By the hair. Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen stayed four minutes away from ending his undefeated streak in the current season. But it seems that, this time, there is no Don’t cry. Qarabağ was winning 2-0 in the first leg of the Europa League round of 16 until the Tolosar coach decided to introduce the first unit onto the playing field. With the best on the pitch, Wirtz and Schick saved the furniture, they stretched 35 matches without losing this course and they leave the tie relatively expensive for the aspirin team.
Leverkusen already knew what they were facing. The draw for the round of 16 was the most capricious thing imaginable: it paired Sporting and Atalanta, who had already met in the group stage, and did the same with Bayer Leverkusen and Qarabağ, whose destinies already crossed in the initial stage of the second continental competition. So, with a double German victory, including a resounding 5-1 on German soil.
This time it was not as placid as could be expected. Quite the contrary. The Azeri team reached the round of 16 after surprising Braga and faced this tie without pressure, as already happened in the playoff round. In that context, the Qarabağ was very dangerouswithout taking the initiative with the ball and taking advantage of the vertigo of his attacking men, like Juninhoa footballer who, in the past, regularly performed alongside the band.
Therefore, his speed was one of the assets of the whole of Eastern Europe. And he exploited it to the fullest: assist to the Algerian Benzia in the 1-0 and practically solo race after leaving Tah behind to make it 2-0 on the verge of rest. However, if it comes to resources, logically, whoever has the most is the most powerful team, and that was Bayer Leverkusen. He had them on the green, with Grimaldo, for example, but, above all, Xabi Alonso had kept them on the bench.
At the restart he entered Frimpong. On the verge of the hour mark, when the score was still 2-0, they entered Xhaka y Wirtz. And, with 2-1, he entered Schickin addition to Stanisic. Regular starters who made Leverkusen more dangerous and who did not give up despite the momentum of Qarabağ and the push of the Azeri fans, very spirited throughout the match.
The truth is that, in some way, the tie was seen coming. Only one ride, another one, from Juninho, could compromise Bayer Leverkusen’s aspirations in the match and in the tie. But the Brazilian arrived on goal in a meltdown. The one who had the strength in the final stretch was the German team, so much so that the feeling remains that if the match had lasted a minute longer… the aspirin team would have taken it. Wirtz reduced with a Vaseline, Schick equalized with a header and Frimpong was on the verge of completely turning the result around with another header. in the small area. Finally, everything is tied and at the expense of the return. A priori, everything is in the cards for Leverkusen to progress to the quarterfinals… and to extend their undefeated status this season.
Datasheet:
Karabakh: Lunev; Vešović, Mustafazade, Badavi Huseynov, Bayramov; Patrick Andrade (Matheus Silva, min. 80), Janković; Leandro Andrade, Benzia (Isayev, 90+2), Zoubir (Xhixha, min. 90+1); Juninho (Akhundzade, min. 85).
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar; Kossounou (Stanišić, min. 81), Tah, Tapsoba; Tella (Frimpong, min. 46), Andrich, Palacios (Xhaka, min. 59), Grimaldo; Adli; Hložek (Wirtz, min. 59), Borja Iglesias (Schick, min. 81).
Goals: 1-0 Benzia (min. 26), 2-0 Juninho (min. 45+2), 2-1 Wirtz (min. 70), 2-2 Schick (min. 90+2)
Referee: Benoît Bastien (France). He cautioned Juninho (min. 9).
Incidences: Match corresponding to the first leg of the round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League played at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium, in Baku (Azerbaijan).