Leverkusen’s New Look: Moreira Shines in 4-0 Victory
Bayer Leverkusen’s pre-season is starting to sound like a warning. Another game, another win, another clean sheet. This time it was Genk who felt the weight of a side that looks anything but rusty, swept aside 4-0 at the compact Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion on Wednesday.
It was Leverkusen’s first friendly of the summer on home soil for their youth ground, but there was nothing low-key about the performance. From the opening minutes, Carles Martínez’s team played with the intensity of a side that already knows what it wants to be when the real stuff starts.
Belocian Sets the Tone
The breakthrough came from the back. Edmond Tapsoba, stepping out with the calm of a playmaker, split Genk’s lines with a sharp through ball. Jeanuel Belocian timed his run perfectly and finished the move to make it 1-0, a centre-back arriving like a No. 10.
Loïc Badé thought he had joined him on the scoresheet soon after, only to see his “perfect goal” wiped out by the offside flag. The frustration was brief. The control was total.
Genk struggled to breathe in their own half. Leverkusen squeezed high, hunted in packs and treated every loose touch as an invitation.
Tella Strikes Before the Break
The pressure paid again before half-time. Leverkusen won the ball back in the final third, and Jonas Hofmann, always alive between the lines, slipped in Nathan Tella. The finish was assured, the lead doubled, and the pattern of the game felt settled: Leverkusen dictating, Genk chasing shadows.
At 2-0, some teams ease off in a friendly. Martínez’s side did not. The rhythm barely dipped.
Moreira’s Perfect Pre-Season
The second half belonged to Afonso Moreira.
The summer signing has started life at Leverkusen with the kind of streak players dream about: he has scored in every pre-season game so far. Against Genk, he kept that run alive with a ruthless, clinical finish for Leverkusen’s third, his fourth goal of the summer.
The confidence was obvious. A couple of minutes later, he turned provider. A slick move ended with Moreira threading a smart assist into the path of Christian Kofane, who made it 4-0 and wrapped up the scoring before the hour mark.
Only then did Martínez ring the changes, swapping out the entire lineup and handing minutes across the squad. The work, though, was already done.
A Left Wing Taking Shape
Behind the scenes, Kerim Alajbegovic and Martin Terrier are edging towards the exit. On the pitch, Moreira is making that decision easier with every touch. He is not just scoring; he is influencing games, combining sharply, attacking space, and showing the kind of conviction that managers trust when the season starts for real.
Pre-season can flatter. Results can deceive. But performances like this, repeated and ruthless, start to build something more serious.
Leverkusen look ready. And on the left wing, a new first choice is rapidly announcing himself.
