Head coach Kasper Hjulmand made three changes to his starting XI compared to the 2-1 loss at home to Borussia Dortmund three days earlier: Jarell Quansah, Martin Terrier and Christian Kofane replaced Loïc Badé, Malik Tillman and Patrik Schick. BVB made four changes from the previous clash in Leverkusen.
After a hectic ten minutes with a number of poor passes on both sides, both BVB and Bayer 04 started to pop up more frequently in dangerous areas. However, the first attempts were all successfully blocked. Edmond Tapsoba (17') and Ibrahim Maza (20') both got forward but shot wide, while at the other end Jonas Hofmann saved with his head from the onrushing Daniel Svensson (25'). Then, nine minutes later, Mark Flekken started a move which ended in the opposition penalty area and led to the opening goal! Álex Grimaldo played Maza in deep and, somehow, in a scramble against three Dortmund players, he managed to hold onto the ball and then calmly slotted it into the far corner to make it 1-0 (34'). BVB now turned up the heat again, with Robert Andrich making a last-gasp impressive block from a Karim Adeyemi shot (40'). As a result, Leverkusen went into the break with a narrow lead.
The second half had already been underway for a quarter of an hour when the Werkself doubled their lead during a period of pressure from Dortmund. However, Terrier's goal, his first in a competitive match this season, was chalked off for offside in the 60th minute. Shortly afterwards, Schick and Tillman replaced Kofane and Terrier, providing some fresh attacking impetus for Leverkusen. Schick had his first sight of goal with a header in the 73rd minute, which BVB keeper Gregor Kobel saved. At the other end, Nico Schlotterbeck went just wide with a long-range effort (77'). The final phase, including six minutes of stoppage time, was as combative and emotional as expected. Adeyemi headed into the side netting (90'+5), then the final whistle sounded at Signal Iduna Park! Bayer 04 were in the quarter-finals!
There's no let-up in the Werkself's exciting run-up to Christmas. The next challenge comes on Saturday, 6 December (kick-off: 15:30 CET) at FC Augsburg. This will be followed by the final Champions League clash of the year against Newcastle United. Kick-off is at 21:00 CET on Wednesday, 10 December at the BayArena. The two final opponents in 2025 will be 1. FC Köln - in Leverkusen - and RB Leipzig away from home. Click HERE for an overview of the current status of ticket sales.
Match stats:
Dortmund: Kobel - Anton, Can, Schlotterbeck - Ryerson (67' Beier), Bellingham, Nmecha (74' Groß), Svensson (86' Bensebaini) - Adeyemi, Chukwuemeka (67' Brandt) - Silva (67' Guirassy)
Bayer 04: Flekken - Quansah, Andrich, Tapsoba - Hofmann (90'+2 Badé), Maza, Garcia, Grimaldo - Terrier (61' Tillman), Poku (83' Tella) - Kofane (61' Schick)
Goal: 0-1 Maza (34')
Yellow cards: Anton, Bellingham, Can - Andrich, Tillman
Refree: Tobias Stieler (Sölden im Schwarzwald)
Attendance: 81,365 (sold out) at Signal Iduna Park
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