2024-09-19 23:19:31
Bayer Leverkusen’s opening match in the Champions League took them to the Netherlands. And Feyenoord Rotterdam ultimately had no chance.
Magical foot Florian Wirtz played brilliantly in his first appearance on Europe’s most important football stage and gave Bayer Leverkusen a historic dream start. The exceptional talent led the double winners to a 4-0 (4-0) victory over Dutch cup winners Feyenoord in their Champions League debut.
Wirtz was unimpressed by the atmosphere in the notorious cauldron of “De Kuip”, “the tub”. He was full of enthusiasm for the game – and delivered a perfect debut in the premier class with his brace (5th/36th). The attacking star was the first German professional to score two goals on his debut in the Champions League.
Alejandro Grimaldo (30th) and an own goal by former Schalke keeper Timon Wellenreuther (45th) equalized the Rhinelanders’ highest Champions League victory in October 2013 against Shakhtar Donetsk. In the first international match since losing the Europa League final against Atalanta Bergamo, the Werkself dominated, especially before half-time. Leverkusen’s next opponent is AC Milan (October 1st).
It was a very special match, especially for Wirtz. During Bayer’s last Champions League appearance in 2022/23, he had to sit out due to a cruciate ligament tear. Now the international player finally made his debut – with big goals. He wanted to show, he had announced beforehand, “what I can do and see what I can do in the Champions League”.
The 21-year-old needed less than five minutes to do this. After the Dutch lost the ball, Wirtz switched quickly and put the ball into the net from the edge of the penalty area. Feyenoord, the former club of the new Liverpool coach Arne Slot, quickly looked for an answer, but Ramiz Zerrouki (9th) was offside when the equalizer was supposed to have been scored.
Coach Xabi Alonso, who had won the Champions League as a player with Liverpool FC and Real Madrid, then saw how his team, led by the strong sweeper Robert Andrich, increasingly silenced the Dutch fans. Lukáš Hrádecký, who was preferred to Matěj Kovář in the Bayer goal, was on hand to deal with the few shots the hosts had on goal.
And Leverkusen struck with ice-cold precision on the offensive. First, Grimaldo completed an attack that Victor Boniface had started with a cheeky pass. Then Wirtz was in the right place again when he converted a cross with a direct shot. For the fourth goal, Wellenreuther unfortunately headed Edmond Tapsoba’s ball into his own goal.
Wirtz opened the second period with a dangerous long-range shot (51st minute), but Bayer took a much more relaxed approach after that. After Hrádecký was called upon to take a shot from Quentin Timbers (55th minute), Boniface tried unsuccessfully once almost from the halfway line.
After a good 70 minutes, Alonso took Wirtz off the field. In the final phase, Leverkusen survived a few tricky situations unscathed. The Dutch team’s supposed consolation goal by Ayase Ueda was also disallowed due to an offside position (73′).