Bundesliga
Record-breaking Leverkusen into UEL last four
Bayer Leverkusen made it an unprecedented 44 games without loss as they booked their place in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals at the expense of West Ham.
West Ham 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen (Leverkusen win 3-1 on agg.)
Goals: 1-0 Antonio 13' (assist: Bowen), 1-1 Frimpong 89' (assist: Stanišić)
Xabi Alonso said there'd be no title-winning hangover in London, but Leverkusen were far from their lofty best in a nervy first half. Other than a swerving Nathan Tella effort that forced Łukasz Fabiański into a diving save, the freshly crowned Bundesliga champions found themselves on the back-foot, with their aggregate lead cut in half in the 13th minute through Michail Antonio's brave header. Matěj Kovář thwarted Mohammed Kudus moments later, before pulling off a quite brilliant point-blank stop to prevent Jarrod Bowen's half-volley from levelling the tie. Alonso responded by hooking the carded Odilon Kossounou, but Leverkusen continued to falter as Antonio went within a whisker of converting Bowen's teasing cross. Kovář and Co. survived a goalmouth scramble on the stroke of half-time, with Bayer fortunate to still be ahead in the two-legged contest.
Alonso shuffled his pack once more at the break as Victor Boniface - on target from the bench in the first leg - and Jeremie Frimpong replaced Patrik Schick and Tella respectively. Frimpong was quick to inject some purpose into proceedings with a driving run and cross for Florian Wirtz, who was unable to land his first-time effort on target. Frimpong was at it again with 66 minutes gone, but Fabiański adjusted his feet in time to push the flying Dutchman's cross-shot behind. Frimpong blazed over when one-on-one with the goalkeeper as Leverkusen took complete charge, before making amends with a deflected equaliser that extends this relentless Leverkusen team's unbeaten run to a European record 44 competitive games. Italian outfit Roma, who beat Bayer in last season's semi-finals, now stand in their way of a place in the final.
Match stats
- Bayer broke Juventus' 43-game unbeaten record, set between May 2011 and May 2012, with the draw. Forty-four is the new gold standard among clubs in Europe's top five leagues per UEFA coefficient.
- Alonso's side are the third German team to reach the last four in UEFA competition this season, after UCL semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.
- Bochum were the last team to beat Bayer, on the final day of the 2022/23 Bundesliga season.
- Alonso's team have racked up 124 goals this season, only failing to score once in 44 competitive fixtures.
- All eight of Leverkusen's goals in the Europa League knockout rounds this term have come after the 70th minute.
Teams
West Ham: Fabiański - Coufal (Johnson 84'), Zouma (c), Aguerd (Ogbonna 45'+2), Cresswell - Ward-Prowse, Souček, Álvarez (Cornet 84') - Bowen, Antonio, Kudus
Unused subs: Anang, Knightbridge, Ings, Casey, Mubama, Swyer, Orford
Out: Aréola (groin), Emerson (suspended), Mavropanos (knock), Paquetá (suspended), Phillips (knee)
Coach: David Moyes
Leverkusen: Kovář - Stanišić, Kossounou (Tapsoba 29'), Tah (c), Hincapié - Tella (Frimpong 46'), Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo (Adli 68') - Wirtz (Andrich 87') - Schick (Boniface 46')
Unused subs: Hrádecký, Lomb, Hofmann, Arthur, Puerta, Izekor
Out: Hložek (ankle), Iglesias (unconfirmed), Mbamba (ineligible)
Coach: Xabi Alonso
As it happened!
1 - 1(1 - 0)
West Ham
FINAL
Leverkusen
vs
Full-time: West Ham 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen are through to the final four of the UEFA Europa League! The hosts were fantastic in the first half and led thanks to Michail Antonio, but Die Werkself controlled the game after the break and ultimately deserved their equaliser, which came through Jeremie Frimpong. Not only do Leverkusen progress, they are now 44 games unbeaten in a row in all competitions, a new record across Europe's top five league!
90' +4
vs
Boniface over
The Nigerian has an opportunity to complete the comeback on the night, but he can't keep his strike down in the area.
89'
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Leverkusen level!
A huge goal for Leverkusen, who are now on the brink of the last four!! It is a bit fortunate, but Frimpong will not care as his effort deflects off Cresswell and into the corner.
87'
vs
Robert Andrich
Florian Wirtz
86'
vs
Matěj Kovář
85'
vs
Tomáš Souček
85'
vs
Exequiel Palacios
84'
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Ben Johnson
Vladimir Coufal
84'
vs
Maxwel Cornet
Edson Álvarez
83'
vs
Frimpong over!
An incredible opportunity for Leverkusen is wasted as, one-on-one with Fabiański, the Netherlands international shoots over!
81'
vs
Wirtz effort behind
A deflected strike from the number 10 goes out for a corner.
80'
vs
10 minutes to hold on
The unbeaten run will be an afterthought for Leverkusen right now - the most important thing is making sure they get through to the next round.
