My Ultimate Gacha System-Chapter 185 - 178: Germany vs England U21 [III]

Chapter 185: Chapter 178: Germany vs England U21 [III]
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße, Munich
8:08 PM - Second Half
Fweeeeeetttttttt!!!!!
The referee’s whistle cut through the Munich evening and the second half was officially underway as Germany’s striker rolled the ball back to Moritz Keller in the midfield, and immediately the intensity from the first half continued as eighteen thousand German voices rose in anticipation while England’s starting eleven spread across their defensive shape with the same disciplined positioning they’d maintained before the break.
England came back out with the same personnel and formation that had ended the first half, and goalkeeper Aaron Whitfield tapped the crossbar once with his gloved hand before taking his position between the posts as the noise swelled around him, and the ritual was familiar comfort before facing another forty-five minutes of pressure.
46’ - 50’ |
Germany restarted with clear intent as Timo Hahn collected the ball from kickoff and played it backward to Keller who immediately looked for KingD2605 in the deeper midfield position, and the German midfielder checked his shoulders twice before receiving the pass, and his body shape opened an angle toward Germany’s center-backs as they began building possession through the backline.
Commentary Booth
"Welcome back to Munich for the second half," Jessi Ball’s voice carried over the broadcast. "Germany and England still goalless after forty-five minutes, but we saw plenty of quality in that opening period."
"Absolutely, Jessi," KingD2605 added from the co-commentary position. "Germany controlled territory and created the better chances, but England defended professionally. The question now is whether Germany can maintain that intensity or if England will grow into this match."
The first spell was territorial rather than direct as Germany circulated possession through center-backs Marvin Schott and Jonas Kübler, and the ball moved side to side with patient precision while England’s defensive shape stayed compact, and Germany drew England’s midfield line laterally until small pockets of space began appearing near the touchlines.
At the forty-eighth minute the space opened briefly on Germany’s left flank when left-back Felix Brandt stepped forward and combined with left winger Leon Weiss through a quick one-two that pulled England’s right-back Elliot Ford out of his defensive line, and suddenly Weiss had space to drive toward the byline.
The cross came early before England’s defense could fully recover, and the ball whipped across the six-yard box with pace, but center-back Ben Rowe read the trajectory perfectly and stepped in front of striker Noah Richter to head the ball clear, and the danger was gone before it could fully develop.
"Good defending from Rowe," Jessi Ball observed. "Anticipating that cross and getting his body in front of Richter. That’s the kind of concentration England need to maintain."
Whitfield’s shout echoed across the penalty area as England reset their defensive shape, his voice carrying authority while his arms gestured toward the positioning he wanted from his defenders, and on the touchline Germany’s coach gestured for patience with his palms facing down as if pressing the tempo lower because he understood that breakthrough would come from sustained pressure rather than rushed attacks.
51’ - 55’ |
England’s response was cautious but organized as Jamal Whitmore and Leo Merrick sat deeper in their double pivot positions, and possession circulated between them through short passes that slowed the tempo deliberately because controlling the match rhythm was as important as creating chances.
When Merrick finally stepped forward with the ball at his feet near the fifty-third minute, Germany’s midfielder Moritz Keller closed him down aggressively and arrived late, his studs catching Merrick’s ankle as the England player tried to turn away from pressure, and the referee’s whistle blew immediately while his hand went to his pocket.
The yellow card came out without hesitation, and Keller accepted it with a brief nod while Merrick picked himself up and tested his ankle with a quick rotation before nodding that he could continue, and the commentary noted the rising edge to the midfield battle that wasn’t reckless but was no longer polite either.
"That’s Keller’s first yellow," KingD2605 said. "He’ll need to be careful now because Germany can’t afford to lose a midfielder in the final thirty-five minutes. The intensity is definitely rising here."
56’ - 60’ |
Germany adjusted their approach through right-back Hezii_2G who began drifting inside during buildup play instead of overlapping immediately, and the tactical shift created a numerical advantage in midfield next to KingD2605 that gave Germany an extra passing option when England pressed.
One such movement at the fifty-eighth minute drew England’s right winger Reece Darlow inward to track Hezii’s run, and suddenly space opened wide on Germany’s right flank where Weiss received the ball with room to attack, and he drove toward the byline with pace before cutting the ball back sharply toward the penalty spot.
Richter arrived with his run timed well but he was a step late as the ball reached him, and his stretching foot couldn’t connect cleanly with the cutback, and the chance went unconverted as the ball rolled harmlessly through to Whitfield who collected it with relief visible in his body language.
The crowd groaned collectively before breaking into applause, and the noise suggested they sensed momentum building even without goals to show for it, and Germany’s pressure was becoming increasingly difficult for England to withstand without cracks appearing.
"So close!" Jessi Ball exclaimed. "Richter just couldn’t quite stretch far enough. Germany creating chances now, you feel like the goal is coming if they maintain this pressure."
