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The signal from the bench was clear—Kevin Volland's night was over. Rakim Rex removed his warmup jacket, revealing his crimson jersey, the number 22 gleaming under the Allianz Stadium lights. Despite the sour circumstances a mix of anticipation rippled through the Leverkusen supporters. The substitution board lit up, displaying Volland's number alongside Rakim's.
Rakim clapped his hands as he waited on the sidelines for the medics to carry Volland off the field after placing him on their stretcher. It didn't take long, and he exchanged a few words with the striker wishing him well and taking the captain's band from him. Jogging on the field among polite applause he calmly placed the band around the arm of Havertz simply because he was the closest.
As Rakim Rex took his position on the left wing, the Allianz Stadium buzzed with anticipation. Leverkusen's supporters, though fewer in number, made their presence felt, chanting and waving flags in support of their team. The scoreboard displayed a 2-2 deadlock, and with thirty minutes remaining, the match was poised for a thrilling conclusion.
Juventus, determined to reclaim their lead, pressed forward with renewed vigor. Pjanić orchestrated the midfield, distributing passes to stretch Leverkusen's defence. In the 65th minute, he found Ronaldo on the left flank. Ronaldo, with a deft touch, cut inside, evading Weiser, and unleashed a curling shot aimed at the far post. Hrádecký, showcasing exceptional reflexes, dived to his right, tipping the ball just wide of the post. The Juventus fans sighed in unison, the near miss a testament to the razor-thin margins at play.
Leverkusen responded with a counterattack a couple of moments later after a failed set piece that saw Tah rise above the crowd to clear the ball. Havertz, now wearing the captain's armband, displayed remarkable composure as he advanced through the midfield. Spotting Rakim making a run behind Cuadrado who was frantically retreating, Havertz delivered a precise through ball.
A foot race ensued but Rakim's speed was evident as he outpaced the Juventus right-back as he hugged the side of the field. Controlling the pass with a delicate first touch just as they reached the final third he came to a sudden stop. Faking a cut inward just as Cuadrado turned to face him he once again accelerated past him down the flank.
Cuadrado was left a step behind and could only chase his shadow as Rakim charged forward poised to break into the box. De Ligt who had tracked back, was the first of the central defenders to stand in his way, remaining composed as the winger neared. However, Rakim had no plans of taking him on as the risk of being stopped rose exponentially the closer to the box he got.
Thus, just as he stepped into the box, he faked a run to words the front post before swerving a curved pass into the box. Bonucci, who had been following Paulinho ready to stop him, could only lung his leg backwards in an effort to yo knock the ball away. He couldn't reach it though no matter how hard he stretched and could only watch in horror as Diaby, who had beaten Sandro calmly swung his foot.
Diaby was never going to disappoint from that close a range. The French winger connected perfectly with the ball, sending it rocketing past Szczęsny at the near post. The net rippled with force, and the Leverkusen supporters erupted in cheers, their voices echoing through the Allianz Stadium. Diaby darted towards the corner flag, sliding on his knees as his teammates swarmed him in celebration.
"Well, Derek Juventus might have a problem because that counter-attack was completed in under 7 seconds from the time Tah cleared the ball." Stewart Robson commented with excitement as he watched the red Lions celebrate at the corner flag waving at their fans.
"Indeed, my friend, I dread to see what this offensive quartet will turn into now that Diaby is back from injury and young Rakim is growing into his own. That's not to mention homegrown Witz who's looking for this chance to break into the starting lineup." Derek analyzed with an equally excited grin as the Juventus players surrounded the ref claiming an offside, but the ref was unmoved.
Even after checking with his earpiece, the verdict stood that none of the Leverkusen players were offside during the build-up of the goal. In the end, the verdict stood Juventus 2:3 Leverkusen with the home side going behind for the first time.
Juventus was forced to kick off the match for the 4th time in today's match as Sarri paced along the coaching area. Ronaldo the man of the hour stood at the Centre spot as he calmly surveyed the field not letting the pressure get to him. He could see some of his teammates warming up on the sidelines, likely looking to ignite a spark in this game but none of that mattered to him at this moment.
He needed to help his team score a goal for there even to be a possibility for a comeback and that is something he has perfected over the years. The saying big players perform in big moments is true to some extent except for the fact Ronaldo is a player who has made those moments his livelihood. The adrenalin rush one feels after rescuing your team from a certain defeat is something he has spent the better part of his career chasing.
As the game resumed, Ronaldo passed the ball back to Pjanić, who quickly distributed it to Khedira in the Centre of the pitch. Juventus began moving the ball with urgency, seeking a quick equalizer. Sarri's animated gestures from the sideline only served to spur them on to look for that quick equalizer.
In the 71st minute, Juventus earned a free kick just outside the penalty area after Aránguiz fouled Bernardeschi during a quick transition. The Allianz Stadium fell into a tense silence as Ronaldo stepped up, placing the ball down with meticulous precision. The wall was set, and Hrádecký positioned himself, ready for the inevitable.
Ronaldo's signature stance followed—a deep breath, a step back, and the iconic wide-leg posture. "he's already punished them once with a set piece let's see if he can do it again," Dereck shouted mirroring the excitement that the home fans were feeling. Having learned from their earlier mistake Weiser laid behind the wall with his back facing Ronaldo.
"Here we go another moment for him to claim his glory," Stewart said as the camera panned over Ronaldo following the Ref whistle. It felt as if the world was watching this moment as he took another deep breath before quickly closing in on the ball.
The next moment Ronaldo unleashed a thunderous strike, sending the ball curling over the wall. Hrádecký reacted instinctively, diving to his left, and managed to parry the ball with his outstretched fingertips. The rebound fell into the path of Higuaín, who attempted to convert, but Tah's heroic block deflected the shot wide.
"Not meant to be as Hrádecký and Tah come to the rescue," Derek exclaimed voicing the disappointed groans from the home side. Hrádecký had come in clutch doing everything right from wall positioning and timing his takeoff.
The resulting corner saw chaos in the box as Bonucci leapt high to meet the ball, his header narrowly missing the target. The tension only continued to increase as the home side no longer played counter-attacking football but actively pressed forward.
Sarri made his changes after seeing the lack of forward creativity, despite preferring conservative tactics he understood that only the winner got to have an opinion. Paulo Dybala replaced Higuain upfront and Arraon Ramsey came on to replace Federico Bernardeschi in midfield. The final change came in the form of Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur who replaced Sami Khedira in the middle of the field.
Maurizio Sarri was sending a message to his team to continue attacking as he not only added creative-minded players but also calmer players to stabilize things. His changes had immediate effects as the redlines faced a suffocating pressure mounting towards them. They could hardly leave their third of the half when they faced the Juventus wolf pack-like defence who dispossessed them and launched an attack.