Saibari strikes for PSV to force Leverkusen into stalemate

Separated by a relatively short distance of 148 kilometres, Bayer Leverkusen welcomed PSV Eindhoven to the BayArena this evening. The close geographical distance almost reflected how the game unfolded in truth – both sides enjoyed purple patches but ultimately had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 1-1 stalemate. 

The reigning Eredivisie champions thought they found the breakthrough inside the opening five minutes when ex-Dortmund, Wolfsburg and Bayern winger Ivan Perisic headed home at the back post. VAR would come to Leverkusen’s rescue in the end as the Croatian strayed offside while making his run. 

Alejandro Grimaldo rattled the post from an extremely acute angle before his former teammate, Matej Kovar in the PSV goal, managed to smother an Ernest Poku strike. Leverkusen maintained their charge as Malik Tillman tested the Czechia goalkeeper from close range. 

PSV began to look more threatening when Ismael Saibari’s effort was crucially blocked by Jarell Quansah. Kasper Hjulmand’s side almost profited from a bit of good fortune before the break – Grimaldo’s freekick was nearly steered into his own net by PSV defender Gasiorowski who exhaled a sigh of relief. 

The sole blow dealt to Leverkusen was Axel Tape’s first-half injury, but his compatriot Poku continued to threaten. Chances were few and far between until Christian Kofane made it 1-0 in the 65th-minute. The Cameroon forward caught Armando Obispo sleeping and pinched the ball before beating Kovar convincingly. 

With a little under 20 minutes remaining, Eindhoven netted the equaliser with a beautiful, flowing move. Guus Til cut the ball back from the left to Saibari to curl home inside the box to the frustration of Mark Flekken. Kasper Hjulmand called upon Eliesse Ben Seghir to replenish the hosts’ attack. 

Further alterations arrived as Ibrahim Maza and Claudio Echeverri entered the fray, but in truth the last quarter of this fixture lacked hunger for the winning goal. Aside from Grimaldo’s best attempts late on, Leverkusen couldn’t restore their winning position and ultimately had to settle for a second stalemate in Europe.