Leverkusen Dominates Genk as Moreira Shines

Bayer Leverkusen’s pre-season is beginning to look less like a warm-up and more like a statement. Back at the compact Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday, in front of their own, they dismantled Genk 4-0 and never once looked troubled.

The scoreline was dominant. The patterns behind it were even more telling.

Belocian Sets the Tone

Carles Martínez again sent out a side that wanted the ball and wanted to hurt the opposition with it. The breakthrough came early and with a touch of class from the back.

Edmond Tapsoba stepped out, spotted the gap and split Genk with a sharp, vertical pass. Jeanuel Belocian surged through and finished, a centre-back arriving like a No. 10 to open the scoring. It was the kind of move that says as much about coaching as it does about individual quality.

Loïc Badé thought he had joined the party soon after. The French defender rose to head in what looked like Leverkusen’s second, only to see the flag go up and his “perfect” goal wiped out for offside. The message remained clear: even the defenders were in the mood.

Tella Strikes, Press Sets the Trap

Genk tried to settle, tried to find a rhythm, but Leverkusen’s press kept snapping at their heels. The second goal grew out of that aggression.

Carles Martínez’s side won the ball high in the final third, and in a few touches Jonas Hofmann had picked his pass. Nathan Tella arrived with precision and doubled the lead before the break. It was simple, ruthless, and exactly the kind of turnover-to-goal sequence coaches dream of in July.

At 2-0, with the game under control, Leverkusen could have eased off. They did the opposite.

Moreira Extends His Perfect Run

The spotlight then swung to Afonso Moreira. The summer signing has walked into this squad and behaved as if he has been here for years. More importantly, he has scored in every pre-season outing so far.

He kept that streak alive with another clinical finish, his fourth goal of the summer. One chance, one strike, no fuss. The kind of composure that instantly changes how a coaching staff view their depth chart.

Genk barely had time to reset before Moreira hurt them again, this time as creator. Leverkusen carved them open with a well-constructed move, and the former Lyon attacker slipped the decisive ball across for Christian Kofane to add the fourth. Two contributions in a matter of minutes, and the contest was long gone.

Only then, around the hour mark, did Martínez ring the changes and overhaul his lineup, the work for the day already done.

A Left Wing Up for Grabs

Behind the clean scoreline sits a clear tension in the squad. Kerim Alajbegovic and Martin Terrier are edging towards the exit, their futures pointing away from the club. On the opposite track, Moreira is sprinting toward the starting XI.

Every touch is strengthening his case to start on the left when the real games begin. Goals in every match, an assist to cap this one, and a growing sense that Leverkusen may already have their answer out wide.

Pre-season can deceive. But when a new signing keeps delivering, home and away, in every appearance, coaches start to trust what they see.

Right now, Afonso Moreira is making it very hard for Bayer Leverkusen to look anywhere else.