“We did not play our best football against West Ham” – Nathan Tella after Europa League SF qualification

Super Eagles attacker Nathan Tella has admitted that Xabi Alonso’s words were what spurred Bayer Leverkusen to get a 1-1 draw against West Ham after a poor first-half performance in their Europa League game on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Tella started for Bayer Leverkusen when they traveled to London for the second leg of their Europa League quarterfinal clash against West Ham. Die Werkself already had a two-goal advantage from the first leg in Germany, and they just needed a draw to progress to the semis.

However, they were outplayed in the first half. West Ham had nine shots, five of which were on target. The Hammers also took the lead and were looking primed for a win going into the break. However, coach Alonso introduced Victor Boniface and Jeremie Frimpong at halftime, and that changed the game.

Die Werkself then started to see more of the ball. They also had more goal attempts than West Ham. Eventually, they scored through Frimpong in the 89th minute, shattering West Ham’s hopes of qualifications.

Nigeria international Tella, who was taken off for Frimpong at halftime, was elated with the result. But he admitted that Alonso’s words in the dressing was key to their upturn in performance in the second half.

“We knew it would be a difficult place to come. In the first half, we did not play our best football, which won us the league and got us to the position, but we knew that we had to stick to our principles,” Tella told Ian Abraham.

“Obviously, the manager said a bit at halftime to get us going again, and the second half was a different performance. We are able to get through, Jeremie scored the goal, and thankfully, we are through.”

Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-1 aggregate win ensures that they will have a date with Roma. However, before that game, they will be looking to sustain their unbeaten run when they play Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga this weekend.