THE Europa League is never short of entertainment and Thursday’s clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Qarabag was no different.

Qarabag defender Elvin Cafarquliyev hilariously tried to high-five the referee after a VAR decision, thinking he had been spared a yellow card, but was shown a red just seconds later.

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Cafarquliyev was shown a yellow card by referee Anthony Taylor in the 61st minute after it was judged that he had grabbed the shirt of Leverkusen star Jeremy Frimpong, who was through on goal.

Frimpong fell to the ground as a result and after a lengthy VAR check, Taylor subsequently decided that his Cafarquliyev’s yellow card should have been red.

After making the brave decision, the referee signaled with a wave of his hand that the yellow card would no longer stand, leaving Cafarquliyev to think he had gotten off scot-free.

The Azerbaijani international wanted to celebrate by giving Taylor a high five and raised his hand, after which the strict referee reached into his pocket and waved a red card instead.

Cafarquliyev had used the gun thinking he could get away with the tug on his shirt, but was instead sent to an early shower.

Fans couldn’t believe what they saw and shared their reactions on social media.

One wrote: “Straight to the top of the list for funniest football moments ever. Excellent.”

While another said: “Taylor left him hanging and said please, you’re off!”

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A third joked: “I’m on the actual floor.”

And a fourth wrote: “VAR can’t even downgrade the yellows so I’m not sure what he hoped his best case scenario would be there.”

The one-man deficit initially did not seem to hinder Qarabag as just three minutes after elimination they doubled their lead over Leverkusen to 2-0.

But in the end, Xabi Alonso’s side made the most of their lead, pulling a goal back in the 72nd minute and adding two more through Patrik Schick in stoppage time to win the match 3–2.

Leverkusen not only secured a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League with the victory, but also kept their 37-match unbeaten run alive.

The Germans are top of the Bundesliga after an exceptional season with Alonso at the helm.

And with a ten-point gap over second-placed Bayern Munich, they look to be on course for a first-ever Bundelsiga title.

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PETER CROUCH has given his verdict on Xabi Alonso potentially landing the Liverpool job.

The Reds are looking for a new manager as Jurgen Klopp steps down at the end of the season.

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The 42-year-old Alonso is the main takeover candidate during his incredible period at Bayer Leverkusen.

The German club have not lost a match this season and are on course to win the Bundesliga, while remaining in the hunt for glory in the Europa League and DFB-Pokal.

He has been in charge of Leverkusen since October 2022 and Crouch is concerned about his lack of experience as the Spaniard potentially returns to Anfield.

Crouch, who was Alonso’s team-mate at Liverpool for three seasons, said: “I think he is the standout candidate.

“He has done incredible things at Leverkusen and knows the club inside and out.

“I played with him, I know the person. He is a fantastic person, very eager to learn, always asking questions and you knew he would become a manager.”

“But it is still very early and Liverpool is a huge club and you have to follow Jurgen Klopp.

“Time will tell.”

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Alonso is also in the running to be appointed manager of Bayern Munich, while Thomas Tuchel is leaving this summer.

Reports in Germany claim Alonso favors a move to the Bavarian giants as he fears succeeding legend Klopp will be too challenging.

Liverpool have also been linked with Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann and Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim.

XABI ALONSO is said to have a plan ahead of a dream to manage European giants.

The Bayer Leverkusen manager is currently one of the biggest talents in European football.

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Alonso, 42, is tipped as a frontrunner for the Liverpool job following the departure of Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

The Spaniard has also been linked with jobs at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the past.

However, those clubs could be in Alonso's sights and are said to have a 'secret' plan.

Spanish reporter Guillem Balagué has revealed that Alonso told his agent he would return to Real Sociedad if things did not “go well”.

The retired midfielder was a coach at the LaLiga club when he was in charge of the B team between 2019 and 2022.

It seems unlikely that Alonso will return to Spain, where his side will challenge for the Bundesliga title.

Balagué has insisted that Alonso has a big job in mind if he leaves Bayer Leverkusen.

He also suggested that Manchester City could also view Alonso as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola

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He told the BBC's The Football News Show: “I'll let you in on a little secret.

“When he went to Bayer Leverkusen, he said to his agent: 'You know what, I think if things don't go well at Bayer Leverkusen, I'll go back to Real Sociedad.'

“But if things go well, from here it will be Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

“Let me add Manchester City to the equation and that's where Xabi Alonso could go next.

“When, is another matter.”

Meanwhile, Barcelona are also said to be interested in a move for him.

Current boss Xavi Hernandez, like Klopp, has announced he will step down as manager in the summer.

His current contract at the BayArena runs until 2025, and he could get plenty of offers if he were to wait another year.

Guardiola's contract at Etihad expires that year, as does Carlo Ancelotti's at Real Madrid.

However, Liverpool are likely to be keen to appoint Klopp's long-term successor this summer, rather than waiting a year.

