Late chance for Bayer! Kramer, who has arguably been one of the hosts' best players during the second half, charges down the left wing before sending a low cross into the middle of the box, but it misses Hernandez before falling to Yurchenko. The young Ukrainian then immediately sends it back towards the Mexican striker, but, not for the first time this evening, Ruiz is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment.
90' +4
And now Adrian goes close! Bayer continue piling bodies forward but are unable to carve out a chance on goal, allowing Villarreal to break away on yet another quick counter-attack. The substitute striker flies forward on a great run before going one-on-one with Leno, but he's unable to slot a shot past the goalkeeper and sees his strike well saved by the outstretched foot of the German.
90' +2
Off the line by Ramalho! Alfonso skips past the Brazilian far too easily and penetrates the left-hand side of the Bayer penalty area before cutting the ball back to Trigueros. The midfielder has an open goal in front of him and a great opportunity to score the goal that will confirm his side's progression to the next round, but he somehow underhits his shot and sees his effort cleared away by the former Red Bull Salzburg man.
90'
Alfonso Pedraza enters the game and replaces Denis Suárez.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be five minutes of added time.
89'
Villarreal have made their final substitution of the night, with Denis making way for Alfonso.
88'
Bayer are starting to find joy down the left flank as pockets of space start to appear just outside of the penalty area. This time it's Kruse who drifts out wide and picks up the ball in a dangerous position before chipping a cross into the middle of the box, but Ruiz is there to cut out the danger with a strong header before it can find Frey.
86'
After defending well, Denis drives forward down the right flank but ends up being dispossessed before he can whip a cross into the Bayer penalty area. Brandt then picks up the ball before trying to embark on a quick counter-attack of his own, but his final touch is heavy and sends the ball rolling harmlessly out of play for a throw-in, much to the annoyance of the home fans.
84'
Bayer have increased the intensity of their attacking moves over the last few minutes, but they're still finding it incredibly difficult to find much joy against Villarreal's resolute and well-organised back line. Calhanoglu and Hernandez link up deep down the left wing as they try to find a way past Mario and Denis, but the duo hold firm and deny them the opportunity to do so.
82'
Frey twists and turns deep inside the Villarreal half of the pitch before being tripped over by Bruno, resulting in a free-kick for Bayer in a very dangerous position. Calhanoglu fires a wonderful low strike towards goal that Asenjo is just about to push away from danger, and, luckily for the goalkeeper, his parried save ends up flying just a yard or so past the outstretched foot of Ramalho, who was waiting in space on the edge of the six-yard box.
80'
C. Bakambu gets yellow.
After saving Bruno's effort, Leno immediately throws the ball out to Wendell, who then sprints down the left flank. The Brazilian is unable to get very far forward, however, and is cynically tripped over by Bakambu before he can reach the halfway line.
Strong save by Leno! After spending an age eyeing up the target, Bruno eventually steps up and unleashes a thumping strike towards the top left-hand corner of the net, but the Bayer goalkeeper is there to deny him the opportunity to score the first goal of the game.
Minute
Description
79'
André Ramalho enters the game and replaces K. Papadopoulos.
Papadopoulos' day is done, and he gingerly hobbles off the pitch to be replaced by Ramalho for the last 10 minutes of the game.
78'
K. Bellarabi gets yellow.
Bakambu picks up the ball midway inside the Bayer half of the pitch and immediately charges forward on an excellent run. He drives forward with the ball at his feet before trying to penetrate the penalty area, but just as he's about to he's barged to the floor by Bellarabi, who receives a yellow card and gives away a free-kick in a very dangerous position just outside of the box.
76'
Opportunity for Trigueros! Bayer now have almost every available body camped inside the visitors' half of the pitch, which is leaving a lot of space open at the back. Villarreal take advantage of that fact by breaking away on a quick counter-attack through Denis, who then tees up the central midfielder on the edge of the hosts' penalty area, but his first touch is poor and sends the ball bouncing away from him just as he's about to shoot.
74'
Adrián López enters the game and replaces Soldado.
