In the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals Beijing time, West Ham United played Bayer Leverkusen at home. Antonio's header and Frimpong deflected the goal as Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 with West Ham United to advance to the Europa League semi-finals 3-1 on aggregate and set a legendary record of 44 games unbeaten. Alonso's treble is just around the corner.
Bayer Leverkusen, the only unbeaten team in the top five leagues this season, won the Bundesliga title five games ahead of schedule last weekend and set a record for the longest unbeaten run of 43 games. There are only two major questions left, first, how many titles can they win this season, and second, when will they lose? Before this game, Bayer Leverkusen had already reached the final of the German Cup and beat West Ham 2-0 in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals, and they were still the biggest favourites to win the two competitions, and Alonso still kept the team's hopes of a treble alive.
West Ham suffered a 2-0 defeat to Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend after losing to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek. At present, the team is temporarily ranked 8th in the Premier League and is in a state of no desire. The Europa League has become the only glory that the team can strive for, but they must win by three goals to have the possibility of a comeback, however, whether it is overall strength or recent competitive form, West Ham United are much inferior to Bayer Leverkusen, and playing at home has become their only advantage in this game.
In the fifth minute, Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Odilon received his first yellow card for fouling Ward-Prowse, setting the tone for the fierce battle. In the 11th minute, Bayer Leverkusen's Nathan Tra tried to shoot from the outside, but the ball was saved by West Ham United goalkeeper Fabianski. In the 13th minute, Bowen sent in a precise cross from the right, and Antonio cleverly grabbed a header and headed it into the net, and West Ham broke the deadlock to chase down the aggregate score to 1-2. The goal was a huge morale boost for the Hammers.
West Ham continued to put pressure on Bayer Leverkusen, with Kudus' low shot from inside the box saved by Kovar and Bowen receiving a cross from Kudus and then deflecting a shot from the spot. Bayer Leverkusen's defence was put to the test, but goalkeeper José Kovaj's brilliant performance kept it to bay. Later in the first half, the two teams continued to foul, and Antonio and Tapu Soba had a fierce argument, which caused a conflict between the two sides on and off the court. West Ham defender Aguerd suffered an ankle injury and the game was suspended at one point.
In the second half, Bayer Leverkusen brought on Berniface and Frimpong to strengthen the midfield control and attacking organization in an attempt to turn the tide of the game. Frimpong soon delivered a clever pass and Wirtz volleyed in from inside the box. West Ham tried hard to find a second goal but were unable to break down the Bayer Leverkusen defence.
In the 83rd minute, Frimpong had a super one-on-one chance, but unfortunately the shot went straight away and missed the opportunity. However, just as the game was about to enter stoppage time, Frimpong picked up the ball in the box, took a swing and volleyed with his left foot, the ball hit a defender and went into the net to give Bayer Leverkusen a 1-1 equaliser. The goal-winning goal not only brought the two sides to a draw, but also allowed Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the last four of the Europa League with a 3-1 aggregate win over West Ham United with a first-leg victory. With the draw here, Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run has reached 44, setting a new record for the longest unbeaten run.