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[Saturday, 26/10/2019, 19:20, Zdzisław-Krzyszkowiak-Stadion, Poland]
"Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
sind des Glückes Unterpfand
Blüh im Glanze dieses Glückes,
blühe, deutsches Vaterland!"
Singing the last lines of the German national anthem the crowd present at the Zdzisław-Krzyszkowiak-Stadion cheered as a resounding applause descended on the players. What followed was the regular pre-match pleasantries as the German players who are considered the away side walked past the refereeing team and the Japanese players shaking their hands in greeting. The Japanese contingent did the same shaking the hands of the referee before heading to their side for the official team photo.
The picture was taken quickly and Luca today's captain headed towards the referees for the coin toss. Exchanging their countries' pennants and shaking each other's hands and the officiating team they proceeded with the coin toss. However, the cameraman wasn't focused on them as he had at some point zoomed in on Rakim Rex at the centre of the field.
"Well, we haven't seen that before Rakim will be playing in midfield," Paul Gartner said into the mic as the viewer count in the live broadcast continued to climb. Their streaming app had taken the leap and bid to stream this under-20 World Cup and struck gold when a few notable names decided to join.
While most of the young players were less known since they hadn't played senior football in the big leagues yet two names were an exception. The two English boy's Jude Bellingham who is considered the next big thing, and Bukayo Saka who made his Premier League debut this January. If that is not enough the hottest talent to come out of the football desert that is the United States is also participating in this tournament.
The hype of his participation is half the reason more people decided to pay attention to this tournament. That is why Paul Gartner wasn't surprised that currently, they had around 5 million people already tuning into this German opener and the numbers only continued rising.
None of this mattered to Rakim though as he kneeled down on the grass turf to tie his laces. In a moment similar to Maradona as the camera zoomed in capturing his boots in full glory. His hands moved elegantly almost in slow motion as he tied a double bow for lightly brushing his boot once he was done.
As Rakim stood up, the camera panned upwards, capturing his confident expression. Sending a quick wink towards the camera he turned forward with a more serious gaze before saying something to Angelo and Niklas as he dapped them up. They didn't have to wait long as the coin toss ended soon after with Japan winning the kick-off.
[Saturday, 26/10/2019, 19:30, Zdzisław-Krzyszkowiak-Stadion, Poland]
"And we're underway here in Bydgoszcz!" Paul Gartner's voice rang out, full of enthusiasm. "Japan versus Germany in this Under-20 World Cup opener. Two teams packed with talent, but the spotlight undoubtedly falls on a few key players—Rakim Rex for Germany and Takefusa Kubo for Japan. Keep an eye on these two magicians in the middle of the park."
Ayase Ueda wasted no time knocking the ball back to Kubo following the referee's whistle as a tide of green Germany jerseys charged at them. The Japanese playmaker, undeterred by the onrushing pressure, flicked the ball to Ao Tanaka, who quickly shifted it wide to Daiki Sugioka on the left flank.
"Japan starting cautiously here, but they're moving the ball with purpose," Gartner observed as Jamie Leweling engaged in a fierce battle with Daiki who played it safe by knocking it back to Yuki Kobayashi.
Sending a quick pass to Takehiro Tomiyasu, Kobayashi re-cantered Japan's play. Tomiyasu took his time, assessing his options, and sprayed a long diagonal ball to Riku Handa on the right flank.
"That's a lovely switch from Tomiyasu," Gartner remarked. "Japan showing their technical prowess early on, keeping Germany on their toes."
Kevin Schade immediately closed down Handa, but the Japanese full-back was quick on his feet, feinting past Schade with a slick touch before driving up the field. He threaded a through ball toward Ritsu Doan, who had made a darting run into the right channel.
"Doan's on the move!" Gartner exclaimed. "This could be dangerous for Germany!"
But Niklas Tauer had other ideas. The towering defensive-minded midfielder surged forward, intercepting Doan's attempt to cut inside with a perfectly timed sliding tackle. Tauer quickly rose to his feet, calmly recycling possession with a short pass to Angelo Stiller. The German midfield duo began to dictate play, with Stiller dropping deeper to collect the ball and orchestrate from the back.
A quick one-two between Stiller and Bella-Kotchap opened up space for the Germans to advance. Rex slipped away from his marker on the halfway line dropping into open space on the left side in the blind side of Ao Tanaka. Stiller spotted his movement and sent a perfectly weighted pass into the half-space.
A defender quickly stepped up behind him ready to stop him then and there but Rakim nearly faked turning left before deftly turning right. Takuya Yasui was left reaching for air as he was a step too late to react leaving him frozen on the spot. Dribbling forward it looked like he would ignite a blistering dribble through the middle of the Japanese defence.
He did not though as he came to a sudden halt performing a quick L turn to dodge the slide tackle of the recovering Ao Tanaka. Not holding onto the ball, he sent a weighted pass to the left flank into the feet of Kevin Schade. The winger was quickly swarmed by Ritsu Doan and Riku Handa, the latter dropping deep to help defend against the German attack.
Schade hesitated for a moment as Ritsu Doan and Riku Handa closed in, their coordinated movement cutting off his immediate options. With a subtle shimmy, Schade shifted the ball onto his right foot and attempted a quick lofted pass over the Japanese defenders toward Lenn Jastremski, who had positioned himself between the centre-backs.
"Schade looking for Jastremski in the box," Gartner said, leaning into the tension of the moment.
But Takehiro Tomiyasu was alert to the danger, rising high to meet the pass with a firm header. The ball dropped into midfield, where Angelo Stiller was waiting to reclaim possession. Stiller controlled it calmly and nudged the ball sideways to Rakim, who had moved up the field but found himself surrounded by three Japanese players.
Unfazed by the pressure, performed a quick Cruyff turn to escape Tanaka's challenge before flicking the ball around Yasui with his next touch. As the crowd began to murmur in anticipation, Rex launched a powerful low-driven pass to Jamie Leweling on the right flank, threading the ball between two Japanese defenders with pinpoint precision.
Leweling controlled the pass effortlessly, driving toward the edge of the penalty area. Sugioka stepped in to cut off his path, but Leweling sold him a dummy, darting inside and setting himself up to shoot. Just as he unleashed a curling effort toward the far post, Kosei Tani sprang into action, diving to his right and pushing the ball wide with a strong hand.
"What a save by Tani!" Gartner shouted. "Germany knocking on the door, but the Japanese keeper says, 'Not today!'"
The ball rolled out for a corner, and as the German players jogged forward to crowd the Japanese penalty area, Rakim positioned himself to deliver the set piece. He raised a hand to signal his intent for an in-swing towards the back post area gaming for Bella-Kotchap and Niklas Tauer. The moment he received the signal from the referee he swung the ball in with pace and precision. Bella-Kotchap surged through the crowd, meeting the cross with a thunderous header, sending the ball towards goal with a dull thud.