Werkself Review #FCBB04: Five games unbeaten against Bayern

Summary: Super-sub Tella on target

It was a cagey start to the standout last-16 clash, with FC Bayern having most of the possession but not capitalising. A significant moment came in the 15th minute: as Jeremie Frimpong attempted to latch onto a long ball, FCB goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came out of his penalty area to stop the Dutchman in his tracks. The two players were involved in a hefty collision and referee Harm Osmers chose to show Neuer a straight red card. The Werkself now took a far more attacking approach with the extra man and had a chance through Florian Wirtz in the 32nd minute. However, Leon Goretzka and Minjae Kim also had promising opportunities for the hosts at the end of the first half.

The second period began with a blow for Leverkusen as half-time substitute Patrik Schick had to leave the field injured. His replacement was Nathan Tella (50') and not long after coming on, the Nigerian came up with the winning goal in a second half that was low on goalmouth action at both ends. Alejandro Grimaldo supplied the number 19 with an inviting cross into the box, which Tella headed in to make it 1-0. That proved to be enough for a place in the quarter-finals of the cup! HERE is the full match report. Club members can also watch the game in full again:

Reaction: 'We remained patient'

Goalscorer Tella spoke at full time: "It was a very difficult match. Obviously it got a bit easier when Bayern were reduced to 10, but we still had to keep playing our game and couldn't get overconfident. We remained patient." On his goal, he added: "I knew that Grimaldo was going to get the ball into the box and then I've just learned a lot from Patrik and Victor and got in between the defenders (laughs)."

Head coach Xabi Alonso was also happy in his assessment: "I'm very proud of the team. We watched all of Bayern's previous matches - normally they dominate their opponents. So, it was hard for the players but they gave their all. It's a very important night for us. Winning here is something special."

What the papers say: 'Leverkusen overpower Bayern'

kicker wrote "Leverkusen knock out Bayern" and expanded: "Why? Because Bayern veteran Neuer received his first red card. Because super-sub Tella scored. And because FCB didn't come up with enough." The Rheinische Post went with the headline: "Leverkusen overpower 10-man FC Bayern", while the Bild summarised it as follows: "In the second half, however, the Werkself then took their first chance and scored the winning goal through substitute Tella in the 69th minute. After conceding, a decimated FCB couldn't mount a final attacking charge and merely ran into the solid Leverkusen defence. Bayer 04 deserved to go through in the end and have inflicted a first setback on Bayern under Kompany with the cup exit."

Personnel: Tella's first cup strike

It was Tella's first goal in the DFB Pokal in his seventh appearance, as well as his first strike in any competition this season. On the opposing side, it was a first ever sending-off for FCB goalkeeper Neuer after 867 senior games.

What's more, the 5,000 travelling fans once again created a great atmosphere at the Allianz Arena! To celebrate reaching the DFB Pokal quarter-finals, all Bayer 04 club members can take advantage of a discount offer in the Online Shop: up until midnight on Wednesday 4 December, there's a 25 percent discount on all jerseys (except the champions jersey with double badge) with the code 04TELFINALE!

Stats: Not conceded for over 500 minutes

It was yet another clean sheet for the Werkself in the cup. The holders have now gone five consecutive matches, or 533 minutes, without conceding a goal in the competition.

As for the match stats, the Werkself registered 11 attempts on goal (Bayern: 14) and had around 42 percent possession, but won 51% of the duels. The Black-and-Reds' pass completion rate stood at 82.4%.

Looking ahead: Three competitions in seven days

After the DFB Pokal, it's onto the league and the Champions League. First up, FC St. Pauli come to the BayArena on Matchday 13 of the Bundesliga this Saturday, 7 December (kick-off 15:30 CET). Three days later, on Tuesday 10 December, the Werkself host Inter Milan on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League (kick-off 21:00 CET).

Bayer 04 will discover their opponents in the quarter-finals of the cup the following Sunday, 15 December, when the draw is made from 15:15 CET live on ZDF.