ALed by two-time goalscorer Moussa Diaby, Bayer Leverkusen has made a step out of the sporting crisis and is well on its way to the second round of the Europa League. The team of coach Gerardo Seoane defeated Betis Sevilla on Thursday evening deserved 4-0 (1-0). In front of 15,208 spectators in the Leverkusen stadium, the outstanding Diaby scored the decisive goals for the Rhinelander in the 42nd and 52nd minutes, who are now at the top of the Group G table with ten points after the fourth matchday.
The other goals were scored after preliminary work by Diaby Florian Wirtz (86th) and Nadiem Amiri (90th), before Nabil Fekir and Kerem Demirbay saw red in stoppage time. Opponent Betis is second with seven points. After five competitive games without a win, Bayer 04 improved significantly despite serious injury concerns and earned the success with self-sacrificing commitment and beautiful plays.
Leverkusen played energetically from the start and pulled forward. The Werkself quickly bridged midfield and tried again and again to stage Diaby, Amine Adli and Wirtz. Even if the first deals weren’t really dangerous, the hosts were heading in the right direction right away.
Brief cheers
Bayer 04, which had to do without six potential regular players, controlled the game and became more and more determined. First the former Dortmund defender Marc Bartra blocked a shot from Adli just in front of the line, then Kerem Demirbay moved from a promising position. In the 24th minute, the Leverkusen fans cheered – but only briefly. The nicely combined goal by Jeremie Frimpong was rightly denied due to an offside position.
It took the Spanish guests more than half an hour before they radiated a real goal danger for the first time. Lukas Hradecky, goalkeeper of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, prevented the deficit after a shot by Nabil Fekir. When there were already many signs of a 0-0 break, Diaby took the lead in Leverkusen. The fast offensive man completed a counterattack with a direct acceptance that was worth seeing.
“We play very variably,” said Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes at halftime at Steamingsdienst RTL + and was rightly satisfied with the Werkself’s performance. Shortly after the break, he had another reason to be happy: With a deflected shot, Diaby increased to 2-0. Seville created the game a little more evenly, but had no luck with the deals. More than a crossbar free kick from Fekir did not jump out for Betis. Instead, the Spaniards received more hits shortly before the final whistle from Wirtz and Amiri.
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