Group phase
October 20, 2011
Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to defeat Valencia 2-1 on Wednesday while Borussia Dortmund suffered a crushing 3-1 loss to Olympiakos, putting the German champions at the bottom of their group and effectively blowing their chances of making it past the current group phase.
Valencia's striker Jonas scored midway through the first half of the match, lending the Spaniards a momentum that placed Leverkusen in a precarious defensive position. Valencia kept up the attack, shooting 13 times in the first-half while their German rivals proved unable to mount a serious counter-offensive.
The tables turned, however, after the break when Andre Schürrle and Sidney Sam quickly scored successive goals, sealing Valencia's fate and securing a 2-1 victory for Leverkusen, which puts them just behind group leader Chelsea.
"It was a difficult piece of work," Leverkusen's Michael Ballack said. "You really have to compliment the team on how they got into the match. We were lucky that we were only behind 1-0."
Devastated Dortmund
Dortmund, meanwhile, had no such luck in their showdown with Olympiakos Piraeus in Athens. The Greeks scored on their first attack with Jose Holebas sinking a header against the German champions. Dortmund managed to stage a quick comeback and equalize when Robert Lewandowski scored in the 26th minute.
The Germans' revival, however, was short-lived. Rafik Djebbour scored shortly before the break, putting Olympiakos ahead 2-1, while Francois Modesto brought victory home for the Greeks through a successful header in the 78th minute.
"In total, the opponent simply had too many easy chances to score goals," Michael Zorc, Dortmund's sports director, said. "We did not win the important one-on-one situations. We clearly have to be more stable at the back."
Chelsea secured their biggest Champions League victory win in 12 years against Genk, routing the Belgians 5-0 and maintaining their edge on rising Leverkusen. Arsenal, meanwhile, defeated Marseille 1-0 and secured their lead in Group F, where Dortmund currently hovers in last place.
Author: Spencer Kimball (dpa, SID, AFP)
Editor: Nicole Goebel