#ELVB04 review: Urgent need to talk

SUMMARY: HARDLY IN THE GAME

The Werkself were taken by surprise on two minutes with the opener from Rochelt – and it was not the only setback yesterday afternoon. Adam Hlozek did level early with a bouncing shot (5') but Elversberg remained dangerous and retook the lead with a penalty scored by Koffi following a foul by Charles Aránguiz (17'). There was a glimmer of hope for Bayer 04 up front when Aránguiz made it 2-2 (30') after a good move involving Moussa Diaby and Sardar Azmoun After that, the Black and Reds were hardly in the game but were also unlucky when Azmoun only hit the inside of the post (32'). Elversberg then cut through the Leverkusen defence again with Schnellbacher scoring to make it 3-2. The result was settled when Conrad scored a header to put the hosts 4-2 up on 74 minutes. HERE is the match report.

REACTION: "NOT AT OUR BEST MENTALLY OR PHYSICALLY"

Coach Gerardo Seoane blasted his players. "We weren't alert enough from the start, not strong enough in our play and we made a lot of mistakes on the ball. We didn't keep the spaces tight enough between the lines and it was unsatisfactory in all respects. The trouble is you can't afford that in a cup match," declared the head coach before adding: "Now it's about looking exactly at why we were not at our best mentally or physically." Robert Andrich did not mince his words either: "It was a disaster from the first to the last minute, we were always too late on the ball in attack and defence and we always came out second in challenges. It's very hard to deal with being knocked out and now we have to make a brutally honest assessment of our mistakes."

PERSONNEL: HRADECKY OFTEN LEFT ON HIS OWN

Many people were a little surprised that Jonathan Tah was not in the starting eleven. However, Gerardo Seoane had an explanation for his decision: "Jonathan was the last player back from holiday and he had the fewest training sessions amongst the central defenders, that was the reason." The coach commented on the substitution of Sardar Azmoun at the break: "It was a tactical change. Sardar was almost playing as a second centre-forward but we wanted to strengthen and reinforce the midfield with the substitution because there was too much space there." It was also a bleak day for the captain. The ball kept flying past Lukas Hradecky but the Finn had no chance with all the goals conceded and he prevented an even worse outcome with a number of saves.

STATS: LIKE ELEVEN YEARS AGO IN DRESDEN

Numbers can be deceptive sometimes. The rate of challenges was in favour of the Werkself by 58 to 42 per cent, but it seemed like Elversberg came out on top in nearly all the important and tight duels. Possession (61 to 39 per cent), pass completion rate (85 to 79 per cent) and even shots on goal (19 to 17) favoured Bayer 04. The last time Leverkusen were knocked out in the first round of the DFB Cup was in 2011/12 with a 4-3 defeat after extra time at second division Dynamo Dresden.

WHAT THE PAPERS SAY: "SAY SORRY TO THE FANS"

The Werkself were able to twice level against the bold Saarlanders... Being knocked out is a bitter blow for Leverkusen," reports RP online. Bild am Sonntag quotes Lukas Hradecky: "I didn't recognise my team." The online edition of the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger gives Simon Rolfes, sporting managing director at Bayer 04, the chance to have his say: "We didn't defend. Everybody left it to each other. If you don't defend then you can't win, either in the cup or in the league. We have to say sorry to our fans who were fantastic at Elversberg."

OUTLOOK: TOP MATCH AT BVB

The DFB Cup is over for Bayer 04 this season and now the league campaign starts next weekend. The Werkself are away to Borussia Dortmund on Saturday 6 August with the kick off at 18.30 CEST. BVB beat third division 1860 Munich 3-0 in the first round of the DFB Cup.