BATE Borisov have held Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw at the Borisov Arena. An early goal from the home side via Mikhail Gordeychuk set the visitors a huge challenge to overcome. A fine equaliser from Admir Mehmedi earned his side a point; it may not have been the desired outcome, but obviously better than a loss.
Pressure and angst gets the better of Leverkusen
Roger Schmidt and his men were huge favourites for the match, one they should have quite comfortably won. Instead they were in for a reality check, following a demanding start from the Belarus outfit, stealing the lead in just the second minute as a result of a Bernd Leno blunder – his second moment of embarrassment in 2015-16.
The German shot-stopper was preparing to catch the low strike in what appeared it would be a routine save, especially considering it was straight at him, but instead the ball slipped right between his legs. This moment was just one of an abundance of frustrating moments for the away team.
On the half-hour mark, the BayArena outfit had absolutely nothing to show for their 65% possession, no chances worthy of testing the host’s keeper had been engineered. It took 45 minutes for Leverkusen to register a decent attempt on goal, Hernandez found himself in a great position to tap home, but instead he guided it straight to the keeper.
It was blatant how shaken Leverkusen were, conceding impulsive fouls left, right and centre, out of pure frustration. Passes were failing to hit targets too often and Leverkusen struggled to breach a Borisov defence that resembled a wall in patches of the outing. This resulted in a large number of wasteful long range attempts.
The guests concluded the showdown with 22 attempts and 66% possession compared to the oppositions five attempts. This match was a carbon copy of most of Leverkusen’s meetings in 2015-16, they dominate but fail to grasp chances.
Two standouts in a stalemate affair
A superb 68-minute equaliser from Admir Mehmedi provided the German outfit with momentum to secure the three points. Hakan Calhanoglu orchestrated a clever chip to pick out Mehmedi, who lobbed the ball into the far corner from a tight angle. It is the third occasion in just a matter of weeks, where Mehmedi has rescued a result.
The man in between the sticks for BATE, Sergey Chernik was outstanding, his saves ultimately earned BATE a positive result that well and truly keeps them in contention for a spot in the round of 16.
The group is wide open
The result has chain reacted a very intriguing match-day six spectacle, any side in group E can qualify for the final 16, but it goes without saying the clubs will have their work cut out for them.
Barcelona secured top spot with a 6-1 drubbing of AS Roma. The Italian giants remain in second with five points, Bayer Leverkusen third with five points and in fourth, it is Borisov with four points. There is various scenario’s that can occur.
If BATE defeat Roma in Roma and Leverkusen secure at three points against an unstoppable Barcelona outfit, the German side will advance. If BATE win and Leverkusen lose or draw the Belarusian’s will skip to the final 16. If both showdowns were to result in a draw, Roma would secure second place – a Roma victory will confirm qualification to the next stage. Hell, even a shock 10-0 Leverkusen win wouldn’t change that.
This latest result has significantly diminished Leverkusen’s round of 16 chances. In the eyes of a Borisov fan, this result is a fantastic one as they fended off a challenge from potent competition for the second time throughout this UCL campaign. In an extremely tough group, their only victory was a 3-2 score-line over Roma.
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