Bayer Leverkusen defeated West Ham United 2-0 (0-0) in the quarter-final first leg on Thursday evening with two late goals from substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface. The game is supposed to be the overture for big holidays: This weekend, the Rhinelanders can complete the first German football championship in their club history.
Coach Xabi Alonso was very satisfied after the next success. “We wanted to be ready, we were ready,” said the Basque. Nevertheless, progress is still far from certain: “It’s a good result, but it’S not over”, said Alonso. The Bundesliga leaders continued their crazy series in the Europa League and took a big step towards the semi-finals. The Conference League winner could have made good use of his injured top scorer Jarrod Bowen (twisted knee) in this scene. The Hammers even had the best opportunity in the first half. On a counterattack, Mohammed Kudus had a free shot in the penalty area, but his harmless shot was no problem for Matej Kovar.