Leverkusen celebrates: Schick secures his first Champions League victory!

Leverkusen celebrates: Schick secures his first Champions League victory!

An exciting evening for Bayer Leverkusen: In the 2025 Champions League season, the team won 1-0 against Benfica Lisbon in a thrilling duel. The winning goal came in the 65th minute from substitute Patrik Schick, who sank the ball into the net after a pass from Alejandro Grimaldo. This success comes after the disappointing 3-0 defeat against FC Bayern Munich, and Leverkusen impressively rehabilitated themselves in international competition. Leverkusen remains in the race for the knockout phase of the Champions League, as Radio Erft reports.

The game took place in Lisbon and the hosts had plenty of chances but couldn't make anything countable of them. Dodi Lukébakio in particular missed a great opportunity in the 11th minute when his shot hit the crossbar. Nicolas Otamendi also missed the goal in the 33rd minute and hit the aluminum. On the Leverkusen side, Ernest Poku came close to taking the lead in the 35th minute, but also failed.

Increased performance and defense

After half-time, Benfica continued to push for a 1-0 lead, but missed several opportunities, including from Vangelis Pavlidis (47th and 51st minutes). The Leverkusen team, which relied on a solid performance under coach Xabi Alonso, concentrated on defense after Schick's goal. In stoppage time there was a dangerous free kick from Grimaldo, but it missed the goal. Despite the pressure from the Portuguese, Bayer managed to win with skill, which puts the team on the right track for the upcoming challenges in the Champions League.

Interestingly, Bayer Leverkusen will soon face FC Bayern Munich in the round of 16 of the Champions League, a duel that is now triggering exciting anticipation. While Bayer remained unbeaten against Bayern under Alonso last season, Bayern have added to their impressive home record in the Champions League and are looking to maintain their dominance in German football, as fussballnationalteam.net notes.

A look at the statistics

Bayer Leverkusen has already played in the round of 16 eight times in the Champions League, but has only progressed twice, the last time in 2002. In the direct duel against Bayern, the record shows 52 wins for the Munich team, while Leverkusen was only able to win 20 times, which is one more reason to prepare for the upcoming game and start the rounds with determination. The encounter could also be another milestone for Manuel Neuer, who may be able to play his 150th Champions League game.

A strong team is required when Leverkusen heads to the next round on November 5th. Players like Florian Wirtz and Granit Xhaka in particular will play a big role in strengthening the offense and the center. It's clearly about more than just points - the prestige in German football is also at stake here. A good reason to keep your fingers crossed for Bayer Leverkusen!