U19s head coach Greveraars made no changes to the starting XI from the 3-1 home win against Alemannia Aachen, sticking with the same line-up that had secured him a sixth win in six league matches. There was also just one change compared to the 3–1 win at VfL on Matchday 1: on that occasion, Jeremiah Mensah had started in place of Burak Kir.
This latest clash between the two clubs pitted two confident sides against one another. Bayer 04 travelled to Bochum with their heads held high, having secured a perfect haul of 18 points from six matches. But the hosts, too, having picked up six points from their two matches against 1. FC Saarbrücken (5–1) and at FC Viktoria Köln (4–2), certainly fancied their chances against the league leaders and were keen to extend their winning run. Thanks to their recent successes, VfL had climbed to fourth place and had their sights firmly set once again on qualifying for the main round of the DFB Youth League. Before kick-off, they were just one point behind second-placed Viktoria Köln and third-placed Borussia Mönchengladbach – with a game in hand.
Buck GETS THE EARLY OPENER
It meant the Werkself were well aware of the threat posed by the Bochum side, who, like Bayer 04, had also adopted a consistently attacking approach and scored 20 goals in their first six matches. Yet on Sunday, it was actually Leverkusen who showed in the opening stages that they could cause defensive problems for any opponents: as early as the 7th minute, the in-form Dustin Buck scored to make it 1–0 for the Black and Reds. However, the young Werkself subsequently failed to build on their lead, giving Bochum the chance to get back into the game. And the hosts gratefully accepted: Liam Siepen equalised to make it 1–1 just before the half-time whistle (44'), and it was all-square at the break.
SpeCtaCulAR FINAL QUARTER OF AN HOUR
In the second half, it remained an intense and hard-fought match, but with no goals to show for it – until the start of a remarkable closing phase. First, Bochum’s Lumiere Santo managed to score to make it 2–1 and turn the match around (78’). Leverkusen reacted quickly and equalised through Rayan Zidane, who had come off the bench after the break (84’) – only to concede a third immediately after the kick-off, courtesy of Bochum’s top scorer Siyeong Yang (85’). But there was more to come. With the final minute of normal time already underway and it looking as though the Werkself were set for their first defeat of the season, the U19s produced a late surge in true ‘Laterkusen’ style: First, Buck equalised once again (90'), and in stoppage time, Aleksa Damjanovic even went on to grab the winner and make it 4–3 (90’+2). The Werkself celebrated their victory – which was as emotional as it was spectacular – in a wild, unrestrained heap of bodies, whilst the Bochum players lay exhausted on the pitch.
Greveraars was delighted after five goals in 15 minutes and the resulting seventh consecutive win, but was torn in his analysis: “We should have put the match to bed in the first half. Overall, the difference in quality between our good and poor spells is too great. Ultimately, though, we’re naturally very happy that we managed to win the match. The team showed real strength of character, which pleases me. While we must be happy with the three points, we can’t be satisfied with everything we showed and must continue to improve.”
NEXT UP: SATURDAY LUNCHTIME in Elversberg
The Bayer 04 U19s are back in action in the DFB Youth League this coming Saturday, 24 October, with a match at SV 07 Elversberg. Kick-off is at 12:00 CEST.
The stats:
Bochum: Ferrara - Salamone, Narey Cisse (86' Lang), Reschke, Santo (90'+3 Benali), Yang, Abbel, Siepen (86' Byczkowski), Gezer (81' Datene), Tanyi, Kalan
Bayer 04: Rapsch – Domnic, Probst (89' Cannizzaro), Hawighorst, Buck, Minutillo (46' Zidane), Wilson, Koc, Kir (81' Massek), Doganay, Damjanovic
Goals: 0-1 Buck (7'), 1-1 Siepen (44'), 2-1 Santo (78'), 2-2 Zidane (84'), 3-2 Yang (85'), 3-3 Buck (90'), 3-4 Damjanovic (90'+2)
Yellow cards: Gezer, Tanyi, Santo - Buck, Probst, Damjanovic
Referee: Emircan Kandemir
