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Do you believe in fate? That moments or opportunities pass you by because there’s something better waiting for you in the future? During the Bayer Leverkusen vs. Barcelona game Wednesday there was a moment that some could deem as meant to be, a moment that can come to define a whole season. A moment that in the future, can leave you believing in fate.
Right up to that moment, Leverkusen were on fire, constantly pressuring the Barcelona defense, pppering Marc-Andre Ter Stegen with shots. Knowing one goal would be enough to keep them fighting in the UEFA Champions League. With one goal, they could beat La Liga Champions, Barcelona and qualify to the next round in second place, forcing Roma to play in the Europa League. Well that moment came for the Bundesliga side and they did not get that goal.
Karim Bellarbi came streaking down the middle from the left side. He was 25 feet away from goal, with three Barcelona defenders in front of him. The Little Pea, Chicharito was to his right, unmarked, and asking for the ball. His yells to his teammate could probably be heard all the way to the highest point in the stadium.
He was indeed open. In a far better position than his Bayer teammate. With one pass, Bellarbi could have shaped the fate of that game. Chicharito has been on fire recently, having scored his 12th goal in 11 games in the first half of that game to tie up the match for Bayer, it would have been highly probable that Chicharito would have scored if his teammate would have just passed it to the Mexican.
Instead, Bellarabi went with his gut feeling and took a shot towards goal from 25 yards out, while his teammate screamed in frustration. The shot went straight towards Ter Stegen who held on to the ball gratefully.
Afterwards, Chicharito went straight at his teammate in protest. Showing his frustration at his poor judgement. Well Bayer and Barcelona went on to tie the game. Both going in separate directions. Barca to the Champions League as group winners and Bayer to the Europa League in third place.
Hernandez kicking off with Bellarabi last night after not getting a pass. He has a point. It cost them qualifying! pic.twitter.com/8847qqIGzJ
— PL Football Tips (@PLFootballTips) December 10, 2015Well, another team failed to qualify for the next round of the Champions League and it’s a team that Chicharito is all too familiar with: Manchester United. The Red Devils, led by Dutch coach Louis Van Gaal, failed to beat Wolfsburg just the day before and with that sealed their ticket to the Europa League.
What if it was all meant to be? What if Chicharito will come face to face with the man that had so little faith in him? Chicharito was treated poorly at Manchester United, a mistake that Van Gaal will come to regret.
Chicharito has outscored all of Manchester United since the start of October And their paths might cross now because Bellarbi decided not to pass to Chicharito in one of Leverkusens most promising attacks against Barcelona. That one play can give Chicharito the revenge he deserves against a side he once loved so dearly.
It’s still up in the air as to whether they’ll face each other at one point in the Europa League. They definitely won’t face each other in the Round of 32 since both Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen are two of the four best third-ranked teams and with that, are seeded against the 12 Europa League group runners up and the remaining third-place UEFA Champions League sides (Sevilla, Valencia, Galatasaray and Shakhtar Donetsk).
If both teams win in the next round of games, the chances of facing each other only goes up, and with the history and quality of Manchester United and with Chicharito’s goal scoring form, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did face each other.
What a game would that be. All thanks to a pass that never came. All thanks to Bellarbi who decided to shoot instead of pass. Who would have known that that decision could give Chicharito an opportunity of a lifetime. The chance to show his former manager his quality by sending his old team out of the Europa League. Could it be Chicharito who sends Manchester United home? Fate can be so cruel sometimes, and sometimes so sweet.
