Gerardo Seoane demanded patience and consistency from his team in both penalty areas ahead of the match – with success. In the first Champions League match at home in two years, Bayer 04 were on the front foot from the start and again and again created chances – as on seven minutes through Adam Hlozek and Robert Andrich. But the Rojiblancos also had opportunities to score, particularly in the first half. Their best opportunity came on 21 minutes with a cross from Molina from the right. The ball struck Edmond Tapsoba on the hand and the VAR referee was called into action. However, the video evidence ruled out a penalty for the visitors. The match remained goalless at half-time. The team led by Diego Simeone were also predominantly defensive in the second half. The Black and Reds increasingly found themselves in the opposition half and again and again opened up goalscoring opportunities by winning possession and patient build-up play. Patrik Schick and Hlozek (47') had the chance to open the scoring but only hit the woodwork. Andrich then scored the long-awaited opener with six minutes to play. Three minutes later, Moussa Diaby doubled the lead to 2-0 with more impressive work from substitute Jeremie Frimpong. The hard-earned and deserved victory brought the 25,825 fans at the BayArena to their feet.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gerardo Seoane praised the performance of his team and identified the prime reason for the victory as resolute defending: "We succeeded in being disciplined in defence and also producing fast transitions in attack but our positional play was good again and again." He was also happy for the team: "They've taken another step forwards. We were more consistent and efficient than in recent games." Another decisive factor he named was desire: "We had a completely different energy level as a team and good interaction between the players."
The Swiss coach was also impressed with the stage: "We are pleased to see the fans go home happy. You could feel the emotion in the stadium and they got behind us from the first minute. We want to take that with us in the coming days."
Goalscorer Robert Andrich was clearly relieved on Werkself TV: "It wasn't that easy at the start because there were so many things on my mind. But then the game took its course," said the 27-year-old midfielder. And he added: We played well going forwards but lacked precision initially. But we remained patient and we are very proud that we've finally done it."
Seoane only made two changes to the starting eleven compared with the 2-2 draw at Hertha Berlin: Robert Andrich played in midfield in place of the injured Exequiel Palacios (muscular injury to left thigh). The former was named Man of the Match in only his second appearance in the UEFA Champions League.
The Werkself started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Odilon Kossounou in the line-up in place of Jeremie Frimpong and he was at the right of the back four alongside Piero Hincapie, Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah. Frimpong came off the bench on 69 minutes. A substitute who proved to be a true matchwinner: The Dutchman again and again showed his pace against opponents on the right flank and set up the two goals for Andrich and Moussa Diaby.
The Werkself had a total of 18 shots on goal, the Simeone team 12. The Spaniards were slightly ahead with 55% possession. On the other hand, Leverkusen were on top with 51% of all challenges won. A look at the pass completion rates of the two teams presents a balanced picture: the Seoane team had 84%, the Madrid side 87%.
The media were unanimous: A convincing performance with the deserved outcome on this Champions League night: the Kölner Stadtanzeiger headline reads, "The Werkself lift the curse" and they awarded top marks to two Werkself players: Robert Andrich as "motivator, ball winner and goalscorer" plus Jeremie Frimpong for a "perfect substitute appearance."
The Rheinische Post talks about salvation and reports: "Bayer 04 bring Atlético Madrid to their knees." The RP also praised Andrich's display: "The midfielder really looked in the mood for the Champions League and was one of the more striking outfield players for the Werkself. His finish from 17 yards out into the far corner for the opening goal was near to perfection." In addition to Andrich, Odilon Kossounou, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Kerem Demirbay were also awarded high marks. The BILD Zeitung gave Andrich top marks. The tabloid describes the Werkself number eight as a "tireless battler."
The Seoane team have another home game on Saturday 17 September. Werder Bremen visit the BayArena on Bundesliga matchday seven with the kick-off at 15.30 CEST. The team from Bremen are currently ninth in the table. The Black and Reds travel to Bayern Munich a week later. The match against the record champions is at 20.30 CEST on Friday 30 September. Then it's a return to the European stage on 4 October (kick-off: 21.00 CEST) with Leverkusen away to Porto.
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