“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.”Nathan Tella predicted it, moved for it, and scored it.
The Super Eagles forward netted Leverkusen’s third goal in a dominant 4-0 DFB-Pokal win over SV Wehen Wiesbaden on Saturday to send the Bundesliga champions into the second round.
Movement Drilled, Goal Delivered
Leverkusen took control late in the first half. Patrik Schick opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, and Lucas Vázquez made it 2-0 just 2 minutes after the restart.
The pick of the goals came in the 69th minute. A slick team move cut open Wiesbaden, and Tella ghosted into the box with perfect timing.
The finish was simple — but the build-up was all training ground. Speaking to Werkself-TV after the match, Tella explained why he was exactly where he needed to be.
“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,” he said.
He also praised the link with Ibrahim Maza: “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.
”Werkself Too Strong For Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden made it “tough work for long” in the first half, Tella admitted. But once Leverkusen found their rhythm, there was only one winner. Christian Kofane added a fourth in the 79th minute to complete the 4-0 whitewash.
For Tella, it was more than just a goal. It was proof that Leverkusen’s patterns are clicking — and that he’s learning exactly where to be when the ball moves.
