Lars Capiau
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Jeremie Frimpong saved Bayer Leverkusen from defeat on Thursday evening. The Dutch back put the 1-1 final score on the board in minute 88. So extends that Workself its unbeaten run to 44 (!) games and it is also in the semi-finals of the Europa League, where it will face AS Roma.
Xabi Alonso had no starting place in store for Frimpong. The Dutch international had to watch from the reserve bench as Josip Stanisic covered the right flank. On the West Ham United side, former Ajax players Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez could traditionally count on a starting place.
The home team started the match brutally and took the lead after twelve minutes of play. Odilon Kossounou simply handed in the ball, after which West Ham eventually got the ball to Jarrod Bowen. The Englishman crossed, where Michail Antonio got to the ball before Kossounou and goalkeeper Matej Kovár stormed out: 1-0.
Yelled ahead by the frenzied fans the Hammers looking for a second goal and therefore an equal score over two games. It led to a chance for Bowen, after West Ham put good pressure and swung the ball across the goal via the Kudus. However, Kovár was able to save from the Englishman's effort.
In the remainder of the first half, in which Kossounou was already taken off by Alonso, Leverkusen did little. The Spaniard intervened decisively and brought Victor Boniface and Frimpong into the team after half-time. The Dutchman immediately had a cross in the house, which was not promoted into a goal by Florian Wirtz at the far post.
But Leverkusen performed a lot better in the second half than in the first company. With a treacherous shot, Frimpong almost surprised Lukasz Fabianski in the short corner, but the Pole barely managed to save the ball.
About ten minutes later, Wirtz brought Yamine Adli into position with a great through ball with the outside of the left foot. Adli had plenty of room to look for Fabianski, but his attempt ended up somewhere between a cross and a shot.
West Ham meanwhile attempted to score a second goal, but looked tired towards the end of the match after struggling in the first half. Frimpong punished that fatigue mercilessly. The Dutch full-back cut to his left in the box and saw the ball fly behind Fabianski with the necessary fortune: 1-1.
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