What the papers say: 'The result did not reflect the game today'

The online Sunday edition of the Kölner Stadt Anzeiger reports: “After two wins with eleven goals for and two against, Bayer 04 Leverkusen missed the chance to turn a trend into stable progress. The defeat against TSG Hoffenheim was as equally spectacular as the the victories over Werder Bremen (6-2) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (5-0): 4-1 after a host of missed and squandered chances. … The suspicion that the wins at Bremen and Mönchengladbach were achieved on thin ice was confirmed against Hoffenheim. Only when everything goes to plan for the Werkself – efficiency, luck in the game and the tactics of the opponents – are they capable of winning games like that. There was a lack of efficiency against Hoffenheim.”

And the Sunday edition of the Express identified the difference from the last two games: “After two brilliant displays in Bremen and Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen have regressed again. Bayer suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat at home to Hoffenheim and they gave three points to the opposition through individual errors. Julian Brandt sounded a warning ahead of the game: ‘At the start of the season we played like children when we were a bit naive. The team have learned how to take chances. The little kids are growing up.' Now comes the relapse. ‘I can’t explain this result. We were clearly the better team for much of the game and were having our best home game of the season so far. And then you end up losing 4-1,’ said the captain Lars Bender.

Bild am Sonntag says Karim Bellarabi going off was the cause of Leverkusen’s downfall: “When Karim Bellarabi went off due to a thigh injury on 39 minutes that was the end of Leverkusen’s upturn in form. Around a dozen chances were squandered by Brandt, Havertz, Volland, Bailey, Baumgartlinger and Lars Bender. Fortune in front of goal disappeared when the former international (last call-up in 2016) went off.”

Under the headline “How Bayer 04 lost their best home game to date”, the online edition of the Rheinische Post searches for the cause: “A few minutes after the 4-1 defeat against Hoffenheim was sealed, and the temporary recovery for the Werkself was over after two convincing wins in the Cup and the league, Lars Bender stunned everybody with his analysis of the 90 minutes. ‘It was our best home performance. We weren’t the worse team,’ said the Bayer 04 captain before adding: ‘We were ambitious and played good football again.’ Given the result, that was a brave contention but the 29-year-old was not wrong in his assessment. Bayer were aggressive for much of the game, comfortable with their passing and always looked to get forward. But TSG managed to find the right answers in decisive situations and they took the wind out of Leverkusen’s sails. ‘The result did not reflect the game today,’ said Bender.“

That view is also encapsulated in the online match analysis in the sports journal Kicker: “After two emphatic wins in a week, Bayer Leverkusen suffered a clear 4-1 defeat against the smarter TSG Hoffenheim team. Before the break, the team from the Kraichgau were more direct in a good Bundesliga game. The Werkself had more of the game after the restart - but TSG scored the goals.”

The online edition of the Sinsheim-Hoffenheim paper, the Rhein Neckar Zeitung presents the result of Saturday’s game as seen in the context of recent weeks: “The third Bundesliga game in succession was won, four goals scored again - TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are at least improving the domestic competition. It was an impressive display against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon ending up with a 4-1 win.”