Patrick Schick, a substitute, scored an equaliser in injury time to keep Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible unbeaten streak intact and give his team the upper hand in their Europa League last-16 matchup with FC Qarabag.
After going into halftime in Baku behind 2-0, the Bundesliga leaders appeared to be giving up on their run of 34 games without a loss in all competitions. Juninho had set up the first goal and scored the second with a deft move.
After making eight changes to his starting lineup, Alonso looked to his bench for motivation and was well rewarded as Schick nodded in from close range and Florian Wirtz scored a deft chip in additional time.
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The Azerbaijani team, who had lost twice to the same opponents in the group stages, had a harsh ending, but it served as another testament to Leverkusen’s resolve after a breakthrough year.
Qarabag took advantage of their opportunity to make an impression early on as only Jonathan Tah, Robert Andrich, and Alex Grimaldo made it through the weekend victory over Cologne.
They rightfully took the lead in the 26th minute after creating three excellent chances in short succession. Juninho did this by robbing Tah on the press and then cutting back across the box for Yassine Benzia. The hosts ramped up the heat as his thunderous finish thudded into the net’s ceiling.
Leandro Andrade scored a free header at the far post because the Germans took too long to react, and they had no reason to be upset when they lost again. This time, Juninho showed incredible skill as he gathered a gorgeous pass to spring the offside trap and go one-on-one with Matej Kovar. The ball was dragged across the goalie with the lightest of touches, bouncing off the pitch with an open net to tap into.
After Jeremie Frimpong, Granit Xhaka, Wirtz, and Schick were called in to save the day, Leverkusen showed signs of improvement as Wirtz scored an inch-perfect lob in the 70th minute.
As time was running down, the merciless visiting team delivered a sucker punch when Schick headed Andrich’s cross into the bottom corner. Kovar produced a great stop from Juninho to maintain the scoreline.
A last-gasp header by Frimpong went wide, and Leverkusen will fancy themselves to win on home ground after coming close to winning a draw.
