Football singularity-Chapter 451 A Pinch Of Luck

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[105]

The ball curled beautifully over the American wall, dipping sharply as it spun toward the far top corner. The entire stadium collectively drew its breath—this felt like the moment. CJ dos Santos took one decisive step, launching himself spectacularly to his left, stretching every muscle in his body. His fingertips were agonisingly close to reaching the ball, but it was for nought as he simply couldn't reach it.

However, Lady Luck smiled upon him as the ball couldn't drop enough to slip under the bar as it crashed against the crossbar in the next second. A collective gasp echoed around the stadium as the ball flew into the stands. "It's off the crossbar! So close from Rakim!" Paul Gartner exclaimed breathlessly; disbelief evident in his voice.

Rakim stood frozen for a brief moment, his eyes locked onto the crossbar where his shot had struck, still vibrating slightly from the powerful impact. In the end, he could only shake his head in disbelief as he jogged back into position, offering an apologetic nod toward Moukoko who had been an option. The didn't have to go far though as the referee blew his whistle ending the first half of extra time not bothering to let them play extra time.

[ET - 106]

After a brief moment of recovery, the teams switched sides quickly, mindful of their exhaustion but fully aware of what was at stake. The referee sharply blew the whistle to restart play, and Germany immediately set about creating chances again.

Germany started off strong pressed first, with Angelo Stiller threading a pinpoint pass to Wirtz just outside the American box. Florian elegantly slipped past Musah's challenge and laid off a quick one-two pass with Rakim. Wirtz received the return pass perfectly, firing a shot low towards the bottom corner—but CJ dos Santos dived decisively, parrying it expertly around the post.

Germany swung in the resulting corner, Rakim curling a precise ball toward the near post. Bella-Kotchap surged forward powerfully, meeting it with a thumping header that rocketed toward goal. But just as the German bench started to rise in anticipation, Weston McKennie heroically hurled himself forward, clearing it off the line with an instinctive header. The ball fell sharply to Youssoufa Moukoko, who tried a quick volley—but this time it was Mark McKenzie's turn to block bravely, throwing his body in front of the strike and deflecting it behind once more.

"Incredible defending by the Americans," Jamie Oliver shouted excitedly. "First McKennie, then McKenzie—they're putting everything on the line!"

[ET - 109]

USA surged forward moments later, refusing to sit back. Sergiño Dest picked up possession just behind midfield and immediately drove forward, skipping effortlessly past Kevin Schade's challenge. Joshua Vagnoman tried to match him stride for stride, but Dest cleverly played a quick one-two with Timothy Weah, whose flick was perfectly weighted into Dest's path.

Bursting clear down the wing, Dest swung an inviting cross toward the penalty area, aiming for Matteo Smith who had peeled away from Lars Lukas Mai. Smith rose powerfully, connecting firmly and directing his header downward. Luca Unbehaun, however, reacted superbly, diving low and somehow clawing the ball away from the bottom corner with one strong hand. The rebound fell straight back to Smith, but just as he went to strike again, Bella-Kotchap lunged forward decisively, stretching his leg fully to block the follow-up shot and scramble it clear.

"What astonishing drama at both ends!" Paul Gartner exclaimed, almost out of breath. "Germany refusing to concede; USA continuing to press forward!"

[ET - 115]

Germany, sensing urgency, quickly turned defence into attack once more. Angelo Stiller collected Bella-Kotchap's clearance and instantly picked out Rakim with a swift diagonal ball into midfield. Rakim turned gracefully with a flick of his foot as he skipped past his marker, his eyes lighting up as he spotted Moukoko darting forward.

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With remarkable vision, Rakim unleashed a beautifully weighted through-ball that split Richards and McKenzie perfectly. Moukoko timed his run to perfection, breaking into the box completely clear. CJ dos Santos stormed off his line to narrow the angle rapidly. Moukoko steadied himself and fired low to the goalkeeper's right—but dos Santos stretched brilliantly, sticking out his foot to deflect the ball wide with an extraordinary reflex save.

