Scoreless second-leg sees Leverkusen beyond Olympiacos into last-16 stage

Kasper Hjulmand’s side played out a 0-0 draw which sees them advance to the last-16 where they will face either Bayern Munich or Arsenal.

Bayer Leverkusen sealed their progression to the last-16 of the Champions League with a 0-0 stalemate with Olympiacos tonight. Regardless, the 2-0 aggregate win sets up a meeting with one of either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the next round. 

With the hosts in a comfortable position from last Wednesday’s successful trip to Piraeus, there were relatively few talking points in what would ultimately be a scoreless first-half. Alejandro Grimaldo proved to be the biggest threat in the initial exchanges. 

Twice, the Spanish wing-back created two early opportunities for Patrik Schick. The first, a corner routine from which a header faded wide of the post. A minute later, the Czechia striker’s chip couldn’t get past an alert Konstantinos Tzolakis.

As for Olympiacos, their best chance of the half was passed up near the half-hour. Dani Garcia pinched the ball from Aleix Garcia. The move ended with Gelson Martins in a prime position but the winger was ultimately let down by his poor touch. 

Ibrahim Maza picked up a knock around ten minutes into the second-half, as Ernest Poku took over. The Dutch speedster almost made an instant impact, but Grimaldo’s venomous effort from the left slapped off the crossbar and away from danger.

Martins continued to be the main thorn in Leverkusen’s side past the hour. A stranded Janis Blaswich had to will the 30-year-old’s deflected effort past the far post before both André Luis and Ayoub El Kaabi were introduced by the visitors. 

Perhaps the only other concern for Hjulmand was Lucas Vasquez going off with discomfort. Otherwise, the likes of Fernandez, Arthur and Culbreath came on to close out the final 10 minutes and seal their place in the last-16 of Europe’s prestigious tournament.