The home fans aren't at all happy with Soldado, who, unsurprisingly, takes an age to make his way off the pitch to be replaced by Adrian. Hernandez is also very unimpressed by the striker's actions, but the referee simply tells the Mexican forward that any time wasted will be added on at the end.
73'
K. Papadopoulos gets yellow.
Papadopoulos becomes the latest player to earn a yellow card for a poor challenge in the middle of the pitch.
72'
Great save by Leno! Denis sprints down the right flank before sending a low cross into the penalty area that is deflected off the foot of Papadopoulous and into the path of Soldado. The striker immediately tries to fire his side into the lead with a bullet header, but the Bayer goalkeeper does wonderfully well to tip his effort over the top of the crossbar with an excellent diving stop.
70'
Bellarabi holds up the ball well on the edge of the Villarreal penalty area before teeing up Kruse, who darts through the visitors' back line before firing a low pass across the face of goal. It's well hit and looks set to find Hernandez, but just as it's about to do so it's cut out by another vital interception from Ruiz.
68'
V. Yurchenko enters the game and replaces C. Kramer.
Bayer have made their second change of the evening, with Kramer making way for Yurchenko.
67'
Bakambu almost makes it 1-0! Villarreal take Bayer by surprise by breaking away on a swift counter-attack that causes the hosts all kinds of problems. Denis sprints towards the right-hand side of the penalty area before unleashing a low cross that is only half dealt with by Tah. The centre-back's attempted clearance spins into the path of the Congolese striker, but he somehow scuffs his first-time shot just a yard or so wide of the far post. He really should have buried that!
65'
Kruse does well to fly down the left wing before skipping past Mario and chipping a cross into the middle of the penalty area. It's a lovely pass that's well hit by the German, but there's only Kruse there to meet it, and it misses the Australian striker before bouncing harmlessly over to the right wing.
63'
It's all Bayer at the moment as they continually push forward, but, as has been the case too often this evening, they have slowed down the pace of their attacking moves and are making life too easy for Villarreal as a result. Once again, they initially get forward well before running into a yellow cul-de-sac, forcing them into spinning and playing the ball all the way back into their own half of the pitch.
61'
Manu Trigueros enters the game and replaces Samu Castillejo.
And now Villarreal have made their first alteration of the night, with Trigueros coming on to replace Castillejo.
60'
A. Rukavina gets yellow.
Ouch! Kruse is quickly able to get involved in the action as he picks up the ball in the middle of the pitch, but as soon as he does he's clattered into by Rukavina, who catches the striker on the ankle with a poorly-timed sliding challenge and receives a yellow card as a result.
59'
R. Kruse enters the game and replaces A. Mehmedi.
Bayer have made their first substitution of the evening, and it's an attacking one, with Mehmedi making way for Australian striker Kruse.
Bayer push forward with purpose once again as they continue to put Villarreal under pressure with their quick attacking moves. Frey does well to skip into a pocket of space before firing a rocket of a strike from 25 yards out, but it's slightly overhit and fails to trouble Asenjo before flying several yards over the top of the crossbar.
57'
Chance for Hernandez! Wendell does well to dart down the left wing before cutting inside and firing a low cross towards the near post. The Mexican striker is almost able to meet it but, under pressure from Ruiz, sees his first-time, poked shot deflected out for a corner. It's taken short before finally being whipped into the box, but the visitors are easily able to deal with the danger.
55'
What an awful cross by Denis! After dealing with the danger, Villarreal have a great opportunity to fly forward on a quick counter-attack. They initially do so well before a poor pass from Soldado slows down the move, and the right-winger then fires a truly terrible attempted cross high and wide and nowhere near the Bayer penalty area.
54'
Excellent save by Asenjo! The resulting set-piece is curled into the heart of the penalty area, where it finds Papadopoulos, who once again rises high above his marker before sending a bullet header towards goal. It looks set to find the top left-hand corner of the net but just as it's about to it's clawed on to the woodwork by the Villarreal goalkeeper.
