There are not many Germans who have fond memories of the World Cup in Qatar or even wish for something that happened at the intercontinental tournament in the emirate. After all, the World Cup ended embarrassingly for the German national team with the elimination after the preliminary round. And the circumstances of the finals were not only hotly debated during the Games. On Thursday, the final between Argentina and France was exactly five months ago. It's been a long time. Simon Rolfes remembered a positive thing in Qatar.
Tobias Rabe
Editor in charge of Sport Online.
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"When we see the World Cup ...", the emotionally upset sporting director of Bayer Leverkusen began his sentence late in the evening in the catacombs of the stadium. Shortly before, Rolfes' dream of reaching the final of the Europa League with his club had been shattered. After the 0-1 defeat in the first leg at AS Roma a week ago, Leverkusen had not managed to score the one goal in their own arena that would have at least equalized the duel and led it into extra time. After a goalless draw, the Italians advanced to the final on 31 May in Budapest.
There, coach José Mourinho's team, who can win their sixth European title, will face Sevilla, who beat Juventus 2-1 after extra time to prevent an all-Italian final in the Hungarian capital. But Rolfes' thoughts were mainly focused on what had happened in Leverkusen – and once in Qatar. "When we see the World Cup, where normal games already had ten minutes of injury time, we have to replay 20 or more minutes today. Otherwise, the referee will be fooled if he lets that happen to him."
Roll back into the pitch
The referee, Slavko Vinčić from Slovenia, let "that" happen to him if they wanted to follow Rolfes' anger. Because he "only" had nine minutes replayed. The fact that Leverkusen wanted more was in the nature of football. They were the ones who needed a goal to progress. And there were numerous reasons that justified a long injury time. Again and again there were breaks in the game, which, according to the accusation of the Bundesliga club, were not of a natural nature, but had been brought about by the opponent willingly and willingly. The football game turned into a time game.
Again and again a Roman lay or sat on the ground and demanded an interruption including medical help. Again and again, a number of Romans stood by the referee and wanted to discuss decisions to the end, presumably only with the aim of letting as much time as possible pass. Again and again, balls were played on after whistles in order to delay a continuation of the game. A particular example of this easily recognizable tactic was provided by the only 21-year-old Nicola Zalewski. He went down after a foul, saw that he was lying on the sidelines and quickly rolled into the pitch so that the Leverkusen team could not continue playing under any circumstances.
Something like this tenses the already strained nerves of the opponent, who loses precious time. The Italians had "constantly tried to break the rhythm of the game and the mood in the stadium," said Rolfes. "If we had good situations, I'm sure someone was on the ground." He was annoyed "that after every shot on goal a Roman almost had to be carried down with the stretcher, they were so badly injured". Defiantly, he added: "I think everyone who was in the stadium today wishes Sevilla all the best for the final. It's bitter that this way has led to success."
The Leverkusen players were no less outraged and sometimes used clear words to articulate their frustration with the opponent. "They ended up doing it very disgusting," Kerem Demirbay told RTL. Nadiem Amiri was also very annoyed: "We don't deserve to be eliminated against a team that has nothing to do with football." He now wonders "how we could be eliminated because what they played today, and also in Rome, was really an impudence". Goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky called it a "shame" that the net playing time was only "25 or 30 minutes".
With all their understanding of the emotions caused by the missed chance to the final, the Bayer players also had to take a look at their own noses. In two games, they did not manage to score a goal. There were chances in the first and second legs. "Sometimes it's frustrating, but I don't want to cry," said coach Xabi Alonso. "We weren't worse in either game. Maybe ten minutes in between. We had the chances. We played with concentration, were well prepared and competitive." But the big difference was "the goal".
Club boss Fernando Carro also suffered from missing the final. "It hurts," he said. Because apart from the missed chance to win a title, the elimination could have longer-term consequences. In the Bundesliga, Leverkusen are in seventh place. However, this is only enough to qualify for the European Cup again if Leipzig wins the DFB Cup. Sixth place, which is currently occupied by Wolfsburg, which is currently tied on points, leads safely into international business. Bayer will face Mönchengladbach and Bochum in the final two games.
In the end, Rolfes also found his way back to the analytical view. "I think we played great games in Europe and represented Germany well. The team has worked its way out of a difficult phase in the Bundesliga and into the competition," said the sporting director. It's a good thing he didn't hear what Roma coach Mourinho had to say about Leverkusen's excitement about the time game. "It's the old story: the team that loses always sees it as an excuse. Conversely, they would always do the same thing." He said it and was looking forward to the final in Budapest – without Bayer Leverkusen.