"Unbelievable from CJ dos Santos yet again!" Jamie Oliver shouted; his voice filled with admiration. "He simply refuses to let Germany through!"

"Indeed, Bothe keepers seemed to have made a pact to keep us entertained to the very need vowing to not let a single ball past them." Paul Gartner intoned as he watched the German striker's disbelieving expression as he looked at the American keeper getting up from the ground. "It seems they are determined to take this game into a penalty shootout, before that let's see what the Germans can do with this corner."

In a matter of moments, Wirtz stood over the ball at the right corner flag. He raised a hand before closing in on the ball at pace his foot connecting with the ball in the next second. The ball soared gracefully, arcing dangerously toward the far post. Bella-Kotchap once again surged forward, locked in a fierce aerial battle with Chris Richards, each fighting to position themselves under the rapidly descending cross. Richards managed to get the first touch, flicking it clear—but only as far as Rakim, lurking just outside the penalty area.

With a sublime first touch, Rakim cushioned the ball perfectly onto his left foot, instantly cutting inside to evade a lunging tackle from Yunus Musah. Without hesitation, he unleashed a ferocious strike toward goal. The ball sliced powerfully through a sea of bodies, taking a slight deflection off McKenzie's outstretched leg. CJ dos Santos, wrong-footed for a fraction of a second, instinctively shifted his weight, reaching desperately to his right.

However, it was too late and the next moment the silent stadium erupted in a thunderous crescendo as German fans jumped in jubilation. The ball lay nestled in the goal as Rakim followed by his teammates sprinted towards the corner with his arms raised wide. Pandemonium broke out among the German fans. Rakim slid to his knees at the corner flag, fists clenched in pure elation as his teammates swarmed him, leaping into a pile of ecstatic celebration. Even Coach Baum leapt off the bench, arms pumping furiously into the air.

"A GOAL AT LAST! Rakim Rex has finally broken through, and Germany has taken the lead with barely minutes remaining!" Jamie Oliver's voice trembled with excitement. "What a moment of brilliance, with just the right pinch of luck to take the lead."

"That pinch of luck was definitely there, but it doesn't matter as a goal is a goal in the end." Gartner intoned with a bright smile as he watched the replay of the goal shown on the screen. "CJ dos Santos did everything he could, but even he couldn't keep that one out, and after an endless barrage of attempts, Germany has finally been rewarded." The scoreboard now read: Germany 3 – 2 USA.

~~~

[ET - 117]

The Americans were rattled by the sudden goal, but desperation gave way to results as they started playing some of the best football, they had all game and tournament. Weston McKennie bulldozed forward from the centre circle, shrugging off a clumsy challenge from Wirtz. His powerful strides carried him toward the German box, but Bella-Kotchap cut him off with a perfectly timed sliding tackle, sending the ball spinning out of play.

Sergiño Dest took the quick throw-in, finding Giovanni Reyna, who instantly danced around Kevin Schade with a cheeky nutmeg. Reyna surged forward, the crowd roaring as he approached the box. He drilled a low cross into the area, aiming for Matteo Smith. But Lars Lukas Mai read the delivery well, throwing himself in the path of the ball to make a crucial interception. The German defender immediately launched a counterattack with a looping clearance to Rakim on the left flank.

Rakim expertly brought the ball down with a subtle touch and burst forward, his powerful strides eating up the turf. Dest backpedalled, eyes wide and cautious. Rakim toyed with him, rolling the ball between his feet before executing a dizzying series of stepovers. Dest lunged forward, but Rakim pulled off a breathtaking double touch, slipping past him and bolting down the wing. With Moukoko sprinting to the near post, Rakim delivered a wicked, curling cross aimed at his teammate's run.

CJ dos Santos once again rose to the occasion, wanting to make up for his earlier mistake leaping high to punch the ball clear just before it could reach Moukoko's forehead. The clearance, however, was poor, landing only just outside the box. Wirtz pounced on the loose ball, blasting a thunderous shot back towards goal.

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To Be Continued...