53'
Another good cross from Bellarabi! The makeshift full-back flies down the right wing before whipping a lovely cross towards the near post, but Bailly is just about to get a foot on it to send it away from the goal and out for a corner.
51'
Bayer patiently work the ball around inside the Villarreal half of the pitch as they desperately try to find a way past the sea of yellow shirts camped in front of them. They're unable to deftly pass the ball into the penalty area so Bellarabi ends up sending a curling cross towards goal, but it's sent too near to Asenjo and the goalkeeper is easily able to cut out the danger as a result.
49'
Denis charges down the right flank before earning his side a throw-in near to the corner flag which, unsurprisingly, Mario takes his time with. He eventually sends it back to the young right-winger, but he's unable to find a way past Wendell and the Brazilian is able to shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick.
47'
Straight from the restart, Bayer break away on a determined attack down the left wing. Calhanoglu weaves his way towards the Villarreal penalty area before teeing up Kramer, but the midfielder ends up scooping his 20-yard strike over the top of the crossbar and fails to trouble Asenjo.
46'
And we're underway once again!
45'
After just about managing to survive the latest scare, Villarreal try to patiently push forward from the restart, but they're unable to carve out a chance on goal and the referee ends up blowing his whistle for half-time, which will suit them perfectly.
44'
Chances for Papadopoulos and Frey! Kramer breaks down the right wing before earning Bayer a corner, which is curled into the middle of the penalty area. It finds the Greek centre-back, but his bullet header is deflected out of play for a corner. The second corner once again picks out a black and red shirt, but this time it's the central midfielder who fires his half-volleyed strike just a few yards over the top of the crossbar.
42'
A. Mehmedi gets yellow.
Pina does well to dispossess Kramer just outside of the Villarreal penalty area and immediately tries to kick-start a quick counter-attack. He gets forward swiftly and looks for a striker to pick out, but just as he's about to unleash a pass he's clumsily fouled by Mehmedi, who receives the first yellow card of the game as a result.
41'
The referee doesn't look happy with Soldado! The Spanish striker battles with Kramer for the ball before going down under what looked like a flailing arm from the Bayer midfielder. He stays on the ground and clutches his nose, but the man in charge isn't at all impressed with his actions and angrily tells him to get back to his feet.
39'
Two more chances for Bayer! First, Kramer weaves his way into the right-hand side of the Villarreal box before chipping a cross towards Mehmedi, but just as it's about to reach the Swiss midfielder the pass is cut out by a strong headed clearance from Mario. The hosts quickly regain possession, however, and another cross is whipped into the penalty area, but this time Asenjo is there to cut out the danger before Hernandez can get a head on it.
37'
Bayer work the ball around wonderfully well just outside of the Villarreal penalty area, with Calhanoglu playing a particularly important role in the move. The Turkish forward then chips a lovely pass over the top of the visitors' defence and into the path of Brandt at the far post, but the German's first-time volley is completely mishit and ends up sailing several yards over the top of the crossbar.
35'
What a chance for Denis! Pina wins back possession in the middle of the pitch with a strong tackle and quickly sets up Soldado on the left flank. The striker picks up the ball in acres of space due to Bellarabi being out of position and is able to fly towards the penalty area before teeing up the Spanish right-winger, but the youngster's first touch is poor and forces him into scooping his close-range shot over Leno and out for a goal-kick. He really should have done better with that golden opportunity!
33'
The pace of the game has slowed down somewhat over the past few minutes as both sides battle for the ball in the middle of the pitch. The intensity that characterised many of Bayer's early attacking moves seems to have disappeared, and it's making life increasingly comfortable for their opponents.
31'
A half-hearted Bayer attack breaks down deep down the left flank, and Villarreal immediately break away on a quick counter-attack through the middle of the pitch. Bakambu does well to hold up the ball before spinning and finding Denis on the right wing, but neither he nor Mario are able to find the space to whip a cross into the penalty area before the hosts eventually regain possession.
29'
Hernandez goes close! Bellarabi is finding an increasing amount of joy down the right wing as he continues to push forward at every opportunity. He twists and turns on the edge of the penalty area before firing a low cross towards the edge of the six-yard box, where it finds the Mexican striker, but he's unable to get the ball out of his feet and can't get a shot away before the linesman's flag is eventually raised for offside.
