Robin Zentner is a remarkable presence not only on the television screen, but also in his real form. He measures 1.94 meters and his weight is – sorry – approaching two hundred pounds. In this respect, the reporter took a courageous initiative when he asked the FSV Mainz 05 goalkeeper whether he could have saved the free kick that resulted in the only goal of the game. Maybe, maybe, possibly… Zentner initially paused, as if he couldn’t believe what was being asked of him, then he straightened himself and spoke in an almost thunderous voice: “What kind of question is that? Of course you can’t hold it!” And that was the end of the conversation in the Leverkusen locker room. Zentner had heard enough nonsense.
Fortunately, the Mainz goalkeeper had already provided further information about Alejandro Grimaldo’s spectacular free-kick goal, which gave Bayer Leverkusen their tenth competitive win in a row, in a television interview. Zentner reported that the Spanish left-winger had deliberately moved the crime scene backwards in order to put more distance between himself and the free-kick wall. Actually, it is hardly possible to hit the target over the wall of people placed close to the goal when the launch point is so close to the edge of the penalty area. Zentner was already expecting something bad when he watched the Spaniard: “So he had space for his technique – and it became difficult for me.”
Outside on the sidelines, another expert was watching the scene, and Xabi Alonso also suspected that this moment could change the game. Bayer 04 had struggled in vain for 48 minutes against a Mainz team that skillfully defended itself against the hosts’ dominance and was not deterred by the fact that model attacker Jonny Burkardt had to leave the field after just two minutes due to a muscle injury. There are “not too many” players on the planet who can shoot free kicks like Grimaldo, said Alonso. “When we got the free kick in that position, I knew we had a good chance. I just thought to myself: ‘Come on, Grimi, come on’.”
Scholars later argued whether the success of the German champion and presumably the only remaining Bayern Munich pursuer could really be classified as a “work victory”. Or whether this would do the work an injustice. Granit Xhaka raised his eyebrows critically when confronted with the word. “We are now a clever, experienced team,” he said, distancing himself from the team that became German champions last year. “For us it’s the win that counts, not the goals,” said Xhaka. On this dreary Tuesday evening, Bayer 04 finally contented themselves with hitting the ball from the defense into the Mainz half, even though there wasn’t a single teammate there. The self-chosen method was not to keep the opponent away through possession of the ball, but rather to contain them with stable defense.
They can still play nice football, the Leverkusen team – but the focus is no longer so much
However, the fact that Mainz were able to organize a kind of power play at the end was thanks to their good goalkeeper and Leverkusen’s poor use of chances. Jeremy Frimpong and Nathan Tella had enough opportunities to decide. So Grimaldo became the scorer of the golden goal, one of those regular players who, until the autumn, was said to have perhaps already had his best days in Leverkusen behind him. Its value and class are now proving themselves over the long haul. Grimaldo, alongside Colonel-General
Alonso took the evening as an opportunity to give a satisfied interim conclusion and a short lecture. He is often not properly understood when he talks about mentality – MentalidadAs he always says: “Mentalidad is fighting for the result”, playing nice football is something different. They can still play good football, the Leverkusen team. But the focus is no longer so much: “It’s important that we do our jobs,” says Granit Xhaka.
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