THOMAS TUCHEL remains furious over a Bundesliga rule after it came back to bite Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians lost ground in the title race after a 3-0 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.

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At his post-match press conference, the 50-year-old Tuchel was asked about opening goal scorer Josip Stanisic, who is on loan from Bayern.

And the German boss was furious about the loan rule in Germany, arguing that the way it was implemented in England – where loan players cannot play against those from their parent club – was better.

Tuchel said: “In England there is a nice rule that when you loan a player out, he or she cannot play against you.

“To me that makes more sense. Unfortunately, the rule does not exist in Germany.”

Stanisic, 23, has made 20 appearances for Xabi Alonso's team in all competitions, scoring once and providing three assists.

The Croatian star's opening goal after 18 minutes, when he tapped in Robert Andrich's cross at the far post, was followed by a thumping strike from Alex Grimaldo in the 50th minute.

Jeremy Frimpong then added a decisive third in stoppage time, which led to Leroy Sane smashing a camera into the goal in frustration.

At one point during his press conference, Tuchel also complained about the fact that talisman Harry Kane had remained isolated.

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And it showed in the England captain's stats as he had just one shot on target and spent noticeably less time in the penalty area than GOALKEEPER Manuel Neuer, based on their respective heat maps.

Legend Thomas Muller was also angry with the team's tactics in the game.

He said: “There are obviously some symptoms on the pitch. To be honest, I'm devastated.

“To quote Oliver Kahn: 'What I miss with us as players are the balls in the game.'

“We show significantly better approaches in training. It's okay to feel pressure, but there has to be energy and freedom. That's missing in our game.”

The result leaves Bayern five points behind Leverkusen.

It also saw Alonso's side equal a Bayern record for most unbeaten matches in all competitions (32), meaning if they avoid defeat to Heidenheim next week they will break the record.

SunSport previously revealed what was driving Alonso's Bayer team amid rumors he could join Liverpool if Jurgen Klopp steps down at the end of the season.

If Bayern fails to win the Bundesliga this season, it would be the first time since 2012 that Bayern has failed to do so.

HARRY KANE had a match to forget on Saturday.

Bayern Munich suffered a 3-0 defeat to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen, putting Xabi Alonso's team firmly in control of the title race.

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Josip Stanisic broke the deadlock in the 18th minute before Alex Grimaldo doubled Leverkusen's lead just after half-time.

Jeremy Frimpong then scored a fantastic solo goal to seal the win in extra time.

But as Bayer Leverkusen ran riot, Kane – who joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham last summer for £104m – had barely glanced at goal.

The striker was limited to just one shot and eighteen ball contacts.

He also failed to create a single chance.

And perhaps to make matters worse, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer even came closer to the opponent's net.

The 37-year-old scored one ball from six yards out from Bayer Leverkusen's goal after coming for a corner late in the match, while Kane scored just one ball inside the box.

Bayern Munich's hopes of winning another Bundesliga title have now suffered a huge blow.

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And Kane risks ending the season without a trophy again.

After the match, Bayern legend Thomas Müller did not comment on his assessment of the performance.

He told Sky Sports Germany: “There are of course some symptoms on the pitch. To be honest, I'm devastated.

“To quote Oliver Kahn: What I miss from us as players is the balls in the game. We show a significantly better approach during training. It's okay to feel pressure, but there has to be energy and freedom. That missing from our game.”

He added: “Sometimes we have to talk about us players. It's not just about the coach.

“We have a lot of international players at the highest level, we need to improve our game.”

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LEROY SANE could not contain his patience as Bayern Munich suffered a crushing defeat to Bayer Leverkusen.

The two Bundesliga title challengers went head-to-head at the BayArena last night, with the lead at the top of the table up for grabs.

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However, it was Xabi Alonso's unbeaten Leverkusen who emerged victorious 3-0.

After goals from on-loan Bayern star Josip Stanisic – which infuriated Thomas Tuchel – and Alex Grimaldo, Bayern were desperate to win the match.

Legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sent on for a late corner as the Bavarians tried to pull a goal back.

But Bayer went the other way and scored a third through Jeremy Frimpong.

This caused 28-year-old Sane, who had run back to try to prevent the goal, to fly into a rage as he kicked the ball away before smashing the camera into the goal.

The former Manchester City winger has eight goals and 11 assists in the league for Bayern this season.

His goalscoring record is only bettered by Harry Kane, who now faces another trophyless season.

Although Kane had a night to forget after mustering just one shot all match.

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The result leaves Bayern five points behind Leverkusen.

It also saw Alonso's side equal a Bayern record for most games unbeaten matches (32), meaning they avoid Heidenheim's defeat next one week they will break the record.

SunSport previously revealed what made Alonso's Bayer team tick amid rumors he could join Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp steps at the end of the season.

If Bayern fails to win the Bundesliga this season, it would be the first time since 2012 that Bayern has failed to do so.

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