New Delhi: Leverkusen took charge of the game quickly, but they didn’t do anything to really worry Jena in the last third. Amine Adli had the finest opportunity of a first half played in sweltering heat, but an early offside disqualified his shot that struck the woodwork. For the domestic double champions from the previous campaign, Patrik Schick also had a close call with a header that went wide. Jena had a rare and significant opportunity when Cemal Sezer missed a teaseer cross into the box, leaving the Bayer goal wide open.
Xabi Alonso introduced Álex Grimaldo before the intermission in response to his side’s lackluster performance. The Spanish full-back’s cross for Jonas Hofmann to head home gave the defending champions some much-needed breathing room, and the decision paid off right away. Jena came out of their shells as a result, and Matěj Kovář was called upon to sprint out of his goal and suffocate Kay Seidemann, the stand-in.
Bayer dominated the majority of the game and they did come close to scoring their second on numerous occassions but the Bayer attackers just couldn’t get the job done. Xabi Alonso’s side almost got punished for not taking their chances as at the very last second of the gane, the Regionalliga team nearly forced extra time. Hamza Muqaj was only able to turn Nils Butzen’s low cross over the bar with his close range effort. Shortly after, Alexios Dedidis stopped Schick, and the holders were relieved when the full-time whistle blew.
Bayer Leverkusen make it through to the next round of DFB-Pokal 2024/25 campaign after defeating Carl Zeiss Jena 1-0. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
