Chapter 590: Chapter 590 Hat-Trick
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[73]
The corner came in with venom, Kimmich’s delivery curving wickedly toward the near post, where the bodies of both sides clashed in a flurry of shoves and leaps. Javi Martínez, fresh off the bench, stamped his authority by outmuscling Demirbay to flick the ball across the face of the goal. A sharp intake broke the stadium’s silence of breath from players and benches alike as the ball skimmed inches above Lewandowski’s head and bounced dangerously toward the far side.
It was Perišić again who arrived, with a late run to the back stick. He stooped low, contorting his neck to redirect the ball on target, but his effort thudded against the side-netting. Relief swept over the Leverkusen defenders, in contrast to the frustrations of the German champions.
Derek Rae’s voice cut through: "Bayern Munich showing their teeth, Stewart. Leverkusen cannot keep giving away these set pieces."
Robson replied coldly: "And look who’s causing problems—Martínez, already. It’s no wonder Flick trusts him; he’s a monster in the air. Leverkusen have to be sharper, otherwise one of these is going in."
[76]
The home side tried to respond, Rakim dropping deep into his own third to help carry the ball out. He received from Tapsoba and, with Davis snapping at his heels, not giving him breathing room to manoeuvre, seemingly having learned from his last mistake. Both fought using their bodies, and the winger couldn’t escape in a short time and was forced to spin back before Martínez could intervene in their duel.
Laying it off to Demirbay, the midfielder took a crisp touch and immediately sprayed it wide before Kimisch could close him down. On the left flank, Diaby immediately forced Pavard into a foot race as soon as he got hold of the ball. The Frenchman darted across him once, then twice, twisting Pavard into retreat as he burst into the attacking third.
Spotting Alario lurking near the penalty spot, Diaby whipped in a low cross. The Argentine striker launched forward, but Lucas Hernández slid in at the last moment, his block smothering the danger. The rebound fell to Demirbay on the edge of the box, and he tried his luck with a thumping volley. Neuer, calm as stone, moved his feet swiftly and caught it firmly against his chest.
"That was the chance!" Rae exclaimed. "Demirbay striking through it cleanly, but Neuer proving why he’s still the safest pair of hands in Germany."
[78]
Neuer’s quick release restarted Bayern’s engine immediately. Rolling the ball out to Thiago, the Spaniard had dropped back momentarily, losing his marking. He began orchestrating from deep within his own half, conducting passes left and right until his teammates had pulled Leverkusen’s shape into awkward angles.
Their opponents’ usual high-pressure style of defence had cooled a bit following their retention of the lead. Additionally, with their coach urging them to calm down, it allowed the Spaniard to slowly reclaim territory in the middle third, much like an army on the march. Aránguiz flew in late on Kimmich, desperate to break the spell, and the referee’s whistle shrilled immediately. The Chilean raised his hands, protesting that it was a clean tackle, but the card came out swiftly.
"Yellow for Aránguiz," Rae confirmed, his voice taut. "The referee felt he came through the back there."
Robson added sharply: "And that’s the problem. When you’re chasing Thiago and Kimmich, you grow impatient. But a booking means Aránguiz can’t bite into those tackles anymore. That tilts the midfield battle even more Bayern’s way."
Shortly after receiving treatment, Kimmich stood over the free-kick, thirty-five yards out, too far to shoot but perfect for a delivery. He twisted his right foot along the grass, seemingly checking if it was truly ok. (Fweet) The go signal came, and he left all the worries behind and began his run up.
The two-man wall was almost insulting for a deadball specialist of his calibre, so he treated Rakim and Diaby as if they weren’t there. His right foot whipped the ball well over the two-man wall, fully taking flight, dipping viciously toward the penalty spot. The tussling and shoving intensified as the ball neared, and Lewandowski rose into the air, towering above Tapsoba, and glanced it goalward.
Hrádecký, on the goal line, twisted to his left, trying to get an arm to it, but he just couldn’t reach it. The ball pierced the net with a dull thud, sending it bulging as the Bayern side cheered in jubilation. The Polish striker barely landed, and he was racing off to the sidelines, followed by a crowd of white shirts.
[Leverkusen 2–2 Bayern | Lewandowski 79’]
Derek Rae’s voice thundered: "Robert Lewandowski again! His thirty-first goal of the season, and Bayern drag themselves level at the BayArena!"
Robson cut in, analytical as ever: "And you could feel it building, Derek. Set pieces, pressure, fouls around the box—it was inevitable. Leverkusen switched off for one second, and Lewandowski punished them. That’s what great strikers do."
[82]
Bosz reacted instantly, sending Kevin Volland to the touchline. Alario jogged off, clapping his teammates in encouragement as Volland bounded onto the pitch after a hiatus. But Bayern weren’t in the mood to let the game drift, as they followed the restart and set up camp in Leverkusen’s half.
Occasionally, Rakim, Wirtz and Diaby would make threatening runs on the flank, forcing them back. The end product never took shape, though, allowing Thiago and Alaba to continue recycling possession. In this way, the two midfield pivots continued to mount further attacks, putting pressure on the opposing team.
It all exploded when Kimmich danced past Bailey and Aranguiz in the middle of the field and managed to link up with Thiago a couple of yards ahead. The Spaniard picked out Perišić on the right flank, timing it just right as the winger darted past Leon Bailey. The Croatian winger’s acceleration was devastating, his fresh pace exploiting the space that Bailey and Aranguiz had vacated in their pursuit of Kimmich.
His first touch was clean, as he controlled Thiago’s pass with the outside of his right boot while maintaining his stride. Bailey desperately tracked back, but the winger had already gained the crucial two yards to make something happen.
Cutting inside from the right flank, he drew Tapsoba toward him, forcing the centre-back to abandon his position marking Lewandowski. With defenders converging on him from multiple angles, Perišić threaded a weighted through-ball past the line of defence into the box. Lewandowski timed his run to perfection, escaping Bender’s marking before the latter could react quickly enough.
The striker’s first touch was clinical, taking the ball away from the outrushing Hrádecký. The keeper tried to adjust his stance, but the Polish striker had already separated from him, slotting the ball into the bottom corner far from the keeper’s reach. The Bayern bench erupted in cheers as the ball sent the net bulging with joy, and the scoreboard once again changed in their favour.
Derek Rae’s voice sliced through the hush: "Robert Lewandowski, cold-blooded! Bayern flip the script and he scores his hat-trick!"
Stewart Robson’s voice followed a second later. "What a phenomenal player he is, taking the lead for his team whilst scoring his thirty-second goal of the season."
[Leverkusen 2–3 Bayern | Lewandowski 83’]
[85]
From the restart, Leverkusen tried to rebuild through the pitch’s middle third rather than lashing aimless balls forward. Demirbay showed for it, taking a pass off Aránguiz with his back to the centre circle before spinning out of Thiago’s shadow. He slid the ball right to Rakim, who was already charging ahead.
Davies met him with a low stance, looking to direct him outward, but Rakim chopped inside anyway, drew the contact he was baiting, and won a free-kick twenty-eight yards out, right-of-centre. The referee booked Davies for the clip despite the Canadians’ protest, but the yellow stayed aloft. Demirbay and Rakim stood over the dead ball, trading a couple of words on what they wanted to do.
At the whistle, Rakim ran over it and peeled left; Demirbay went direct instead, fizzing a dipping strike toward Neuer’s near upper right corner. The strike carried venom as it beat the wall, taking the shortest distance to the goal.
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To Be Continued...