Xabi Alonso is likely to leave the Champions League stage soon after entering as a coach. After the 0: 3 (0: 1) against FC Porto on Wednesday, his new club Bayer Leverkusen is about to be eliminated in the European premier class. In just two weeks at Atlético Madrid, the desired entry into the round of 16 for the Rhinelanders could have been done prematurely. Goals from Galeno (6th minute) and Mehdi Taremi (53rd/54th, penalty kicks each) in an unfortunate game for Leverkusen caused the first defeat in Bayer’s still short Alonso era.
With only three points from four games, the only thing that will help Leverkusen, who have had a disastrous start to the season in Madrid and against FC Brugge, who have already qualified for the knockout stage, is victory and help from the marksmen. Leverkusen is currently last in Group B behind Bruges (10), Porto (6) and Atlético (4).
Interventions by the video referee
As with the 0: 2 in Porto last week, which cost Alonso’s predecessor Gerardo Seoane the job, a lot went wrong for the Rhinelanders this time too. Bayer again missed a penalty – this time through Kerem Demirbay (16th). In addition, the Portuguese champions benefited more from the interventions of the video referee. Amine Adli’s alleged equalizer to make it 1-1 (35 ‘) was withdrawn, and before Taremi’s first penalty goal, the Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs had initially decided on a free kick.
Alonso, who won the Champions League twice as a player, was actually looking forward to his first game as a coach in Europe’s premier class. But what the 40-year-old Basque saw was strikingly reminiscent of the final phase of the Seoane era.
There was hardly anything to be seen of Bayer’s energy in Alonso’s debut on Saturday against Schalke 04 (4-0) against an opponent who was several classes better. Instead, in the defense slightly remodeled by Alonso, without the yellow card suspended midfield stabilizer Robert Andrich, Leverkusen made a few blunders in defense, acted without luck and once again missed leading players at crucial moments.
National coach Hansi Flick also came to Alonso’s Champions League debut as a coach. Joking alongside one of his predecessors – Rudi Völler – the evening was hardly worth it for him either. The only current Bayer international, Jonathan Tah, was involved in the early deficit in a negative sense when he acted with Odilon Kossounou as a timid companion of goalscorer Galeno.
Alonso gave Kossounou the advantage over Edmond Taspoba, who had started against Schalke. Kossounou was initially duped by a long ball from Porto keeper Diogo Costa and was then barely able to follow the Brazilian Galeno.
The game remained a torture for Bayer and Alonso. First, Costa saved Demirbay’s penalty, then Adli’s supposed equalizer was withdrawn because the Frenchman shot the ball at Patrik Schick’s arm. After the change, Bayer remained far too timid and undecided in attack. Unlike the 30-time Portuguese champions, who appeared much more ripped off and decided the game with two penalties.
