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Benfica
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 9, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Leverkusen logo

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Player Ratings: Benfica 0-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Sports Mole rates every player on their performance from the Champions League match between Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen at the Estadio da Luz.

Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen met in their final match in Group C of the Champions League at the Estadio da Luz this evening.

The German side were in need of a victory to secure their place as group winners, having already qualified for the last 16 of the tournament.

However, they were held to goalless draw by Jorge Jesus's side in Portugal as the home side had the better of the chances in the game, when Lima missed two excellent opportunities.

Here, Sports Mole evaluates all the players on the level of their performances at the Estadio da Luz.


Benfica's Dutch midfielder Ola John (C) vies with Leverkusen's defender Roberto Hilbert (L) and midfielder Karim Bellarabi during the UEFA Champions League football match on December 9, 2014© Getty Images

BENFICA

Goal

Artur: The keeper was reliable when called upon. He made an excellent stop late in the game to palm Sebastian Boenisch's cross to safety and also denied Karim Bellarbi with a good save. (7/10)

Defence

Andre Almeida: Put in a decent shift at right -ack as he was solid defensively, but failed to provide much of a threat in the final third of the pitch. (6/10)

Cesar: Made several good interceptions at the back for his side. His distribution was excellent as he always seemed to pick the right pass. Had one miscommunication with Artur in the first half, but dealt with the situation well enough. (7/10)

Lisandro Lopez: Defended extremely well in the air and gave Drmic very little to feed off throughout the evening. (7/10)

Loris Benito: Had a quiet evening as he didn't really raid forward enough to help his side after a bright start to the game when he supported Ola John. Was given a couple of scares by Hilbert, but defended stoutly for the majority of the match. (6/10)

Midfield

Bryan Cristante: Had a decent evening, but didn't have a huge effect on the game. His delivery from set pieces could have been better, and was also booked for a poor challenge in the first half. (6/10)

Pizzi: Made one good tackle to stop the surging run of Simon Rolfes in the first half. Struggled in the second half to retain possession of the ball. (6/10)

Derley: Struggled to get involved in the action as he was a peripheral figure throughout the match. (5/10)

Ola John: The Dutchman was a threat throughout the game for his side as created two opportunities for Lima, which should have been converted. His pace and good use of the ball caused the Leverkusen defence all sorts of problems. (8/10)

Attack

Tiago: The striker had a decent game as he was often starved of service, but did his job well enough for his side. He wasn't helped by a poor performance from Lima alongside him. (6/10)

Lima: A nightmare game for the forward as he put himself into contention for miss of the season with an open-goal miss from six yards. Also missed another good opportunity when he was teed up by John, but he fired wide. Didn't provide support to Tiago when he needed it, and was eventually replaced in the second half. (4/10)

Substitutes

Talisca: Tried to provide his side with a reliable attacking threat in the second half, but didn't get up to the speed of the contest. Also sustained an injury in an innocuous challenge with Cesar. (5/10)

Nelson Oliveira: Arrived in the game with 12 minutes to play Had one half-chance at goal, and didn't contribute much else for his side. (5/10)

Joao Teixiera: Drew the foul that saw Omer Toprak dismissed, and provided a couple of surging runs in his brief time on the pitch. (6/10)


LEVERKUSEN

Goal

Bernd Leno: Had a solid game for his side as he did everything asked of him and was rarely troubled. Showed good handling through the encounter. (7/10)

Defence

Roberto Hilbert: Impressive outing from the defender as he was always willing to attack down the right and showed excellent intent to nearly force a goal off a deflection in the second half. Had occasional trouble with the threat of John due to pushing forward. (7/10)

Omer Toprak: Needlessly sent off for his side in the 90th minute which will infuriate his manager. Both of his bookings were clumsy challenges and he only had himself to blame for his dismissal. Was solid enough at the back bar the two poor tackles. (4/10)

Emir Spahic: A composed display from the centre-back as his positional senses was good all evening, along with his distribution. Was also solid in the air for his side. (7/10)

Sebastian Boenisch: Had one late effort well saved by Artur as he raided forward as the match entered its latter stages. Was reliable at the back for his side as he defended well against the threat of Tiago. (7/10)

Midfield

Karim Bellarabi: Was a good outlet for his side when he was given the opportunity to raid down the right, but those chances were few and far between as he was starved of the ball. The winger was denied a goal by a good stop from Artur late in the game. (6/10)

Simon Rolfes: Raided forward from midfield, but lacked the incisive pass when his team needed it the most, which happened on more than one occasion. Was combative in the centre of the park to quell the attacking threat of the home side in the second half. (6/10)

Gonzalo Castro: A quiet outing from the midfielder as he wasn't overly convincing in a defensive role, protecting his back four and he didn't push forward either. Not a display he will be happy with. (5/10)

Robbie Kruse: Never got up to the pace of the game and was wasteful when he did have possession. The winger was replaced at half time. (4/10)

Attack

Hakan Calhanoglu: The forward had a few brief moments in his role sitting behind the frontman, but his final product was poor on the evening as he wasted several good openings with a poor pass at the vital moment. (5/10)

Josip Drmic: Didn't get up to the speed of the game, but wasn't adequately supplied in the final third. Had one half-chance at goal, which he fired straight at Artur. (5/10)

Substitutes

Julian Brandt: Had a minor impact on the game after coming on at half time, but after an initial quick burst he faded when opportunities to run with the ball were hard to come by. (5/10)

Son Heung-min: Ineffectual performance after coming on from the bench with 19 minutes to play. Never got up to the speed of the game. (5/10)

Stefan Kiessling: Had one chance late in the game as he tried to divert Boenisch's cross past Artur, but he failed to make contact. The chance was his only real impact on the game after being brought on in the 83rd minute. (5/10)


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Benfica's Dutch midfielder Ola John (C) vies with Leverkusen's defender Roberto Hilbert (L) and midfielder Karim Bellarabi during the UEFA Champions League football match on December 9, 2014
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