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#More than 10 Chapter ahead on my : /TrikoRex
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Matteo Smith's leap was spectacular. Twisting his hips mid-air, he attempted a daring overhead kick—one that had the entire stadium rising to its feet in anticipation. The ball met the outside of his right boot with a sharp thud, flying toward goal with surprising power. Even the German defenders paused for a split second, momentarily dazzled by the unexpected acrobatics.
Paul Gartner's voice spiked through the speakers: "An overhead attempt from Matteo Smith! That's brilliant improvisation under pressure!"
All eyes snapped to Luca Unbehaun, who stood rooted on his line as he watched the ball rocket past him and into the right side of the net. Cheers erupted in a tidal wave from the American supporters as the net bulged with Matteo's overhead stunner. For a moment, time seemed frozen—Unbehaun remained motionless between the posts, the ball resting behind him in the net.
Then, chaos took over. The U.S. players rushed toward the corner flag as they chased after Matteo, who was wildly waving his arms in jubilation. He had just arguably scored the best goal of his burgeoning career and was over the moon.
Paul Gartner's voice cracked with excitement. "Goal for the United States! Matteo Smith with an absolute wonder strike! That overhead kick has changed the entire complexion of this quarterfinal."
Jamie Oliver, normally measured, let out a relieved laugh. "Goodness gracious, that's got to be one of the best goals of the tournament so far. Matteo shows courage and technical brilliance in the same breath."
On the German side, looks of disbelief passed between the defenders. Bella-Kotchap smacked his hands together in frustration, while Ehlers stared at the turf, replaying the moment in his mind. Rakim, who had been hovering near the halfway line, clicked his tongue in annoyance as he walked to the sidelines to get a swig of water.
Once the whistle blew for the restart, Germany moved the ball around confidently, looking to regain their rhythm after the setback. Tauer and Stiller resumed their central pivot, sending short passes left and right to pull the U.S. formation out of shape. Leweling drifted closer to the center, occasionally swapping positions with Wirtz to confuse the American defenders.
Paul Gartner's voice rose above the noise. "Let's see how Germany responds. They've been shaken by that stunning goal, but they aren't the type to back down."
Jamie Oliver nodded in agreement. "We've already seen how well they can keep possession. The American side needs to stay sharp and not get complacent just because they're ahead."
Sure enough, the German front line pressed forward in the 30th minute. Rakim, stationed on the left flank, called for the ball with an assertive wave. When Stiller picked him out with a crisp diagonal pass, Rakim drove at pace, stepping around Sergiño Dest with a subtle shift of weight. The crowd tensed, clearly remembering Rakim's earlier runs that nearly broke the deadlock.
This time, Chris Richards quickly slid across, blocking Rakim's immediate route to the box. Rather than force the dribble, Rakim feigned a cut inside before rolling the ball back to Tauer, who recycled possession out wide to Simon Asta on the opposite flank.
Asta seized the opportunity, advancing down the right wing. Pulisic hustled back, pressing from behind, while George Bello closed in from the front. Under that pressure, Asta nudged a short pass to Leweling, who turned swiftly but found Weah snapping at his heels. The U.S. midfield had tightened its lines, refusing to let Germany slice through easily.
"They're crowding the center," Paul remarked, his tone analytical. "Right now, the American defenders are doing a good job of staying compact whenever Germany tries to go forward."
"Agreed," Jamie said. "But Germany are masters of patience. They can play these little triangles all day if they need to."
The Germans seemed determined to prove that point. They pinged the ball around, pulling the U.S. players from one side of the field to the other, testing for openings. Armel Bella-Kotchap stepped into midfield, adding an extra body to the build-up. He fed a low pass to Wirtz, who attempted a quick turn past McKennie—but Weston read him perfectly, hooking the ball away with a timely interception.
That quick turnover sent a spark through the American supporters. McKennie, wasting no time, launched a searching pass toward Reyna. The nimble playmaker cushioned it on his chest and spotted Matteo Smith peeling away from Ehlers, hoping for a through ball. A cheer went up as it looked like another chance might be on the cards.
But before Reyna could complete his pass, Bella-Kotchap returned to intercept—stretching his long leg out to deflect the ball away. The bounce skittered across the turf, where Tauer took control and reset the German attack once more.
Paul Gartner exhaled audibly. "A real end-to-end battle right now—both teams trading attempts at breaking forward."
"Exactly, Paul," Jamie added. "And with that overhead strike still fresh in everyone's mind, Germany will be desperate to hit back before the U.S. can find another moment of magic."
Indeed, the tension on the pitch remained high, each side fully aware that a single mistake could swing the momentum. With the match settling into a comfortable rhythm, and the Americans found their footing, as they started dominating more spells of possession. The Germans started to struggle when breaking into their final third, leading to stagnation in their attacking rhythm.
It was in the fortieth minute that this deadlock came to a crescendo after Pulisic was promptly stopped by a hard and swift slide tackle. He had managed to skip past Angelo Stiller and was just about to nimbly dance past the right-back only to be brought to a crashing stop. He protested for a free kick, but Asta didn't bother looking back as he jumped up from the ground and stormed up the flank.
The referee agreed with him as he motioned for him to get up and for the play to continue. He kept the ball under tight control as he hugged the sideline. The stadium noise rose in a wave of anticipation, sensing that the quick turnover could catch the American defense off-guard.
George Bello sprinted across, trying to cut off Asta's path toward the box. But instead of forcing a move, Asta played a neat one-two with Leweling, who dropped deep to receive, then returned it immediately with a precise first-touch pass.
Jamie Oliver's voice crackled over the speakers. "Look at that awareness—Leweling and Asta exchanging a razor-sharp combination here."
Paul Gartner responded, "They're looking to stretch the American back line. Watch for a late run—There goes Wirtz,"
Sure enough, a late run came from Wirtz at the top of the box. Asta spotted it and flicked the ball toward him, forcing Chris Richards to track back hurriedly. Wirtz didn't take a first touch though and let a shot loose from the top of the penalty box.
Wirtz's shot rocketed off his boot in a sudden flash, streaking through the air toward the left corner. CJ dos Santos lunged desperately, his fingertips grazing the ball just enough to alter its course. With a sharp hiss, it whizzed past the post and ricocheted behind the net, sending a ripple of relief through the U.S. supporters.
Paul Gartner's voice rose above the collective gasp. "Wirtz goes for it first time, and it's inches wide! Brilliant effort—CJ might've saved the day there with the slightest touch."
Jamie Oliver's tone held a note of admiration. "Germany's threatening again, and that's a big warning sign for the American defense. Just shows you can't switch off for even a second."
A wave of boos descended the stands as Rakim stood over the ball at the right corner flag. The winger seemed to remember his match against Juventus as he faced a similar situation. It's weird how my own country's fans are now part of the top 3 worst atmospheres I've played under.' He mused to himself as he dodged a cup of bear thrown his way.
Ignoring this, he raised the number 2 indicating for his teammates in the box to shift towards the outside of the box. The area along the five-yard line quickly became empty with only a few US defenders remaining there just in case. With the German attackers pulling away from the crowded six-yard box, Rakim brushed off the boos and took three measured steps back.
The referee's whistle pierced the air, giving him the green light to deliver the corner. A sudden hush blanketed the stadium, as both sets of supporters braced themselves for the next flash of drama. He curved the cross with a sharp in-swing toward the penalty arc, where Tauer and Bella-Kotchap were waiting just beyond the cluster of defenders. Tauer leaped high, twisting his upper body in mid-air to connect with the ball.