Bayer Leverkusen ended the season without a title

Nothing again: After losing the DFB Cup final against FC Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen no longer has a chance of winning the Europa League. A Havertz goal against Inter Milan is not enough. Captain Lars Bender is already looking ahead.

Düsseldorf (dpa) - The chances of winning the title were there, but ultimately Bayer Leverkusen also ended the 2019/20 season without a major triumph. After the 2-1 defeat by Inter Milan and the exit in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, Bayer 04's season ended with a frustrating experience.

The Werkself did not hold their own against the strong northern Italians, especially in the first 20 minutes, and had to run after a two-goal deficit early on. The highlights of the game and the Leverkusen season:

KAI HAVERTZ'S CLASS IS NOT ENOUGH: The internationally heavily courted German national player was by no means bad against Inter. The 21-year-old attacker had one or the other good action and brought Bayer back to Milan with his goal to make it 2-1 in the 25th minute. But it wasn't enough for more. It is very questionable whether Havertz will still play for Leverkusen in the coming season. Chelsea FC, among others, is interested in signing the exceptional footballer.

FACTOR ROMELU LUKAKU: The Belgian star striker showed a very strong performance, consistently used his body robustly and could hardly be separated from the ball. The 27-year-old was initially directly involved in Nicolo Barella's first Milan goal (15th minute) with a previously blocked shot and scored the 2-0 in the fall himself (21st). He didn't want to emphasize his own performance after the game. "I'm trying to help the team as best I can. For me the best player today was Nicolo Barella."

THE LAST STEP MISSING: Lost the DFB Cup final against FC Bayern, narrowly missed the Champions League in fifth place in the Bundesliga and now the end of the dreams of the Europa League final on the Rhine: Bayer was often close, but no more either. "We made a good development this year, played good football, but missed the reward," said captain Lars Bender. The qualification for the Europa League next year is only "little consolation" for the defensive man. But Bender was already looking ahead: "That should be the goal for the whole club next year: to get that far again and then to go one step further."

THAT'S SAY PETER BOSZ: Peter Bosz didn't want to reduce the season to just the missed opportunities. "It's too easy to say at the end, 'We didn't win anything,'" he said. "Because as a coach I of course also look at the development of the team and I think we have made a development this season. A development of the individual players and the style of play." Nonetheless, you could tell the Dutchman was angry about the defeat against Inter. "If you end up with empty hands, of course you are disappointed," he said.

WHAT ANTONIO CONTE SAYS: Unlike his Bayer colleague, Milan's coach was of course satisfied. "When we had the ball, we managed to do what we set out to do," he said with satisfaction, but also found a legitimate point of criticism: "We might have used one or the other chance more."

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