79'
vs
Kurt Zouma
72'
vs
Jarrod Bowen
68'
vs
Amine Adli
Alejandro Grimaldo
65'
vs
Frimpong denied
A cheeky cross-cum-cross almost sneaks inside the near post, but Fabiański pushes it behind instead.
60'
vs
Bowen shot
Bowen nicks the ball from Hincapié and looks to beat Kovář, but drags it across the face of goal instead.
58'
vs
Getting a foothold
Leverkusen are starting to enjoy more possession in dangerous areas.
51'
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Wirtz over
One of the first occasions on which Die Werkself have threatened tonight. The youngster can't keep his first-time shot down, but that is positive from Leverkusen.
46'
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Jeremie Frimpong
Nathan Tella
46'
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Victor Boniface
Patrik Schick
46'
vs
Back underway
Work to do for Leverkusen here to keep their unbeaten record intact and also progress.
0 - 0
Kick-off!
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Half-time: West Ham 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen
The hosts have their noses in front at the break! Michail Antonio's strike is the difference between the two at the moment, although it could have been more if not for Matěj Kovář between the sticks. Xabi Alonso will not be best pleased with what he has seen so far, and will be expecting a big improvement at the interval. As it stands, though, his side are at least going through to the semi-finals thanks to their 2-0 first-leg triumph.
0 - 0
Half-time
45' +2
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Angelo Ogbonna
Nayef Aguerd
43'
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Kovář saves
A comparatively easy one for the Czech, as he collects Coufal's attempt. Still, Leverkusen are under pressure here.
38'
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Lull in proceedings
After an intense opening 30 minutes, the sting has left the game a little - probably not for long, though, with so much on the line.
31'
vs
Michail Antonio
31'
vs
Jonathan Tah
29'
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An early change
Kossounou has not had the best night, and he is replaced by Tapsoba as Alonso looks to give his side more composure.
29'
vs
Edmond Tapsoba
Odilon Kossounou
26'
vs
Álvarez over
This effort is well over the bar, giving Leverkusen some time to breathe.
25'
vs
Stunning Kovář stop!
The goalkeeper is earning his wages tonight, thwarting Bowen at the back post with his feet. That was a crucial intervention.
22'
vs
Another Antonio effort
Die Werkself are struggling to deal with Antonio, whose header on this occasion lacks the power to beat Kovář.
19'
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Kovář keeps out Kudus
Another opportunity for West Ham, as Mohamed Kudus' deflected shot almost wrong-foots Kovář. However, he does well to grasp the ball and end the threat - for now.
15'
vs
Wake-up call
Xabi Alonso will be hoping that strike kicks his team into gear.
13'
vs
Hosts in front!
First blood to the Hammers, as Antonio flicks Bowen's header over Matěj Kovář.
10'
vs
Tella denied!
A huge leap from Fabiański keeps out Tella's stinging drive. That was the game's first shot on target
6'
vs
Kossounou booked
A very early yellow card for the central defender - he will have to extra disciplined for the rest of the match now.
5'
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Odilon Kossounou
1'
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And we're off!
Underway here in London!
0 - 0
Kick-off!
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Teams are in the tunnel
What an atmosphere!
vs
Under 30 minutes to go!
Kick-off is not too far away!
First-leg report
Late strikes from Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface gave Bayer Leverkusen a crucial 2-0 victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League tie against West Ham at the BayArena.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 West Ham
Goals: 1-0 Hofmann 83', 2-0 Boniface 90'+1 (assist: Hofmann)
Die Werkself need just one more win to secure their status as Bundesliga champions, but their quest for European glory will be more challenging. Next up on their Europa League journey were West Ham, last season's UEFA Europa Conference League victors, and David Moyes' side proved to be difficult opponents in the first half. The Hammers were clearly happy to sit back and soak up the pressure, but they had the match's first real opportunity through Mohamed Kudus, who really should have done better with a tame effort that ultimately left Matěj Kovář with an easy save. Despite dominating possession from start to finish, clear-cut opportunities were at a premium for Leverkusen prior to the interval, although Łukasz Fabiański produced fine stops to deny Amine Adli and Patrik Schick, while the Pole got down well to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's strike from distance.
It was more of the same in the second period, as West Ham continued to frustrate a Leverkusen outfit that moved the ball around the pitch well without making any serious inroads. It wasn't until around the 70-minute mark that Fabiański was next tested, tipping Schick's close-range header over the crossbar. In an attempt to give his side extra impetus, Xabi Alonso introduced Boniface from the substitutes bench, and the Nigerian's through ball for fellow replacement Hofmann was almost inch-perfect - instead, it was slightly overhit and cleared to safety by Fabiański. By this point, West Ham forays forward were effectively non-exist, and eventually, the visitors' solid rearguard was breached. Moyes' side were unable to fully clear a corner, and when the ball arrived to him on the volley, Hofmann made no mistake as he found the bottom corner. Then, Boniface put Leverkusen in cruise control of the tie when he headed Hofmann's delicious cross into the bottom corner, giving his side a considerable advantage ahead of the second leg at the London Stadium next week.