A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

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BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 2

vs.

LEVERKUSEN 2:1 UNION BERLIN
BayArena (Capacity: 30,810)


Moussa Diaby is becoming a world class player at Leverkusen.

SCORING:
15' - (UNB) - M. Ingvartsen
40' - (B04) - D. Olmo
74' - (B04) - M. Diaby

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

8/21/21
Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen has gotten off to a quick start in the Bundesliga, rallying on Saturday afternoon for a hard fought 2-1 victory over FC Union Berlin at the BayArena to remain perfect through two match days. This time it was Moussa Diaby with the match winner in the 74th minute to send Leverkusen on to the full three points.

Union Berlin grabbed the lead early on as Kruse dribbled past a defender and put in a through ball that Marcus Ingvartsen was able to touch past Lukas Hradacky. Leverkusen was dominating play up to that point, but one breakdown and they found themselves trailing.

They would find an equalizer though in the 40th minute when Eduardo Camavinga sent a pass into the box that Dano Olmo ran onto, took on touch and then blasted into the right corner. It was his second Bundesliga goal in two matches and it sent the match to halftime all square.

Newcomer Renato Sanches was a beast in this match with some nice passing, excellent ball retention and five shots. Just one was on traget but he was dangerous whenever he had possession.

Finally in the 74th minute Dani Olmo had the ball inside the Berlin box, he cut back then dropped the ball off for Moussa Diaby, who calmly placed it past keeper Andres Luthe and into the back of the net to put Leverkusen in front 2-1.

Leverkusen's speed on the flanks proved to be too much for Union Berlin in the match. Moussa Diaby and Paulinho, along with Eduardo Camavinga and Renato Sanches just ran at and by Union defenders regularly.

Dani Olmo was your Man of the Match with a goal and an assist. Of concern for Leverkusen was an injury picked up by Patrik Schick that forced him to leave the match in the fifth minute. His status for next week's match at Wolfsburg

Matchday 2 Results:
Dusseldorf 1:2 RB Leipzig
Arminia Bielefeld 0:1 FC Bayern
Hertha Berlin 4:0 Hamburger SV
FC Augsburg 0:1 TSG Hoffenheim
Cologne 1:2 Frankfurt
Monchengladbach 2:0 Werder Bremen
Schalke 04 2:1 Wolfsburg
Dortmund 4:3 Mainz 05

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BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 3

vs.

VFL WOLFSBURG 4:2 LEVERKUSEN
Volkswagen Arena (Capacity: 30,000)


Wolfsburg's Julian Draxler celebrates a goal in the 15th minute.

SCORING:
9' - (WOB) - M. Philipp (PEN)
15' - (WOB) - J. Draxler
23' - (WOB) - M. Philipp
76' - (B04) - L. Bender
87' - (WOB) - J. Guilavogui
89' - (B04) - P. Schick

DISCIPLINE:
41' - (WOB) - R. Steffan (Yellow)

8/28/21
Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday afternoon as they fell 4-2 to VfL Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena. Wolfsburg scored three times in the first 23 minutes with their attacking high press, then withstood a Leverkusen second half barrage to come away with the full three points.

Wolfsburg was awarded a penalty in the 8th minute as Lars Bender tackled Maximilian Phillip in the area. Philipp converted the spot kick and Wolfsburg had an early 1-nil lead. Just six minutes later Julian Draxler tapped home a beautiful pass from Steffen and the lead was two. Then just eight minutes after that it was Philipp again. This time he took the ball right off of the foot of Jonathan Tah and beat Lukas Hradacky to make it 3-nil.

Wolfsburg dominated the opening 45 minutes, outshooting Leverkusen 8-1 and constantly pressuring with their high press.

But Leverkusen made some second half adjustments and began to unlock the Wolfsburg defense after halftime. In the 75th minute they finally cashed in as Lars Bender scored, taking a great pass from Eduardo Camavinga and beating Koen Casteels.

The teams would exchange goals late in the match as Wolfsburg won it 4-2. Leverkusen outshot Wolfsburg 8-3 after halftime and had a bunch of glorious chances that they just could not finish. Patrik Schick would score in the 89th minute, but he had three or four really great chances that he did not convert.

A loss is a loss, but Leverkusen (2-0-1, 6 pts) can definitely take some positives away from this one as they enter the International Break. They return to Bundesliga play in two weeks as they host newly promoted side Hamburger SV (0-0-3, 0 pts) at the BayArena.

