Youth League: Bayer 04 in a difficult position, no chance of continuing

Tough draw for Bayer 04

Bayer 04 Leverkusen's U19s have been eliminated from the UEFA Youth League in the Round of 16. The Werkself lost 2-0 to SL Benfica at the Benfica Campus on Wednesday afternoon. The Werkself thus failed to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in a row.

The Leverkusen team had to play in front of a full house against the Portuguese record champions. Over 2,000 spectators created a great atmosphere in the Estadio da Luz.

Goals conceded at a bad time

Bayer 04 started the game well and had the first chance through Emrehan Gedikli (6th), but Benfica goalkeeper André Gomes made a brilliant save.

The Werkself were then punished for individual mistakes. Henrique Araújo (22nd) put the hosts in front with a fine individual effort, and Martim Neto (24th) then doubled the lead.

No more chances

The Werkself tried to get back into the game, but the Portuguese were very solid defensively and hardly allowed any more chances, even after the break.

The Black and Reds had another setback in the 64th minute when right-back Zinho Vanheusden had to leave the field with a suspected muscle injury.

Last victory in 2016

Bayer 04 have now been eliminated from the UEFA Youth League in the Round of 16 for the third time in a row. The last time the Werkself reached the quarter-finals was in 2016.

For Benfica, on the other hand, the victory was a big step towards reaching the semi-finals for the third time in club history. In the last eight, the Portuguese will face the winner of the match between Juventus Turin and Maccabi Haifa.