Bayer Leverkusen beat West Ham at home this Thursday (11) 2-0 in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the Europa League and got closer to the next stage of the tournament.
The German team’s two goals came in the final stretch, through Jonas Hofmann (83′) and with a header from Victor Boniface in stoppage time (90’+1). The Nigerian had returned to action last week after three months away due to injury.
It was another good decision by coach Xabi Alonso, who decided to put both players on the field in the second half.
“It’s not luck, it’s for a reason,” Alonso assured reporters about his team’s habit of winning at the end of matches.
“When it was 0-0, we could try to overreact and lose control when trying to score. We didn’t want to do that. We wanted to insist and we wanted to continue,” added the coach.
It’s been 42 consecutive games that Bayer Leverkusen has remained undefeated, all of them this season, in which they are the isolated leader of the Bundesliga and could mathematically become champions this weekend.
“We already have the chance to achieve this on Sunday. If we win, we will be champions. It would be something very special to achieve this”, said Alonso, already excited about this possibility.
The victory continues what could be a dream week for Leverkusen, who are 16 points clear of second-placed Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and could win their first Bundesliga title if they beat Werder Bremen at home on Sunday.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