61’ - 65’ |
England nearly punished Germany’s aggressive approach in the sixty-second minute when a loose pass from Schott was intercepted by Whitmore who turned quickly with the ball at his feet, and his head came up immediately as he spotted Kayden Muir making a run between Germany’s midfield and defensive lines.
The pass threaded through the gap with perfect weight, and Muir didn’t hesitate as he received the ball in stride before playing a first-time pass into the channel for Mason Teller who had timed his run to stay onside by inches, and suddenly England had their clearest chance of the match as Teller drove into the penalty area with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Teller got his shot away under immediate pressure from Kübler who had recovered to chase the striker down, and the ball was struck cleanly toward the bottom corner with Teller’s right foot, but German goalkeeper Lukas Reimann reacted brilliantly by diving forward and spreading himself wide, and his legs blocked the shot before it could reach the target.
"What a save from Reimann!" KingD2605 shouted. "That’s instinctive goalkeeping! Teller did everything right but the goalkeeper comes up huge for Germany!"
Teller slapped the turf once with his palm in frustration before pushing himself up and jogging back toward the halfway line, and his disappointment was visible in the way his shoulders dropped briefly before he reset his focus, and on the touchline Lee Carsley clapped twice sharply while his expression remained neutral because the chance had been created properly even if the execution didn’t produce a goal.
From the bench Demien watched the sequence unfold and felt his chest tighten with familiar frustration because watching clear opportunities go unconverted from the sideline carried a particular helplessness that playing couldn’t replicate, and beside him Owen Blake exhaled slowly and muttered, "Fuck, that should’ve been it."
66’ - 70’ |
Substitutions began breaking the match rhythm as both managers looked to inject fresh energy into tired legs, and Germany introduced a new striker who replaced their left winger Krüger, and the tactical shift saw the remaining winger move wider while Richter drifted more centrally to create different attacking angles.
England held their shape as center-back Harvey Keane barked instructions to keep the back line compact because crosses were starting to come in more frequently now that Germany had committed more players forward, and at the sixty-eighth minute one such delivery from Brandt was half-cleared by left-back Calum Price who could only head it as far as the edge of the box where Hezii_2G was waiting.
Hezii struck immediately with his right foot as the ball dropped, and the shot was hit cleanly with power toward goal, but it took a deflection off Ford’s outstretched leg that changed the trajectory slightly, and the ball looped up and over the crossbar by inches while Whitfield was already diving the other direction.
The stadium rose as one voice with arms raised in anticipation before exhaling collectively as the ball cleared the bar, and the noise level suggested the home crowd believed the breakthrough was imminent if Germany could maintain their attacking momentum.
"Germany turning the screw now," Jessi Ball observed. "England weathering wave after wave of pressure. You wonder how long they can hold out without making changes themselves."
71’ - 75’ |
At the seventy-third minute England’s bench finally moved as Carsley signaled toward his substitutes, and Demien stood immediately when the assistant coach gestured in his direction, and he pulled on his number 28 shirt over his training top while his heart rate increased because the moment had arrived after watching seventy-three minutes from the sideline.
He jogged toward the touchline where the fourth official was preparing the electronic substitution board, and the commentary acknowledged the change without excessive hype as Jessi Ball said, "England making their first change here, bringing on Demien Walter, the Atalanta midfielder who’s been in good form in Serie A. He’ll replace Javier Crane and take up a position on the right side."
"Interesting substitution," KingD2605 added. "Walter’s got good legs and he’s shown quality in Italy this season. England need fresh energy in that wide area, especially with Germany’s left-back pushing so high. This could give them a counter-attacking outlet."
The board went up showing number 19 coming off and number 28 going on, and Crane jogged toward the touchline while Demien waited for the referee’s signal, and when the whistle blew he stepped onto the pitch and ran to his position on the right flank where the assistant coach had instructed him to hold width first and recover hard when Germany attacked.
Crane tapped his shoulder as they passed each other, and Demien nodded once before taking his position while his mind ran through Carsley’s halftime instructions about defensive responsibility and timing runs behind tired fullbacks, and the Munich atmosphere pressed down on him as eighteen thousand voices registered England’s substitution with scattered jeers mixed with anticipation.
76’ - 80’ |
Demien’s first involvement was simple and functional as he received a pass from Price near the touchline, and he took one touch to control before immediately playing it back to the left-back because no forward option existed, and then he tracked back immediately as Germany recycled possession through their midfield.
His engine was obvious in the recovery run as he matched Brandt stride for stride when the German left-back pushed forward again, and Demien’s positioning forced the ball backward rather than allowing a dangerous cross, and Merrick pointed once in approval from his midfield position because the defensive work was exactly what Carsley had demanded.
No applause came from the bench, just acknowledgment that the substitute was executing his role properly, and Demien settled into the match rhythm while processing the tempo and physicality that felt different from Serie A because international football carried its own particular intensity even at U21 level.
At the seventy-eighth minute England built a brief attacking sequence as Whitmore won the ball in midfield and played it forward to Muir who dropped deep to receive, and Muir turned smoothly before switching play out to Demien on the right flank where space had opened because Germany’s left-back was caught high up the pitch.