Check out Adam Hložek’s assist! The Czech striker served Bakker a beautiful centre and Leverkusen are close to progressing

Bayer Leverkusen is fighting to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and Adam Hložek has joined the starting line-up for the return leg against Belgian side Royale Union. And he was a big part of the second goal.

Leverkusen reached the quarter-finals by finishing third in the Champions League and challenged Monaco in the opening round of the play-offs, which they beat in the return leg.

Two wins against Ferencváros followed, and in the quarter-finals Hložek and co. faced a strong Belgian team, Royale Union, who until recently played in the lower competitions.

The opening match ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Belgian side scoring first and Florian Wirtz equalising for the home side in the 82nd minute. If the German side wanted to advance, they had to win.

And they made an excellent start in the rematch. Moussa Diaby scored in the second minute, with Hložek the last player to touch down for the visitors. But he would not be credited with an assist.

But the second goal did. The former Sparta Prague player received the ball from Diaby on the edge of the box, the defenders managed to get back, but Hložek’s beautiful centre found his teammate Mitchel Bakker free.

The Dutch full-back, who plays quite tall, didn’t hesitate himself in front of the goalkeeper and sent Leverkusen into a two-goal lead. The assist is included in the video in the post on the following page.

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The players of the sixth team of the Bundesliga are thus significantly closer to promotion and, if nothing unexpected happens in the second half, they will become semi-finalists of the Europa League.

Source: Bayer Leverkusen, Europa League