Leverkusen conquers AC Milan: Boniface meets the Champions League thriller!

01. Oktober 2024

WOM

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In a gripping duel of the Champions League, Bayer Leverkusen defeated the great AC Milan with a narrow 1-0 and thus took an important step towards the knockout round. The victory, which was achieved on the second matchday, brought the team of coach Xabi Alonso the second victory in the second preliminary round game and lets the hopes of a successful group phase continue to rise. Victor Boniface scored the decisive goal in the 51st minute.

With this success, Leverkusen not only consolidated his position in the table of the Reformed premier class, but was also settled by the traditional Italian association. Two weeks ago, Bayer experienced a convincing start with a 4-0 victory in Rotterdam, while Milan continues to show himself without point win after a 1: 3 defeat against Liverpool.

The fight against Milan

Despite the clear possession of the ball, Leverkusen struggled against the defensively strong Italians. Milan cleverly cleverly stopped and prevented Leverkusen from giving many clear chances. It seemed several times as if Boniface had bursted the knot, but his first efforts were destroyed by offending. In the 21st minute in particular, the situation was frustrating for the hosts when a goal from Boniface was not recognized due to a clear apart from Jeremie Frimpong. Milan, with his goalkeeper Mika Maignan in a very good shape, had Bayer waiting for the first goal for a long time.

Leverkusen's coach Xabi Alonso went to work creatively by taking the defensive midfielder Robert Andrich out of the game in favor of the more offensive Aleix García, which turned out to be a real move. García, in combination with Granit Xhaka, ensured that the midfield continued to act dynamically despite the defensive line -up of the Milanese and repeatedly put the opposing defense under pressure.

A critical scene occurred during the first half when Edmond Tapsoba Theo Hernández caught his face - an action that was not punished by the referee. This decision could have had far -reaching consequences if Milan could have come into a better position through a free kick.

In the second half, AC Milan continued to withdraw and left Leverkusen the game. But Bayer's subsequent offensive action brought the redeeming leadership. Boniface once again showed his scorer qualities by using a dust into the lead. At that moment it was the sixth Champions League goal of the Nigerian who made him an important team of the team this season.

The pressure from Milan

After Boniface's goal, Milan increasingly pushed to equalize and increased Leverkusen more and more. Milan coach Paulo Fonseca brought Álvaro Morata to strengthen the offensive. Milan, with impressive total numbers of 457 Champions League games in the squad, brought more experience than the 213 games of the Leverkusen players who initially stake a little under pressure.

Leverkusen reacted to the pressure with a more defensive line -up and brought Robert Andrich back to secure the stability on the defensive. But even in this phase, the Rhinelander had good opportunities to expand the lead. In the 76th minute, Frimpong missed the opportunity to decide the game with a second goal after Florian Wirtz played a dream pass.

The final point of the game was exciting when a dangerous shot from Hernández bounced off the crossbar in the 82nd minute. This scene could have changed the result crucially, but Leverkusen managed to withstand the pressure until the end of the game. The team not only rewarded three points that evening, but also set a strong sign for the upcoming games of the Champions League. Further insights into the events of this game can be found in the detailed report www.radiohagen.de .