With the quarterfinalists of the 2023/2024 UEFA Champions League Season have been decided, it was time for the UEFA Europa League Last 16 to come out with which eight teams going through to the following phase of the continental competition in European club football.
One of those Europa League Last 16 matches that was given more focuses was the current best team in the German Bundesliga 1 Bayer 04 Leverkusen against the Azerbaijan Premier League outfit Qarabağ FK. What happened during the Europa League Last 16 at BayArena last night was almost a repeat to the first leg a week ago, as Gurban Gurbanov’s men took a 2-0 lead against Xabi Alonso’s team, before the German club came back to win the overall tie.
Qarabağ FK Led 2-0 Against Leverkusen Again in Europa League Last 16
The first leg of the Europa League Last 16 between Qarabağ FK and Bayer 04 Leverkusen had the-then home team bagging a two-nothing lead following Yassine Benzia’s and Juninho’s efforts, but the resilient visitors stormed back into the game late in the game, extending their unbeaten run in the 2023/2024 campaign to a jaw-dropping 35 games. After that draw, Alonso’s team returned to winning ways in their following league game versus Vfl Wolfsburg with a 2-0 score line last weekend.
A goalless opening 45 minutes paved the way to a five-goal thriller in this Europa League Last 16 second leg in Germany, and goals from less than 10 minutes by Qarabağ FK almost booked the team’s places in the quarterfinals. Abdellah Zoubir gave the visitors the aggregate lead once again, when he headed the ball into the back of the net off Leandro Andrade’s delivery from the right flank. The goalkeeper Matěj Kovář was the man to blame as the effort was a rather soft one, which means he has committed a howler that could potentially kick his team out of the continental competition.
More dramas were unfolded not long after the game opener, since Elvin Cafarguliyev was given his marching orders by challenging Jeremie Frimpong during the latter’s breakaway. The 23-year-old was initially penalised with a yellow card, until VAR showed that the Netherlands star was on a clean opportunity to reach the Qarabağ FK goal, thus the referee had no choice but to send the former off. Nevertheless, although they were playing with only 10 men, Qarabağ FK managed to double their lead in the 67th minute, this time through Juninho from close range. The 27-year-old Brazilian forward was also on the score sheet when both sides met in the Europa League Last 16 seven days ago.
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QARABAG ARE 2-0 UP ON BAYER LEVERKUSEN WHO HAVE NOT LOST A SINGLE MATCH ALL SEASON!!!
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES IN THE EUROPA LEAGUE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mbmJw5pqJZ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 7, 2024
History Repeated Itself for Leverkusen vs. Qarabağ in the Europa League Last 16
If anything, the two goals netted by the visiting Qarabağ FK gave the home team motivations of coming back into the game, and Leverkusen were able to pull one back in the 72nd minute, courtesy of Florian Wirtz. The player who also gave the German club a lifeline in the same cup tie last week, was able to hit a volley through substitute and ex-Barcelona academy graduate Álex Grimaldo’s cross from the left flank, converting it into the bottom left corner to get his team onto the score sheet.
Leverkusen were unable to find more goals in the remainder of the normal playing time, until Patrik Schick once again came off the bench to save his team in the injury minutes. The Czech Republic international first met another delivery from Grimaldo to make things all square again in the Europa League Last 16 overall score, followed up by putting the ball into the net via a superb and patient team play right at the death. In the 90+7th minute, fellow replacement Exequiel Palacios delivered a long ball into the box, and the 28-year-old Schick managed to squeeze the ball past the goalkeeper to make the aggregate score 5-4, thus winning the Europa League Last 16 at the final whistle.
In another UEFA Europa League Last 16 that involved the English Premier League’s Brighton & Hove Albion and Italian Serie A’s AS Roma, the Daniele De Rossi-coached side were able to race into a four-nothing lead in the first leg, giving the English top-flight side a massive mountain to climb in the second leg at Falmer Stadium, and indeed Roberto De Zerbi’s side only managed to get a consolation goal in the overall time, winning the returning round 1-0 and losing the overall Europa League Last 16 cup tie 4-1. Click here for the full match details of the first leg.
Head Coaches’ Verdicts on the Europa League Last 16 Cup Tie
42-year-old former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich midfielder and current Bayer 04 Leverkusen head coach Alonso could not be happier with his team coming back for the second time in as many Europa League Last 16 games, and this time defeating their opponents from the Azerbaijan Premier League once and for all. The Spaniard noted: “It might not have been our best performance today, but we won with heart and with passion. Anything can happen in football.”
Gurbanov, on the other hand, was not satisfied that Qarabağ FK did not make it into in the next round despite taking multiple leads versus Bayer 04 Leverkusen in both legs of the Europa League Last 16. Nonetheless, the 51-year-old extended his gratitude towards the fans as well as his congratulations to the opposing manager Alonso on his resistant team. “I thank our wonderful Azerbaijani fans. Today we had three thousand fans with us. They were a great strength and support for the team. Congratulations to Xabi Alonso, they have reached the next stage. I wish success to both the opponent and us,” said the Azerbaijani manager.
Following their progress to the UEFA Europa League Quarterfinals, Bayer 04 Leverkusen will be in Europa-Park Stadion to face SC Freiburg on Matchday 26 of the German top-flight football this season; Alonso’s side are of course leading the way on top of a massive 10-point lead over 11-time defending German champions and second-best Bayern Munich with only nine games to go. As for Qarabağ FK, the first-placed team in the Azerbaijan Premier League with an insane 24-point advantage at the summit of the table, they will travel to Şəhər stadionu to meet Turan Tovuz in their own league fixture.
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