Matchday 3 Results:
Union Berlin 2:2 Dortmund
RB Leipzig 2:2 FC Augsburg
Frankfurt 2:0 Monchengladbach
FC Bayern 2:0 Cologne
Mainz 05 1:0 Arminia Bielefeld
TSG Hoffenheim 2:1 Hertha Berlin
Werder Bremen 2:3 Dusseldorf
Hamburger SV 1:3 Schalke 04

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Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY

While Bayer 04 Leverkusen was quiet on deadline day, they made a big splash in the summer transfer window, spending big money ($115M) on five players and shipping out three players that fetched the club ($50M). They total spent across all leagues in the transfer window was north of $1.14B.

First, the departures. The club has sent three veterans on their way, with the biggest name being 31-year-old RM Karim Bellarabi, who went to West Ham on the EPL for $40M. 28-year-old left back Wendell was transferred to Monchengladbach for $6.3M and 21-year-old RB Jordan Beyer. 26-year-old Joel Pohjanpalo transferred to Hamburger SV for $4M.

The club brought in five additional players besides Jordan Beyer. The biggest signing was 24-year-old central midfielder Renato Sanches. The French national comes over from LOSC for $48.5M.

Four other significant signings were 20-year-old striker Kangin Lee who arrived from Valencia for $17.5M, 21-year-old left back Alex Cantelles from UD Almeria for $17.5M, and 22-year-old right midfielder Ruben Vargas from FC Augsburg for $17.5M, and 23-year-old Carles Alena, who arrived from FC Barcelona for $14M.

The biggest moves in the summer transfer window were:
CB Kalidou Koulibaly moving from Napoli to Manchester United for $128M
CM Sergej Milinkovic-Savic moving from Lazio to Bayern Munich for $125M
RB Aaron Wan-Bissaka moving from Manchester United to FC Barcelona for $118M
ST Richarlison moving from Everton to Piemonte Calcio for $103M
CB Samuel Umtiti moving from FC Barcelona to Inter Milan for $71.8M

The biggest Bundesliga deals were:
CM Sergej Milinkovic-Savic moving from Lazio to Bayern Munich for $125M
CB Eder Militao moving from Real Madrid to Dortmund for $57.3M
CM Valentin Rongier moving from OM to Hertha Berlin for $50.6M
CM Renato Sanches moving from LOSC to Leverkusen for $48.5M
LM Pablo Fornals moving from West Ham to RB Leipzig for $45.6M
LB Ramy Bensebaini moving from Monchengladbach to Hertha Berlin for $42.6M
RB Benjamin Pavard moving from Bayern Munich to FC Barcelona for $42.2M
RM Karim Bellarabi moving from Leverkusen to West Ham for $40M
CAM Thiago Almada moving from Velez Sarsfield to TSG Hoffenheim for $39.6M
RM Manuel Lazzari moving from Lazio to RB Leipzig for $36.9M
ST Yousef Poulsen moving from FRB Leipzig to Fulham for $35.5M
CB Martin Hinteregger moving from Eintracht Frankfurt to Wolfsburg for $34.5M

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BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 4

vs.

LEVERKUSEN 1:1 HAMBURGER SV
BayArena (Capacity: 30,810)


Mbaye Diagne celebrates his tying goal in injury time.

SCORING:
61' - (B04) - P. Schick
90' - (HSV) - M. Diagne

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

9/11/21
Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen's nice start to the campaign hit a big roadblock on Saturday afternoon as they stumbled against bottom feeder Hamburg, giving up the tying goal in injury time and settling for a 1-1 draw. Mbaye Diagne split the Leverkusen defense in the dying moments and easily slipped it past keeper Kukas Hradacky to level the match and earn Hamburg it's first points since returning to the Bundesliga.

Hamburger (0-1-3, 1 pt) maybe even deserved a better fate as their pressing style gave Leverkusen fits all day, outshooting Leverkusen 16-9.

After a scoreless first half in which Hamburg dominated play, the teams remained deadlocked in a scoreless draw.

In the 61st minute, Leverkusen was able to unlock the Hamburg defense as Moussa Diaby sent a perfect pass that sent Patrik Schick in alone on Sven Ulreich and he made no mistakes to put Leverkusen up 1-nil.

It looked like Leverkusen would secure the full three points despite the Hamburg pressure, but they conceded the late goal to only manage a disappointing one point.

