UEFA Champions League Gameweek 4
Benfica 0 - 1 FT Bayer Leverkusen
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Futmetrix Verdict
100
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Manchester City
5-3
Sunderland
⚡ Intensity
100
⚖️ Balance
91
🏆 Stakes
70
🎲 Upset
0
Eight goals, hat-trick heroics, pure chaos.
Futmetrix Verdict
55
FT
Sun, Sep 20
Gamba Osaka
0-1
Vissel Kobe
⚡ Intensity
40
⚖️ Balance
20
🏆 Stakes
78
🎲 Upset
0
Erik breaks Gamba hearts at 90'
Futmetrix Verdict
52
FT
Sat, Sep 19
Brighton
3-0
Arsenal
⚡ Intensity
37
⚖️ Balance
17
🏆 Stakes
70
🎲 Upset
80
Brighton dismantle league leaders Arsenal.
Match Statistics
Possession
Shots
Shots on Target
Expected Goals (xG)
Passes
Pass Accuracy
Corners
Fouls
Yellow Cards
Red Cards
Match Events
Ibrahim Maza 41'
HT
Edmond Tapsoba 55'
↓ C. M. Kofane ↑P. Schick 57'
↓ C. Echeverri ↑M. Tillman 57'
62' Dodi Lukebakio
P. Schick 65'
69' ↓ L. Barreiro ↑A. Dedic
69' ↓ S. Dahl ↑A. Schjelderup
69' ↓ G. Sudakov ↑G. Prestianni
78' Nicolás Otamendi
Malik Tillman 79'
↓ E. Poku ↑E. Ben Seghir 88'
FT
Player Cards
Our take on every player in this match
Benfica
Goalkeepers
Anatoliy Trubin 
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Defenders
Fredrik Aursnes 
STORMTROOPER
1
Shots
1
Shots
0
Goals
0
On Target
Tomás Araújo 
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
3
Tackles
71%
Duel Win %
Nicolás Otamendi 
MAGNET
95
Activity
95
Activity
83
Passes
12
Duels
Samuel Dahl
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
5
Tackles
75%
Duel Win %
Midfielders
Enzo Barrenechea
MAGNET
84
Activity
84
Activity
75
Passes
9
Duels
Richard Ríos 
ARCHITECT
5
Key Passes
5
Key Passes
0
Assists
51%
Pass Acc
Dodi Lukebakio
ARCHITECT
3
Key Passes
3
Key Passes
0
Assists
32%
Pass Acc
Leandro Barreiro
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
69
Total Mins
69
Entry
Heorhiy Sudakov
ARCHITECT
4
Key Passes
4
Key Passes
0
Assists
32%
Pass Acc
Forwards
Vangelis Pavlidis
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
BENCH
Samuel Soares 
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Rafael Obrador
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
António Silva
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Amar Dedić
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
21
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Joshua Wynder
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
João Veloso
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
João Rêgo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Diogo Prioste
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Franjo Ivanović
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Andreas Schjelderup
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
21
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Gianluca Prestianni
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
21
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Henrique Araújo
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Bayer Leverkusen
Goalkeepers
Mark Flekken
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Defenders
Jarell Quansah
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Loïc Badé
WALL
0
Dribbled Past
0
Dribbled Past
3
Tackles
100%
Duel Win %
Edmond Tapsoba 
SHIELD
3
Blocks
3
Blocks
1
Interceptions
3
Tackles
Midfielders
Arthur
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Ibrahim Maza
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Aleix García
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
90
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Álex Grimaldo 
ENFORCER
5
Tackles
5
Tackles
7
Duels Won
78%
Win %
Forwards
Claudio Echeverri
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
57
Total Mins
57
Entry
Ernest Poku 
NPC
88
Minutes
88
Minutes
15%
Pass Acc
6.9
Rating
Christian Kofane
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
57
Total Mins
57
Entry
BENCH
Janis Blaswich
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Niklas Lomb
SPECTATOR
0
Saves
0
Saves
0
Conceded
0
Minutes
Jeanuël Belocian
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
F. Pohl
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Malik Tillman
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
33
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Jeremiah Mensah
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Montrell Culbreath
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
0
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Patrik Schick 
SUPER SUB
1
Goal
1
Goal
33
Minutes
7.6
Rating
Eliesse Ben Seghir
LATE SHIFT
15
Late Mins
15
Late Mins
9
Total Mins
Started
Entry
Head to Head
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Competition | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/09/2014 | Benfica | 0 - 0 | Bayer Leverkusen | UEFA Champions League | Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica |
| 10/01/2014 | Bayer Leverkusen | 3 - 1 | Benfica | UEFA Champions League | BayArena |
12/09/2014
10/01/2014
Benfica Win
Bayer Leverkusen Win
Draw
League Standings
P: 4 GD: +11
P: 4 GD: +11
P: 4 GD: +10
P: 4 GD: +7
P: 4 GD: +9
P: 4 GD: +8
P: 4 GD: +6
P: 4 GD: +5
P: 4 GD: +2
P: 4 GD: +5
P: 4 GD: +5
P: 4 GD: +3
P: 4 GD: +3
P: 4 GD: +2
P: 4 GD: +1
P: 4 GD: -2
P: 4 GD: +1
P: 4 GD: +2
P: 4 GD: -2
P: 4 GD: -3
P: 4 GD: -4
P: 4 GD: -2
P: 4 GD: -4
P: 4 GD: -5
P: 4 GD: +1
P: 4 GD: -1
P: 4 GD: -5
P: 4 GD: -8
P: 4 GD: -3
P: 4 GD: -6
P: 4 GD: -7
P: 4 GD: -4
P: 4 GD: -8
P: 4 GD: -9
P: 4 GD: -6
Match previews and recaps to help you decide which games are worth watching
Benfica
Bayer Leverkusen
Benfica
Bayer Leverkusen
Win Probability
Futmetrix AI estimate
Schick's Precision Blow Silences Lisbon: Leverkusen's Fortress Holds at Estádio da Luz
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 27/100. This wasn't a masterclass—it was a lesson in intensity management, where Bayer Leverkusen's ruthless efficiency punished Benfica's wastefulness and exposed the gulf between Champions League contenders and pretenders.
