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The Leverkusen bench erupted, fists raised and shouts echoing from Peter Bosz and his coaching staff. On the pitch, Paulinho was mobbed by his teammates, his celebratory scream drowned out by the jubilant cheers from the travelling Leverkusen fans. Bosz gestured animatedly, urging his players to maintain the pressure and capitalize on Juventus's momentary lapse.
Sarri, on the other hand, paced the sideline, visibly annoyed. He barked instructions at Alex Sandro and Bonucci, demanding composure and tighter marking. The Old Lady had been caught off guard, and Sarri knew his team couldn't afford to let the visitors build any more momentum.
Juventus sought to restore their dominance. Matuidi and Khedira worked diligently to reassert control in midfield, spraying passes to stretch Leverkusen's defensive line. Pjanić, the orchestrator, dropped deeper to dictate the tempo, launching a long ball over the top toward Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward outjumped Jonathan Tah, nodding the ball into Higuaín's path.
Higuaín, with his back to goal, expertly shielded the ball from Sven Bender before laying it off to Bernardeschi, who charged forward. The Italian rifled a shot from the edge of the box, but Hrádecký was equal to it, diving low to his left to palm the ball away for Wendell to collect.
Seizing the opportunity Leverkusen counterattacked with purpose as Wendell sent a crisp pass up the flank to Volland. The forward wasted no time dropping the ball off to the centre where Havertz lurked ready to initiate an attack. He didn't disappoint his teammates, only taking one touch to steady himself before unleashing a defence-splitting through ball down the right flank.
With how far forward the old lady had pushed forward to put pressure on them it had left quite a bit of yard behind their back lines. Thus, it came as no surprise when a crimson thunder sped along the right touchline chasing after the ball trying to reach it before it went out. Sandro was once again forced to turn abruptly but this time had more time to make up for his mistake.
Chasing back, he caught up with Diaby by the time the winger had managed to halt the ball on the line. Facing him with his back to the box behind him he regained his composure not willing to let his opponent beat him once again. He did not believe Leverkusen's 19 could beat him now that they were stationary.
Diaby glanced over his shoulder, surveying the box as Leverkusen's attackers swarmed forward like a crimson tide. Sandro crouched lowering his centre of gravity, his body poised to block any move. Diaby, unfazed, performed a few stepovers debating how to sell his next move as he made brief eye contact with the defender ahead of him.
"It's all about the eyes and shoulders bro, any defender worth their salt reads that to stop you so if you can sell it half your job is done." He remembered Rakim's words when they discussed how best to get by players both stationary and on the move without implementing fancy skill moves.
Thinking of this his left foot flashed over the ball pulling his centre of gravity in the same direction, looking as if he'd cut back. His right shoulder pulled across his body as his head movement followed, but the very moment his foot connected with the ground his right foot that followed suddenly knocked the ball down the line. The very next moment he disappeared from Sandro's vision as he exploded down the wing latching on the ball before it could reach the corner flag.
The Leverkusen fans roared as Diaby surged past Sandro, leaving the Juventus defender scrambling in his wake. Diaby's pace was electrifying, and the space ahead of him seemed to open up like a runway. He reached the edge of the box and, with a quick glance, spotted Paulinho darting into the six-yard area. Haverts and Volland also surged into the box from their respective angles as they battled their markers.
He had many options and wasted no time picking out a player as he delivered a lofted cross into the box. Time seemed to halt as Paulinho came to a sudden halt on the 6-yard-line with a baffled look as the ball was too high for him to reach. Turning to see the ball that seemed to just hang in the sky as it travelled out to the area around the back post.
He wanted to ask his French brother whether he was setting him up or trying to link up with Jesus. After all, he was barely 5ft7 and even if he had hops like Ronaldo he wouldn't reach that ball. Watching as the ball dropped slightly, he watched two majestic figures rise to meet it in the air.
Volland faced Bonucci in the air as they both struggled for dominance, but the German striker came out on top managing to hang in the air a bit longer. He did not disappoint as he swung his towards goal connecting with the ball cleanly only messing up his perfectly gelled hair slightly. Not willing to waste this opportunity like he did in the first half he put his all behind that header.
Volland's header surged toward the far corner of the goal, and for a moment, the stadium held its breath. Szczęsny, aware of the threat, dove toward the ball, fully extending his right hand in a desperate attempt to keep it out. His fingers grazed the ball, but it wasn't enough. With a dull thud, the ball ricocheted off the post and rebounded into the net.
The Leverkusen players erupted in celebration once more, rushing toward Volland who slipped to the ground following his mega jump. "he's hit the post once again but this time the outcome is in his favour. Kevin Volland equalizes the score for the Red Lions, the score reads 2:2 here at the Allianz Stadium," Dereck Rae exclaimed as the camera panned over the celebrating visiting fans and the players swarming towards Volland.
The Visitors who had been prepared for their team to suffer a major thrashing after the first half were now jumping for joy. Bears were flung into the air as the Lions fans embraced each other already smelling the comeback. However, their jovial mood was quickly halted as a few spotted their player's worried look's. They didn't run off to celebrate and instead stood over the groaning figure of Volland who clutched his left ankle in pain.
"Oh my, Volland remains on the ground and from the looks of it he seems to be in pain." Stewart Robson commented as the camera showed the worried figure of Baumgartlinger calling for a medic. The Juventus players, seeing this, thought he was simply trying to waste time, but the referee was unconvinced and called for the medic to enter after allowing the goal.
The Juventus players were quickly silenced upon gazing at how Volland's standing foot twisted on his descent. The striker had practically crash-landed as his ankle
gave out from under him. The Allianz Stadium was filled with tension as the Leverkusen players huddled around Volland, who grimaced in pain, as Thomas Muller the team's head doctor jogged onto the field with an assistant.
Volland's face contorted in pain as he grimaced, clutching his left ankle tightly. Dr Muller quickly knelt beside Volland, inspecting his ankle. His assistant also assisted after placing his medic bag on the side, but his expression became grave the moment he caught sight of the striker's ankle. It was swelling fast, already turning blue on some part and the only serving grace was the fact it didn't look dislocated.
"Sir..." he began saying but was quickly cut off by the older doctor. "Spray it and wrap it up, Simon," following his sombre words he looked to the side of the field where his worried friend was waiting for his verdict.
In response, he could only shake his head causing Peter Bosz's expression to sink further as he turned to his assistant manager Fredrick Bauer to make the pre-discussed changes. Volland was always meant to come off if his performance didn't pick up, but he had seen a positive change since the beginning of the second half. Added to that he managed to score a wonderful goal proving just why he was his favourite forward, but now he was coming off with an injury just when his performance was picking up.
"Sigh, let's just hope it's not too bad," he muttered under his breath as Fredrick Bauer called for Rakim who was watching the ongoing on the field with worry along with the other players.