Lukas Hradacky was your Man of the Match because he really kept Hamburg at bay with a couple of great saves.

Up next for Leverkusen is the opening of group play in the UEFA Champions League as they will host Serie A side Atalanta. They will return to Bundesliga action next Sunday as the travel to face TSG Hoffenheim (3-0-1, 9 pts).

Matchday 4 Results:
Arminia Bielefeld 1:3 Union Berlin
Dortmund 0:2 Wolfsburg
Hertha Berlin 3:2 RB Leipzig
Dusseldorf 0:2 Frankfurt
Schalke 04 2:0 TSG Hoffenheim
Mainz 05 1:2 FC Bayern
Monchengladbach 2:1 Cologne
FC Augsburg 0:1 Werder Bremen

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Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

Great steal. Like the picture too.

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Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHDAY 1



vs.

LEVERKUSEN 1:2 ATALANTA
BayArena (Capacity: 30,810)


Carles Alena rues a missed golden opportunity late..

SCORING:
4' - (B04) - K. Lee
11' - (ATA) - L. Hradecky (OG)
65' - (ATA) - L. Muriel

DISCIPLINE:
18' - (ATA) - V. Moses (Yellow)

9/14/21
Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - Leverkusen opened up the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League Group Stage with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Atalanta. Luis Muriel's goal in the 65th minute proved to be the match winner as Leverkusen will now face a tough task if they want to advance to the knockout stage of the Champions League.

This one got off to a great start with Kangin Lee scoring in the 4th minute. Renato Sanches sent in a cross to the near post and the ball bounced in off of the chest of Kangin Lee to give Leverkusen a dream start.

But that dream turned into a nightmare just seven minutes later as Lukas Hradecky misplayed a pass back to him and allowed the ball to go into his net to level the match at 1-1.

Atalanta dominated play with Leverkusen fielding a team with a mix of starters and reserves. The Italian side outshot Leverkusen 15-4 including 8-2 in shots on target. Possession was split equally, but you got the feeling that Atalanta was more deserving on the full three points.

Leverkusen had a great chance to draw level in the 73rd minute, but Carles Alena's shot from the six yard box glanced off of the woodwork and Leverkusen would never get another chance.

The biggest news coming out of the match was an injury to new addition Renato Sanches. He suffered what appeared to be a hairline fracture of his foot and will miss up to three months. He is the fourth Leverkusen player on the injured list joining Charles Aranguiz, Florian Wirtz and Daley Sinkgraven. All who will miss significant time.

Leverkusen returns to Bundesliga action on Sunday as they travel to Hoffenheim to take on TSG Hoffenheim.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 Results:
Dinamo Zagreb 0:2 Liverpool
Napoli 2:2 OL
FC Midtjylland 0:3 Manchester City
Chelsea 0:3 Wolfsburg
RB Salzburg 1:2 Real Madrid
KRC Genk 2:1 Tottenham Hotspur
RB Leipzig 2:1 CSKA Moscow
Fenerbahce 0:4 Piemonte Calcio
Villarreal CF 3:1 PSV
Dynamo Kyiv 1:2 PSG
FC Barcelona 2:0 Sporting CP
Inter Milan 1:0 Feyenoord
Lokomotiv Moscow 2:4 Dortmund

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BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 5

vs.

TSG HOFFENHEIM 2:0 LEVERKUSEN
PreZero Arena (Capacity: 30,150)


Chris Wood and Hoffenheim are enjoying a nice start to the campaign.

SCORING:
15' - (TSG) - C. Wood
70' - (TSG) - Munir

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

9/19/21
Hoffenheim, Baden-Wurttemberg (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen looked very flat on Saturday afternoon in a 2-nil loss to TSG Hoffenheim at the PreZero Arena. Chris Wood scored what proved to be the game winner in the 15th minute for Hoffenheim as they extended Leverkusen's winless streak to four matches across all competitions.

Hoffenheim (4-0-1, 12 pts) came out attacking and got rewarded in the 15th minute when Chris Wood beat Luka Hradecky on the short side to give the home side the early lead. They would take that lead into halftime and despite holding little possession, Hoffenheim outshot Leverkusen 6-2 in the opening 45 minutes.

Hoffenheim would extend that lead to 2-nil in the 70th minute as Munir was sent in and he beat a partially screened Hradecky on the short side.

