Star trainer Xabi Alonso cannot yet free Bayer Leverkusen from crisis mode. In the duel of the Champions League participants, the Rhinelanders lost 1: 5 (0: 1) at fear opponent Eintracht Frankfurt, there was no sign of the upward trend of the previous week. If the SBU had better exploited their chances, the defeat could have been even higher.
Lukas Hradecky ran towards the Bayer fans with outstretched arms, but the Leverkusen captain and goalkeeper was unable to calm the crowd. Anger and disappointment hit the players of the Champions League participants after 1: 5 (0: 1) at Eintracht Frankfurt.
The new Bayer coach Xabi Alonso had long since disappeared into the dressing room. After the 0: 3 in the premier class against FC Porto, the former Spanish world and European champions suffered their first heavy Bundesliga defeat. Under the Bayer cross there is pure disillusionment and a mood of crisis, the change of coach from Gerardo Seoane to Alonso has not really had an effect.
In contrast, the aces of the Europa League winners were celebrated by the supporters after the gala performance. “We were there from the start, we were in control. When you see the chances we had in the first half, the result is okay at this level,” summarized sports director Markus Krösche at Sky.
Goalkeeper Kevin Trapp added: “An incredibly good performance. The 1-0 was the door opener and the second half continued like that.” The team showed a corresponding reaction to the defeat in Bochum and against Tottenham in the Champions League. “We have very good characters, we can also react to neck blows and then pull off a performance like that,” said Trapp.
Frankfurt’s fifth home win in a row against Leverkusen
Double striker Daichi Kamada (45’+5/72′, each penalty), Randal Kolo Muani (58′), Jesper Lindström (65′) and ex-Leverkusen player Lucas Alario (86′) scored the fifth home win in a row against the Werkself out of here.
As a result, coach Oliver Glasner’s team moved up to the top group in the Bundesliga and is currently fourth. The frighteningly weak Leverkusen, on the other hand, are still stuck deep in the table basement, the Rhinelanders slipped to relegation place 16. Piero Hincapie (56th) managed to equalize 1:1 in the meantime. However, in the 71st minute, Hincapie was sent off for repeated foul play with a yellow-red card.
“Every game a step forward,” was Alonso’s motto after the defeat in the Champions League against FC Porto. It’s about building a team spirit. “We have to stay together as a team, even in difficult moments,” stressed the Spaniard. Some of these had to be survived in Frankfurt despite the absence of Eintracht defense chief Makoto Hasebe.
Leverkusen offensive game without speed and ideas
After five minutes, Mario Götze fired a first warning shot just inches from the post, then Hincapie blocked Kolo Muani (9th), who was already rushing towards the goal after Götze’s dream pass (9th), in dire need. Eintracht started much more energetically with Kristijan Jakic as the new central link in the back three and bought the punch from Bayer in the duels.
Dangerous chances to score a goal in front of Lukas Hradecky’s goal arose again and again after high ball wins. Jesper Lindström (13′) aimed detached too central, Kolo Muani (28’/42′) failed alone in front of the goal at ex-Frankfurt Hradecky.
Despite more game shares, Leverkusen managed almost nothing with the ball, in the offensive game both speed and ideas were missing. Jeremie Frimpong (33rd) shot the crossbar out of nowhere.
Things got strange in injury time after Edmond Tapsoba clearly fouled Lindström in the penalty area. Hradecky parried against Kolo Muani, but left the line too early. The replay then used Kamada.
Alonso brought in a new central midfield in Nadiem Amiri and Kerem Demirbay at the break – but that only brought some relief for a short time.
Hincapie equalized with a diving header from a half-field free-kick, but Kolo Muani promptly replied with a header. Bayer then gave up completely, the SBU now had an easy time.
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer Leverkusen: The voices of the game
Oliver Glasner (Eintracht Frankfurt coach): “A well-deserved victory. Very enthusiastic to play, repeatedly played forward, many combinations, very compact. It was a very difficult game mentally because we had only missed four or five huge chances. After the 1-1 draw, a game like that can quickly tilt. We attacked the interfaces with depth and speed. I’m going to bed very satisfied.”
Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen manager): “We ran into problems from the start, we didn’t have the intensity we needed. It’s our fault, there are no excuses. There’s a lot to learn from today’s game. We have to believe that we can do better. That The potential is there.”
Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayer Leverkusen: The data for the game
