The Werkself Review #B04SCP: Great to watch and commanding

Summary: Three goalscorers benefit from lovely play

Bayer 04 dominated from the start and went ahead inside the first quarter of an hour when Victor Boniface turned in Josip Stanisic’s cross. The hosts kept going and were looking to work their way through the Paderborn defence wherever possible. A second goal then came before the half-hour mark when captain Robert Andrich won the ball inside the opposition half, fed Exequiel Palacios who in turn slipped in Jeremie Frimpong down the right. The Dutchman returned it to the Argentine, who finished low from the edge of the box. Chances continued to come, with Amine Adli and Jonas Hofmann both having further goals ruled out for offside. However, Paderborn then got one back late on when Sebastian Klaas turned and fired in after Jonathan Tah’s miscued clearance following a goal-line intervention from Edmond Tapsoba. Leverkusen had an immediate response, though, when Frimpong crossed low for Patrik Schick, who netted just moments after coming on to wrap up the 3-1 win and progress to the quarter-finals. You can read our extended match report here.

Reaction: “Comes from hard work”

Xabi Alonso said in summary of the match: “We actually had enough chances to put the game to bed earlier, but we often missed the final pass in the final third. The respect for Paderborn was there, we knew what they can do. It was a dangerous game. There are always surprises in the cup. We had to be really alert, which is why we’re pleased and happy. Now focus turns to Sunday.”

Schick also spoke to Werkself-TV about the game and his goal: “It wasn’t easy after they brought it back to 2-1, so the third goal was very important. I’m very happy about my goal, just like after the game in Sweden. It gives me confidence. I want to be 100 percent fit for the new year.” Stanisic added: “At times we played too quickly and made things hard for ourselves. But we remained calm after 2-1. We have an outstanding team and are playing good football. That comes from hard work every day in training. The depth of our squad is also amazing.”

What the papers say: “Overwhelming superiority”

Bild ran with the headline: “Bayer Leverkusen don’t miss a beat in the DFB-Pokal either”. The Frankfurter Rundschau saw things similarly: “No trouble for Leverkusen”, adding that “the Bundesliga 2 team were overawed with the Bundesliga leaders’ clever combination play and were mostly chasing shadows”. The Rheinische Post described the Werkself as “serious contenders for the trophy”. kicker wrote of “overwhelming superiority” and spoke of Andrich’s “convincing role as defensive leader. Schick also produced the next positive after his year of suffering with his third goal involvement in as many substitute appearances over seven days.”

Personnel: Boniface first to strike again

It was the third game in a row where Boniface had scored Leverkusen’s first goal, after the opener away at Häcken in the UEFA Europa League and his equaliser against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. The Nigerian dedicated his celebration to teammate Arthur, who suffered a recurrence of a muscular injury earlier in the week, by holding the Brazilian’s shirt aloft.

Frimpong has now also been involved in a goal in each of his last three DFB-Pokal appearances, scoring once and setting up three.

Stats: Impressive passing

The Werkself had 15 attempts on goal to Paderborn’s nine, boasting 64.9 percent possession and won 58.6 percent of duels. Alonso’s side also finished with a passing accuracy of 90.8 percent, compared to the visitors’ 83.2 percent.

Outlook: Another full week

Bayer 04 only have four days until their next fixture as they go to VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga on Sunday (15:30 CET). The following Thursday, 14 December, Molde come to the BayArena for the final group game in the UEFA Europa League (18:45). The week ends with another home game against Eintracht Frankfurt for Bundesliga Matchday 15 on Sunday, 17 December (17:30).