73rd Minute –
Against the relentless Bradford pressure, Rapid found a rare moment to breathe—and nearly delivered a knockout punch.
A simple yet devastating switch of play did the damage. A diagonal ball, curling through the floodlit air, sailed over Taylor's head. The fullback turned, scrambling to recover, but Rapid's overlapping right-back was already in full stride, galloping into space down the flank.
One touch. Head up. A driven cross, low and vicious, slicing through the penalty area.
The ball skidded past Kang and rolled toward the penalty spot.
Danger.
Rapid's striker, lurking in the perfect pocket of space, pounced. Six yards out, right in front of goal. Time seemed to slow as he pulled his foot back to strike.
This was it.
A sure goal. A dagger to the heart.
But Barnes had other ideas.
