Leverkusen are in Rome to take on the Italian side in the first leg of their Champions League qualification match on Tuesday night, with the return leg in Germany on August 26.
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Their frustration would have turned to apoplectic rage had Hakan Calhanoglu’s outrageous effort from beyond the halfway line been on target, but instead Berisha’s desperate scrambling back to his goal line was unnecessary as it flew into the side netting.
Both teams hit the woodwork in quick succession during the first half, with a 25-yard effort from Leverkusen midfielder Lars Bender followed by an angled shot from veteran German Miroslav Klose hitting the upright at the other end.
The match, however, could be overshadowed following reports of alleged racist chanting from sections of the Lazio crowd early in the second half.
Bayer Leverkusen defeated Atletico Madrid, Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg at home in the Champions League last season, and their manager Roger Schmidt remained confident.
Lazio withdrew Klose at halftime and substitute Keita had an immediate impact when he was slotted through on goal by Felipe Anderson, but the forward was thwarted by a ideal tackle by Jonathan Tah.
Karim Bellarabi broke down the left and cut the ball back to Calhanoglu.
Keita Balde Diao scored the only goal in the first leg of the qualifying tie at the Stadio Olimpico to hand the advantage to Lazio, who have not made it to the group stage of the competition for eight years. Minutes earlier, Slimani had appealed in vain for a penalty when the ball struck the defender Vasily Berezutsky’s outstretched arm as the pair went for a ball. “Klose had a muscular problem and I think it is highly unlikely we’ll be able to have him in the second leg”. He picked up a defence-splitting pass from Roman Eremenko and fought away from a challenge before striking low into the net. The Kazakhastan side took the lead thanks to a Bauyrzhan Dzholchiyev goal after 14 minutes which was enough to secure victory.
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BATE Borisov beat 10-man Partisan Belgrade 1-0 through Mikhail Gordeichuk’s second-half header 15 minutes from time.
