Nfter a controversial slapstick own goal by captain Lukas Hradecky, Bayer Leverkusen are threatened with early failure in a European competition for the second time this season. Despite a brilliant solo by Florian Wirtz, the Werkself, who were relegated from the Champions League, lost the curious first leg of the first knockout round of the Europa League 2:3 (0:1) against AS Monaco.
In order to keep the last chance for the title alive and to reach the round of 16, Leverkusen now need a win in the second leg on Thursday next week. “We’re hotter than ever – nothing has happened yet,” promised Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich.
Goalkeeper Hradecky was pushed too hard in the ninth minute by former Schalke and Gladbacher Breel Embolo. Especially annoying for Hradecky: Already at the 0:1 at the start of the premier class in Bruges he was to blame for the only goal through a serious mistake when he fell into the goal with the caught ball.
This time, Frenchman Moussa Diaby (48′) and Wirtz (59′) turned the game around with his first goal in six games after a ten-month injury break. National coach Hansi Flick and DFB sporting director Rudi Völler clearly enjoyed the solo in the BayArena stands. However, the game tipped over again completely with goals from Krépin Diatta (74′) and Axel Disasi (90′ + 2′). Shortly before Monaco’s winning goal, Leverkusen’s Adam Hlozek hit the post (87′).
“After falling behind we made it strong and turned the game around in the meantime. Then we were a bit too relaxed and thought it would work out,” said Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich on RTL: “Small things were punished.” Leverkusen “lost unnecessarily,” said Hradecky.
The return of striker Patrik Schick after three and a half months from the 88th minute was pleasing for Leverkusen. At Monaco, Bayern loan Alexander Nübel held up well, Ismail Jakobs, who was born in Cologne, came on for 20 minutes, and long-time Leverkusen professional Kevin Volland sat the entire game on the bench.
The whole game is tight: Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz (right) in a duel with Youssouf Fofana.
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Image: EPA
You can hardly fall behind more unhappily than Bayer on Thursday. Hradecky put himself in needless distress after a back pass from Jonathan Tah and tried to control the ball parallel to the goal line. Embolo bumped into the Leverkusen goalkeeper, who stepped on the ball and stumbled it into the goal. He waited in vain for Israeli referee Orel Grinfeeld to call the free kick. The use of Embolo was at least borderline, the scene was checked, but Grinfeeld’s decision to score was not classified as a gross misjudgment.
The Bundesliga eight then had problems creating serious scoring opportunities against the physically strong French. Nübel parried four shots in the statistics in the first round. However, only one action in the 35th minute was dangerous, when he tipped the ball away from Nadiem Amiri, who was ready to score, after a sharp cross from Diaby. On the other side, Hradecky got the opportunity to rehabilitate himself a bit and held off Diatta (44′).
In the second half, however, Bayer was there immediately and deservedly turned the game around with two outstanding individual actions. First the strong Diaby pranced out two defenders in the middle and tunneled Nübel from a short distance to equalize. Then Wirtz outplayed four opponents and didn’t give the Bayern Munich goalkeeper a chance. But Monaco fought back – and was even able to celebrate the victory very late.
