2023-11-09 22:28:06
Bayer Leverkusen continued its winning streak in the Europa League and secured progression on matchday four. The Bundesliga leaders, trained by Xabi Alonso, won 1-0 (0-0) at FK Karabakh Agdam on Thursday with a hand penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Victor Boniface converted confidently in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. After four of six group games, Leverkusen, who have not lost a competitive game this season, have twelve points.
Alonso relied on rotation in his starting eleven. Compared to the 3-2 win at TSG Hoffenheim last Saturday, the Spaniard made six changes. Among others, goalkeeper Matej Kovar and midfielder Robert Andrich were new to the team.
also read
And Bayer didn’t get off to a good start. It took until the 23rd minute before the Werkself came close to threatening Karabakh Agdam’s goal for the first time. After a corner from Alejandro Grimaldo, who has been so strong this season, Piero Hincapié’s unmarked header was denied by former Leverkusen keeper Andrej Lunew in the hosts’ goal.
The first leg ended 5-1 for Leverkusen
The outsider, who had lost 5-1 in the first leg, played the game openly. Karabakh Agdam repeatedly quickly crossed the midfield and got into the Bayer penalty area. But the hosts weren’t really dangerous at first. It was only after a misunderstanding between Hincapié and Kovar that things got tricky. Bayer’s substitute keeper, who replaces captain Lukas Hradecky in the international games, had no problems with a shot from Juninho.
also read
After the break, Leverkusen initially took greater control. Bayer 04 had more possession of the ball and were able to run the ball well through the midfield from time to time. But the guests rarely got into the penalty area. In the 66th minute, center forward Victor Boniface became dangerous, but Lunew reacted well and saved.
also read
On the other side, Juninho hit his own captain Abdellah Zoubir in a promising position instead of hitting the goal. Yassine Benzia also didn’t aim accurately enough for the hosts, who were cheered on by frenetic fans. Leverkusen actually didn’t come up with much offensively in the final phase. The penalty then brought the chance to win, which Boniface didn’t miss.
Freiburg beat Serbian runner-up Backa Topola 5-0
Thanks to a gala performance against FK TSC Backa Topola from Serbia, SC Freiburg will winter on the European stage for the second time in a row. The Breisgauers achieved the “big goal” set by coach Christian Streich early on Thursday with a 5-0 (1-0) win in the Europa League. With nine points after four matchdays in Group A, Freiburg have the best chance of winning the group and qualifying directly for the round of 16 – the intermediate round of the lower-class Conference League is already certain.
Against the guests, who celebrated their runner-up finish in their homeland last season, the SC implemented much of what their coach had hoped for in advance. The defense was more stable again after conceding six goals in two competitive games. At the front, Merlin Röhl (24th minute), Maximilian Eggestein (56th), Noah Weißhaupt (69th), Junior Adamu (80th) and Ritsu Doan (90th + 2) took care of things in front of 31,700 spectators after two winless home games in the DFB Cup and in the league again for a sense of achievement.
Freiburg’s junior Adamu (left) celebrates with teammate Lukas Kübler after his goal to make it 4-0
Source: dpa/Tom Weller
As with the 3-1 away win in the first leg and the cup exit against second division team SC Paderborn (1:3), Streich relied on a three-man chain, which was hardly required by the harmless guests. With the exception of a back pass from Matthias Ginter to goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, who was in trouble right from the start, there was no danger in front of the hosts’ goal in the first half. Topola had a lot of trouble even crossing the center line.
The SC controlled the game and could have taken the lead early through Lucas Höler (4th). The dominance was also expressed in numbers. After just nine minutes, Freiburg already had six corners and almost 70 percent possession of the ball. But they had to be patient until Röhl’s first goal for the sports club’s professionals.
Even after taking the lead, Freiburg continued to apply pressure. The eye-catching Röhl missed the 2-0 with a shot that hit the post (38th). Nevertheless, the injured Maximilian Philipp was satisfied with the performance of his teammates during the break, “even if there could have been one or two more goals,” he said in an “RTL” interview.
The Freiburg team apparently took Philipp’s words to heart and increased their efficiency. Eggestein, Weißhaupt, Adamu and Doan eliminated the last doubts. With new self-confidence, Streich and Co. will now face the DFB Cup winners RB Leipzig on Sunday (7.30 p.m./DAZN, WELT.de ticker) in order to get back on track in the league.
Frankfurt has a good chance of progressing with a 1-0 win
Thanks to luck and a dream goal from Farès Chaibi, Eintracht Frankfurt won 1-0 (1-0) at HJK Helsinki and secured their place in the Conference League over the winter. With the temperature just above freezing and on artificial turf, Chaibi (31st minute) scored from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner. Because PAOK Saloniki played 2-2 against FC Aberdeen in the parallel game, the Bundesliga club’s success means they have secured the intermediate round and have the best chance of winning the group. The game on November 30th against PAOK will be the preliminary decision. Only the group winner is directly in the round of 16.
The hosts, who had been defeated 6-0 in the first leg and had already ended the season weeks ago by winning their 33rd championship title in Finland, tried to prevent another disaster and set their own course for the future. However, a lot of things got stuck in the beginning, although the Frankfurt team initially didn’t put up a consistent fight – but also didn’t create enough scoring opportunities.
also read
The first big chance (7th) had great entertainment value, when Chaibi artistically brought the ball to the goal with his heel and Helsinki keeper Niki Mäenpää directed it against the post. In the seconds that followed, it was chaotic: One after the other, Willian Pacho and Hugo Larsson poked the ball, which was just managed to be fended off by Helsinki players. The Finns had no chance when the Algerian Chaibi made it 1-0, who shot the ball into the right corner from the left edge of the penalty area.
Eintracht fans celebrate their team’s victory in Helsinki
Source: dpa/Arne Dedert
“If Helsinki were more determined, it could be dangerous,” warned Eintracht sports director Timmo Hardung during the half-time break. “We have a lot of control of the game going forward, but we would like to have a few more chances and goals.”
The hope was not fulfilled as Helsinki worked courageously to equalize in front of around 10,000 spectators and the Hessians did not do enough to score another goal. However, they almost made it 2-0 in the 54th minute through striker Omar Marmoush. However, he missed from ten meters.
National goalkeeper Kevin Trapp (61′) proved to be a savior in an emergency when he blocked a shot with his foot from Santeri Hostikka, who was charging towards him alone. It was precisely in this situation that it became apparent that the coordination in the defense chain was not optimal due to the loss of regular players Robin Koch and Tuta, who were replaced by Aurélio Buta and Hrvoje Smolcic. This also applied in the 68th minute, when the goal was conceded after an unjustified free kick, but was not recognized by the referee.
Here you will find content from third parties
In order to display embedded content, your revocable consent to the transmission and processing of personal data is necessary, as the providers of the embedded content require this consent as third party providers [In diesem Zusammenhang können auch Nutzungsprofile (u.a. auf Basis von Cookie-IDs) gebildet und angereichert werden, auch außerhalb des EWR]. By setting the switch to “on”, you agree to this (revocable at any time). This also includes your consent to the transfer of certain personal data to third countries, including the USA, in accordance with Art. 49 (1) (a) GDPR. You can find more information about this. You can revoke your consent at any time using the switch and privacy at the bottom of the page.
#Football #Leverkusen #Frankfurt #win #happily #Europe