German heartbreak for the Reds in Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen 4 Liverpool 2, 9th April 2002
This article was originally penned and published on 18th April 2022 and forms the 6th part of 7 European trips I was lucky enough to be part of and witness during my European travels following Liverpool Football Club.
“German heartbreak for the Reds in Leverkusen” can also be found across pages 391 through 398 of my first self-published book on the Mighty Reds entitled “Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles”.
"Chasing the Impossible and a Sword of Damocles" - link to Amazon
BAYER LEVERKUSEN 4 (Ballack 16 and 63, Berbatov 68, Lúcio 84)
LIVERPOOL 2 (Xavier 41, Litmanen 78)
Anfield was bouncing on 3rd April 2002 as Sami Hyypia’s scrappy goal gave the Reds a 1–0 advantage to take to Leverkusen for the 2nd leg of this European Cup Quarter-Final. Regular readers will already be aware that I’ll never regard “Big Ears” as anything but the European Cup despite it’s long ago re-branding of the “Champions League”, but no matter. Just 4 days later Dave (local Supporters Club organiser), myself and two other names and human beings now lost to the mists of time, set off for Germany for the return leg. On all my previous European journeys to this point the game itself had either been the 1st leg of 2 or a one-off Final so travelling to Germany for the pivotal 2nd leg was dauntingly new, as was our travelling independently and without a hotel or travel package to fall back on. I was more than happy to drive and no doubt my 3 travelling companions were as equally happy to let me. Our destination was not the football city of Leverkusen itself but rather the neighbouring city of Cologne, and the Cathedral meeting point for the collection of match tickets. Why Cologne Cathedral? I have zero recollection, but that was for 2 days hence. First port of call was the city itself, and after a very long drive, a hotel bed for the night.
If any of my 3 fellow travellers were asleep as we approached Cologne they were soon wide awake as the dense European traffic replaced the open expanse of the hours long, and pleasingly fast, Autobahn. A mini veteran of driving through European cities, this was rather more hectic and far more tense! We stopped at the nearest and largest hotel and with rooms available we were directed to the underground car park mere yards into the distance and so with a huge sigh of relief all round we headed toward the entrance of the underground refuge for my wonderfully reliable car. But things were going to get just a tad more tense before either the car or the driver would find that refuge! As I headed down the incredibly tight spiral lane that led to the underground car park I came upon a car driving directly at me!
“What a fool” I no doubt exclaimed, or perhaps even “Look at him, driving the wrong way out of an underground car park!”
After the screams in the car subsided…….and much Germanic consternation and gesticulations, this foolish driver reversed slowly back down this tight lane, through the rising barrier, and allowing me to pass him in the same motion. It was almost too surreal to conjure in one’s mind now but we’d formed a mini wagon train of a car reversing into a car park through the exit barrier whilst I followed through the exit barrier and indeed the entrance of the car park itself. Much unrepeatable and untranslated German followed before the driver again ventured through the exit barrier and back up that tight winding lane and into the sunlight of an early morning Cologne.
Which confused me.
Surely he was driving out of the car park incorrectly through the entrance again? I mean, what utter fool would do the opposite and enter an underground car park through the exit?
With match tickets duly collected outside the entrance to the magnificent Cathedral, the afternoon was spent in a nearby square merrily drinking away as well as drinking in the splendid surrounds of Cologne. There were a handful of Reds who had formed a similar plan to ours and I recall the afternoon being a somewhat merry one and quietly typical of watching Liverpool in Europe. Eat! Drink! Be Merry! And the singing of songs of the Red faith and drinking in every last moment of it. A short train journey from Cologne led us into Leverkusen for the first time and, albeit, a very short time was actually spent in Leverkusen, this Germanic city was smothered in all directions by the workings of heavy industry and not a welcoming sight as I recall all these years later.
Not unfriendly, just dank and industrial dark.
As we took our seats in the corner section of the BayArena, Dave grandly announced that IF Liverpool won this evening and made the Semi-Finals, I could have his ticket for the away leg at Manchester United. I remember him distinctly uttering a defiant “never setting foot in Old Trafford”, and so suddenly the tension had been ratcheted up a notch. Not only was this the 2nd leg of the Quarter-Final of the European Cup and a night of winner takes all football, but Dave, a drunken man of his word, had gifted me a ticket to the Semi-Finals of the biggest European competition of them all.
The Reds of six days earlier would be the All Whites tonight in their alternative away strip and importantly, before a ball was kicked, Liverpool held that slender 1–0 advantage and even more importantly, had not conceded an away goal. They were slight favourites, slight, and tonight was arguably their biggest European game since 1985 and even eclipsing in importance their UEFA Cup Final victory of just 11 months ago.
It was a night of whys and maybes, glaring missed chances, fantastic goals, artistic goals, heart breaking goals. A night of varying emotions and ridiculously varying teams that had the advantage as well as the footballing cliché of “one foot in the Semi-Final”. It was a night that ended with Dave and I chain smoking whilst sitting at the foot of the exit gates, later allowing us free to slope off defeated into a jubilant Germanic night.
But all that was to come later.
The opening 15 minutes were a scrappy affair.
