One after the other. Xabi Alonso also speaks and acts according to this motto in the week in which Bayer 04 Leverkusen can become German champions for the first time on Sunday (5.30 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the Bundesliga and on DAZN) with a home win over Werder Bremen. On Thursday evening, Europe, or more precisely the Europa League, was the focus of the future champions. The opponent in the BayArena was West Ham United, seventh in the Premier League, who were looking to end the Rhinelander’s golden streak of 41 competitive games without defeat in the quarter-final first leg.
Vain. In the end, Bayer, as so often in the Bundesliga, prevailed against a difficult opponent. Thanks to the goals from substitute Jonas Hofmann (83rd minute) and center forward Victor Boniface, who recently returned from adductor surgery, who headed in to make it 2-0 (90th+1). Alonso was very happy. “We wanted to be ready, we were ready,” he said. Nevertheless, progress is still far from certain: “It’s a good result, but it’s not over.”
It is still an excellent starting point to qualify for the Europa League semi-finals after the second leg next week. West Ham, who were too strong for Bundesliga ninth-placed SC Freiburg in the previous round and won the second leg 5-0 after a 1-0 draw in South Baden, were not strong enough to withstand the Rhinelanders this time. After 42 games without defeat, Bayer 04 is looking forward to its championship party on Sunday afternoon when the Werkself can win the most important national football title for the first time with a home win over Werder Bremen.
Hofmann with the door opener
From the point of view of the Bundesliga first team, the main thing before the break was to find the gap in the London defense alliance, bundled in a 5-4-1 formation. Alejandro Grimaldo (20th) and Patrik Schick (30th) came closest to scoring with their long-range shots, but as in other scenes, the fabulous Polish keeper Lukasz Fabianski was in the way.
West Ham only had occasional counterattacks to counter the combinatorial motor skills of the Bayer factory. The Hammers could also be happy that their rustic Brazilian playmaker Lucas Paqueta got away with a yellow card after kicking the feet of Adli and Wirtz (21st). So it went into half-time with a score of 0-0 after a good performance from the Werkself, but which lacked determination.
Sebastian Stier, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 10 Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Sebastian Stier, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
This was followed by the home team’s weakest phase. When things did get dangerous like with Schick’s header, Fabianski was there again with a remarkable save (71′). But not anymore, as Hofmann, fresh and eager to take advantage of Grimaldo’s corner, took his second opportunity volley and flat to make it 1-0.
A door opener, which a little later Boniface saw as an invitation to come back as goalscorer to make it 2-0, after Jonas Hofmann had done his part for the second time, this time with an assist, to ensure the final clear success on this evening of celebration shortly before the next big day , when the master freestyle is on the program. “I got goosebumps when the fans sang,” said Hofmann full of anticipation on RTL: “It means everything to be able to hold up the trophy at the end of the season. That’s the moment when tears might flow, it overwhelms you, you let your emotions run wild.”