Leverkusen (2-1-2, 7 pts) appears to be missing that finishing piece this campaign. A player like Karim Bellarabi with speed on the wing that could also finish. Moussa Diaby has been very dangerous, but one has to wonder if the club has been focusing too much on future potential and less on the present.

Man of the Match in this contest was Hoffenheim's Munir, who scored a goal on assisted on the other. The win moved Hoffenheim up the table and into fourth place, which is a Champions League position.

Things do not get any easier next Sunday as Leverkusen returns home to take on a struggling RB Leipzig (1-1-3, 4 pts).

Matchday 5 Results:
Wolfsburg 1:0 Arminia Bielefeld
Cologne 0:0 Dusseldorf
Hamburger SV 0:3 Dortmund
Union Berlin 2:1 Mainz 05
FC Bayern 2:1 Monchengladbach
Eintracht Frankfurt 1:2 FC Augsburg
Werder Bremen 1:3 Hertha Berlin
RB Leipzig 0:1 Schalke 04

[bh446066]

Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

Tougher season this year so far.

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Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 6

vs.

LEVERKUSEN 1:1 RB LEIPZIG
BayArena (Capacity: 30,810)


Alexander Sorloth leveled the match late as Leverkusen and Leipzig played to a 1-1 draw.

SCORING:
40' - (B04) - P. Schick
82' - (RBL) - A. Sorloth

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

9/26/20
Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen withstood a pressing Leipzig side on Sunday and emerged with an important point as they drew 1-1. Leipzig found the equalizer in the 82nd minute to salvage a point in a match that they probably felt as though they should have left with the full three.

RB Leipzig dominated the opening half, yet found themselves trailing when Patrik Schick scored in the 40th minute to give Leverkusen the lead. Lars Bender dribbled up the right side and crossed the ball into the box. Patrik Schick ran onto it and headed it past Pter Gulacsi, who had no chance, and the home side led 1-nil. Leipzig outshot Leverkusen 14-4 in the opening half and had six attempts on target.

Leverkusen would play better defensively after halftime but Leipzig controlled possession and it would finally pay off in the 82nd minute. Igor Zubeldia played the ball into Patson Daka near the top of the box. He made Julian Baumgartlinger miss, and then passed it into Alexander Sorloth, who got free from his marker and blasted a left footed shot past Lukas Hradacky to level the match.

Hradacky earned Man of the Match honors for his outstanding play in goal. He stopped 11 shots to help Leverkusen (2-2-2, 8 pts) earn the point.

Up next is a return to Champions League Group Play as Leverkusen will travel to England to take on Liverpool on Wednesday evening.

Matchday 6 Results:
Dusseldorf 1:2 Monchengladbach
Union Berlin 2:3 FC Bayern
Mainz 05 0:2 Wolfsburg
Arminia Bielefeld 0:1 Hamburger SV
Dortmund 1:1 Hoffenheim
FC Augsburg 1:3 Cologne
Hertha Berlin 0:0 Eintracht Frankfurt
Schalke 04 1:0 Werder Bremen

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHDAY 2



vs.

LIVERPOOL 1:2 LEVERKUSEN
Anfield (Capacity: 53,394)


Ruben Vargas proved his worth with a goal in the Champions League in Wednesday evening.

SCORING:
15' - (LIV) - M. Salah (PEN)
52' - (B04) - R. Vargas
78' - (B04) - D. Olmo

DISCIPLINE:
14' - (B04) - E. Tapsoba (Yellow)
43' - (B04) - M. Diaby (Yellow)

9/29/21
Liverpool, England (AP) - Bayer Leverkusen had not won a match in over a month, but on Wednesday evening they stunned the defending champions Liverpool 2-1 at Anfield to get right back into the conversation in Group B. Second half goals from Ruben Vargas and Dani Olmo sent Leverkusen home with a full three points and left the Anfield crowd absolutely stunned.

Liverpool, the defending champions, came out and dominated the opening 45 minutes, outshooting Leverkusen 6-2 and holding a huge advantage in possession. But their lone tally came after Edmond Tapsoba fouled Mo Salah in the penalty area and Liverpool was awarded a spot kick. Salah delivered, knocking it in off of the crossbar to put Liverpool in front 1-nil just 15 minutes into the match.

Leverkusen's best chance to equalize came in the 22nd minute when Edward Camavinga got in alone on Alisson, but the Liverpool keeper made the save.

The second half was a completely different story. Leverkusen dominated possession and was asking all the questions.

