Leverkusen Dominates Genk 4-0 as Afonso Moreira Shines
Bayer Leverkusen’s summer is starting to sound familiar: same dominance, new heroes.
Back at the compact Ulrich-Haberland-Stadion, usually the domain of the club’s youth sides, Die Werkself brushed aside Genk 4-0 on Wednesday to maintain their flawless pre-season. The scoreline was clear. The message behind it even clearer.
Afonso Moreira is not here to wait his turn.
Belocian Breaks Through, Badé Denied
Leverkusen eased into control early, the patterns of Carles Martínez’s side already sharp. From the back, Edmond Tapsoba split Genk open with a measured, vertical pass that sliced through the lines. Jeanuel Belocian read it first, surged into the gap and finished to cap a move that looked anything but pre-season casual.
Loïc Badé thought he had joined his fellow French defender on the scoresheet soon after, only for the flag to cut short his celebration. His “perfect” finish didn’t survive the offside call, but the warning to Genk was unmistakable: Leverkusen’s defenders were stepping high, passing through, and arriving in the box with purpose.
The visitors struggled to live with the tempo. Leverkusen pressed in waves, and when they lost the ball, they hunted it back.
Tella Strikes as the Press Bites
The pressure told before the interval.
Carles Martínez’s side pounced in the final third, forcing a turnover that left Genk scrambling. Jonas Hofmann seized on the loose ball and slipped a precise pass into Nathan Tella’s path. The winger did the rest, doubling the lead with a composed finish that underlined the ruthlessness of Leverkusen’s counter-press.
At 2-0, the game already felt decided. The performance, though, still had another gear.
Moreira Takes Centre Stage
The second half belonged to Afonso Moreira.
The former Lyon attacker has scored in every pre-season outing so far, and he extended that streak with the kind of finish that makes coaches rethink their depth charts. Timing his run, opening his body, and striking cleanly, he claimed his fourth goal of the summer with the air of a player who expects to start, not merely compete.
Moments later, he turned provider.
Leverkusen carved Genk open again with a flowing move, Moreira at the heart of it. This time, he supplied the final pass, threading the ball for Christian Kofane to add the fourth. One clinical strike, one well-worked assist, all in a matter of minutes. The scoreboard reflected the gap; Moreira’s influence reflected something more important — trust.
Only then did Martínez ring the changes, overhauling the entire lineup around the hour mark. The intensity dipped, as it usually does in July, but the work had already been done.
A Left Wing Up for Grabs
Behind the scenes, Kerim Alajbegovic and Martin Terrier edge closer to the exit door. On the pitch, Moreira is making that conversation easier for the club.
With every game, he is stacking evidence: goals, movement, decision-making in the final third. This is not a youngster just flashing talent in low-pressure friendlies; this is a winger playing like the role is already his.
Pre-season can deceive. It can also reveal.
For Leverkusen, the scoreboard against Genk was encouraging. The real story, though, was on that left flank, where a new signing is quietly turning a positional battle into a one-man claim.
If Moreira keeps this up, the question in August won’t be whether he starts — it will be who can take the shirt off him.
