“Olympiacos introduce Ernest Poku in search of attacking impetus”
“Double substitution sees Leverkusen bring on fresh legs as they look to see out the tie”
“Lorenzo Pirola picks up a booking for a late foul as frustrations boil over”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Olympiacos F.C.
Outstanding performance
Bayer 04 Leverkusen•MidfielderBayer Leverkusen secured their Champions League progression with a professional, if uninspiring, goalless draw against Olympiacos at home, advancing 2-0 on aggregate. Having done the hard work in Greece, Leverkusen adopted a cautious approach, controlling possession without committing too many men forward. The Greek side struggled to create meaningful chances despite needing two goals, with their attacking threat largely neutralized by Leverkusen's compact defensive shape. Both managers made extensive use of their benches in the second half, with nine substitutions across the 90 minutes reflecting the cagey nature of the tie and Leverkusen's desire to manage the game professionally to the final whistle.
How entertaining was this match?
Opportunity wasted. Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen attempted a left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area after a quick counterattack.
Corner kick awarded to Olympiakos, following a foul by Edmond Tapsoba.
The attempt is denied. André Luiz from Olympiakos takes a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it gets intercepted. The assist came from Lorenzo Scipioni.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of stoppage time.
Corner awarded to Olympiakos after a defensive error by Arthur.
Substitution for Olympiakos: Bruno Onyemaechi comes on to replace Gelson Martins.
Substitution for Olympiakos: Bruno Onyemaechi comes on to replace Gelson Martins.
Missed opportunity! Lorenzo Scipioni from Olympiakos took a shot with his right foot from outside the penalty area, but it went wide. The assist came from Lorenzo Pirola.
Offside call against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Edmond Tapsoba has been flagged for being offside.
Corner awarded to Bayer 04 Leverkusen after Panagiotis Retsos allowed it.
Substitution for Olympiakos: Lorenzo Scipioni is coming on to replace Christos Mouzakitis.
Substitution for Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Arthur replaces Lucas Vázquez due to an injury.
The pause has ended. They're set to resume play.
Match is currently paused due to an injury to Lucas Vázquez from Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Opportunity wasted. Robert Andrich of Bayer 04 Leverkusen attempted a header from the right side of the penalty area, but it sailed high and to the right of the goal. The assist came from Aleix García, who delivered a cross following a corner kick.
Corner awarded to Bayer 04 Leverkusen after Rodinei allowed the ball to go out.
Substitution for Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Montrell Culbreath comes on to replace Jonas Hofmann.
Substitution for Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Ezequiél Fernández replaces Exequiel Palacios.
Opportunity squandered. André Luiz from Olympiakos attempted a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area.
Opportunity wasted. Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer 04 Leverkusen attempted a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area.
Gelson Martins from Olympiakos committed a foul.
Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Substitution for Olympiakos: André Luiz replaces Chiquinho.
Substitution for Olympiakos: Ayoub El Kaabi comes on to replace Mehdi Taremi.
Corner kick awarded to Olympiakos after Edmond Tapsoba allowed the ball to go out.
Corner awarded to Olympiakos after a deflection off Edmond Tapsoba.
Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer 04 Leverkusen strikes the crossbar with a left-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area, assisted by Ernest Poku.
Lorenzo Pirola of Olympiakos has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen committed a foul.
Corner awarded to Olympiakos after Lucas Vázquez allowed the ball to go out.
Mehdi Taremi from Olympiakos committed a foul.
Jarell Quansah from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Substitution for Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Ernest Poku comes on to replace Ibrahim Maza.
Offside call against Olympiakos. Gelson Martins has been flagged for being offside.
A new offensive play unfolds as Gelson Martins from Olympiakos takes a right-footed shot from the right side of the penalty area. The attempt is expertly saved in the left corner by Janis Blaswich of Bayer 04 Leverkusen, with the assist credited to Mehdi Taremi.
Mehdi Taremi of Olympiakos earned a free kick in an offensive position.
Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer 04 Leverkusen committed a foul.
Offside call against Olympiakos. Santiago Hezze has been flagged for being in an offside position.
The second half is underway with the score still tied at Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0, Olympiakos 0.
The first half has concluded with the score tied at Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0, Olympiakos 0.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be no additional time added.
Dani García from Olympiakos committed a foul.
Aleix García from Bayer 04 Leverkusen earned a free kick in the defensive area.
Offside call against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Alejandro Grimaldo has been flagged for being offside.
Lorenzo Pirola of Olympiakos earned a free kick on the left flank.
Fouled by Lucas Vázquez - Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Rephrased: Lucas Vázquez commits a foul against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Gelson Martins from Olympiakos earned a free kick on the right side of the field.
Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer 04 Leverkusen committed a foul.
Offside call against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Jonas Hofmann is caught in an offside position.
Rodinei from Olympiakos committed a foul.
Ibrahim Maza from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Mehdi Taremi from Olympiakos earned a free kick on the right side of the field.
Robert Andrich from Bayer 04 Leverkusen committed a foul.
Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen was awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Jarell Quansah from Bayer 04 Leverkusen earned a free kick on the right side of the field.
Chiquinho committed a foul against Olympiakos.
Ibrahim Maza from Bayer 04 Leverkusen has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Dani García from Olympiakos committed a foul.
Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiakos has been awarded a free kick in the defensive area.
Fouled by Lucas Vázquez - Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Rephrased: Lucas Vázquez committed a foul against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Corner awarded to Bayer 04 Leverkusen after Panagiotis Retsos allowed the ball to go out.
Opportunity wasted! Chiquinho from Olympiakos attempted a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area, but it sailed over the bar and to the left. The assist came from Christos Mouzakitis following a corner kick.
Corner awarded to Olympiakos after Robert Andrich allowed the ball to go out.
Missed opportunity. Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen attempted a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area.
Missed opportunity! Patrik Schick from Bayer 04 Leverkusen attempted a header from the center of the box, but it went just wide to the left. The assist came from Alejandro Grimaldo, who delivered a cross following a corner kick.
Corner awarded to Bayer 04 Leverkusen after Konstantinos Tzolakis allowed the ball to go out.
A fresh offensive play unfolds as Jonas Hofmann from Bayer 04 Leverkusen takes a shot with his right foot from the right side of the penalty area. However, Konstantinos Tzolakis of Olympiakos makes a save, diving to his right to keep the ball out of the net. The assist for this attempt comes from Lucas Vázquez.
Offside call against Olympiakos. Gelson Martins is caught offside.
The first half is underway...
Bayer Leverkusen hold a commanding 2-0 aggregate advantage heading into the Champions League knockout playoff second leg at BayArena. Olympiacos must produce a historic comeback to keep their European dreams alive, while Leverkusen need only avoid disaster to advance to face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal.
