Schick guides Leverkusen to victory over Olympiacos in Champions League

Patrik Schick netted a brace within four minutes to guide Bayer Leverkusen to a 2-0 triumph over Olympiacos in the opening leg of their Champions League knockout play-off clash on Wednesday.

Olympiacos, who had previously defeated Leverkusen at home during the league phase last month, put on another strong showing but were ultimately defeated by Schick's rapid double in the second half.

"The opening period was tough, as Olympiacos pressed us with high intensity and created numerous challenges," Schick shared with DAZN.

"We made some adjustments after the break, added two goals, and secured a vital victory."

This result leaves Leverkusen well-placed for the return fixture in Germany next week, with the victors of this matchup due to meet either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the round of 16.

Strikingly, this marks Leverkusen's inaugural away success in the knockout rounds of the tournament throughout their history.

It represents only their second win in the knockout stages across 13 encounters since the 2002 final, where they fell 2-1 to Real Madrid at Hampden Park.

Since their 2-0 defeat to Olympiacos in January, Leverkusen have triumphed in six and drawn one of their seven outings across all competitions.

Prior to kick-off, reports in Greek outlets indicated that Olympiacos owner Evangelos Marinakis, the wealthy shipping tycoon who also controls Premier League club Nottingham Forest, offered players an unprecedented bonus if they advanced beyond Leverkusen.

Motivated by this, the home side started brightly, dominating possession and keeping the Germans hemmed in during an exhilarating first 25 minutes.

Leverkusen weathered the storm and nearly scored on the 28th minute, with Ibrahim Maza prompting an impressive diving stop from home custodian Konstantinos Tzolakis.

Just before the interval, Olympiacos striker Ayoub El Kaabi bundled the ball over the line from a free-kick, yet VAR intervention revealed that teammate Mehdi Taremi, in an offside position, had interfered, disallowing the effort.

The Greek outfit resumed their pressure post-break, but Leverkusen capitalised on a counter-attack around the hour mark.

Ernest Poku regained possession in his defensive third, surged forward, and delivered an excellent through-ball to Schick, who slotted it calmly into the far corner.

"The moment is a bit of a blur, it was all instinct and positioning," Schick reflected. "Facing the goalkeeper alone, I kept my composure, it turned out well."

The shell-shocked Olympiacos defence was breached once more mere minutes later, as Alex Grimaldo delivered a precise corner that Schick nodded in, leaving Leverkusen firmly in control.