As the North West section started with 13 teams in the autumn, one team had to miss out on each of the double matchdays; for the #B04eSports players it was their turn this time round. That meant Leverkusen only had to play the team from Hannover on the night. A perfect matchday was required to secure a ticket for the Final Chance Round on our own accord and thereby maintain the possibility of winning the title in the VBL Club Championship 2020/21.
1 v 1 wins in closing stages
The most experienced of the Black and Red players kicked off the crucial night of virtual football: Kai ‘DETO’ Wollin. The two-time world champion played the Hannover 96 eSports player Riad ‘H96_RIAD’ Fazlija on PlayStation 4 – and he claimed the first win of the evening. With the scores level at 2-2 on the hour mark ,'DETO' turned up the heat in the final 15 minutes. A penalty converted by the virtual Yannick Schlösser (79’) restored the lead for the #B04eSports player. And it was the youth player who netted the final two goals (81', 88') to give 'DETO' a deserved 5-2 victory.
The Leverkusen win on Xbox was somewhat tighter – albeit it was the points that were essential on the night. And they were secured by Fabian ‘B04_DUBZJE’ De Cae. Against Hannover’s Marcel ‘H96_DONCHAP’ Deutscher, He came out on top 3-2 in a 1 v 1 game. Remarkable: Like 'DETO', his Xbox counterpart refused to be thrown off course on this so important matchday. The scoreline was 2-2 until the second minute of added time. With the last attack of the game, ‘B04_DUBZJE’ scored the winner. Leverkusen joy was unrestrained.
Convincing win in 2 v 2 match
To round off the evening from a Black and Red perspective, youngster Marc ‘MARC_LDW23’ Landwehr played alongside 'DETO' in the 2 v 2 encounter. After a narrow 1-0 lead at the break (Kerem Demirbay 38'), the #B04eSports players retained the upper hand in the second half. The third win against Hannover 96 came thanks to goals from Demarai Gray (54’) and Lucas Alario (83’). The experienced 'DETO' emphasised after the perfect matchday with nine points and qualification guaranteed for the Final Chance Round in the VBL: "To pick up these points under such pressure is a sign of quality and morale. We’re just playing very well as a team. Now we are looking forward to further matches and will prepare for these as best as we can."
Knockout clash against South East team
The #B04eSports players could not be knocked out of the top six by late evening. The final placings remained to be confirmed. It ended in fifth place. That means Leverkusen will play the fourth-placed team from the South East Division at 20.00 CET next Tuesday, 16 March. The opposition will be decided on this Wednesday evening. Possible opponents include Hertha Berlin, FC Nürnberg, TSG Hoffenheim and Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayer 04 will broadcast the knockout game on the club's Twitch channel with the build-up starting at 19.30 CET.
If 'DETO' and Co. go through as overall winners from these two 1 v 1 games – there are no 2 v 2 matches in the Final Chance Round – then progress to the VBL Grand Final will be secured. On March 27 and 28, the top two teams from the North West and the South East divisions plus the four winners from the Final Champs Round will battle it out for the German championship title.
