Football singularity

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 Chapter ahead on my Patreon: patreon.com/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!!!} ~~~ [46] For a few moments, only Paul Gartner's voice filled the broadcast. Jamie Oliver's mic remained muted, leaving him visibly frustrated in the commentary box. But on the pitch, the teams positioned themselves as if nothing else mattered. The second-half kick-off loomed, and all eyes fell on the referee at midfield. A shrill tweet of the whistle sliced through the stadium noise, and the ball rolled into play once more. Germany, trailing 2–0, began with a clear sense of urgency. Bella-Kotchap wasted no time firing a pass to Wirtz, who found Tauer hovering just behind the centre circle. Right away, Tauer zipped a diagonal ball toward the left flank for Rakim to chase. You could sense the tension ripple through the stands the instant Rakim touched the ball. Echoes of boos bounced off the stadium walls—some fans were still angry, others simply determined to rattle him. Rakim, however, kept his gaze forward, stretching his left leg out as he deftly brought the ball down. He immediately accelerated along the line, forcing Dest to give chase as they quickly reached the side of the box. Rakim came to a sudden stop and suddenly cut backwards, creating space between him and Dest. With a swift feint as if he would go back down the line, he shifted the ball to his right foot. Nudging it forward, he sent a crisp but curved cross into the box into the penalty area. Paul Gartner, now carrying the broadcast solo, spoke in a brisk tone. "…That's a dangerous cross!" Paul Gartner's voice rang out with renewed energy, filling the broadcast. As Rakim's curved delivery soared into the penalty area, a surge of anticipation rippled through the stadium. The German forward line converged, Moukoko and Leweling both darting in from different angles, eyes locked onto the incoming ball. Mark McKenzie was the first to react, launching himself into the air, but he miscalculated its angle as it sailed above his head. It dropped into the area behind him near the far post, where Jamie Leweling, guarded by George Bello lurked. Both jumped forward feet first with different objectives, in—a blur of kicking legs and grasping arms. Leweling reached it first with an outstretched boot, angling the ball toward the near post. George Bello's desperate attempt to block it only redirected some of the force; the shot still zipped through the six-yard box. Paul Gartner's voice surged in excitement, "Leweling with a toe-poke toward goal—this could be it!" The ball whizzed low and fast toward CJ dos Santos' left side. The American keeper reacted in a flash, dropping to his knees and extending both hands wide. The contact wasn't particularly clean, but it was enough. The ball rebounded off his gloves, ricocheting up into the air. In the stands, hearts jumped into throats, the moment suspended in time. Moukoko tried to capitalize on the bouncing rebound, lunging in to meet it with a header. But Mark McKenzie, recovering from his earlier misjudgement, rose like a barrier, flicking the ball with his head into CJ's open arms. "Safe hands thereby CJ dos Santos!" Paul Gartner announced, his voice echoing through the speakers. "He is being tested right at the start of the first half." Rising to his feet, CJ took a moment to scan the field before launching a low-driven kick toward Weston McKennie. The midfield battle resumed instantly. McKennie chested it down, but Wirtz was on him in a flash, jostling for control. After a brief tussle, the ball squirted free, rolling toward Timothy Weah on the right sideline. Weah flicked it forward with the outside of his boot, hoping to spark a counter. However, Bella-Kotchap read the attempt early, stepping up to intercept. Calmly scanning the field, he decided to send a sharp pass out wide to Simon Asta instead of sending the ball forward. [48] Asta took Bella-Kotchap's pass gracefully, controlling it with a firm first touch. Instead of darting immediately forward, he glanced up, searching for an open channel. Pulisic quickly advanced, trying to close him down. With a quick one-two feint, Asta slipped away from the American winger's press and threaded a short pass toward Angelo Stiller. Stiller took over, pivoting to face the heart of the pitch. A surge of movement from the German attack hinted at a developing play. Jamie Leweling hovered near the right sideline, Moukoko