The Werkself played in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation at the Puskas Arena. Xabi Alonso made three changes to his starting eleven compared with the 3-2 win at Werder Bremen: Edmond Tapsoba came into the defence in place of Odilon Kossounou, Florian Wirtz replaced Amine Adli, and the Spanish coach opted for Sardar Azmoun up front in place of Adam Hlozek.
The Werkself were straight out of the blocks on an impressive stage: Three minutes after the kick-off, Moussa Diaby received the ball from Tapsoba and went on a long run that included him leaving his opponent Mats Knoester standing. With his usual pace, the Frenchman broke through on the Ferencváros goal and succeeding in slipping the ball through the legs of the keeper Denes Dibusz into the far corner for the lead at 1-0. The first big chance of the game for the hosts came from Amer Gojak on 22 minutes: The ball was deflected to the feet of the playmaker leaving him with a one-on-one with Lukas Hradecky but the skipper produced a brilliant reflex save to keep out the shot with his right foot.
Leverkusen were – with the exception of the move involving Gojak – very solid at the back in the first half with no other clear-cut chances for the opposition. The Black and Reds again and again created promising opportunities through good passing play with Jeremie Frimpong going close from a tight angle and the following corner ended up with a header from Tapsoba but he was unable to find the back of the net (33'). Ferencváros created one of their two most dangerous chances again with a deflection seven minutes from half-time. Adama Traoré hit the crossbar. The Werkself took the 1-0 lead into the half-time break.
The Alonso team started the second half looking for another goal. The following minutes brought real chances for the visitors: With 50 minutes on the clock, Tapsoba, as with the opening goal, fed Diaby who cut inside and played the ball to his teammate Mitchel Bakker. An opponent then intervened at the last second. They carried on two minutes later with a long ball from Exequiel Palacios to Bakker who crossed for Frimpong in the box. The Werkself number 30 tucked the ball into the net but referee Artur Dias ruled the strike out for Bakker being offside in the build-up. An impressive passing move ended with a Diaby shot being blocked and, seconds later, Sardar Azmoun had a chance that the Ferencváros keeper Dibusz just managed to save (56'). A minute later, Diaby hit the outside of the post. But fresh legs ensured the victory was sealed.
The impressive Diaby saw substitute Amine Adli on the left on 81 minutes and the Frenchman scored with his eighth touch of the ball for a deserved 2-0 scoreline. Nothing else happened after that. The Werkself are deservedly through to the quarter-finals in the Europa League. The draw for the last eight takes place tomorrow Friday 17 March from 13.00 CET..
After a short breather, the Alonso team return to league action: The Werkself will complete a training session in Budapest on Friday before flying back to the Rhineland. Saturday will see a training session in Leverkusen with final preparations for the next challenge for Lukas Hradecky and Co. on Sunday 19 March: The Black and Reds entertain league leaders Bayern Munich on Bundesliga matchday 25. The kick-off at the BayArena is at 17.30 CET.
Match stats:
Ferencváros: Dibusz – Wingo (Marquinhos 13', Lisztes 90'), Knoester, Abena, Civic – Vecsei, Esiti – Zachariassen, Gojak (Manner 78'), Traoré, – R. Mmaee (Frederiksen 90')
Bayer 04: Hradecky – Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie (Kossounou 81')– Frimpong (Fosu-Mensah 81'), Palacios, Andrich (Demirbay 86'), Bakker – Diaby, Wirtz (Adli 70') – Azmoun (Hlozek 70')
Goals: 0-1 Diaby (3’), 0-2 Adli (81’)
Booked: Cherchesov (coach)
Referee: Artur Dias (Portugal)
A thrilling final but with no reward: the Bayer 04 U19s lost 5-4 to 1. FC Köln in the final for the German championship. Sergi Runge's side went into a commanding lead through goals by Artem Stepanov and Jeremiah Mensah, but the visitors battled back and turned it into a 4-2 lead before half-time. Leverkusen then showed their own comeback qualities in the second period, with Francis Onyeka and Kerim Alajbegovic restoring partiy, but Luis Stapelmann snatched the winner for Köln late on.
Show moreThey had their hands full in the VAR centre in Cologne: eight goals were scored at the MEWA Arena on Saturday afternoon, but only four of them were allowed in the end as the Werkself and 1. FSV Mainz 05 closed the season with a 2-2 draw. It means Bayer 04 end the 2024/25 campaign as runners-up with 69 points, representing the fourth-best season in the club's history. What's more, the Werkself are now unbeaten away from home in two whole Bundesliga seasons, with their last away defeat coming exactly two years ago on Matchday 34 of the 2022/23 season at VfL Bochum. The Black-and-Reds can continue the record run next season - albeit without Alonso and Tah. Read what else the eventful final game for the head coach and the defensive leader had to offer in the Werkself Review.
Show moreWerkself-TV shows the highlights of Bayer 04's 2-2 draw at Mainz 05 on the 34th matchday of the Bundesliga 2024/25...
Show moreBayer 04’s final game of the 2024/25 Bundesliga season saw VAR drama and produced a new record for away results with a 2-2 draw in Mainz. The hosts had several goals ruled out before Paul Nebel put them ahead. Patrik Schick’s brace then turned things around in the second half before Jonathan Burkardt’s penalty levelled the game again. It means Leverkusen have now gone 34 away games without defeat in the Bundesliga, which no team has ever done before.
Show moreThe Werkself bring down the curtain on their 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign with a game away at Mainz on Saturday (kick-off: 3.30pm CEST). Here’s all you need to know ahead of the Matchday 34 meeting at the MEWA Arena.
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