91st minute: Extra time is underway and Ishak Belfodil is on for Florian Kainz.
102nd minute: POST! The Green-Whites get away with one as Leon Bailey’s free-kick from 20 yards hits the post and stays out.
105+3 minute: Half time in extra time with a bit of a scuffle at the end of the half leading to Kohr and Bailey being booked.
111th minute: Goal, 3-2 to Bayer 04, Karim Bellarabi. Gutting. A free-kick puts Werder behind. Bailey plays it into the area, Alario wins the header and plays it to the far post where Bellarabi is running in and fires it past Pavlenka.
115th minute: The spaces are starting to open up at the back: Leverkusen counter, Bellarabi is all alone at the back post but Pavlenka reacts brilliantly to prevent the decider.
118th minute: Goal. 4-2 to Leverkusen, Kai Havertz. That settles it – Havertz turns converts after a simple triangle combination and puts the game to bed.
Full time: Werder’s DFB Pokal journey comes to a gut-wrenching end.
No hesitation, no caution: to the delight of the spectators, both sides threw everything they had at this quarterfinal from the word ‘go’. The opening quarter of an hour saw goal-mouth action almost by the minute. Of course, the early two-goal lead gave Werder the upper hand, but above all it was their constant high pressing and their superior strength in the tackle which the hosts found so difficult to come to terms with. The free-flowing, attacking football they are used to playing here was thwarted by the fearless visitors. Despite this, they managed to make full use of one of the few openings in the Werder defence, reducing the deficit to just one goal, but Werder were unfazed and began to hit back immediately, creating chances and maintaining the upper hand all over the pitch. Only after half time, did the Werder boys begin to let the intensity drop. And so Leverkusen began to edge their way back into the game, enjoying more and more spells in Werder’s defensive third, one of which soon produced a Julian Brandt belter to level the score. As Leverkusen improved going forward, Werder’s attacking forces found it increasingly difficult to cause the opposition defence any real problems, until the final moments of regulation time. In extra time, the sides’ high energy in the first half took its toll, with both lurking and waiting for the other to make a mistake. Unfortunately, it was Werder’s concentration that lapsed first – Leverkusen pounced and booked their place in the semi-finals.
