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[2021-05-15 | Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany | 19:20 CET]

[Bundesliga MW 34: RB Leipzig 0-0 Bayer 04 Leverkusen]

*(FWEEET!)*

[46’]

Leverkusen kicked off the second half, Paulinho tapping it back to Amiri. The playmaker controlled it, then knocked it square to Demirbay, who played it wide to Wendell on the left. The Brazilian fullback took a touch, looking up the field, but Leipzig had already reformed their defensive shape.

Wendell played it back inside to Aránguiz, who turned away from Kampl’s press. The Chilean midfielder drove forward a few yards, then played it across to Bellarabi on the right. The German winger controlled it, but Halstenberg was already closing him down, forcing him back toward the touchline.

Bellarabi tried a quick stepover, but the Leipzig defender didn’t bite, simply shepherding him wide. Frustrated, Bellarabi played it back to Tah, who knocked it long toward Paulinho. Upamecano read it easily, rising above the Brazilian striker to head it clear. The ball fell to Sabitzer at the edge of the centre circle, and Leipzig transitioned.

[52’]

The pattern from the first half continued with Leipzig retaining possession, as Leverkusen sat compact, both sides probing carefully. In the stands, the home supporters kept up their chants, drums beating steadily, trying to will their team forward. Sabitzer received the ball from Klostermann, took two touches as he scanned the field, then played it wide to Mukiele on the right.

The French winger took one touch, then drove at Wendell, who backpedalled carefully. Mukiele tried to cut inside onto his left foot, but Wendell stayed tight, using his body to cut him off and guide him wide. The winger tried to fight through, but Wendell held his ground, forcing him to play it back to Klostermann in frustration.

The German defender controlled it, then struck a cross-field ball toward Olmo on the opposite flank. The pass was slightly overhit, and Olmo had to stretch for it, his first touch pushing it a yard too far ahead. Tah closed the space immediately, stepping across to intercept and clearing it upfield.

Both sides continued to battle out for favourable positions around the pitch, launching a variety of attacks, but none managed to hit the bullseye. In the 54th, Marcel Sabitzer attempted a long-range attempt from outside the box, but a Jonathan Tah slide tackle popped it up. A couple of minutes later in the 58th, Rakim found himself getting lost in a dribble as he broke into the centre of the field, sneaking away from Mukiele and Olmo.

Feinting a pass to Amiri, he snuck away from Amadou Haidara before taking a 28-yard pop just beyond the top of the box with his left foot. He rifled the ball along the slick ground, aimed at the bottom left corner, forcing Péter Gulácsi to dig into his bag of tricks. Lying flat, he managed to get his right palm on the incoming ball, managing to palm it away.

A few more missed opportunities were exchanged between both sides, neither able to put that final nail in the proverbial coffin. It did, however, look likely in the 64th minute when Dani Olmo was taken down with a rough tackle at the edge of the box by Kerem Demirbay. The referee immediately blew his whistle, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a yellow card for Demirbay. The German midfielder didn’t protest, simply nodding as he backpedalled, knowing he’d caught Olmo’s ankle late.

[64’]

Olmo picked himself up, brushing grass off his shorts as he walked toward the ball. The spot was located around twenty-two yards out, in a central position in dangerous territory. The Leverkusen wall formed quickly, with four players linking arms as they followed Hradecky’s instructions to cover the near post while he guarded the far side.

Olmo placed the ball carefully, smoothing out a divot in the grass. He stepped back four paces, hands on his hips, eyes flicking between the wall and the goal. Sabitzer stood nearby as a second option, but this looked like Olmo’s chance. The referee checked that both teams were ready, then raised his whistle.

*(FWEEET!)*

Olmo began his approach, four quick steps, then struck it with his right foot. The ball sailed over the wall with decent pace, dipping toward the top right side. Hradecky tracked it, shifting his weight, then took two steps to his right and gathered it cleanly at chest height.

"Olmo’s tries," Fuss said simply. "And, Hradecky collects."

