What the papers say: Impressive stats against Mainz

The match report in the EXPRESS mentions one impressive statistic for the Werkself. The 1-0 victory on Saturday was not only “the first win of the season” but also “the sixth successive victory against Mainz.”

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung describes the game as follows: “The encounter lacked incident and goalmouth action but was not at all boring. Both teams looked to get on the front foot with neither side having much space to develop their own play.”

“Clinches of the Werkself”: Good first half

Most of the reporters believed Bayer 04 made the better impression – particularly in the first half. “Leverkusen controlled the ball and opposition in the opening stages,” was the analysis in the online kicker report that talked about the “clinches of the Werkself” that Mainz were only able to escape after 20 minutes.

RP Online provided the relevant numbers to a decent performance in the first half: “67 per cent possession, 55 per cent of challenges won, a pass completion rate of 88 per cent plus a greater number of chances” to underline that the “lead for the Werkself at half-time was not undeserved.”

“Alario uses his head” and an emotional dedication

Lucas Alario was on the spot on the half-hour mark. “A corner gave Leverkusen the deserved lead,” reported the WELT am Sonntag. “The cross from Leon Bailey found the head of Lucas Alario who guided the ball into the back of the Mainz net from close range.” The Sunday paper opted for an appropriate headline, ‘Alario uses its head’.

The match report in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger declared the winning goalscorer to be the Man of the Match. The Argentinian “was the matchwinner with his header. Alario was involved in some good moves in the second half when he was able to control the ball with his back to the goal.” The central striker, “in spite of some anxious moments” in the second half such as the withdrawn dismissal of Edmond Tapsoba, played big part from a Werkself perspective in the “massive relief” at the end of the match.

And the BILD also focuses on Alario - but also a special and tragic aspect from a Bayer 04 perspective: “Alario dedicated the goal to the seriously injured Santiago Arias (28). The Colombian suffered a broken leg and ligament damage in his left ankle a week ago in the World Cup qualifier against Venezuela (3-0). The tabloid quoted Alario with words that probably every Werkself fan would subscribe to: “We won this game for him. Hopefully it will help him on his long road to recovery. We’re all crossing our fingers.”