The ball was back at midfield, placed neatly for the restart.
But something fundamental had shifted.
Bayern Munich no longer looked hesitant.No longer looked desperate.
They looked hungry.
And at the heart of that hunger was Mateo González Schwarz.
The whistle blew.
Leverkusen resumed play — but they no longer faced a passive opponent.
Bayern pressed immediately, forcing bad passes, hunting every loose ball.
Mateo positioned himself smartly in the center, orchestrating the rhythm like a quiet general.
He didn't rush forward blindly.
He dictated.
Short passes, quick shifts, constant scanning of the field.
He slowed when necessary — forcing Leverkusen to spread out —then accelerated the tempo suddenly with a sharp pass or a quick turn.
Each touch was precise.
Each decision — deliberate.
As the minutes ticked away, Mateo began to loosen the leash Coach Dietrich had mentally placed on him.
He started adding small flares:
A feint before passing.
A sudden turn to wrong-foot a pressing defender.
A perfectly timed wall pass to create tiny cracks in the opponent's shape.
And every time he did, the crowd roared louder.
Leonhard Schmitt and Sebastian Kramer — the wingers —fed off the growing momentum.
Schmitt dribbled daringly down the flank, while Sebastian floated between lines, finding pockets of space to combine with Mateo.
And Mateo?
He kept feeding them.
Quick combinations.
One-twos.
Through balls.
Always probing, always pulling Leverkusen's defense tighter and tighter toward collapse.
From the sideline, Coach Dietrich watched in silence, arms crossed.
He said nothing.
But inwardly, he approved.
"Good," he thought."He's learning.He's controlling the tempo first — and then breaking it when needed."
The next big chance came in the 71st minute.
Mateo received the ball under pressure in midfield.
A defender closed in —Mateo spun elegantly, shielding the ball with his body, and slipped a brilliant pass into the path of Lukas Müller.
Müller charged into the box, beat his marker with raw power —but his shot rattled off the post with a deafening clang.
The crowd groaned.
So close.
Mateo jogged over, offering a hand to his frustrated friend.
"Keep going," he urged."The next one will go in."
Because he could feel it.
The momentum was real.
The tide was rising.
And Bayern Munich wasn't done yet.
18 minutes remained on the clock.
18 minutes to complete the comeback.
And Mateo was determined:
He wouldn't stop until the final whistle blew.
He hadn't fought all this way just to fall short now.