Bayer 1-1 Stuttgart: only a draw for rivals Roma in the Europa League

Low rhythms and difficulty finding spaces. Leverkusen doesn’t go beyond the 1-1 draw at Stuttgart and gives interesting indications to Roma. In fact, Xabi Alonso’s team, as often happened in the season, can’t easily make the match and suffer against opponents who defend arrears. For long stretches of the game the rhythms were low, precisely because Leverkusen move a lot as a team but have little intuition from the individuals and Stuttgart, engaged in a very delicate fight for salvation (now they are -1 from the third last place which is worth the play-off and -2 from salvation), the draw was all in all convenient. The goals, both from penalties, by Guirassy (on 57′) and Palacios (70′) decide.

the race

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Xabi Alonso leaves out Wirtz and Hlozek and lines up his team with a 3-4-3. Stuttgart defends and leaves the ball in the game to Leverkusen who creates the first opportunity in the 8th minute: Diaby, from the left, puts the ball in the middle, Azmoun arrives slightly late and only touches the ball, with Frimpong who is instead positioned bad. The hosts are seen in the 17th minute when Endo, from an excellent position, hits badly. Stuttgart defends low and Leverkusen struggles to find space, with the match slipping away at a low pace. In the 33rd minute Adli, from the right, crosses for Bakker who, on the fly, clicks the ball.

high rhythms

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In the second half the rhythms are higher and, in the 55th minute, Stuttgart gets a penalty: after a one-two with Tiago Tomas it is Vagnoman who is closed by the Leverkusen defense, the ball however reaches Endo who is put down by Palacios . From 11 meters it is Guirassy, ​​albeit risking, who beats Hradecky. Bayer responded in the 68th minute when Bredlow overwhelmed Tapsoba with a bad exit. Another penalty, which Palacios converts to make it 1-1. Already in the 71st minute Stuttgart could get ahead again: after a shot from Guirassy it was Vagnoman, at the far post, who stumbled over the ball a meter from the goal, wasting a sensational opportunity. Opportunities suddenly flocked to both sides: in the 84th minute Bredlow did well on Frimpong, a few seconds later it was Millot, on the other side, who wasted a goal ball and was a bit timid. It ends like this, with an uninspiring draw for Leverkusen and some interesting indications for Roma.