Liverpool had added just Abel Xavier and Jari Litmanen to their UEFA Cup Final winning team of 11 months ago and both players would feature highly tonight against a German side containing Hans-Jorg Butt in goal, Nowotny and Lúcio in defence and behind a young Michael Ballack and Ze Roberto in an attacking midfield. Leverkusen were a blend of the Germanic and the South American and after this scrappy opening quarter, a young German scored a spectacular opening goal and a goal that levelled the tie on aggregate at 1–1.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 1 Liverpool 0 (Ballack 16 minutes)
The scrappy opening saw half chances falling to Emile Heskey of Liverpool and Ze Roberto for Leverkusen but I was stood directly in line with Ballack as he thundered the opening goal of the evening spectacularly into the top corner of Jerzy Dudek’s and Liverpool’s net. It was a thing of beauty as he slipped the challenge of Steven Gerrard before unleashing a powerful left footed drive from 25 yards that Dudek could only finger tip into the corner of his goal. The score now stood at 1–1 on aggregate and all results were possible from hereon in.
The theme of the scrappy nature of the game continued with half chances falling to Ulf Kirsten and Michael Owen for each side before a brilliant save from Dudek in the Liverpool goal denied Yildiray Basturk for the hosts. Then, just 3 minutes before the half-time break Liverpool scored a vital away goal and from a very improbable source too.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 1 Liverpool 1 (Xavier 42 minutes)
A lazy nonthreatening corner found the head of Abel Xavier and his downward header evaded the clawing grip of Butt in the Leverkusen goal. Xavier’s magnificently passionate celebration of the goal encapsulated the situation perfectly: This was a vital away goal, a goal that put the Reds (in All White) 2–1 up on aggregate and now just 45 minutes from the Semi-Finals of the European Cup. Leverkusen had to score at least 2 goals due to Xavier’s precious away goal and Liverpool were now firm, firm favourites.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 2 Liverpool 1 (Ballack 63 minutes)
In the 18 minutes before Ballack’s headed goal levelled the tie 2–2 on aggregate, Michael Owen had two glaring opportunities to finish the game on the night and the cup tie as a whole. One on one with Butt in the Leverkusen goal he clipped a shot narrowly wide but his first opportunity was easier and far more heart breaking. We were stood directly in line with Owen, as with Ballack earlier, but here Owen screwed his shot against the post and away to safety and within minutes Ballack had headed the Germans level on aggregate. With 27 minutes to go, Liverpool were still ahead on the away goals rule, but five minutes later a future Manchester United striker would put the Germans into an aggregate lead.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 3 Liverpool 1 (Berbatov 68 minutes)
With 22 minutes to go, Leverkusen have their first lead of the entire tie through half-time substitute Berbatov’s scrappy tap in goal.
11 minutes later, another substitute would turn the tie upside down yet again.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 3 Liverpool 2 (Litmanen 79 minutes)
Finnish striker Jari Litmanen was a firm favourite in his brief spell at Liverpool and never more loved than when here he fainted, dummied and edged his way across a crowded penalty area before burying a beautiful shot into the bottom corner of the Leverkusen goal. He rose from the ground sprinting toward the lunatics in the corner of the ground which housed this particular Liverpool lunatic, all of whom were leaping with joy with me as unbelievably, this levelled the tie on aggregate again and at 3–3, and with 11 minutes to go, Liverpool were heading into the Semi-Finals of the European Cup on away goals.
Then a Brazilian broke my Liverpudlian heart and sent the Germans of Leverkusen into the Semi-Finals instead.
GOAL! Bayer Leverkusen 4 Liverpool 2 (Lúcio 84 minutes)
What the tall central defender Lúcio was doing attacking the Liverpool penalty area only he will know. Or perhaps we all know the reason and it’s a reason of dread? With Liverpool 5 minutes from the semi-finals and ahead on the away goals rule Leverkusen had to attack and the ball just had to fall at the feet of Lúcio who strode into the penalty area before screaming a shot under the diving Dudek. If you’ve had the masochistic pleasure of being in such a situation whereby 4/5ths of the ground around you support the opposition, and the opposition score an incredibly important goal they erupt like a volcano all around you. That feeling?
Here in spades tonight.
And Lúcio goal’s broke my damn heart.
The short return train journey to Cologne was jovial and good natured and full to the rafters of celebrating Leverkusen fans. Stories of the game were swapped in broken Germanic and English gestures as well as the swapping of team scarves and badges and this I fondly remember as a lovely precursor to the two minutes of madness that followed our arrival into Cologne train station. The subway leading to the terminal exit was scattered with FC Cologne hooligans intent on a fight with anyone who accepted their vile challenge. Sporadic and intense fighting broke out everywhere in this small confined subway (I remember it as a subway, it may have been a larger building of some sort), but I also remember Dave screaming at me to protect a young lady who was very distressed and not a football fan of any description.
Just a lady trying to exit a railway station.
It was hairy for two minutes maximum and whilst not a long period of time, it certainly feels that way with random and mindless violence circling in such an enclosed space. We jumped into the nearest available taxi and I don’t recall anything remotely noteworthy until we departed from the hotel in the morning for the long drive home, a quiet drive only highlighted by Dave squatting on a boiled sweet in the backseat for seemingly the entire journey, and which left a perfectly formed impression of said sweet (Rhubarb and Custard) for a long, long, time after!
Thus a sweet end to a rather bittersweet tale, but a tale I hope has entertained you in some way or revived memories of the game itself or your life 2 decades ago.
“A final word from The Boss” and my second self-published book on the Mighty Reds of Liverpool was published on 24th May 2024 and whilst I await my “Author’s Copy” to arrive from the USA, here’s a link to the paperback version on Amazon and a copy of the front cover:
"A final word from The Boss" - link to Amazon
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.