Bayer Leverkusen is in the semifinals of the DFB Cup after a 3-0 win over St. Pauli. A deserved victory, even if Robert Andrich saw some shortcomings.
The evening in Leverkusen was “unfortunately not” completely relaxed, as Robert Andrich said after the game on ZDF. However, the Rhineland captain immediately added his conclusion without being asked. “St. Pauli didn’t have the quality to pose a threat to us today,” said the defensive organizer. “Even though we really didn’t play well.” But Andrich said he doesn’t care about that now, because the cup is about advancing, and now “we have one more game, then we’re back in Berlin.”
So why wasn’t Andrich completely satisfied? “If you look at the details, there are a few things to improve. We need to make more of our opportunities and the many times we won the ball, and we weren’t as aggressive against the ball as we were against Frankfurt.”
“Two or three dicey situations”
But that didn’t have to be the case, because Andrich was certainly not wrong in his summary and assessment of the opponent’s effectiveness. In contrast to Werkself, who converted their second chance through Martin Terrier into the lead after half an hour, the Kiez lacked efficiency before the break (Martijn Kaars, 4th, 40th). However, Andrich stated that there had been “two or three dangerous situations” that “we ultimately had to defend.”
But that was only before the break. After the restart, Hamburg remained harmless, while Bayer took advantage of their first chance through Patrik Schick (63′). Andrich was then involved in the third goal himself, winning the ball in his own penalty area. With a “very well-executed tackle and my experience,” he initiated the 3-0, which was ultimately scored by substitute Jonas Hofmann (90+2).
That little bit of extra experience
It is also experience that makes the Rhinelanders so successful in the cup – they were crowned cup winners in 2024, and like in 2023, Leverkusen are in the semi-finals again this season, said Andrich. He believes that a little bit of extra experience does make a difference.
This time, however, the journey should not end prematurely as it did last year (1-2 in Bielefeld). This was confirmed by the Leverkusen captain’s longing glance in the direction of the cup positioned next to the interview podium.
