Leverkusen trio speak on European exit: "Aggravated beyond measure."
The mood was understandably one of frustration after injury-plagued Bayer 04 Leverkusen had to contend with its third loss on the trot and an Europa League exit on Thursday evening.
Head coach Gerardo Seoane, defender Jonathan Tah, and midfielder Robert Andrich discussed their disappointment afterwards.
Head coach Gerardo Seoane, defender Jonathan Tah, and midfielder Robert Andrich discussed their disappointment afterwards.
| Robert Andrich. | Photo: Bayer 04 Leverkusen |
Moussa Diaby squandered an excellent chance to put the home side up 1-0 in the 8th. Diaby would miss a similar short-range chance three minutes after the restart. Kerem Demirbay, Charles Aranguiz, and Mitchel Bakker also couldn't find the precision whilst in promising space.
In the end, die Werkself were made to pay. Gerardo Seaone's men still stood a chance until substitute Jeremie Boga struck the final nail into the coffin. The Frenchman's goal, after a scintillating solo run, ensured that the Italian guests advanced 4-2 on aggregate.
"We had enough chances to score a goal, but weren't coolheaded enough," Seoane rued afterwards, "Those bad 40 minutes in Bergamo [last week] sunk us."
Defender Jonathan Tah, who had been a bit more sanguine after the loss in Italy seven days ago, did try to place a more positive spin on things.
"We played much better than in the first leg," Tah noted, "Especially in the second half. We put a lot of pressure on the opponent and could have scored in many situations. We're very disappointed as more was possible."
Fiery midfielder Robert Andrich, returning from an injury layoff to play the final half hour, wasn't in the mood to mince words.
"We're aggravated beyond measure," the former FC Union Berlin man told his interviewer, "I'm very pissed off that we didn't make it through today. We have to blame ourselves that we couldn't score a goal in those critical moments."