drifted centrally, while Rakim cut in from the left, each looking for the space to receive the ball. Stiller spotted Moukoko's decoy run, then slipped a neat vertical pass to Wirtz just beyond the centre circle. Wirtz, mindful of McKennie quickly spun away from the midfielder. He gained a yard of space and lifted his head, seeking his next pass. He nearly picked out Moukoko, but a well-timed step from Chris Richards forced Wirtz to pause and reconsider. Forced to think on the fly, he sent a chipped pass over to Niklas, skipping over Weston McKennie's head. The defensive midfielder didn't hesitate in sending a lofted diagonal towards the right corner flag, picking out Asta who had overlapped with Jamie. The right-back deftly touched it down at the side of the box with George Bello rushing back to stop him. He feinted a cut forward only to send a no-look back to Jamie Leweling who swung in a first-time cross into the box. Leweling's cross sailed high and fast, arcing toward the penalty spot. For a moment, the entire box seemed to freeze in anticipation—both sets of players tensed, ready to pounce. Chris Richards hustled back into position, tracking the cross, while McKenzie sized up a potential clearance near the edge of the six-yard box. Moukoko, eyes fiercely locked on the ball, dashed in between the two centre-backs. Catching the defenders off guard, he rose higher than expected, meeting the cross with a powerful snap of his forehead. The ball rocketed downwards toward CJ dos Santos' right side, sending the American keeper scrambling. "Header from Moukoko—this is dangerous!" Paul Gartner's voice blared in the booth, the sole commentary on air. In a flash of reflex, CJ dropped low. His outstretched arm made contact, palming the ball away at full stretch. The rebound spun loose, skittering across the crowded six-yard box. Pulisic, racing back to help, tried to hook it clear but slipped under pressure from Asta, and the ball bobbled free again. A gasp went up around the stadium—this had all the makings of a scramble that ends in the back of the net. Tauer charged in from the top of the box, launching a desperate side-footed attempt on the loose ball. Just as he swung his leg, Mark McKenzie flew in, blocking with a last-ditch tackle that sent the ball spinning out toward the left corner. The American fans were just about to breathe a sigh of relief when a green figure latched onto the loose ball. Rakim's feet flashed over the ball with a quick step over mixed with an L drag to dodge Dest's desperate slide tackle. His move caused him to slip, but he used his left hand to brace his fall as he hooked the ball on his foot, turning with the momentum. Back on his feet, he slotted the ball through the open legs of Yunus who had just tracked back. The American defender tried to hold onto his shoulder, but Rakim simply pivoted his balance as his right foot wrapped around the ball. He sent a curved shot towards the top right corner of the goal as he stumbled to the ground. The shot twisted through the air, its trajectory arcing toward the top-right corner. CJ dos Santos launched himself, fully outstretched in an attempt to parry it away. A collective intake of breath from the crowd painted the moment with suspense. Rakim sprawled on the turf, watched as a split second later the ball kissed the underside of the crossbar, ricocheting downward. CJ's fingertips grazed it, but the momentum was enough. The net rippled. The stadium atmosphere exploded—an eruption of cheers and gasps, roars and groans—as the scoreboard changed: Germany 1, USA 2. The German fans who had been silent so far could now be seen jovially waving their scarves and flags. Rakim exploded from the ground with power as he darted passed the stunned US players and fished the ball out of the net. With his now half red dreads swaying in the wind, he stormed to the right corner flag in front of the opposing fans and just stood there. The rest of his team quickly joined him as they enveloped him in a team hug as they celebrated. Meanwhile, Jamie Oliver's mic sputtered back to life, though it seemed to cut in and out. A snippet of his voice broke through: "…I've been trying to—… remarkable strike from—… oh come on, this is not professional!" Paul Gartner resumed his role, filling the air. "He's done it! Rakim has breathed life back into this German side, and the score is 2–1. The American lead might just be in danger if Germany continues to press like this." . . . . To Be Continued...