Please vote to show me your support for the story. The higher we climb in the rankings, the more motivated I will feel. Mass releases will be rewarded for each 10 rankings we manage to climb.
#More than 10 chapters ahead on my : /TrikoRex
{!!!Please leave a review, it helps me a lot and lets me know how many people are invested in the future of this novel!!!}
[SECOND HALF – 82:22| Stadion Widzewa Łódź | Time: 70:00 | England 1 – 3 Germany]
The stadium was at a fever pitch now. England's corner was awarded, and Phil Foden jogged over to take it with a burning intensity in his eyes. The chants from the England fans surged with hope, clashing against the roars of the German contingent. Teden Mengi signalled to the near post. Conor Bradley hovered around the back. Greenwood, still breathing heavily, shook the frustration out of his shoulders and readied himself again.
Foden raised his arm and whipped in the corner—a sharp, in-swinging ball with venom and pace. It dipped around the penalty spot as bodies jumped into the air, rising high to meet it. Declan Rice got the faintest of flicks, redirecting the ball toward the back post with a subtle glance off his forehead.
The redirection threw the German defence momentarily off balance; however, the worries quickly disappeared as Noah Katterbach, guarding the far post, headed the ball out. It flew out towards the left side of the box, where Musiala and Rakim could be seen chasing after it. Both of them jumped into the air, with Rakim managing to come out on top, allowing him to head the ball out for a throw-in.
The resulting throw did not result in much as the German defence held strong, with Kevin Ehlers managing to wrestle control of the ball from Greenwood. The defender did not even think about it before booting the ball up the field with force, relieving his team's pressure. This reignited the positional battle as the midfielders did their best to keep their opposition at bay.
Coach Baum could no longer hesitate and called for a substitution after a long-range attempt from Angelo Stiller sent the ball kissing the stands. Yannik Engelhardt came on to replace Wirtz, allowing him to rest after 80+ minutes of hard work. Jan Thielmann and Lars Mai came on to inject some energy into the German defence, with Lars replacing the tired Kevin Ehlers. Simon Asta left the stage for the first time in this tournament, giving way to Jan.
Keith Downing, England's U-20 coach, also took the chance to sub-Greenwood off for the burly Rhian Brewster. The young striker was a classic target man with a quick first step and an impressive finishing efficiency.
With the substitutions made and new energy coursing through both sides, the tempo spiked once again. Rhian Brewster clapped his hands and barked instructions the moment he stepped on the pitch, rallying the England frontline like a man on a mission. He positioned himself between Bella-Kotchap and Mai, ready to bully them if need be.
Germany, now with fresh legs in Engelhardt and Thielmann, tucked into a tighter midfield block looking to choke off England's momentum and see out the clock. But England wasn't done as they continued to up the tempo, especially Jude Bellingham. He was everywhere, lunging into tackles like an enraged beast and stringing passes together that allowed Jamal to manoeuvre.
He tracked back to help Declan Rice recover possession after a poor German clearance, then immediately burst forward after receiving the return pass from Musiala.
Jude Bellingham surged into the final third like a man possessed, brushing past Niklas Tauer with a deft shoulder drop and quick touch before laying the ball off to Saka, who was hugging the right touchline. Saka controlled the ball with the outside of his boot and squared up Noah Katterbach. The young Arsenal hopeful feinted inside, then darted outside in a flash, dragging the ball along the line before cutting it back across the box low and hard.
The ball flashed past Brewster and bounced off Bella-Kotchap's shin, landing perfectly in the path of Foden at the edge of the box. The winger had just lost Jan and didn't hesitate in swinging his foot, tearing a powerful shot to the top left corner.
"(thud) The post comes to the rescue of the Germans once again," Paul Garner's voice resounded as the ball banged off a startled Lars, but Luca was quick enough to pounce on the loose ball, holding onto it tightly. "What more must they do to break this German goal?"
As the commentators did their job of entertaining the viewers, Luca remained down milking as much time as he could, much to the annoyance of the English player. When he finally did get up, he calmly walked to the edge of his box with the ball held in his right hand. He didn't play the ball, though, but proceeded to give instructions like a conductor directing his marching band.
"Camon now let's play," The referee shouted from the side, only to receive a startled nod as if the goalkeeper had just now remembered he still held onto the ball. "Ja," He shouted before calmly dropping the ball to the ground and throwing a thumbs up to the ref.
He waited for Brewster to get closer before booting the ball up the right flank with force. The minutes quickly bled away like raindrops down a windowpane as the battle from both teams intensified. England continued to press while Germany strategically retreated after offering enough resistance.
Their effort finally paid off as Declan Rice intercepted a loose pass and immediately fired it to Jude Bellingham, who was lurking just outside the final third. Jude turned into space, glanced left, and slipped a sharp pass to Musiala, who performed a quick Messi-esque double touch to snake in between Yannik Engelhardt and Niklas Tauer.
Angelo Stiller was the last line standing before him and the German defensive line, but he knew he would make it as he felt a powerful tug on his jersey. Yannik tug yanked Musiala off balance, just as Stiller stepped across to impede him. Musiala staggered, but he didn't fall. With incredible awareness, he toe-poked the ball forward just before the contact fully knocked him off his rhythm, straight into the path of Saka, who came cutting from the side of the box.
Saka barely broke stride as the ball rolled perfectly into his path, his first touch guiding it into his stride as if the pass had been scripted for him alone. Bella-Kotchap lunged across, legs outstretched, and Lars Mai barrelled toward the near post in a desperate attempt to cover—but it was too late.
Saka wrapped his left foot around the ball, curling it low with precision and venom toward the far post. Luca Unbehaun threw himself across the goalmouth, fingertips stretched to the limit. He didn't get there, though, and the net rippled a second later.
"GOOOOAAAL!!! BUKAYO SAKA!!! IT'S THREE-THREE!!" Eddie Hall's voice soared above the stadium noise. "ENGLAND HAVE DONE IT! IN THE DYING MOMENTS OF REGULATION TIME!"
"England rises from the grave!" Paul Garner roared. "Just when you think they're down, these young lions breathe life back into this final! It's Arsenal's Star Boy at the end of a collective struggle that gives them hope"
Saka raced to the corner flag, sliding on his knees with both fists clenched, eyes to the heavens. Musiala caught up first, grabbing him in an embrace as the rest of the team descended on them, piling in with screams of joy and disbelief. The German players stood frozen. Coach Baum gritted his teeth, his jaw tightening as he barked for composure, but none of the boys really paid attention.