At Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Bayer Leverkusen produced a controlled, clinical away performance to beat Olympiakos Piraeus 2–0 in the UEFA Champions League Round of 32. A second‑half brace from Patrik Schick settled a cagey first leg that had been finely balanced before the break. With Leverkusen already slightly better placed in the overall standings, this win strengthens their position in the play‑off picture, while Olympiakos face an uphill battle after a rare home defeat in this campaign.
First-half analysis
The opening 45 minutes unfolded as a tense, tactical contest with few clear breakthroughs. Olympiakos, set up in a 4‑2‑3‑1 by Luis Mendilibar Jose, tried to use Ayoub El Kaabi as a focal point, but the striker’s early yellow card on 13' for a foul underlined the physical edge to the game more than any attacking fluency.
Kasper Hjulmand’s Leverkusen, in a 3‑4‑2‑1, were patient rather than expansive, content to circulate the ball and wait for gaps. The visitors’ only booking of the night came just before the interval, when Aleix García was shown yellow on 42' for a foul, another sign of a half defined more by duels than by chances.
The pivotal moment seemed to arrive in stoppage time. On 45+2', Mehdi Taremi thought he had given Olympiakos the lead, only for VAR to intervene and cancel the goal. With no goals and few major openings, the disallowed strike was the one real flashpoint of an otherwise balanced, stop‑start first period.
Second half and tactical shifts
Mendilibar moved quickly after the restart. At 46', centre‑back Lorenzo Pirola was withdrawn for Giulian Biancone, a like‑for‑like defensive change that suggested either a fitness concern or a tweak on the right side of the back line rather than an all‑out gamble.
The game’s rhythm shifted decisively around the hour. On 60', Leverkusen’s patience was rewarded when Patrik Schick struck the opener, finishing a move supplied by Ernest Poku. Just three minutes later, at 63', Schick doubled the advantage, this time fed by Alejandro Grimaldo. In the space of three minutes, Hjulmand’s side had turned a tight away leg into a commanding 2–0 lead, reflecting their sharper cutting edge in the final third.
Olympiakos responded with a double substitution on 64'. Daniel Podence made way for André Luiz, injecting fresh legs in attack, while the unlucky Taremi, whose first‑half effort had been ruled out, was replaced by Chiquinho to add creativity between the lines. Hjulmand countered immediately, taking off Ibrahim Maza for Malik Tillman at the same 64' mark, a midfield refresh aimed at stabilising control after going two up.
As Olympiakos chased the game, Leverkusen managed their advantage with further changes. Poku, who had assisted the opener, was replaced by Martin Terrier on 76', adding a fresh outlet in the forward line. A minute later, on 77', Lucas Vázquez was withdrawn for Arthur, a defensive‑minded adjustment on the flank to help see out the result.
Mendilibar threw on more energy in the closing stages. At 82', Santiago Hezze was replaced by Lorenzo Scipioni in midfield, and Francisco Ortega made way for Bruno Onyemaechi at left‑back, subtle shifts rather than a radical change of shape. Hjulmand’s final moves came on 87', with Aleix García replaced by Ezequiel Fernández in the middle and two‑goal hero Schick making way for Christian Kofane up front, preserving legs and protecting a vital away lead.
Statistical deep dive
The numbers underline how Leverkusen’s control of the ball translated into superior efficiency. They conceded possession to Olympiakos only 42% of the time, keeping 58% themselves, and paired that with sharper passing: 591 total passes at 84% accuracy, compared with Olympiakos’ 414 passes at 79%. That allowed the visitors to dictate tempo and limit the hosts’ ability to build sustained pressure.
In attack, Olympiakos actually attempted more shots overall (13 to Leverkusen’s 8), but the quality gap was stark. Only 1 of Olympiakos’ 13 efforts hit the target, and their expected goals stood at 0.87. Leverkusen, by contrast, put 5 of their 8 shots on goal and generated 1.95 expected goals, a profile entirely in keeping with Schick’s decisive brace. Both goalkeepers recorded modest save counts — three for Konstantinos Tzolakis, one for Janis Blaswich — reflecting Leverkusen’s clinical finishing and Olympiakos’ waywardness.
Discipline was relatively controlled: 7 fouls for Olympiakos and 9 for Leverkusen, with one yellow card apiece and no reds. It was a competitive tie, but not one that boiled over.
Standings and implications
Leverkusen, who came into the night ranked 16th with 12 points and a -1 goal difference, strengthen their case as a resilient play‑off side, adding another away win to an already solid record on the road (now three results from four away games). Olympiakos, 18th with 11 points and a -4 goal difference, suffer a setback after a previously strong run (WWWLD) and a decent home record. Trailing 2–0 from the first leg, they now need a significant turnaround away from Piraeus to keep their promotion hopes alive in the 1/16‑finals.
