Dhe youngsters from Bayer Leverkusen have set the next exclamation mark on the European football stage. The young talents Piero Hincapie and Florian Wirtz leveled the Bundesliga second on Thursday 4-0 (2-0) at the Scottish cult club Celtic Glasgow and thus the second victory in the second game of the Europa League Group G. The newcomer Hincapie (25 Minute) and exceptional talent Wirtz (35th) met in the full and atmospheric Celtic Park for a calming tour before the break. The final score was marked by Lucas Alario (58th) with a converted hand penalty and Amine Adli (90th + 4th).
“It was the difficult start as expected, and there was pressure from the spectators. But we got into both halves well. It was a complete team effort, solidarity and homogeneous, ”said Bayer coach Gerardo Seoane on RTL. The 18-year-old Wirtz, who became the youngest player to score ten Bundesliga goals with his 1-0 win against Mainz, scored in the sixth competitive game in a row. “It’s going well at the moment. But first of all it’s about the team winning, ”said Wirtz. Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky played a major role in the success with several great saves.
Bayer Leverkusen won seven out of nine competitive games this season, with a draw and the league home defeat against Borussia Dortmund (3: 4). On Sunday, the team of coach Gerardo Seoane closes the 7th Bundesliga matchday before the international break with the still winless Arminia from Bielefeld (7.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and at DAZN).
Great atmosphere
Both teams were welcomed splendidly by the frenetic Scottish fans, who sang the hymn “You’ll never walk alone” before the game with full fervor. “The atmosphere gives you goose bumps. The players should soak it up and convert it into energy, ”said coach Seoane before kick-off at RTL. “There will be a bit of ‘rumble in the jungle’ in the first few minutes, they will be on everything that moves.”
The first accents were set by the guests, who in addition to Hincapie, Paulinho and Lucas Alario were new to the starting line-up compared to the game against Mainz. Kerem Demirbay and Wirtz tried in the first minute from a distance, both times with former England goalkeeper Joe Hart. The good start was followed by the feared urgency phase of the 51-time Scottish champions, who are currently only sixth in the Scottish Premier League under new coach Ange Postecoglou. The Japanese Kyogo Furuhashi played around Bayer keeper Hradecky, had a free run and thanks to a huge tackle by Jonathan Tah, he couldn’t get the ball (2nd).
Fukuhashi (19th) and Carl Starfelt (20th), who failed because of the strong Hradecky, could not use any other great opportunities. Bayer wobbled during this phase and then received a present. David Turnbull tripped over his legs in his own penalty area, Mitchell Bakker passed in the middle to Hincapie, who put the ball straight into the goal. It fell silent in Celtic Park, ten minutes later. Paulinho ran on the left after an opening pass from Demirbay in the direction of the penalty area, played hard against the far post, where Wirtz made it 2-0.
The break came for Celtic, who lost 3: 4 at Betis Sevilla at the beginning, as called for. With renewed courage it went into the second half, but Hradecky destroyed the best chances of Furuhasi (46th) and Jota (51st and 60th). Alarios 3-0 then finally took the energy away from the hosts, especially since the hand penalty was controversial. Cameron Carter-Vickers threw himself sideways into a shot by Paulinho, the ball went to the upper arm. Referee Marci di Bello (Italy) pointed to the point after contact with the VAR.
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