Bayer Leverkusen finds itself in a challenging position after suffering a 3-0 defeat against Bayern Munich in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie at the Allianz Arena. The team, managed by Xabi Alonso, will need a near-miraculous performance in the upcoming second leg to overturn this significant deficit and advance to the quarterfinals. Alonso, who has already made history with Leverkusen by winning the Bundesliga without a loss last season, is drawing upon his own experiences of dramatic comebacks as inspiration.

In the first leg, Harry Kane opened the scoring for Bayern with a header early on, followed by a goal from Jamal Musiala after a crucial error from Leverkusen's goalkeeper, Matej Kovar. The match further deteriorated for Leverkusen when right-back Nordi Mukiele received a second yellow card, leaving them down to ten players. A penalty awarded to Bayern, which Kane converted, sealed Leverkusen's fate for the night. Only a handful of missed opportunities by Bayern prevented an even larger margin of defeat.

Despite the daunting task ahead, Alonso remains optimistic, stating that the mindset must be to fight back and believe in their ability to achieve a comeback. Historically, teams like Liverpool and Deportivo La Coruña have overturned similar deficits in Champions League history, and Leverkusen, with its strong squad and Alonso’s leadership, aims to join that elite group. The second leg at home represents a crucial opportunity for Leverkusen to rewrite the narrative of this tie, but they will need to deliver a performance far beyond what they showcased in Munich.