35 shots, 1 goal, 0 points – welcome to advanced football cruelty

There are matches where you leave the BayArena wondering whether you just watched a Bundesliga game or a particularly sadistic art installation about efficiency. Bayer 04 had more than 70 percent possession, fired off 35 shots, pinned Augsburg back for long stretches so deeply you could almost feel sorry for them – and still lost 2-1. Of course late. Of course in the most irritating way possible. Of course exactly the kind of defeat that hurts twice.

What makes it so annoying is not just the result, but that familiar Leverkusen cocktail of dominance and self-sabotage. This team can suffocate opponents for minutes at a time, find spaces, build pressure, control the entire match – and then suddenly the penalty area turns into a mix of pinball machine and maximum-security vault. Lots of action, very little reward. That Augsburg managed to score twice with comparatively little effort fits perfectly into the picture of an afternoon in which football showed its most cynical face.

And still, there were things that should give us hope. Tapsoba is playing in such ridiculous form right now that you start wondering whether he has secretly been fitted with two extra lungs and the brain of a midfielder. Quansah and Vázquez are back after injury, the team looks stable, mature and in control for long stretches. That is the good news. The bad news is that dominance means absolutely nothing against clever, awkward opponents if you cannot turn a siege into actual goals.

And that is where the criticism starts. As much as we love this team, this cannot simply be brushed off as bad luck if Bayer 04 really want to win something big this season. Thirty-five shots are not proof of ruthless attacking quality when only one header from Schick ends up in the net. At that point, 35 shots are mostly proof that the final decision is too often wrong, the finishing too rushed, or that you are kindly helping the opposing goalkeeper feel like Neuer in 2014.

At least one thing was reliable: the fans. Loud, loyal, solid. Just as they always are when Bayer 04 put us through another emotional spin cycle. And maybe that is the point now, with Bayern coming up in the cup and Cologne waiting in the derby: no self-pity, just bottled-up anger. Preferably with better finishing next time.