Alonso slams Leverkusen 'complacency' after draw

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — Hosts Bayer Leverkusen paid the price for being complacent after squandering a two-goal lead and losing control of the game before drawing 2-2 against promoted Holstein Kiel in the German Bundesliga on Saturday.

Champions Leverkusen scored twice in the opening eight minutes but wasted a two-goal advantage for the third time in six Bundesliga matches this season.

“I am not satisfied with our performance. It was our own fault. We did not play intelligently and we thought the game was done but in football you have to keep going always with the same intensity,” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso told reporters.

“We were far too passive. After a big game in the Champions League we did not have the right mentality for this game.”

Last season’s domestic league and cup winners, who beat AC Milan 1-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, had 24 efforts towards goal — nine shots after the first 12 minutes alone — compared to their opponents’ eight.

They dominated in a largely one-sided first half where they should have scored more goals and put the game to bed.

“We had control but soft control without the aggressiveness for a third goal. The first Kiel goal just before half-time was a signal that it could get dangerous,” Alonso said.

“But the biggest mistake was in the first half because we did not know how to handle the game after the 2-0. We were just not intelligent enough. There was a bit of complacency when we should have been more focused. We will learn.”

Leverkusen dropped to fifth in the standings on 11 points. Bayern Munich, top on 13, face Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.