Lining up with a team that selected itself, due to injuries, and after a generally awful preseason, it was understandable that a number of fans felt a bit apprehensive prior to kickoff - especially given Wirtz's last minute omission. The team very quickly showed there was nothing to fear however, with a foul on Bellarabi, as he raced into the box, resulting in a penalty which Demirbay coolly converted in just the 5th minute of play. It would be a lie to say it was plain sailing early on though - just a couple of minutes before, Leipzig played a long ball which completely caught our defence off-guard. Fortunately their striker blasted his shot well over the bar.
We didn't have to wait too long for the next goal. Again coming from a set piece, this time a corner from Demirbay, Karim Bellarabi was able to volley home in the 14th minute. Our big defensive signing Odilon Kossounou was credited with the assist. Unfortunately for Bellarabi, his best performance in months had to be cut short as he pulled up in the 35th minute injured. We now know that he injured his right rear hamstring, meaning he could be out for weeks or months, though we should find out more details tomorrow. This left just one winger on the pitch with Wendell coming on to play on the left and Diaby shifting over to the right.
The second half was a far quieter affair with Leverkusen noticeably less intense in their pressing and with neither side producing many chances of note. There was another brief injury scare, this time Frimpong, but luckily he was able to finish the match without much hassle. The highlight of the second half, and indeed the match, came late on in the 87th minute as Demirbay, the man of the match, expertly fired a freekick from a tight angle into the top corner of the net, likely one of the best goals we will see this season scored by a Bayer 04 player. The match finished a respectable 3-0, with Leverkusen never really being truly challenged despite short periods of Leipzig pressure. There are no easy games in the DFB Pokal, as we can attest to but the first real test of the season will of course come next week when we travel to face Union Berlin, a game which we can now really look forward to - provided we make some signings to fill up our bench!
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