0–0, but 100% through – BayArena invents the low-calorie thriller

You have to admire the craft: sell out the BayArena with 30,210 people and then deliver a match that, at times, felt like watching someone tidy up their inbox. And yet I’m smiling. Because this 0–0 against Olympiakos is exactly the kind of result Leverkusen used to treat like a rare artifact: handle with care, don’t jinx it, knock on wood, and please—just don’t let it slip. Now? Clean sheet, Round of 16, top 16 in Europe. The new normal still feels slightly illegal.

The real headline wasn’t finishing or fireworks; it was the defensive discipline. Not glamorous, but seriously grown-up. Olympiakos pressed, chased, tried to turn it into chaos—and most of the time they ran into a red-and-black bouncer at the door. Five straight home games without conceding, and already five clean sheets in ten Champions League matches this season: that’s not “a good spell,” that’s a statement. And Blaswich is collecting clean sheets like other people collect loyalty points.

Of course, the critique writes itself. In possession, especially in the zones before the box, it often lacked bite, clarity, and that ruthless intensity we all want from this team. Even Andrich and Hofmann basically said as much: the job got done, but the performance didn’t exactly sparkle. The funny thing is—this is a “high standards” complaint. Older versions of us would’ve been too busy surviving to nitpick. Today it’s more like: “We’re through… and we can play better.” I’ll take that problem every day.

There were also those little future-facing moments that make you feel good as a fan: Culbreath getting his home debut, Hofmann finally clocking Champions League minutes this season, and Tapsoba quietly holding the whole thing together like the seatbelt you only notice when it saves you.

Bottom line: nobody is handing out style points in knockout football. We’re in the Round of 16. If later nobody asks how we did it, I already have my answer ready: “Exactly.”