Leipzig/Leverkusen/dpa/sid/ukr – After the game everyone wanted to go to Nordi Mukiele and celebrate him for the winning goal against Inter Milan, congratulate him and pat him on the back. With his last-minute goal, the 27-year-old, who had recently attracted attention with a sex scandal, led Bayer Leverkusen to a prestigious win against the Italian champions and pushed the gate to the round of 16 wide open.
“I am totally happy. I wanted to help the team and I managed to do that today. We got these three points,” said the former RB Leipzig player, who was on loan from Paris St. Germain, after the 1-0 win against the favored team from Milan, which was previously undefeated in the current competition. Inter won 1-0 against RB Leipzig on the last matchday.
However, it was a tough job for the third-place team in the Bundesliga. “We knew that we had to be patient today and not try to finish after just two plays. We did that very well,” said midfield strategist Granit Xhaka after the big points against a top team with a monster defense. “This is a very special team. If necessary, they will defend for two days,” said Xhaka.
Alonso: Highlight goal will push Mukiele
But a lack of attention and a quick reaction from the goalscorer ended the Italians’ fine run, which had previously not conceded a goal in five games in this competition. This means that the prospects of a direct entry into the round of 16 have improved extremely for the German champions before the final games in January at Atletico Madrid and against Sparta Prague. “If we get the maximum number of points, it has to be enough for the round of 16,” said Xhaka.
Coach Xabi Alonso, who often hits the mark with his tactical and personnel changes, was also very satisfied. “That was a good performance. We had good control, good stability and the necessary patience,” said Alonso, who was also happy for Mukiele. “This goal is an absolute highlight for him. That will push him,” said the Bayer coach.
Mpabbé injury in Real win
Despite an injury to star striker Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid has gotten back on track. The defending champion won against Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo 3-2 (1-1) and took a big step towards the knockout round after a weak start to the season.
The recently troubled Mbappé scored Madrid’s opening goal (10th) in the new edition of the European Super Cup (2-0 for Real) – but he had to leave the field after just 35 minutes. Coach Carlo Ancelotti then gave the all-clear: “Mbappe is suffering from problems with his seat bones. It doesn’t look bad, but he couldn’t sprint. He was in a bit of pain so we took him out.”
Salzburg has no chance against PSG
Mukiele’s actual club Paris Saint-Germain started the season even weaker than Real Madrid, but celebrated an important and convincing 3-0 (1-0) win against Red Bull Salzburg. In Salzburg, Goncalo Ramos (30th), Nuno Mendes (72nd) and Désiré Doué (85th) scored for Paris. The first eight in the table qualify directly for the round of 16, the clubs in places 9 to 24 first play an intermediate knockout round.
PSG now has seven points and is currently in 24th place. However, Feyenoord Rotterdam could take this place this Wednesday if they manage to win at least one point against Sparta Prague. With three more points and after five defeats from six games, Salzburg only has a theoretical chance of making it to the second round. Salzburg, where ex-RB sports director Rouven Schröder is the new sports director, still has to compete against Real and Atletico Madrid.
