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Bayer Leverkusen stunned Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, holding an Erling Haaland and Phil Foden-less scoreless in a 2-0 victory.
Former Liverpool youngster Jarell Quansah started at right centerback for Leverkusen on Tuesday — his third in the Champions League this season — after his £35 million ($46 million) move over the summer.
The win moved his Leverkusen side up to 13th in the Champions League table, an impressive feat considering the team's early-season trouble under new manager (and since sacked) Erik Ten Hag. Quansah was interviewed on the TNT sports panel postgame by Joleon Lescott and Owen Hargreaves and asked about how he feels post-transfer.
“It’s been good, it’s been really good," Quansah answered. "Loved the city where I’m staying, so it’s really nice. It’s refreshing.
"It’s something completely different, learning a new language," he added, prompting a back and forth with Hargraeve — an Englishman who moved from Manchester United to Bayern Munich — about learning German.
It was a bit of a smash-and-grab win for the German side, losing the shot battle 19-7 and the xG difference 1.84 to 0.55. Quansah started in a back-three next to Jeanuel Belocian and Loic Bade.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola made 10 changes to his side after their 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United, leaving Haaland, Foden, and Jeremy Doku on the bench.
"If we win, it wouldn't have been a problem," he said of the criticism of the move. "So I accept that maybe it was a lot, but if we're playing every two, three, or four days... but maybe it was too much, seeing the result."
The win keeps Quansah in the minds of the English hierarchy ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He earned his first international call-up as a member of Liverpool in the spring and won his first international cap in November.
"It is every boy’s dream to play for their country in the World Cup," he added in his post-game chat. "It’s about what I do from now till March, everything I do will be at the club. The better I play at the club, the better I will do in the future.”
Quansah started 17 league games (30 appearances) in two seasons with the Reds, winning the Premier League title in his second season. He boasts eight league starts and three UCL starts this fall for Leverkusen.
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