CHAPTER 662: CHAPTER 662 VS SHAKHTAR DONETSK (2)

Please vote to show me your support for the story. 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!!!}

~~~

[25/11/2020, 21:20| UEFA Champions League Group Stage 2nd Leg | BayArena, Leverkusen]

[Bayer 04 Leverkusen Vs Shakhtar Donetsk]

[17’]

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—Trubin somehow got there.

The nineteen-year-old Ukrainian goalkeeper threw himself upward and to his right, palming it over the bar with an extraordinary reflex save. "WHAT A SAVE!" Robson roared. "Anatolii Trubin is keeping Shakhtar in this match almost single-handedly! That was destined for the net!"

"Three incredible saves already from the young goalkeeper," Rae said, shaking his head in admiration. "Trubin is only nineteen, but he’s showing maturity beyond his years. Shakhtar are under siege here, Derek, but Trubin is giving them a chance."

"He is," Robson agreed, "but you have to wonder how long he can keep this up. Leverkusen are creating chances at will now. The combination play between Rex, Wirtz, and Diaby—it’s exceptional. Shakhtar’s defensive shape is being pulled apart."

[21’]

The corner was swung in by Demirbay, a dangerous in-swinger toward the near post. Tapsoba attacked it, his run taking him past Bondar. His header was powerful, directed downward six yards out.

Ismaily was there at the post and somehow reacted quickly enough to block it with his thigh. The ball spun loose, Schick and Wirtz both converging on it. Schick got there first, stabbing at it, but Maycon threw himself into the block, the ball ricocheting out for another corner.

"This is relentless pressure!" Rae’s voice carried the building tension. "Shakhtar can’t get out of their own half!"

[23’]

The second corner was deeper, finding Lars Bender at the back post. The veteran defender’s header was accurate, but not powerful enough to beat Trubin, who gathered it comfortably this time. The Ukrainian goalkeeper immediately looked to start a counter.

He threw it quickly to Dodô, who had space down the right. The Brazilian fullback controlled and drove forward, as Wendell sprinted back to cover. Dodô played it inside to Tetê, who flicked it first-time into Dentinho’s feet.

The striker held off Tapsoba, turning and playing a quick pass to Solomon. The Israeli playmaker had found space again in the final third, with Leverkusen’s shape momentarily disorganised from the corner. Solomon drove at Sven Bender, performing a quick stepover before cutting inside onto his right foot.

Twenty-five yards out, he struck it cleanly, sending the ball flying toward the top left corner, dipping and swerving in the air. Hradecky was equal to it, diving full stretch to palm it over the bar. "Excellent goalkeeping at both ends!" Rae exclaimed. "Manor Solomon with Shakhtar’s best chance, and Hradecky responds!"

[27’]

Baumgartlinger won the ball in midfield, intercepting Marlos’s pass intended for Taison. The Austrian’s first thought was to play forward, into Wirtz’s feet, who had dropped deep to create a passing angle. But he looked up and saw Rakim making a diagonal run from left to centre, dragging Dodô with him, creating space behind.

The pass was perfectly weighted, played into the space rather than to the feet. Rakim, who had been running level with his marker, burst forward, creating some separation, staying onside by inches. He took the ball in stride, his first touch taking him into the box.

Bondar slid across to cover, and Vitão converged from the side. Rakim was surrounded, the angle tight, Trubin already positioning himself. Instead of shooting, Rakim’s right foot dragged the ball backwards, and his left foot side-footed the ball across the six-yard box as Bondar slid past him.

Schick was there, unmarked, the goal gaping, there wasn’t even a question he had to score. He absolutely had to score. He fought off Ismaily and swung his right foot at the incoming ball. His foot struck the ball, but there was a lot of resistance as he kicked up a plume of earth, sending the ball bouncing into the air.

Trubin, who had been desperately shuffling across— somehow, impossibly — got a hand on the ball that was laizily floating toward the goal. He got a hand to it, sending it back out, smacking against Schick’s shin, rebounding out for a corner. "HOW IS IT STILL 0-0?!" Robson’s voice cracked with disbelief. "Trubin again! This is incredible goalkeeping! Schick is living on borrowed time here!"

Rae let out a long breath. "Stewart, I’ve commentated on a lot of matches, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a goalkeeper make four world-class saves in the opening half-hour of a match. Trubin is having the game of his life."

"He is," Robson agreed, still sounding stunned. "But Derek, at some point, the dam has to break. Patrick Schick should have scored, no argument there, but he seemed to have seen fireworks and dug up the ground."

[32’]

Leverkusen continued their assault in the 32nd minute when Demirbay played a simple pass to Lars Bender, who advanced down the right flank. Ismaily moved across to cover, but the veteran German had already seen Diaby’s movement—cutting inside, creating separation from his marker.

Diaby controlled the incoming ball with his left foot, taking it away from Vitão’s challenge in one motion. He was in the box now, twenty yards out, Trubin positioning himself. Diaby shaped to shoot, drawing the goalkeeper’s weight forward, then cut it back across the goal.

He fired off a shot past the lunging figure of Vitão, but he couldn’t bend it enough, sending it narrowly past the far post. "Moussa Diaby takes a pop but cannot trouble the keeper."

[36’]

In the 36th minute, it started simply with an interception from Wendell of a pass meant for Tetê on the wing.

Not holding onto it, he sent it inside to Baumgartlinger. The Austrian took one touch forward, looking up for options. Wirtz showed for the ball, dropping back at the halfway line. The pass came in, and Wirtz turned with it, his first touch, taking him past Maycon’s halfhearted challenge.

Marlos tried to recover by grasping his jersey, but Wirtz had already accelerated into space, slapping his hand away. Accelerating up the central lane, he looked up once he was twenty-five yards out. Rakim was making a diagonal run from the left, dragging Dodô with him.

Schick was occupying both centre-backs. Diaby was wide right, Ismaily tracking him. Without thinking, Wirtz played the pass—not to any of them, but into the space behind Shakhtar’s defensive line, a perfectly weighted through ball with the outside of his right foot. Rakim anticipated it changing direction mid-stride, leaving Dodô flat-footed, and accelerated into the area behind the centre-backs.

Without waiting for the ball to be in front of him, he adjusted his standing leg and swung out his right foot. The ball bounced in front of him perfectly, and his foot caught it on the half volley. Trubin, who had been rushed out, was forced to guess as he jumped to the right, closing the tight angle.

He guessed wrong but tried to stretch out his left foot to intercept the shot, but there was just too much power behind the shot. He barely managed to skim it with his toe, sending the net rattling as he raced to the corner flag. He performed his familiar Griddy celebration, embracing Wirtz and Diaby, who came to join him.

[Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk — Rakim Rex 37’]

"FINALLY!" Derek Rae’s voice exploded with emotion. "RAKIM REX BREAKS THE DEADLOCK! What a goal! The dam has finally broken!" The BayArena erupted with the 3,000 fans creating the noise of 30,000.

Robson’s voice carried relief. "After all those saves, after all those chances, Leverkusen finally have their breakthrough. And it comes from a familiar number who adds another notch to his goal tally.

On the touchline, Bosz allowed himself a fist pump, turning to Sorg with a nod. "Endlich," he muttered. Finally. The assistant coach grinned, making notes on his tablet. "It would have been troublesome if we hadn’t scored soon. Now let’s see if we can capitalise more on this."

.

.

.

.

To Be Continued...