Hjulmand proud of young Leverkusen side after hard-fought win over Benfica

Kasper Hjulmand praised his young team after Bayer Leverkusen’s 1-0 win over Benfica.

Bayer Leverkusen had to battle hard to claim their first Champions League win of the season, edging Benfica 1–0 in Lisbon on Wednesday night.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Bayer 04 coach Kasper Hjulmand was full of praise for his players after the match, highlighting the inexperience of his young squad on the European stage.

“It was a very tough game, we played our third away game in seven with the youngest team in Europe. We fought very, very well. Of course we could play better, but at the end of the day we are very happy for the win. The boys did everything to win this,” Hjulmand said, according to UEFA.com. 

“I have a lot of respect for this group of players. We had only four, five players with experience. We started tonight with three 19-year-old players, lots of youth on the pitch and also on the bench, very inexperienced. What a fight. We showed character and talent. We have great potential and this will surely be useful for the future. Great team spirit.” 

Next up for Hjulmand and Leverkusen is Saturday’s Bundesliga clash with Heidenheim at the BayArena.