"Eighty-eight minutes had passed and Newcastle fans were already in party mode when Alejandro Grimaldo collected Ibrahim Maza's pass and concluded a move he had initiated courtesy of a glorious run and dummy. As the Spain left wing-back's shot slid beneath Aaron Ramsdale's body and his Bayer Leverkusen teammates celebrated an arguably deserved equaliser, North Rhine-Westphalia suddenly felt a much colder place for Eddie Howe's players."
"Any lingering suggestions that Howe might prioritise the Tyne-Wear Premier League derby at Sunderland on Sunday were debunked when he named his strongest available XI. Newcastle's manager had been expecting a tactical technical area duel with Kasper Hjulmand but Bayer Leverkusen's manager was not here, with the Bundesliga club announcing he was absent for personal reasons. It left Hjulmand's assistant, Roger Meijer, to take charge of the team sitting fourth in Germany's top tier."
"They were ahead in the 13th minute when Newcastle, not for the first time this season it should be said, got themselves into a terrible tangle at a corner. When Leverkusen's captain, Robert Andrich, dodged his supposed marker, Sandro Tonali, he was left free to direct a header goalwards. Its journey took a detour via Bruno Guimaraes's backside and the subsequent deflection left a well-beaten Ramsdale thoroughly deceived."
Newcastle conceded a late equaliser when Alejandro Grimaldo finished a move begun with Ibrahim Maza's pass, his shot sliding beneath Aaron Ramsdale. The goal exposed recurring fragility on dead balls and particular difficulty containing Grimaldo. Eddie Howe named his strongest available XI despite an upcoming local derby, while Bayer Leverkusen's manager Kasper Hjulmand was absent and assistant Roger Meijer took charge. Leverkusen dominated the first half with slick passing and positional interchanges, and took the lead via a 13th-minute sequence that ended as a Bruno Guimaraes own goal after Robert Andrich's header deflected off Guimaraes.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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