27'
Wendell embarks on a lovely run down the left flank before skipping past Mario far too easily. He is then presented with a great opportunity to send a low cross into the Villarreal penalty area, but he completely misplaces his attempted pass and it's easily cut out by Bruno on the edge of the box.
25'
Villarreal fly down the right wing on a determined counter-attack through Bakambu, who then sees his bouncing cross cleared out for a corner by a vital interception from Bellarabi. The resulting set-piece causes the Bayer back line all kinds of problems as they fail to fully deal with the danger, but they're finally able to get rid of the ball just as Soldado is about to unleash a volley from the left-hand side of the penalty area.
23'
Mehmedi makes an excellent run down the right flank before earning his side a corner. It's curled into the heart of the Villarreal penalty area and almost finds Papadopoulos but ends up sailing just a few inches over the head of the big centre-back, who had easily beaten his marker in the air. Brandt then sends a cross back into the box but this time Asenjo is there to cut out the danger.
21'
And now Hernandez goes close! Bellarabi charges down the right flank and finds himself in acres of space before launching a lovely cross over to the far post. It somehow bounces past every single Villarreal defender before reaching the Mexican striker at the far post, but, despite his best efforts, he's unable to make contact with the ball before it goes out of play for a goal-kick. That's much better from Bayer!
19'
Calhanoglu goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! Bayer have looked far too slow on the ball for the vast majority of the opening 19 minutes, but they finally increase the tempo and cause Villarreal problems as a result. They move the ball around quickly on the edge of the box before the Turkish forward breaks towards goal, but just as he's about to shoot he's dispossessed by a diving save from Asenjo. The number 10 immediately screams for a penalty, but the referee immediately shakes his head and waves play on.
17'
Villarreal sit deep and soak up the pressure from Bayer before breaking away on a well-worked counter-attack down the right flank. Denis initally does well to get forward and earn his side a throw-in deep inside the hosts' half of the pitch, but he then ends up accidentally handling ball, resulting in a free-kick to the home side.
15'
Wendell picks up the ball near the halfway line and immediately sends a looping lofted pass up towards the edge of the Villarreal penalty area. It finds Calhanoglu in a pocket of space just outside of the box, but his attempted lay off to Mehmedi is poor and is quickly cut out by Bruno before it can reach the Swiss midfielder.
13'
Bellarabi, who has started the game as a makeshift right-back, flies into Castillejo midway down the right wing, sending the Spaniard crashing to the ground. The winger immediately screams for a free-kick as he holds his left foot, but the referee shakes his head and allows play to go on. It's going to be a tough night for Bayer's number 38, but he has started the game well, particularly when Villarreal try to break away on counter-attacks.
11'
After spending the opening 11 minutes firmly on the back foot, Villarreal are finally able to push forward on one of their first attacking moves of the game. Castillejo picks up the ball on the left flank and immediately tries to send a bouncing through-ball into the path of Soldado, but Tah is there to cut out the danger before sending the ball all the way back to Leno.
9'
Villarreal are going to need to put in a strong and well-organised defensive performance if they are to keep a determined Leverkusen side at bay, and that is exactly what they are doing at the moment. The hosts are bossing possession already as they try their hardest to carve out early chances on goal, but each time they push forward they're quickly closed down by the sea of yellow shirts camped in front of them.
7'
The hosts quickly win back possession and work their way down the left wing before earning themselves the first corner of the game. The set-piece is flung towards the near post, where there are plenty of black and red shirts waiting for the ball, but it's poorly hit and fails to beat Bailly, who is easily able to clear the danger.
5'
Bayer continue their good start to the game as they push as many bodies forward as possible as they aim to put Villarreal under plenty of pressure early on. They move the ball around well just outside of the penalty area before Hernandez is finally able to penetrate the box, but ends up misplacing a pass and it rolls away from Brandt and out for a goal-kick.
