#RoadtoGlasgow – OnThisDay: Bayer 04 vs Juventus 3-1

Situation

There was a lot of pressure before the game against Juventus – on both sides. Both Bayer 04 and the Italian side definitely needed a win to maintain chances of progress to the quarter-finals. Both teams were three points behind Deportivo and Arsenal. And the personal situation for both teams was tricky ahead of this important match. The Werkself, Michael Ballack was sidelined with a heavy cold, Oliver Neuville was injured (ankle) and Boris Zivkovic was serving a one-match ban. Dimitar Berbatov and Thomas Brdaric replaced "first line strike force" of Ulf Kirsten and Oliver Neuville favoured by Bayer 04 coach Klaus Toppmöller.

And Juve coach Marcello Lippi was unable to field his best side. Three regular defenders were missing for the coach who had led Juventus to three Italian league and one Champions League titles. In addition to the French World Cup and European Championships winner Lilian Thuram, fellow defenders Paolo Montero and Mark Iuliano were also sidelined. And Lippi also had to manage up front without superstar Alessandro Del Piero and Edgar Davids.

The match

It almost appeared that the visitors from Turin were surprised by the forceful and passionate attacks by the hosts. From the kick-off: the Black and Reds left no doubt in front of a sold-out BayArena that they wanted to leave the pitch as victors. Gianluigi Buffon pulled off an impressive reaction save to deny Dimitar Berbatov from four yards out (3'). The Werkself were not thrown off course when Jens Nowotny had to go off due to an ankle injury on 12 minutes and was replaced by Jurica Vranjes. Carsten Ramelow moved into the back four and Vranjes played in midfield. Yildiray Bastürk and Ze Roberto were pulling the strings in the Werkself attack. And the second strikers – Berbatov and Brdaric – tied up the rejigged Juventus defence.

After Berbatov picked out his strike partner Brdaric with an excellent pass and Zenoni was only able to stop the move with a foul, Bayer 04 keeper Jörg Butt stepped up to convert the penalty to make it 1-0 (24'). The Toppmöller team had the chance to be further head before half-time. Juventus came back into the match at the start of the second half and levelled through substitute Igor Tudor just after the hour mark. The Werkself did not make the most of a number of counter-attacks but appeared unworried by the 1-1 scoreline. Brdaric restored the lead ten minutes later with a close-range header from a Ze Roberto free kick (71'). And just before the final whistle the Brazilian again provided the assist to set up substitute Marco Babic – the Croat had a tap in to make it 3-1 (90').

Moment of the match

The headed goal by Thomas Brdaric to make it 2-1 got the BayArena crowd on their feet. But the true goose bumps moment happened in the final minute. Juventus had another free kick on the left wing and the Leverkusen penalty area was packed. Then everything went as fast as lightning: Lucio headed the ball clear, Ze Roberto flicked it on with his head, Pavel Nedved misjudged the flight and Yildiray Bastürk pounced to put Marco Babic through and he passed to Ze Roberto on the left. The Brazilian rounded Buffon far out of his goal on the edge of the box and squared the ball for Babic – the goal for 3-1 from a counter-attack was textbook and finally relieved the pressure. The crowd went wild.

Man of the Match

Ze Roberto stood out with two assists, exposed the Juve defence again and again with his moves and his technical tricks. His individual class decided the outcome of the game on the night.

Reaction

"It was a happy day for Bayer 04 and one of my best experiences in football," beamed Klaus Toppmöller after the game. The coach had special praise for striker Thomas Brdaric: "He's won a lot of points for us this season and he showed that we have another impressive striker we can rely on."

Rudi Völler, back then the Germany coach, watched the game from the stands and appeared to be surprised. "A great performance that wasn't expected. The second string for Bayer was better than Juve's." Michael Skibbe, his assistant coach with Germany, said: “It was an outstanding game with a richly deserved winner."

Bayer 04 general manager Reiner Calmund obviously knew why the Werkself were able to shine again: "Our team had nothing to lose. They didn't feel any pressure and produced a heart-warming performance. It was wonderful."

And Juve coach Marcello Lippi, who was convinced of the superiority of his team after the 4-0 victory over Bayer in Turin, had to admit: "We didn't get into the game and made too many mistakes in the first half. It's a great disappointment. With Leverkusen there was a big difference between performances home and away."

What the papers say

The Italian media were tough on Marcello Lippi's team after the 3-1 defeat to Juventus at Bayer 04. The Corriere dello Sport wrote: "Juventus, disgrace in Leverkusen, out of Europe. Lippi's team collapses in Germany." Tuttosport reported "a humbling defeat in Leverkusen." The Repubblica was equally dismissive: "A team lacking character lose to Bayer Leverkusen. The Germans completely deserved the win." And La Stampa didn't understand the (football) world anymore: "It's difficult to believe that Italy’s most prestigious club, a league that buys the best players in the world, produces a quality of performance of a European second-tier team."

The tenor was completely different in the German media. "Bayer's football fireworks extra class," was the headline in the Kölnische Rundschau and the journal reported: "The Bayer players put in hard work and made it look so easy for the first time in ages. They played brilliantly from the start and Juventus, the Old Lady of Italian football, were outplayed in accordance with the rules of the modern art of football." The Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger identified in their commentary: "Bayer Leverkusen can be really proud of themselves for two or three days. The success in the Champions League against Juventus is a prestigious win even if Juve did not field their strongest team. It was still Juve, Italy's record champions, whose reserve players would be unaffordable for most Bundesliga clubs."

Stats

Bayer 04: Butt – Sebescen, Lucio, Nowotny (Vranjes 12’), Placente – Ramelow, Schneider, Bastürk (Kleine 90’), Ze Roberto – Berbatov (Babic 83’), Brdaric

Juventus: Buffon – Zenoni, Birindelli, Ferrara, Pessotto (Tudor 46’) – Zambrotta, Conte (Maresca 46’), Tacchinardi, Nedved – Trezeguet, Amoruso (Zalayeta 61’)

Goals: 1-0 Butt (24’ pen.), 1-1 Tudor (61’), 2-1 Brdaric (71’), 3-1 Babic (90’)

Booked: Brdaric, Sebescen, Placente, Babic – Ferrara, Zalayeta, Nedved

Chance ratio: 11:2

Shots on goal: 13:10; on target: 7:1

Corners: 9:4

Referee: Kim Milton Nielsen (Denmark)

Attendance: 22,500 (sold out)

Matchday images

Support

You shouldn't mock the afflicted: "You don't stand a chance without the fog," sang the Bayer fans after the 3-1 win making reference to the match a couple of months before. They had to enjoy the occasion. The Werkself supporters had worked flat out from before the game to create a suitably celebratory atmosphere at the BayArena. They laid out red and silver cards in the North Stand hours before kick-off that were revealed before the game to show the club name. A great piece of choreography as the opener for a great night of football.

State of play: Group D

In spite of the 3-1 win against Juve, Reiner Calmund was cautious. The Bayer 04 general manager only predicted a 30% chance of reaching the quarter-finals. A win at the leaders Deportivo (10 points), who beat Arsenal 2-0 in the parallel match, would be enough for the Toppmöller team (7 points) to go through as they would be level on points with the Spanish team with better results in the head-to-head. A draw in Galicia would mean that Arsenal – level on points with Bayer 04 but ahead in the head-to-head – would have to lose in Turin on the final matchday in the second group stage.

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