Summary: A game of two halves, two crucial set pieces
Leipzig made the better start to the match and quickly exploited their advantage: Xaver Schlager found Xavi Simons and he netted an impressive strike on the turn to give RBL the early lead (8'). Bayer 04 looked to hit back with Alejandro Grimaldo creating a chance on 17 minutes – almost the only attack on the opposition goal by a thwarted Werkself. The team under head coach Xabi Alonso then suffered a bitter blow: Winger Jeremie Frimpong went down in pain and he had to be substituted. Nathan Tella replaced him on 31 minutes. The Black and Reds then increasingly took command of proceedings after a difficult start to the game.
The visitors were more dominant from the start of the second half and the first attack led to the leveller from Tella three minutes after the restart. The Nigeria international was on the end of an excellent assist from Grimaldo leaving him with a tap-in. Bayer 04 continued to create good chances. But, on 56 minutes, a corner from the Black and Reds ended with RBL mounting a counter-attack that saw Lois Openda restore the lead for the hosts. A corner for Leverkusen on 64 minutes proved decisive: Grimaldo curled the ball into the box and Jonathan Tah was in the right spot to head it into the back of the net to level at 2-2. Tah and Co. pressed for the victory. Added time brought a result that seemed impossible at the start of the match: Another corner found Piero Hincapie who converted the last-minute chance to secure a perfect start to the Rückrunde from a Bayer 04 perspective (90+2'). The two goals were numbers 14 and 15 from set pieces – the highest number in the league. The match report.
Reaction: "Showed another side of this team"
Alonso summed up the match at the post-match press conference as follows: "We saw a very intense game where anything could have happened. We’re happy we were able to score the third goal in the end. Leipzig were a strong opponent and it was very tough. We didn't do well in the first half and Leipzig often found space for Xavi and Openda." But the Spaniard added: "We did better in the second half. It was a great counter-attack by Leipzig but conceding did not bother me. I was confident we could do it as we have a strong mentality."
Jonas Hofmann said: "We made it difficult for ourselves in the first half and we weren't aggressive enough in challenges and were unable to win the second ball. Xabi said a lot of good things at half-time to address things. We adjusted our approach to the game well and we had more possession again and that gave us confidence and the chance to express ourselves. I think we deserved to win in the end." Granit Xhaka declared: "Being able to come back after the first half showed another side of this team."
