Nathan Tella scored Bayer Leverkusen’s third goal against SV Wehen Wiesbaden. The Nigerian forward helped the Bundesliga side reach the DFB-Pokal second round. Leverkusen won the first-round tie 4-0 on Saturday.
Tella struck in the 69th minute after a sharp attacking move. He had also impressed in Leverkusen’s dominant cup display. His goal gave the visitors a three-goal cushion. It also showed his understanding of Leverkusen’s attacking patterns.
The Nigerian forward explained the thinking behind his goal. He said Leverkusen had worked repeatedly on their attacking runs.
“Obviously we’ve worked a lot on the movements he wants the forwards to make and I knew that once I got in that position he was only going to either cross it across the goal or he was going to cut it back,” Tella said.
That preparation helped Tella read the situation quickly. He moved into the right position inside the box. His teammate then delivered the ball into a dangerous area.
Tella also pointed to his connection with Ibrahim Maza. The midfielder appeared to understand the movement Tella wanted to make.
“But you know when you play with someone like him you can see he knew what I wanted and you know deflection but it was going in anyway so it’s good.” Tella added.
Bayer Leverkusen controlled the contest against their lower-league opponents. Patrik Schick opened the scoring shortly before half-time. He found the net in the 43rd minute.
Lucas Vázquez then doubled the advantage two minutes after the restart. Tella followed with the third goal in the 69th minute. Christian Kofane completed the victory in the 79th minute.
The result sends Leverkusen into the second round of the DFB-Pokal. The convincing win also gave Tella an early opportunity to make an impact in the competition.
Tella finished last season with one goal and four assists in 17 Bundesliga appearances, adding attacking value to Leverkusen’s squad.
His movement proved important for the third goal. His explanation also highlighted the work behind Leverkusen’s attacking patterns.
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