Header, Horror, Hopeless – A Night to Forget in Munich

It could have been a Champions League classic. A blockbuster German duel, the unstoppable Werkself against a struggling Bayern side, Xabi Alonso versus Vincent Kompany – all of Europe watching. And then? Well, then Bayer 04 put on a performance that felt more like a dress rehearsal gone wrong rather than a big premiere. A 0-3 defeat in Munich. Not quite what we had in mind.

Losing happens. Especially in Munich. The Bundesliga is full of teams that know this pain all too well. But some defeats leave you wondering, "How did that happen?" And then there are games like this one, where the answer is painfully obvious. It all started early: nine minutes in, Olise sends in a cross, Kane nods it home – 1-0. Leverkusen had barely settled into the match, and already they were chasing.

But credit where it's due, Bayer wasn’t playing badly. Jeremie Frimpong had a golden chance to equalize, but Manuel Neuer did what he does best – denied it with a brilliant save. From then on, the game became scrappy, full of fouls and yellow cards. Tense, but manageable. At halftime, 1-0 down, still everything to play for. But then came the moment that defined the night: Kovar’s unfortunate mistake, Musiala pounced – 2-0. And just like that, the fight seemed to drain away.

When Nordi Mukiele saw a second yellow card, it was clear: this wasn’t going to be Leverkusen’s night. Then, just to make things worse, Edmond Tapsoba decided to wrap his arms around Harry Kane like a long-lost friend in the penalty box. The result? A penalty, a Kane goal, and a final score of 0-3. Ouch.

It would be easy to point fingers at individual players, but the truth is, this was a collective collapse. And to be fair, this team has given us nothing but world-class performances all season. So why not believe in them for the second leg? Sure, a 0-3 deficit is brutal, but football has seen crazier comebacks. Or, in Alonso’s own words: "We have to come back."

So, let’s wipe the slate clean, take care of Bremen in the Bundesliga, and then throw everything at Bayern in the return leg. The Champions League has written some legendary underdog stories. Why shouldn’t Bayer 04 be the next one?