Leverkusen lead does not last long as PSV hold them to draw

PSV Eindhoven fought back quickly after conceding a sloppy goal to hold German hosts Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Calamitous defending from the Dutch visitors allowed teenager Christian Kofane to pinch a 65th-minute goal at the Bay Arena, but PSV were quick to pull level, with Ismael Saibari thundering home a 72nd-minute equaliser.

It was a second draw for Leverkusen in the group phase, after being held at Copenhagen, while PSV picked up their first point following a surprise home loss to Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise in their opening fixture last month.

A defensive mix-up in their own penalty area saw captain Jerdy Schouten play a dangerous back pass to centre-back Armando Obispo, who failed to control it and offered the 19-year-old Kofane an opportunity to dispossess him and score from close range on his first Champions League start.

'DISAPPOINTMENT'

But the lead lasted all of seven minutes before Guus Til’s pull-back pass found Saibari in space and he did not hesitate as he unleashed a thunderbolt from close range to make it 1-1.

"There's disappointment, because I think we could have done better," Saibari said. "We kept coming out from under pressure, especially in the second half. Leverkusen also played well, so I think the 1-1 draw was a fair result."

PSV had the ball in Leverkusen’s net after four minutes when veteran Croatian international Ivan Perisic rose at the back post to head home Dennis Man’s cross, but a VAR check found Perisic was marginally offside and the goal was overturned.

It was an early signal that the Dutch champions would prove a handful, although it was Leverkusen who then dominated matters in the first half, with Alejandro Grimaldo rattling the woodwork from a tight angle in the 11th minute and Ernest Poku causing havoc down the left flank.

Grimaldo’s free-kick near the end of the opening half had PSV scrambling to defend, with Yarek Gasiorowski getting a glancing touch to take it away from Leverkusen’s attackers.

At the other end, the 36-year-old Perisic demonstrated his danger on the wing with a strong run to try to finish off a counter-attack opportunity, but he could not control his effort and sent it wide at halftime.

The second half was again full of endeavour but little in the way of clear chances right until the end of the game, when Leverkusen captain Grimaldo had an opportunity to win the match for his team but saw his shot saved by PSV goalkeeper Matej Kovar.

Leverkusen’s next Champions League assignment is at home to holders Paris Saint-Germain on 21 October, the same night that PSV host Napoli.