- Persistent Effort in Eden: Leverkusen Maintains Diligent Labor
Bayer Leverkusen, under coach Xabi Alonso's leadership, managed to secure a spot in the second round of the DFB-Pokal with a 1:0 victory over lower tier team FC Carl Zeiss Jena. The match wasn't exactly a display of brilliance, with Leverkusen finding it tough throughout the game. Playing in front of 15,000 spectators at the Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld, Jonas Hofmann (52nd minute) got the winning goal for the defending champions who won the double the previous season. The draw for the next round will be held on Sunday (5:10 PM CEST) at the Dortmund Football Museum.
Overlooking Jena, who were unbeaten leaders of the Regionalliga Nordost, was a mistake. Their plan was simple: avoid conceding an early goal. They managed to do so, thanks to their relentless defense and Leverkusen's inefficient attack. Amine Adli's (16th minute) shot just missed the post, causing a brief moment of panic, but it was eventually ruled offside. The home crowd's "You want to be German champions?" chants grew louder, unfazed by Patrick Schick's (25th minute) shot wide and Adli's second post hit (31st minute). Jena's best opportunity came from Cemal Sezer (42nd minute), but he was unable to hit the target.
Scoring a goal would have been a first for Thuringia against Leverkusen, who had previously lost 0:2 in 1992 and 0:4 in 2012.
Hofmann's Header Goal
Alonso made adjustments at halftime, bringing on Alejandro Grimaldo on the left. It proved to be a successful move as Grimaldo's cross found Hofmann, who headed in the winning goal. Jena remained resilient and almost equalized through substitute Kay Seidemann (65th minute). Alonso responded with more changes, bringing on Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, and Granit Xhaka. However, Jena's Nils Butzen (77th minute) missed a great opportunity from a corner. In injury time, Jena's Hamza Muqaj missed an open goal, ensuring Leverkusen's narrow victory.
Other teams in their league might have seen this as a winnable match, given Leverkusen's history of struggles against them. Including such teams in their potential opponents for future matches could pose a significant challenge for Bayer Leverkusen.
Despite Jena's valiant effort, including several close calls and impressive defensive play, it was clear that they were outmatched in terms of experience and talent, as demonstrated by Hofmann's game-winning header goal.
