Ibrahim Maza impresses with backheel assist in German Cup victory

Algerian international Ibrahim Maza began his season with a superb assist as Bayer Leverkusen defeated third-tier SV Wehen Wiesbaden 4-0 to reach the second round of the German Cup.

Maza started the match on the right wing and played an important part in Leverkusen’s convincing victory in their first official fixture of the campaign.

The 20-year-old showed his quality in the 69th minute when he created the opportunity for Nathan Tella with an outstanding piece of skill.

Maza was released down the right side of the penalty area before shaping as though he was preparing to shoot. Instead, the Algerian international produced a clever backheel to return the ball into the path of Tella.

Tella opened his body and attempted to guide the ball towards the far corner, but his effort took a deflection off a defender before ending up in the side netting to the goalkeeper’s left.

Although the final touch from the defender meant the goal did not come directly from Maza’s assist in the conventional way, his backheel was the key moment that created the opportunity.

The contribution underlined Maza’s influence as Leverkusen secured a comfortable passage into the next round of the competition.

Leverkusen had already established control of the match before Maza’s involvement in the third goal.

Patrik Schick and Lucas Vázquez were both on the scoresheet as the Bundesliga side built a strong advantage against their third-division opponents.

Christian Kofane then completed the scoring to seal a 4-0 victory for Leverkusen.

For Maza, the match provided an encouraging beginning to the new campaign after being trusted with a starting role on the right side of the attack.

His ability to create an opening with a moment of individual skill added another highlight to an otherwise dominant performance from Leverkusen.

The result means Maza and his team-mates advance to the second round of the German Cup, while their attention now turns towards the Bundesliga.

Bayer Leverkusen will begin their league campaign on Saturday, 29 August, when they travel to face SV Elversberg on the opening day of the German season.

Maza will hope his impressive cup performance helps him maintain his place in the team as Leverkusen prepare for their first Bundesliga fixture.

His backheel assist against Wehen Wiesbaden has given him an early contribution to the campaign and provided a glimpse of the attacking quality he can offer Leverkusen.

After helping his side secure a 4-0 victory and progress in the German Cup, Maza now has the opportunity to carry that momentum into the Bundesliga.