaily

CDM: Maycon

CDM: Marlos RW: Tetê

CAM: Manor Solomon

LW: Taison

ST: Dentinho

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By 9 pm, both teams had finished their pre-match talks, changed into their match kits and had gone through the pre-match ceremony. Now with both teams lined up in their respective formation, they eagerly awaited the referee's opening whistle. They didn't have to wait long as the officials finished their checks and sounded the whistle.

(FWEEEt)

[1]

The referee's whistle pierced the evening air, and Shakhtar immediately took possession. Dentinho laid it back to Maycon, who played it square to Marlos. Eight passes, all within their own half, as they established their rhythm.

"Shakhtar showing no fear early on," Rae observed. "They're comfortable in possession, trying to settle into the match."

Leverkusen's pressing shape materialised immediately. Schick led the line, cutting off the pass back to the centre-backs. Diaby and Rakim positioned themselves to block passing lanes into wide, tightening the playing field. They remained organised, patient, waiting for the trigger.

[3']

The first trigger came when Marlos Shakhtar's defensive midfielder received the ball with his back to the goal, thirty-five yards out. Demirbay pressed aggressively, forcing the Brazilian to play it back to Bondar. The centre-back's first touch was heavy, and suddenly Rakim was there, pouncing on the loose ball.

He intercepted cleanly, pressing his body between the man and the ball, his first touch taking him toward the goal. Dodô scrambled across to cover, but Rakim had squared the ball behind the backtracking Vitão into Patrick Schick's feet.

The Leverkusen striker was unmarked as Vitão had dropped to cover the angle. He controlled the ball with the outside of his right foot, one touch to set himself, and fired from twenty yards. Trubin, between the sticks, scrambled across his line and dove to his right, arms fully outstretched to parry it wide for a corner.

"Excellent save from the young goalkeeper!" Rae exclaimed. "But that's a warning shot from Leverkusen."

[7']

As the two teams settled, it became evident that Leverkusen began to dominate possession. Baumgartlinger and Demirbay controlled the tempo from deep, playing simple passes, probing for weaknesses. Shakhtar sat compact, their two banks of four leaving minimal space between the lines.

However, the further back they sat, the more room they gave to the Leverkusen wingers and full-backs to move up. In one such instance, Baumgartlinger pinged a ball out wide into the off Lars Bender on the right.

The full back advanced ten yards, pushing Diaby to cut inwards, then played it inside to Demirbay. The German midfielder turned past a defender before laying the ball off to Diaby. The French winger found himself rammed by Bondar, but he managed to stay on his feet long enough to slot the ball onto Patrick.

The striker held off Vitão as he tried to break through, but the defender was too strong. He didn't panic as nearby defenders closed in and back-heeled the ball back into Wirtz's run a couple of yards back. The German wunderkind latched onto the ball and sent a slicing through-ball towards the left post.

Racing in from the left flank, Rakim fought with right back Dodô, trying to reach the ball first. Before she could make a move, though, the right back slid forward, poking the ball out for a goal kick. "Dodô to the rescue." Robson's voice rose. "Trubin would have been beaten if Rakim had got on the end of that pass."

"Indeed, that combination play between the Leverkusen side is already causing Shakhtar all sorts of problems," Rae observed. "They're constantly moving, interchanging positions. Shakhtar's defensive shape keeps having to adjust."

[12']

In the 12th minute, Shakhtar tried to establish something going forward. Taison dropped deep to collect from Maycon, turning away from Baumgartlinger's challenge. He played a quick pass to Solomon, who had drifted inside from the right.

The Israeli winger had space and picked out precious space, and Leverkusen's defence was momentarily stretched. He drove forward, at Tapsoba, forcing the Burkinabé to backpedal, trying to delay. Solomon didn't wait, though and played it wide to Tetê, who had made an overlapping run down the right.

Wendell was caught slightly high, and suddenly Shakhtar had a three-on-two situation developing. Tetê's cross was whipped in low and hard, aimed toward Dentinho's run. The Brazilian striker stretched, making contact, but his connection was poor. The ball trickled through to Hradecky, who gathered it cleanly.

"That's better from Shakhtar," Rae noted. "Their first real foray forward, and they created a chance. Leverkusen need to be careful not to get too stretched in possession."

"Lars!" Bosz shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Tighter! Don't let them turn!" The German veteran acknowledged with a raised hand, immediately barking instructions to his defensive line.

Sorg leaned in. "They're getting joy down our left when we commit bodies forward. Wendell needs support."

"Rakim will drop deeper when needed," Bosz replied. "He knows. Let's see if he adjusts."

[17']

Leverkusen built patiently from the back. Hradecky rolled it to Sven Bender, who played it square to Tapsoba. The Burkinabé defender took two touches forward, drawing Dentinho toward him, then played a diagonal pass to Demirbay.

The German midfielder was immediately under pressure from Marlos, but his first touch took him away from the challenge. He looked up, seeing the movement ahead. Rakim had drifted inside again, but this time he showed for the ball deeper, almost in line with Demirbay.

"Here!" Rakim called, pointing to the space in front of him.

The pass came in, and Rakim's first touch was a light chop back that took him away from Maycon's lung as he hopped over his leg. His second touch was a lofted pass, forty yards diagonally across the pitch, finding Diaby in acres of space on the right wing.

"Wonderful vision from Rex!" Rae exclaimed.

Diaby raced onto the descending ball, brought it down with his chest, using his pace to skip past Ismaily. The Brazilian left-back was scrambling, trying to recover, but Diaby was already into the box. He cut back onto his right foot, shaping to shoot, drawing Vitão across.

Instead of shooting, he rolled it back to the penalty spot where Schick was arriving. The Czech striker's shot was powerful, goal-bound, destined for the top corner—

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To Be Continued...