Consternation – this is the feeling at Bayer Leverkusen after the strong whistle from champion Paris St. Germain. It’s difficult to get back to business as usual.
Robert Andrich had a big task on Tuesday evening: The defensive organizer and “clearer” in midfield was supposed to lead the young Bayer team as a leader into the match against the reigning champions. Things went really wrong: Bayer suffered a 2:7 (1:4) defeat that was painful, at least in terms of height.
Decisive: In the 33rd minute, Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano sent Andrich to take a shower early because of an elbow check on Désiré Doué.
Red against Andrich – Bayer fate sealed
He elbowed Doué in the face completely unnecessarily – somewhere in midfield without a real fight for the ball. Referee Manzano had initially only shown a yellow, but after a video check he corrected and gave a red. Bayer’s fate was, in a sense, sealed.
The Werkself gave up the crazy game within 387 seconds. Shortly before the break, the French turned 1-1 into 4-1 in seven minutes at ten against ten. After an emergency stop by Illja Sabarnyj (37th), they were only left with ten people on the pitch.
“Were too open”
For Leverkusen coach Kasper Hjulmand, this phase was crucial to the game. “We were too open, we made too many mistakes in those minutes,” said the Dane, who suffered his first defeat as Leverkusen coach. The slap “hurts,” Hjulmand continued: “Not just to lose, but especially with this result. It’s a challenge to tick that off. There’s only one way to do it, and that’s on Sunday against Freiburg.”
Disappointment in Leverkusen.
“We have to analyze the game, we have to improve.” The result was “disappointing,” said central defender Edmond Tapsoba: “If you make mistakes, it is normal that you will be punished.” Midfielder Aleix Garcia, who scored both of Leverkusen’s goals, complained: “This defeat hurts a lot.”
Garcia on a souvenir hunt
Garcia didn’t yet have a place in mind for his consolation prize. “Because I’m still really angry now,” said the double goalscorer, who secured the jersey of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé after the abrasion. Garcia assured that he had asked about it before the game because: “After conceding seven goals, I might not have asked for it anymore.”
Despite the clear defeat, Garcia had words of praise for the exceptional French talent. “For me he is the best. He plays right, left, inside, outside,” said Leverkusen’s midfielder. That’s why the jersey is “something very special for me.” In any case, Bayer sports director Simon Rolfes “didn’t really care” about the questionable jersey swap after the slap.
Full program
In the Champions League, Bayer is already under a lot of pressure after playing three games. There are two draws and one defeat – that makes 27th place in the table. In two weeks we will continue with a guest appearance at Benfica Lisbon.
Before that, it’s back to everyday life in the Bundesliga, which could be good for Bayer. The next opponent, SC Freiburg, won’t have quite as big a collar in their home stadium. The following week we will face second division team SC Paderborn in the DFB Cup, before the away game at FC Bayern on November 1st. There are currently no breaks.
Our sources:
- sports information service
- dpa
- Bayer Leverkusen homepage
