Bayer 04 lose 1-0 to Marseille in first Europa League defeat

After three consecutive wins in the Europa League, the Werkself suffered their first European defeat of the season against Marseille. In a first half with few chances, the Black and Reds gradually gained more and more control of the game, but were unable to convert that advantage into goals. Miguel Gutiérrez came closest to putting Leverkusen ahead with a shot that hit the crossbar. In the second half, the French side produced clinical finishing, with Amine Gouiri scoring from a counter-attack to make it 1-0 (77’). Right up to the final whistle, the Werkself threw everything forward in search of an equaliser, but were unable to find a way back into the game.

Compared with the 4-2 defeat against VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga, head coach Carles Martínez made two changes to his starting line-up for the Europa League match against OM. Robert Andrich started in defensive midfield in place of Ezequiel Fernández, while Jonas Hofmann replaced Afonso Moreira on the left wing. The Black and Reds were as confident on the ball and enthusiastic as ever, but it was the French side who made the first attacking move: Mark Flekken reacted brilliantly to deny striker Amine Gouiri (7’).

Werkself create chances

That remained the only chance of the match for the time being – not least because the Werkself did not allow the visitors anywhere near their own goal. Instead, Martínez’s side gradually gained the upper hand in midfield and made their presence felt on 28 minutes following a corner, through Jarell Quansah but the Englishman failed to find the target. Nevertheless, Bayer 04 continued to press forward: Just six minutes later, Ibrahim Maza forced OM keeper De Lange into making his first save. Shortly before half-time, the Dutchman would have been powerless to stop a deflected shot from Miguel Gutiérrez but the effort hit the bar (43'). The half-time whistle soon followed.

Gouiri scores on Culbreath Comeback

After the restart, it took another ten minutes for the match to get going. Then Patrik Schick (55’) and Igor Paixão (56’) created chances for both sides in quick succession. As in the first half, the Werkself had more possession, but held their breath briefly on 64 minutes when a long-range shot from Geoffrey Kondogbia flew just past the post. The deadlock was broken under a quarter of an hour later: After losing possession pushing forward, Marseille’s Gouiri showed no mercy and curled the ball home to put the visitors ahead (77').

Head coach Martínez reacted to conceding the first goal in the current UEL campaign and brought on Montrell Culbreath. The youngster made his first appearance of the season following his injury and almost celebrated with his team-mates straight away – but a header from Edmond Tapsoba went wide (80’). Right up to the final whistle, the Werkself stepped up the pressure in attack once more, but Facundo Medina’s last-gasp header failed to find the back of the OM net. As a result, Bayer 04 suffered their first defeat on the European stage on UEL matchday 4.

up next: Derby followed by international break

The first spell of back-to-back fixtures for Bayer 04 comes to an end this coming weekend. In the final of nine matches played over a little over four weeks, the Werkself face FC Köln in the derby. The clash at the RheinEnergieSTADION is on Sunday, 8 November, at 15:30 CET. Carles Martínez’s squad then have a break of almost two weeks for international fixtures. Information on the players called up by Bayer 04, updated regularly, is available HERE.

Match stats:

Bayer 04: Flekken– Quansah, Tapsoba, Medina, Gutiérrez – Andrich (Fernández 68’ ), A. Garcia – Vázquez (Moreira 68’), Maza (Tillman 78’), Hofmann (Culbreath 78’) - Schick

Marseille: de Lange – Bezahaf, Egan-Riley, Aguerd, U. Garcia (Koum 84’) - Højberg, Kondogbia (Mmadi 71’), Abdelli - Weah, Gouiri (Maupay 84’), Paixão (Nnadi 71’)

Golas: 0–1 Gouiri (77')

Yellow cards: Gutiérrez – Paixão, U. Garcia, Nnadi

Referee: Orel Grinfeeld (Israel)

Attendance: 28,758 at the BayArena