Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 9:34 PM• Martin van Mourik

Bayer Leverkusen has qualified for the round of 16 of the Europa League. In the first leg, AS Monaco lost 2-3 at home, but in the return on Thursday evening, coach Xabi Alonso’s team turned out to be too strong 2-3. After a goalless extra time, Leverkusen took the penalty kicks better: four for five used penalties. Eliot Matazo was the only one who failed to convert his respective penalty kick.

Leverkusen started the game excellently and took the lead after thirteen minutes thanks to Florian Wirtz. Although Wissam Ben Yedder put his team at 1-1 with a converted penalty kick a few minutes later, the Werkself took the lead in the 21st minute. With a hard shot into the bottom right corner, Exequiel Palacios gave his team the 1-2 lead. When Amine Adli scored 1-3 after an hour of play, Leverkusen was close to a place in the round of 16, but thanks to a goal from Breel Embolo, Monaco managed to go into extra time in the 84th minute.

In the final minute of regular time, substitute Edan Diop thought he would shoot Monaco straight to the round of 16, but his goal was disallowed because the ball had already crossed the back line before that. After a goalless extra time, the penalty kicks had to bring the outcome. Matazo was the first to miss on behalf of the Monegasken and the German formation made no mistake from eleven meters. Jeremie Frimpong started with the visitors in the right back position; Mitchell Bakker started on the left in midfield. Timothy Fosu-Mensah remained on the bench for 90 minutes. At Monaco, Myron Boadu was allowed to play from the 78th minute of play.