Bayer Leverkusen defeated regular season rivals Stuttgart, full-time 2-2 (4-3 on penalties), at home to claim the 2024 DFL-Supercup. The cup is the third trophy earned for Xavi Alonso’s side in calendar 2024.
Rain Hit Hard In First Half
The new Bundesliga season has yet to get underway so this encounter served as a final tune-up for the 2024-25 campaign to come. Yet, despite hard rains, the first half was played at a high level. Both clubs are already in form and playing to win. Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface drew first blood after just 11 minutes played. The Nigerian striker tapped in after Edmond Tapsoba headed down a cross at the Stuttgart goal line.
The home side lead was short-lived, however. France midfielder Enzo Millot got onto the end of a cross just inside the box to tie the match, 1-1, just four minutes later.
The Game Saw Red
The next twenty minutes of the match were wet and furious. The rain continued but did nothing to cool off the hectic pace of the action. Both sides collected near chances. Stuttgart’s latest signing, Ermedin Demirović of Bosnia-Herzegovina, proved a prolific force along with Chris Führich. The two produced more than one chance in the first half. Including an impossible-to-miss opportunity for Millot to covert a brace just before half-time. He missed and the sides remained tied.
By the match’s end, a total of ten yellow cards had been leveled against both teams. Leverkusen got the worst of it with six, including one for headman, Xavi Alonso. That was in penalty for his having left the coach’s box as he protested the much more telling single red card of the night which was shown to his side at minute 37. Bayer’s summer acquisition, France striker Martin Terrier, was sent off for a dangerous tackle.
Rally
Stuttgart began the second half looking in control. The visitors pressed for a go-ahead score and were finally rewarded twenty minutes in. Substituted on in minute 63, Deniz Undav tapped in the second goal for Stuttgart with his very first touch of the night. Despite being then a goal down as well as a man down, Leverkusen began to rally. From that point on the home team was the more aggressive side.
They kept it late, but in the 88th minute completed their comeback. Spain defender, Alejandro Grimaldo, intercepted a poor Stuttgart pass in their own final third and connected with Patrik Schick. The Czech striker beat keeper Alexander Nübel one-on-one to tie the match. Less than twenty minutes later, Congolese striker Silas Mvumpa sent his try for a penalty over the bar to make Leverkusen 2024 Super Cup winners.
Null-vier, zwei Punkt zero
This was not the completion of the treble Bayer 04 Leverkusen had hoped for after winning the Bundesliga and DFL Pokal. But it represents a good start to a new competitive year nonetheless. The win also continues Bayer’s domestic unbeaten streak. The only blemish on the club’s record in the last year of competition has come in the UEFA Europa League final. Bayer lost that last third of what would’ve been an unprecedented treble for them, to cup winners Atalanta of Italy.
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