The Bundesliga champions went into this game sitting in fourth spot in the Champions League standings β one point ahead of their Spanish opponents β and boasting a run of 11 straight victories in all competitions. Not a bit of it. Jan Oblak was soon the busiest man on the pitch, thwarting efforts from Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella, after the latter had a goal ruled out for offside.
The hosts emerged for the second half in battle mode, and as the game opened up soon after the restart, they were level.
A deft touch of the head and a finish to the far post did the trick and the locals suddenly had the encounter just where they wanted it inside the cauldron of the Metropolitano. There was no let-up in the passion, with the game now in territory Leverkusen would have wished to avoid.
Bayer must now wait to confirm their direct passage through to the knockouts in their final game against Sparta Prague. All you need to know about the Bayern youth player who is regarded by many at the club as one of their brightest talents. Get to know Manuel Neuer's potential successor between the Bayern Munich goal-posts The record champions have completed the signing of the Germany U21 international on a long-term deal from Cologne.
Bayer Leverkusen were left disappointed after conceding two second-half goals in Madrid. By the time the Ecuadorian was sent off, Alvarez had already equalised but the dismissal didn't help Bayer 04's cause and they succumbed to a sucker-punch late on that leaves them waiting on automatic qualification to the knockouts. Alvarez GOAL! Five to play We're inside the game's closing stages and it's impossible to predict how this all might end. We might have only had two goals, but this encounter has developed into a Champions League classic.