[68]

Seeing things settle into a stalemate, Bosz made the first change, bringing on Alario for Paulinho. The Argentine striker jogged on, exchanging a quick word with Amiri before slotting in up front. In the 68th minute, Demirbay won the ball in midfield, immediately playing it forward to Alario at the edge of the final third. The Argentine striker controlled it with Upamecano pressing against him from behind.

Alario tried to turn, using his strength to hold off the French defender, but Upamecano stayed tight, not giving him space. Not holding on, he slotted the ball to the left flank, finding the surging Rakim, who escaped Mukiele’s marking. Sweeping the ball along with him, he exploded forward with pace, heading straight for the retreating Lukas Klostermann.

The defender tried to guide him wide as he side-stepped, but the winger’s speed quickly caused him trouble, and he decided to make the stop. Klostermann lunged in, trying to cut off the space, but Rakim had already nudged the ball past him toward the byline. The German defender recovered quickly, turning to chase, but Rakim’s first step gave him the edge as he wedged his body before him.

He drove to the edge of the box, with only Upamecano shifting across from the centre to beat. Alario provided an option behind him, and Rakim half turned as if wanting to slot the ball behind the defender, managing to halt him in his tracks. Almost immediately, his right foot dragged the ball forward, and he completely exploded into the box with no one but Péter Gulácsi in his path.

The keeper who had been sneaking forward exploded ahead, closing the angle, making himself as big as he could. When they were just two meters apart, Rakim shifted the ball slightly to his left with the outside of his boot. Gulácsi dove forward, fully committing with both arms fully outstretched.

Rakim struck it with his left foot, guiding the ball under the keeper’s lunging leg and aiming it at the near post. The ball skidded along the wet turf, staying low just about slipping under his knee as Gulácsi tried to grab it somehow. He could only just about brush it with his fingertips, but it was not enough, as the ball squeezed inside the post and nestled into the net.

"TOOOOOR!" Fuss bellowed. "RAKIM REX! He’s done it!"

He sprinted to the corner flag, wildly waving his arms, ending it with a one-knee slide, slapping the corner flag at the end. The away fans responded in kind, erupting into a cheerful roar as the rest of his teammates joined in his celebration. "One-nil to Leverkusen," Freund said, his voice measured. "And as it stands, they are defending DFB champions."

[RB Leipzig 0-1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen — Rakim Rex 69’]

[71’]

Leipzig kicked off with urgency, looking to attack from the restart quickly, but Leverkusen, as they have been all game, remained tight at the back. They dropped into their own half, absorbing the pressure centrally and guiding it wide, forcing long attempts or hopeful crosses into the box. Seeing the lack of change in the 74th, Nagelsmann used a dead-ball situation to make a double substitution, bringing on Yussuf Poulsen for Sørloth and Christopher Nkunku for Haidara.

The substitution shifted Leipzig’s shape slightly with Poulsen slotting in up top alongside Hwang, while Nkunku took up a more advanced midfield role. The home crowd responded to the shift, raising the volume, trying to push their team forward. The drums in the stands beat faster and more urgently, sounding like a tribal war drum, and Leverkusen’s away section answered back by chanting their songs louder.

While a war of wills played out above Leipzig, the match resumed with a throw-in, Halstenberg finding Sabitzer in midfield. The Austrian took one touch, then played it forward to Nkunku, who had dropped deep to receive. The Frenchman turned sharply, his first touch taking him away from Aránguiz’s challenge.

Nkunku drove forward five yards, drawing Demirbay toward him. He played it wide to Olmo on the left, who controlled it and immediately accelerated at Tah. The Spanish playmaker tried a quick stepover, then cut inside onto his right foot, but Tah stayed compact, refusing to commit.

Olmo was shaped to shoot from twenty yards, but Dragovic stepped up to close him down. Frustrated, Olmo played it to Yussuf Poulsen, who was arriving at the top of the key. The Danish forward struck it first-time, launching a bullet of a strike towards the left side of the goal.

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TO BE CONTINUED...