Possession Without Purpose
Benfica controlled the ball for 53% of the match, stringing together 530 passes with 89% accuracy across Estádio da Luz. Yet the numbers told a story of frustration: 21 shots fired, only 6 finding the target. An expected goals figure of 1.62 reflected their dominance in volume but not conviction. The home side pressed relentlessly in the opening exchanges, corners arriving at regular intervals, but Mark Flekken's composure—five saves across the 90 minutes—turned away every genuine threat. Benfica created balance in midfield but lacked the final sniper's touch.
Leverkusen's Clinical Counterattack
Bayer Leverkusen arrived in Lisbon with 47% possession and a game plan built on restraint and precision. Just seven shots attempted, yet the xG of 0.74 masked their true efficiency: every chance carried stakes. In the 65th minute, Patrik Schick arrived at the right moment, converting with the clinical finish of a striker who understands Champions League football. The goal arrived from a rare moment of Leverkusen ambition, a counter-attack that exposed Benfica's stretched defence. Loïc Badé marshalled the backline with commanding authority (8.6 rating), while Alejandro Grimaldo's two key passes orchestrated the visitors' limited but lethal attacking forays.
The Turning Point
Schick's finish in the 65th minute—calm, decisive, unrepeatable—became the match's defining moment. Benfica threw bodies forward in desperation thereafter, but three yellow cards and mounting frustration replaced creativity. Leverkusen absorbed the pressure, three of their own yellows a testament to their disciplined fouling when needed. The away side's defensive structure never wavered; Flekken's five saves were the final barrier, but rarely were they tested by genuine quality.
Key Questions
What made Loïc Badé the Man of the Match?
Badé's commanding defensive display—reading the game, positioning flawlessly, neutralising Benfica's attacking threats—earned an 8.6 rating and MOTM honours.
How did Benfica dominate yet lose?
Possession ≠ penetration. Benfica's 21 shots, 53% possession, and 1.62 xG couldn't overcome Leverkusen's defensive intensity and Schick's clinical finishing.
What does this result mean for the group?
Leverkusen moves to 8 points with a crucial away victory. Benfica's 10 points remain vulnerable; they need wins, not possession.
What is the Futmetrix Score?
The Futmetrix Score is our 0-100 verdict on how entertaining a match is. We look at intensity, balance, stakes, and star quality to tell you if it's worth your time.
Archive note: this preview was written after the match was played.
Champions League Survival at Estádio da Luz
Skip It Futmetrix Score: 21/100. This is a desperate scramble for points as two historically elite sides attempt to claw their way out of the bottom-tier exclusion zone.
The Setup
The Stakes are unusually high for early November, but not for the reasons these fans at **Estádio da Luz** are used to. Benfica's European Form has plummeted with four losses in six games, leaving them 25th in the league stage. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen hasn't fared much better, sitting in 20th and struggling to find the defensive Balance that won them domestic titles last season. With very few Stars performing at their peak, this match feels more like a survivalist grind than a continental spectacle.
Key Battle
In a match devoid of high-flying confidence, the tactical battle shifts to the midfield anchor. Benfica will rely on the veteran leadership of Angel Di Maria to provide a moment of magic, while Bayer Leverkusen will look to Florian Wirtz to find pockets of space in a congested central zone. It is a duel of execution versus desperation; the first team to lose their discipline will likely see their European campaign effectively ended.
Our Prediction
Expect a nervous, low-quality affair. Both managers are likely to prioritize defensive stability over attacking flair to avoid a catastrophic loss. A 1-1 draw seems the most plausible outcome, as neither side currently possesses the clinical edge to dominate the other over 90 minutes.