March 07, (THEWILL)- Bundesliga leaders, Bayer Leverkusen, showed their remarkable resilience as Patrick Schick’s injury-time equaliser preserved their unbeaten record and handed them control of their Europa League last-16 tie against FC Qarabag.Â
The German side found themselves 2-0 down at half-time in Baku, after Juninho set up the first goal and scored a sublime second himself. However, Alonso’s substitutions paid dividends, as Florian Wirtz chipped in a delicate effort before Schick nodded home from close range in added time.
The dramatic finale was a cruel blow for the Azerbaijani hosts, who had twice fallen to Leverkusen in the group stages. Nonetheless, it served as another reminder of the German side’s resolve during their revelatory campaign. With Jonathan Tah, Robert Andrich and Alex Grimaldo, the only survivors from the weekend win over Cologne, Qarabag seized the opportunity to assert themselves early on, taking a deserved lead through Yassine Benzia’s powerful finish after Juninho’s pressing robbed Tah.
Leverkusen failed to respond adequately, allowing Leandro Andrade a free header before Juninho’s moment of magic doubled the hosts’ advantage. Collecting a sublime through ball, the forward delicately dragged the ball across the keeper, bouncing it over him with a deft touch to leave an open net. Reinforcements were required, and Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Wirtz and Schick were summoned from the bench. The introduction had the desired impact as an improved Leverkusen hit back through Wirtz’s inch-perfect lob in the 70th minute.Â
Goalkeeper Kovar made a strong save from Juninho to keep the scoreline down, but the ruthless visitors struck in injury time, with Schick planting Andrich’s cross into the bottom corner. Frimpong almost turned a draw into a win with a last-gasp header wide, but Leverkusen will fancy their chances of finishing the job on home soil.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
