MX23RW : Monday, December 23 14:24:54| >> :600:106662:106662:
[monks data]
Benfica
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 9, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Leverkusen logo

0-0

FT

Bayer Leverkusen finish second after Benfica draw

Bayer Leverkusen finish second in Group C after drawing their Champions League clash with Benfica.

Bayer Leverkusen have lost top spot in Group C after being held in their Champions League encounter with Benfica.

The Bundesliga club were beaten to first place by Monaco, who defeated Zenit St Petersburg 2-0 in France.

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

Bayer tried to make a fast start through Turkish midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, but his shot was met by a crucial block by the hosts' backline.

Benfica, who were knocked out of the competition before the final round of fixtures, tried to show adventure in attack and were nearly rewarded as Ola John saw his early effort saved before having another strike blocked.

Calhanoglu looked to give the Bundesliga side an advantage on 18 minutes with a free kick on the edge of the box, but his effort was wayward.

Roger Schmidt's side tried to force the issue as Simon Rolfes played in Roberto Hilbert, but the Bayer defender dragged his effort wide of the post.

Leverkusen struggled to force a decisive goal and could have conceded a late winner when Anderson Talisca's strike needed a strong hand from Bernd Leno.

Karim Bellarabi tried willfully to earn the visitors a dramatic winner, but his effort was turned away by Artur.

Bayer's frustrating evening was made worse when Omer Toprak was dismissed in stoppage time for a second bookable offence as the German club were forced to settle for second spot.

ID:192777: cacheID:192777:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3813:
Written by
Chris O'Keefe
No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
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
Read Next:
Half-Time Report: Bayer level with Benfica
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool660018
2Barcelona650115
3B. Leverkusen641113
4Inter Milan641113
5Brest641113
6Arsenal641113
7Aston Villa641113
8Lille641113
9Bayern640212
10Dortmund640212
11Atletico640212
12AC Milan640212
13Atalanta632111
14Juventus632111
15Benfica631210
16Feyenoord631210
17Brugge631210
18Monaco631210
19Sporting Lisbon631210
20Real Madrid63039
21Celtic62319
22Man City62228
23PSV62228
24Dinamo Zagreb62228
25PSG62137
26Stuttgart62137
27Shakhtar61144
28Sparta Prague61144
29Sturm Graz61053
30Girona61053
31Red Star61053
32Salzburg61053
33Bologna60242
34RB Leipzig60060
35Slovan Bratislava60060
36Young Boys60060


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!