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.

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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.