Werkself review #QARB04: Unconditional desire to win

Summary: Last-minute strike maintains winning run

Head coach Xabi Alonso rotated his team again for the European game making six changes to the starting XI. The start of the match in Azerbaijan was rather unspectacular. The opponents endeavoured to attack. In return, the Black and Reds found it difficult to penetrate the opposition defence. The first decent chance of the game in front of a full house at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku did fall to the visitors with a header from Piero Hincapie on 23 minutes. The hosts were more active in attacking compared with the match at Leverkusen and they had a chance to score on 38 minutes through Juninho. The second half started in similar vein to the first: Qarabag pressed, the Werkself tried hard. Up to that point neither side had found the back of the net. It was only in the closing stages that chances were created for the Werkself, above all for Victor Boniface who tried an overhead kick on 86 minutes. The breakthrough came in added time: Grimaldo headed the ball in the opposition box onto the arm of Qarabag's Maksim Medvedev. Referee Craig Pawson looked at the video screen and rightly awarded a penalty to Bayer 04. Boniface converted the spot kick with an emphatic finish into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0 (90+4’). The match report is HERE.

Reaction: "In football it's all about winning"

Granit Xhaka said after the game: "In football it's all about winning, that's all that counts. Qarabag played well and had good players. We stood up to them well and came out on top. The second half was better than the first. But I never felt we would lose the game. We were more solid in defence than in recent weeks. We're over the moon."

Alonso summed up the game at the post-match press conference as follows: "It was a close encounter. They had chances to beat us. But in the last 15 minutes we moved up a gear and won with the penalty. The win was a bit fortunate and we had to suffer but that's very important." The Spaniard also praised the city and the club: "Baku is very beautiful and has developed a lot in the years since I was last here. The same applies to Qarabag who are on a very good path. It was great to be back here."

What the papers say: "Boniface fires Bayer towards Round of 16"

The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger headline reads: "A tough night with a happy ending." The Bild reports: "The Bundesliga magic went missing on the long journey" and the Express opts for the headline "Boniface fires Bayer towards Round of 16." The Rheinische Post describes the game as follows: "In contrast to the first game, which the Rhinelanders dominated at their own stadium and won 5-1, the second meeting demanded lots of patience. Qarabag were well organised and energetic."

Personnel: The twelfth man

...was definitely the 230 travelling fans who made the long journey to Azerbaijan to provide vocal support for the Werkself. Alonso did not miss the opportunity to go to the away end after the game to talk to the fans – together under the Cross.

In addition: The scorer Boniface had seven shots on goal, the highest number for a Bayer 04 player in the current Europa League campaign. Hincapie made 108 passes on Thursday night, the highest number for the Werkself player on the European stage this season.​

Stats: Another record broken

Both teams had eleven shots on goal. Leverkusen won 43% of challenges. In terms of pass completion, the Werkself had 86% and the Azerbaijanis just 79%. It was more clear in terms of possession: The Black and Reds had their noses in front with 62%.

Bayer 04 also won their eleventh game in succession to set a new club record since promotion to the Bundesliga in 1979.

Outlook: Union Berlin ahead of internatioanla break

The third packed week in succession ends with the Bundesliga home fixture against Union Berlin in two days time (Sunday, 12 November, 15.30 CET). After that, many Werkself players will be away on international duty.