Putting in what was a dominant performance at the BayArena on Thursday night, Bayer Leverkusen cruised their way to a routine 2-0 victory against West Ham.
Although the German record-breakers might have missed a string of chances on either side of the interval and been left frustrated, Xabi Alonso’s men eventually secured a deserved break through late on.
With second-half substitute Jonas Hofmann scrambling home in the 83rd minute, Leverkusen are now sat firmly in the driving seat to clinch a Europa League semi-final ticket.
Eventually extending their first-leg advantage in the final few moments as returning talisman Victor Boniface produced a wonderful header, Leverkusen are still remarkably yet to suffer a single defeat across any competition this season.
In complete control and now just 90 minutes away from booking a heavyweight semi-final showdown against either AC Milan or Roma, Alonso’s high-flying squad should be relishing a trip to east London next week.
Suffering late heartbreak here and continuing to show a string of inconsistencies since opening the New Year, West Ham certainly now face an almighty Europa League challenge.
In fact, the Hammers have claimed just four wins from any of their previous 18 appearances across all competitions.
On a night when Leverkusen breezed their way to a first-leg advantage, we have taken a look at the main talking points.
Complete dominance for the German high-flyers
Holding what is a remarkable 16-point buffer at the top of the Bundesliga table, Bayer Leverkusen have firmly cemented their spot as Europe’s surprise package this season.
Breezing their way to a maiden domestic crown and only continuing to receive a string of plaudits from across the continent, Thursday’s hosts have also broken a string of remarkable records.
In complete control here and more than deserving of their first-leg advantage at the BayArena, the German high-flyers have not suffered a single defeat across any…
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Author : Tom Dunstan
Publish date : 2024-04-12 08:45:05
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