Chapter 805: Chapter 805 CAT LIKE
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[15-06-2021 | Allianz Arena, Germany | 20:48 CET]
[France 2-1 Germany]
[55’]
The hour mark approached with the Allianz still simmering with tension from the restart. Both sides had clearly received different pep talks during the intermission, as the Germans could be seen actively pressing their neighbours from across the Rhine following the restart. Following a clever pass into the final third by Gündogan, Havertz and Müller decided to get surgical and dismantled the French middle channel.
Exchanging quick one-touch passes, they curved past Rabiot, Pogba, and Kimpembe, giving the Chelsea man space to strike from the top of the box. Not hesitating, he let loose a powerful strike aimed at the bottom right corner of the goal, forcing Lloris to lie flat. He wasn’t needed, however, as the ball curved away, striking the post and bouncing out of play.
Germany’s plan seemed to be working until Kanté decided to do what Kanté did best, breaking up plays. Kimmich had just worked the ball inwards to Havertz in the middle, and the forward tried to turn inwards only to stumble to the ground. Kanté cleanly slid across the turf, scooping the ball away from Havertz’s feet before he could complete his turn.
The Chelsea man landed in a heap, hands instinctively reaching toward the referee, but Carlos del Cerro waved play on, already tracking the Frenchman’s recovery. The little midfielder didn’t bother glancing up and rolled it square to Pogba, who had drifted into the space Havertz vacated. The Manchester United man took two touches, opened his body, and switched the angle with a forty-yard defence-splitting ball that landed perfectly in Griezmann’s path.
He took it in stride, forcing Gosens to turn and give chase, but the forward was too nifty swivelling to face goal as he reached the edge of the box. Letting the left back slide past him, he broke past with a neat Elastico, latching onto the ball just before Rüdiger was on him. Crashing head-on into a mountain of muscles, he gritted his teeth, trying to fight past him, matching him body to body.
The Frenchman didn’t try to turn through the German wall, instead laying it off to the onrushing Rabiot, who managed to lose Kross. The Juve midfielder struck at it from twenty yards, but Hummels threw himself across the line of the shot, the ball thudding off his shin and looping safely toward Neuer’s grateful arms.
"Mats Hummels, again!" Mowbray exclaimed. "He’s been a wall tonight, redeeming every minute of doubt around his recall."
[61’]
Around the sixty mark, both benches began to move, but it was Deschamps who pulled the trigger first. The fourth official’s board lit up, and a roar of mixed feelings rolled around the Allianz as Benzema jogged off to a generous applause from his teammates and respectful clapping from the home crowd. Corentin Tolisso slid on alongside him, the Bayern Munich man receiving a much warmer reception from the Allianz faithful.
"Karim Benzema makes way," Mowbray noted as the Madrid striker shook Deschamps’s hand and disappeared down the tunnel for a quick assessment. "And Tolisso, who knows this stadium like his own backyard, comes on. Looks like a like-for-like in midfield."
"It’s a tactical tweak, Guy," Jenas added. "Watch the positions. Tolisso is slotting into the midfield three, and Griezmann is pushing up to lead the line. Deschamps wants more legs in the middle to deal with Müller and Gündoğan dropping in."
Before the restart had even fully settled, Deschamps wasn’t done. Rabiot trudged off, looking less than thrilled, and Ousmane Dembélé jogged onto the pitch with fresh legs. The Barcelona winger immediately took up a high position on the right flank as the French shape morphed into a front of Mbappé, Griezmann, and Dembélé.
"And another change for France," Mowbray observed. "Dembélé for Rabiot, and judging by the changes Deschamps is making, he is looking to add some Pace in transition to his side."
The restart saw France kick it up a notch, playing more direct football and targeting the flanks to create pockets of overload. Tolisso’s role as a central anchor gave Pogba room to get creative, as he fully focused on the attacking side. Kanté was fully committed to a floating role, going wherever the game linking up play and suffocating German counters.
In the 65th minute, they worked the ball up to the right flank, and Dembélé decided to get creative, turning Gosens and Hummels into a highlight reel. Baiting the German wing back in with a few stationary step overs, he slotted it through his legs, exploding past him. Hummels caught flat-footed, tried to step up and make the stop, but the winger looped the ball over his outstretched leg, exploding to the side of the box.
He floated in a tantalising cross toward the penalty spot, where Mbappé had timed his run perfectly. A burst of acceleration allowed him to slip free of Kimmich’s marking for a split second as he lunged at the dropping ball. Mbappé’s right boot lashed through it with brutal force, but another boot stabbed at the ball, making the faintest contact.
Kimmich felt a surge of satisfaction as the tip of his boot clipped the ball. The feeling lasted only an instant. Instead of flying harmlessly away, the ball took a wicked deflection and spun toward the bottom left post. Neuer, who had been ready to commit his weight the other way to follow the trajectory of Mbappé’s strike, suddenly found the ball spinning toward the corner he’d just vacated.
Time seemed to stretch as the German captain reacted on pure instinct, his body twisting in mid-air with feline contortion that defied his 6’4" frame. His right hand lashed out backwards, fingers splayed, every tendon straining as he flung himself across his line, reaching for the approaching ball.
The tips of his fingers connected with the ball just as it bounced before the line, scooping it away with a desperate flick of his wrist. The ball skipped off his fingertips, kissed the outside of the post with a hollow thud, and spun out for a corner. Neuer crashed into the turf in a heap, immediately scrambling up on his knees to assess the situation.
"WHAT A SAVE FROM NEUER!" Mowbray’s voice exploded. "I do not believe what I just saw! Somehow, someway, he twists in mid-air and claws it off the line!"
"That is one of the great saves you will ever see, Guy," Jenas added, almost laughing in disbelief. "Look at the body shape. He’s already moving to his left, reading the likely trajectory of Mbappé’s shot. The deflection completely changes the path, and he reacts in a hundredth of a second. That is world-class goalkeeping at its absolute peak."
The replay rolled on the big screen, drawing gasps and applause around the Allianz as the home bench had exploded to their feet in support. The French side and fans could not quite believe what they had seen, unable to believe a goal had been so ruthlessly stolen from them. The resulting corner ended with a Hummels clearance that overpowered Varane.
Despite the joy of that spectacular save, the Germans were feeling the pressure, and, from the look of it, so was Löw. He no longer hesitated and began signalling the substitutes who had been getting ready to appear before him. Deciding he needed something drastic, he brought on four players at once, looking to reshuffle the formation that was now at the mercy of the speedy French side.
[69’]
He got his chance shortly after Gnabry’s counter ended with Tolisso smashing the ball out for a throw. The board lit up on the touchline, drawing the cameras’ attention as Joachim Löw stood with his arms folded, watching four of his men gather at the edge of the pitch. The substitutions cascaded one after another, each waiting his turn as the fourth official ushered them through.
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Off => <== ON
Ganbry - Werner
Havertz - Sané
Gosens - Can
Ginter - Klostermann
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Germany: 4-2-3-1
GK: Neuer
DEF: Kimmich (LB), Rüdiger, Hummels, Klostermann (RB)
MID: Can, Kross,
AMID: Sané (LM), Gündogan(CAM), Müller (RM)
ATT: Werner
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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