“How did he twist his ankle? Magic!” Bayer eliminated rival in the Champions League after a miraculous pass
Nikita Paglazov September 19, 2024, 22:02 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Feyenoord did it. What a great start Alonso’s team had in the Champions League!
Bayer are back in the Champions League. For the first time in their history, the team is competing in the tournament as Bundesliga winners. And in the match against Feyenoord, Leverkusen really put in a championship performance.
Xabi Alonso did not experiment with the squad, releasing the strongest 11 players at the moment. And he did not even think about bringing Bayer out. Already in the 5th minute, Florian Wirtz scored the first goal of his career in the Champions League: after pressing near the Feyenoord penalty area, the guests intercepted the ball, Wirtz advanced to the center from the right flank and then shot from 20 meters. Exactly! The lightest 1:0 for Bayer.
Feyenoord had the chance to quickly come back and revive the game. But Ramiz Zerrouqi’s goal was ruled out for offside. After conceding a goal, the Rotterdam team showed a higher percentage of possession. But it didn’t help. Bayer looked like a team that knows 100% what it wants from this match. The implementation of the plan continued: Leverkusen attacked, taking advantage of the chaos in the Feyenoord defence. Has the departure of Arne Slot really affected the club’s defence that much?
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In the 30th minute, Bayer scored a classic goal when one full-back set up another. Jeremy Frimpong crossed into the Feyenoord penalty area from the right flank, and a lonely Alejandro Grimaldo ran in and fired into the home side’s empty net.
But it’s not the goal or the assist that’s important. Victor Boniface’s pre-goal pass is unreal. The Nigerian Bayer Leverkusen striker passed the ball to Frimpong, essentially with his supporting leg, twisting his ankle. Thierry Henry used to do this. Aesthetics!
“This is real magic. I want to savour this assist. How did he twist his ankle?” admires match commentator Pavel Chepurin.
Feyenoord – Bayer Leverkusen
Photo: René Nijhuis/Getty Images
The thrashing (there’s no other way to call it) continued after six minutes. Bayer launched a quick counterattack: Frimpong had the ball again, now cutting off a pass to Wirtz, and Florian completed the combination at the far post.
And in the 45th minute, the visitors scored for the fourth time. Edmond Tapsoba made a pass into the Feyenoord box, the ball hit the foot of Rotterdam goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther and bounced unsuccessfully into the goal. Problem. Feyenoord had not been counting on scoring four goals in one half on the first matchday of the Champions League.
Feyenoord – Bayer Leverkusen
Photo: Pim Waslander/Getty Images
In the second 45 minutes, Bayer switched on economy mode. The result is done, why waste all the effort? A grueling season is coming. Feyenoord went on the attack, hoping to score at least one goal. Quinten Timber (yes, the brother of the Arsenal defender) acted famously: in the 55th minute he shot dangerously at Bayer’s goal – Hradecky was on the spot. And halfway through the half, Feyenoord scored. But the goal was not counted – Ayase Ueda was offside at the moment he received the ball.
Bayer gave Feyenoord a masterclass and also demonstrated their ambitions in the Champions League. Reaching the top eight is a real challenge for Xabi Alonso’s team. Yes, Feyenoord made their own mistakes and acted weakly in defence. Bayer has some really tough opponents ahead of them. But the level of performance and the mentality of the players suggest that Leverkusen will look great against the best. And the Rotterdammers need to work on their mistakes. Otherwise, reaching the top 24 will be an unrealistic task.
The Champions League general phase will offer us many more outstanding matches:
Classification
The new Champions League format gave us 20 important matches. Which one are you most looking forward to?
