Bayer Leverkusen secured their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday evening after an uneventful draw against Olympiacos at home. Leverkusen’s aggregate scoreline now stands at a comfortable win with a 2-0 lead, following their convincing 4-0 victory in the first leg two weeks ago.
This achievement marked the club’s return to Champions League knockout play for the very first time since making it all the way to the final of the competition in 2002. Leverkusen will now face either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in their next round, both teams having eliminated the German side during previous seasons.
Captain Robert Andrich expressed his frustration with the team’s performance. “The game didn’t go at all like we’d imagined,” he said to Amazon Prime. “Too sluggish—really the only positive is that we kept a clean sheet and are through to the next round.”
Hofmann, Leverkusen’s midfielder, added in agreement: “Coach Kasper Hjulmand will probably go home and drink a beer out of frustration over this performance. There’s nobody here who can be satisfied with that.”
Leverkusen hadn’t conceded at home in any competition since early January, rarely testing Olympiacos’ defense. The Greek side had rested six players from their Super League match to ensure they reached the last 16 for the first time since 2013-14, when they were eliminated by Manchester United.
Olympiacos’ billionaire owner Evangelos Marinakis promised a record-breaking financial bonus if his team could progress further. However, this motivation seemed insufficient as Olympiacos struggled to create genuine chances in front of goal and ended up playing defensively for most of the match.
Leverkusen’s best opportunity came midway through the second half when Alejandro Grimaldo’s shot hit the crossbar, narrowly missing keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. Right-back Lucas Vazquez limped off late into the second half as one of only a couple of notable challenges for Leverkusen during the match.
In stark contrast to Leverkusen’s lackluster performance, Czech striker Patrik Schick dominated the opening leg with his goal-scoring ability. His two-goal onslaught in just over three minutes provided early momentum, but Olympiacos managed to keep up and create few opportunities in their remaining game.