Ruben Vargas had a chance to equalize in the opening moments but his shot sailed just wide of the far post. But in the 52nd minute, he would convert. Patrik Schick sent a perfectly weighted through ball into Vargas and he slipped a right footed shot behind Alisson and into the right corner to tie the match.

It looked like Leverkusen would grab the lead in the 75th minute after Georgino Wijnaldum fouled Edmond Tapsoba in the box, awarding Leverkusen a spot kick. But substitute Kangin Lee knocked it off the post and out to keep the match level. Just two minutes later, Lee would redeem himself, making a perfect pass to a trailing Dani Olmo and he blasted it into the top left corner to put Leverkusen in front 2-1.

Alexander Lacazette had a great chance to level it in the 86th minute, but Lukas Hradacky deflected his shot over the bar. Leverkusen outshot Liverpool 11-6 in the second half and had most of the great chances.

The win moved Leverkusen to (1-0-1, 3pts) and drops Liverpool to the identical record. This was arguably Leverkusen's toughest group match and could be huge in determining if they will advance to the knockout rounds.

This was a bit of a revenge match for Leverkusen after falling to Liverpool on penalties in the UEFA Super Cup on August 11th in Northern Ireland.

A return to Bundesliga action is on tap this Saturday as Leverkusen will travel to Bremen to take on the struggling side of Werder Bremen.

UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Results:
Manchester City 0:2 Napoli
Olympique Lyon 1:2 FC Midtjyland
Atalanta 1:1 Dinamo Zagreb
Real Madrid 2:1 Chelsea
VfL Wolfsburg 3:0 RB Salzburg
CSKA Moscow 1:0 KRC Genk
Tottenham Hotspur 0:1 RB Leipzig
Piemonte Calcio 2:1 Villarreal CF
PSV 0:0 Fenerbahce
PSG 2:1 FC Barcelona
Sporting CP 2:4 Dynamo Kyiv
Dortmund 1:1 Inter Milan
Feyenoord 1:1 Lokomotiv Moscow
Galatasaray 2:2 Spartak Moscow
FC Bayern 1:1 Sevilla FC

[jasontoddwhitt]

Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

A huge result on the road in the Champions League. Definitely needed something from that match to feel more comfortable about the group.

[bigjdotcom01]

Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

A huge result on the road in the Champions League. Definitely needed something from that match to feel more comfortable about the group.

It was. Looked like we were going to get run out of the building in the first half, then completely turned it around after halftime. Group setting up nicely after our loss to Atalanta.

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Re: A German Tale: Leverkusen On the Rise - Presented by BigJdotcom01

BUNDESLIGA MATCHDAY 7

vs.

WERDER BREMEN 0:0 LEVERKUSEN
Weserstadion (Capacity: 42,100)


Lukas Hradecky makes a diving stop on Bogdan Lednev to keep the match scoreless.

SCORING:
NONE

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

10/2/21
Bremen (AP) - A weary Bayer Leverkusen was held to a scoreless draw at bottom feeder Werder Bremen on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the Weserstadion in Bremen. Lukas Hradecky earned Man of the Match honors with five saves in the match.

Both teams managed 12 shots apiece with Leverkusen managing six on target and Werder Bremen just five.

The best chances for Werder Bremen (1-1-5, 4 pts) came off the foot of Burgui. He shot one just over the bar in the 20th minute and was stopped by Hradecky just outside teh six yard box in the 60th minute.

Leverkusen (2-3-2, 9 pts) had a few chances mainly in the second half. Jiri Pavlenka made a great save on Kangin Lee in the 49th minute. Yusef Demir missed just wide on a shot in the 53rd minute and Moussa Diaby was stopped in the 66th minute. Substitute Patrik Schick had one good chance but flubbed his lines, sending an easy shot into Jiri Pavlenka's chest in the 83rd minute.

Leverkusen has struggled against some of the teams near the bottom of the table as they continue to underperform in Bundesliga play for a team with European aspirations.

Up next will be a home match against Eintracht Frankfurt after the international break.

Matchday 7 Results:
FC Koln 2:2 Hertha Berlin
FC Bayern 3:0 Dusseldorf
Hamburger SV 1:3 Mainz 05
Wolfsburg 2:0 Union Berlin
Eintracht Frankfurt 0:1 Schalke 04
TSG Hoffenheim 2:0 Arminia Bielefeld
Monchengladbach 2:1 FC Augsburg
RB Leipzig 2:2 Dortmund