Supersub Schick secures Leverkusen’s first Champions League win | OneFootball

Both teams failed to win any of their games in the first three matchdays. While Leverkusen lost heavily at home to champions PSG after a couple of draws, Benfica is among the two clubs yet to earn a point in the competition.

Kasper Hjulmand recalled Alejandro Grimaldo to the lineup after his surprising decision to leave the set-piece specialist on the bench against Bayern Munich. The former Benfica left-back also wore the captain’s armband in the absence of the suspended Robert Andrich.

The visitors were very comfortable in possession in the early stages of the game. Playing in a deeper midfield role, Ibrahima Maza expertly escaped Benfica’s pressing in a move that ended with a harmless shot by himself in the third minute.

Ernest Poku was the next to show his ball-carrying skills, but he lost the ball just when he entered Benfica’s penalty box. Instead, Dodi Lukebakio hit the woodwork seconds later with a delightful chip.

Richard Rios, who played through the former Fortuna Düsseldorf and Hertha Berlin winger with a delightful pass, also had a shot on target inside the lively first 15 minutes of the match. In the 25th minute, Lukebakio also tested Mark Flekken after Leandro Barreiro’s deflected attempt.

The hosts started to dominate proceedings as the half entered the final 15 minutes, and Nicolas Otamendi rattled the crossbar with a difficult header from a corner-kick. Poku’s horrible miss followed Benfica’s second big chance. A remarkable through pass by Maza had the 21-year-old facing Anatoliy Trubin, but his shot went wide.

A couple of minutes later, Leverkusen nearly caught the hosts with a perfect counterattack by Claudio Echeverri and Christian Kofane, but the Argentine’s final pass to Poku wasn’t measured.

However, Benfica finished the half strongly with yet another clear-cut opportunity. Flekken and Loic Bade denied Lukebakio and Vangelis Pavlidis in a sequence of events to keep the score goalless going into the half-time break.

The Greek international also had a big chance in the first minute after the restart, but Flekken bravely nicked the ball from his feet. Pavlidis, who had seven Champions League goals that include a hat-trick against Barcelona last term, also attempted a curling shot that narrowly missed the target.

At this point, Leverkusen were still waiting for their first shot on target. But it doesn’t take much for some deadly strikers to break the deadlock. After Trubin’s save from Patrik Schick’s first attempt as a substitute, Samuel Dahl’s poor clearance handed the Czech another chance.

Schick made it count this time with a clinical header. Although he has been a consistent goal scorer in other competitions for the 2023-24 double winners, it was only the second Champions League goal in 29 appearances for the 29-year-old striker.

It was all about defending the slender lead for Leverkusen following their goal. Lukebakio’s mishit volley was the best chance the hosts created in the final 25 minutes. At the other end, in a familiar stadium for the Spaniard, Grimaldo attempted to score with a customary free-kick before the start of the uneventful six-minute injury-time.

Leverkusen will hope to go into 2025’s final international break with a win over Heidenheim on Sunday. In the Champions League, their next game will be against Manchester City away from home. The Citizens ended Borussia Dortmund’s unbeaten start to the European campaign tonight at the Etihad Stadium.