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Leverkusen logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 1, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
Benfica

3-1

Kiessling (25'), Son (34'), Calhanoglu (64' pen.)
FT(HT: 2-0)
Salvio (61')

Player Ratings: Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Benfica

Sports Mole takes a look at the individual performances in Bayer Leverkusen's 3-1 win over Benfica.

Bayer Leverkusen cruised to a 3-1 win over Benfica in their Group C match in the Champions League this evening.

Goals from Stefan Kiessling, Son Heung-Min and Hakan Calhanoglu gave the Bundesliga side their first win of the group stage this season.

Eduardo Salvio scored the goal for Benfica with the Portuguese champions' only shot on target of the night.

Here, Sports Mole rates the individual performances of the players from both teams.



Leverkusen's midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, Leverkusen's midfielder Lars Bender and Leverkusen's Bosnian defender Emir Spahic celebrate during the first leg UEFA Champions League Group C football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs SL Benfica in Leverkusen, wester© Getty Images
BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Goal

Bernd Leno: It is difficult to judge Leno's performance in the Leverkusen goal as there was just the one shot on target, and that ended up in the back of the net. There was not that much that the keeper could have done to stop Eduardo Salvio's strike though. (4/10)

Defence

Emir Spahic: The Bosnian defender was solid when called on at the back, making numerous blocks and clearances, particularly in the second half, and also proved a threat up front when Leverkusen were controlling the game. (7/10)

Roberto Hilbert: Hilbert made a couple of decent challenges to help keep Benfica's limited attacking moves to a minimum, but was not kept that busy. (4/10)

Wendell: The defender did not have that much to do at the back, but did make a decent headed clearance late on while the visitors were pushing for a late consolation goal. (5/10)

Omer Toprak: Toprak did not get called upon too often for defensive duties, but did manage to get forward and contribute to the considerable attacking efforts. (5/10)

Midfield

Stefan Reinartz: The midfielder helped out at the back once or twice, and got himself into some strong positions up front to help out the likes of Kiessling and Calhanoglu. (6/10)

Son Heung-Min: Son was lively from the start as he stretched the Benfica defenders. The South Korea international finished the game with an assist and a goal, and could have had another but for a good save from Cesar. (9/10)

Lars Bender: The Leverkusen captain created and took several chances for the hosts as he played a big role in their dominant attack, although he did not find the back of the net himself. (7/10)

Hakan Calhanoglu: Calhanoglu teamed up superbly with Kiessling and looked lively through the match. He will be disappointed to have missed from close range from open play, but slotted home a well-struck penalty in the second half. (8/10)

Karim Bellarabi: Bellarabi was one of a number of Leverkusen players to cause countless problems for the Benfica defence. He put in quite a shift in the first half, but did start to tire after the break, resulting in him being taken off with 20 minutes to spare. (7/10)

Attack

Stefan Kiessling: The striker was in the right place at the right time to fire home a rebound for the opening goal of the match, and had several chances to increase his goal count throughout the evening, working well with Calhanoglu, Son and Bellarabi. (8/10)

Substitutes

Giulio Donati: Doanti replaced Bender inside the final 10 minutes, but saw little action as Benfica struggled to create a decent chance late on. (4/10)

Levin Oztunali: The midfielder took over from Bellarabi with 20 minutes to spare, but did not have as much of an impact as the player that he replaced, sitting deeper than the winger. (3/10)

Josip Drmic: Drmic came on for Kiessling in the last 15 minutes when Leverkusen had already started to sit back and protect their lead. The home side did get forward a few more times, but the summer signing did not get any shots at goal. (4/10)



BENFICA

Goal

Julio Cesar: The Brazil international was not at his best this evening, struggling to keep hold of the ball in the first half, and setting up Kiessling for the opening goal with a parry to the striker. (2/10)

Defence

Luisao: Luisao struggled with the pressure in the first half, but found his composure after the break to make a number of blocks and even had a couple of half-chances to score from corners. (6/10)

Eliseu: The defender could not cope with the pace of Kiessling and Son, but was solid during set pieces, ensuring that Cesar rarely came under pressure from a corner. (4/10)

Jardel: Jardel spent most of the evening marking Calhanoglu, and while he kept the winger at bay to an extent in the first half, he could not match him after the break, eventually giving away a penalty which allowed Leverkusen to put the result beyond doubt. (3/10)

Andre Almeida: Almeida tried to get forward a little in the first half to give Benfica a foothold in the match, but his efforts were in vain and he had to settle into a purely defensive role as Leverkusen controlled the match. (5/10)

Midfield

Nicolas Gaitan: Gaitan looked one of Benfica's better players going forward, but struggled to get the ball through to the team's strikers. (6/10)

Eduardo Salvio: The midfielder was a bit lucky that the Leverkusen defence opened up to allow him to have the only on-target shot of the night for the Portuguese side, but Salvio did find the back of the net with a well-struck effort from just inside the box to briefly give the visitors some hope in the second half. (6/10)

Bryan Cristante: Cristante barely had a touch in the Leverkusen-dominated first half, resulting in him being substituted at half time. (2/10)

Enzo Perez: Perez spent most of the first half helping out the defenders, making a couple of decent blocks to halt the German side's progress, and he managed to get forward later in the match before being subbed off with just over 10 minutes still to play. (6/10)

Attack

Derley: It is difficult to criticise the striker, who was making his Champions League debut, as he really had very little help from his teammates, but there were no chances to speak of for the forward. (3/10)

Talisca: The young striker played just 45 minutes, being taken off at half time after failing to see any chances in the first half. (2/10)

Substitutes

Maxi Pereira: Pereira replaced Cristante at half time and did help Benfica be a bit more competitive after the break. (5/10)

Andreas Samaris: The midfielder replaced Perez for the final 10 minutes or so, and made some decent tackles in midfield to try to prevent Leverkusen adding a fourth, but he did pick up a booking during his brief appearance. (4/10)

Lima: Coming on for Talisca at half time, the striker had little impact until trying to get a shot away in the final five minutes, but was ultimately unable to put Leno under pressure. (3/10)


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Leverkusen's midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and Leverkusen's forward Stefan Kiessling celebrate during the first leg UEFA Champions League Group C football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen vs SL Benfica in Leverkusen, western Germany on October 1, 2014
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Match Analysis: Leverkusen 3-1 Benfica
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