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 (October 12th, 2022), his new club Bayer Leverkusen is on the verge of being 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, both penalties) in an unfortunate game for Leverkusen caused the first defeat in Bayer’s still short Alonso era.
Leverkusen last in Group B
With only three points from four games, only wins and support help the Leverkusen team in Madrid and against FC Brugge, who have already qualified for the knockout stage. Leverkusen is currently last in Group B behind Bruges (10), Porto (6) and Atlético (4).
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. Again Bayer missed – this time by Kerem Demirbay (16th) – a penalty kick. 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 Amine Adli’s alleged equalizer to make it 1-1 (35 ‘) was withdrawn, and before Taremi’s first penalty goal, the Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs had initially decided on a free kick.
Bayer 04 made serious defensive mistakes
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. 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.
“It just hurts extremely. It’s clear that we made mistakes, but it wasn’t a game that we had to lose 3-0”, said Tah later at DAZN. “We have two games left. We go into every game wanting to win it.”
Postage much ripped off
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.