3'
After a patient start to the game from both sides, Bayer quickly try to break down the left wing. Hernandez ends up receiving the ball just outside of the penalty area before attempting to spin and shoot, but just as he's about to do so the linesman raises his flag for offside.
1'
And we're off!
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Europa League last-16 second-leg clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Villarreal at the BayArena.
It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Bayer, who have thoroughly impressed on several occasions but overall have found it difficult to achieve any sort of consistency with their performances. A tough Champions League group stage resulted in them finishing in third place with just one win from their six games, and what has so far been a short stay in the Europa League has proven to be just as tricky. Roger Schmidt’s side initially impressed with back-to-back victories against Sporting Lisbon in the last round, but their chances of reaching the quarter-finals were dented heavily by an impressive Villarreal team that comfortably beat them 2-0 seven days ago. Cedric Bakambu was on hand to hit the back of the net twice for the Yellow Submarine in what was a disappointing performance by the German side, who had salt rubbed into their wounds late on when Tin Jedvaj was shown a second yellow card in injury time.
Away from Europe, things have been little better for Bayer, whose recent form has been erratic to say the least. Whilst they were finally able to return to winning ways with a 1-0 victory at home to Hamburg on Sunday, that represented their first domestic win since February 13th, a worrying run of four games. However, the German side have looked far better at home over the course of the season, and this has particularly been the case in European competitions. Despite having a tough group stage campaign, they managed to avoid losing any of their games at the BayArena, including a hard-fought draw against Barcelona, meaning that they have lost just one European home clash in the past two years, with that defeat coming against Monaco at the end of 2014.
With two goals under their belts and one of Europe’s most impressive defensive records, Villarreal head to Leverkusen as the firm favourites to make it to the next round of the competition. A well-organised and resolute display last week resulted in them comfortably beating their German opponents in the first leg, and they are now just 90 minutes away from reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League for the first time since 2011. It would be another impressive milestone for a club that are currently enjoying a thoroughly impressive season, one that has them on course for Champions League qualification, something that they haven’t achieved in five years. However, after going 10 games unbeaten, the Yellow Submarine now have just one win from their last three games after suffering defeats against Las Palmas and Sevilla, the latter of which saw them concede more than three goals in a single game for the first time this campaign. Nonetheless, they will be confident about their chances of achieving another positive result tonight as they aim to continue their march through a competition that, based on their recent performances, they have a good chance of winning.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Roger Schmidt has decided to make two changes to the Bayer side that started the 1-0 win at home to Hamburg on the weekend, with Christoph Kramer and Admir Mehmedi coming into the starting line-up to replace Omer Toprak and Tin Jedvaj, the latter of whom is suspended after receiving a red card in the first leg.
Meanwhile, Villarreal boss Marcelino has decided to make three alterations to the side that featured in the loss against Sevilla, with Alphonse Areola, Daniele Bonera and Adrian making way for Sergio Asenjo, Samu Castillejo and Roberto Soldado, respectively.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: BAYER LEVERKUSEN 0-0 VILLARREAL
So far, everything is going exactly to plan for Villarreal, who are doing well to sit deep and soak up the pressure from Bayer before attempting to hit the hosts on the counter. Whilst the visitors have so far found little joy when pushing forward - bar Denis' golden opportunity - they have looked incredibly solid at the back, which has made life incredibly tough for their opponents. The hosts have dominated possession but have done very little with it, resulting in Calhanoglu, Mehmedi and, in particular, Hernandez having very quiet games as a result.
The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half. Neither side have made any substitutions during the half-time break.
FULL-TIME: BAYER LEVERKUSEN 0-0 VILLARREAL
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and confirms Villarreal's place in the quarter-finals of the Europa League! To a man, they were brilliant this evening, and they fully deserve to feature in the last eight after successfully managing to keep at bay a Bayer side that continually struggled to carve out chances on goal. The hosts continually bossed possession as they constantly tried to push forward, but time and time again their attacking moves lacked the tempo and intensity needed to beat the Yellow Submarine's determined and compact back line, who remained well-organised from start to finish.
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