Tah’s research into the cause: “The game wasn’t played to the end in an adult enough way”

Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah made the following comments after the 2-1 defeat at Atletico.
IMAGO/DeFodi Images

Actually, everything went according to plan – and even better. The Werkself put in a dominant performance against Atletico Madrid in the first half and were in the best position at half-time – outnumbered and in the lead – to win their second away game of this Champions League season. After the break, Leverkusen presented themselves from a different side, appearing vulnerable to provocations from the Colchoneros and no longer as dominant as in the first half.

“The only option they had was for us to give them the feeling that it would be a fighting game here,” said Bayer central defender and captain Jonathan Tah after the defeat at the Metropolitano on DAZN– Microphone.

Leverkusen got involved in provocations

And the Werkself offered exactly this opportunity to the Colchoneros, who of course didn’t refuse and gave the game a final-like feel. Pack formations, hard fouls and yellow and red cards were just as much a part of the eventful duel in Spain’s capital as the goals. “Especially with the ball, we didn’t make it so clear and didn’t let the ball run fast enough,” said Tah, explaining the differences between the dominant first half and the wild second half. “We gave them one or two situations where they provoked us and we allowed ourselves to be provoked. Of course that hurts extremely.”

The fact that Atletico dealt with this heated atmosphere and the usual taunts much better than Leverkusen did was inevitable and that is precisely why Leverkusen explicitly did not want it. “It’s simply extremely important that you keep a cool head and that you don’t give your opponent the feeling that there’s something left in them.”

Tah: “It continues the same way”

Julian Alvarez equalized for the outnumbered Colchoneros, before Leverkusen’s goalscorer Piero Hincapie just in time for the final phase – as did Pablo Barrios in the first half (he fouled Nordi Mukiele hard in the 23rd minute and was shown red after a VAR check). d. Red.) – had been sent off. In the 90th minute, Alvarez finally delivered the lucky punch.

Tah summed up the main problem several times: “We didn’t finish it in a mature enough way.” Despite the risk of slipping out of the top 8 and the fact that direct qualification for the round of 16 could now be in serious danger, “absolutely nothing changes. It continues the same way.”