Champions League 2025-26: Own goal helps Bayer Leverkusen to pull with Copenhagen; Sporty thumps kairat almaty

Bayer Leverkusen jerked a 2-2 draw on FC Copenhagen on Thursday in his UEFA Champions League 2025-26-opener, saved by a Pantelis Hatzidiakos goal in stopping time.

The Danish host got the perfect start after nine minutes when Jordan Larsson met the cross of Elias Achouri to score and illuminate the Parks Stadium.

Leverkusen offered little in the first half and struggled to break down the defense of Copenhagen, while the home team created various opportunities, with only a few fine keeper of Mark Flekken who prevented it from doubling the pipe.

After the break, Leverkusen found more openings, but was repeatedly refused by Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski.

But eight minutes of the time Leverkusen pulled the level of a free kick when Alejandro Grimaldo curled the ball over the wall in the net of the bottom of the bar.

However, the relief of the visitor was short -lived, because Robert restored the lead of Copenhagen five minutes later with a precise low header of a cross.

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Leverkusen pressed another equalizer, and in stopping, Claudio Echeverri replaced in the box and his attempted cross -bounced hatzidiakos in the net.

Sporting breeze along Kairat Almaty

Sporting drove on Thursday to a 4-1 home victory on Kairat Almaty in his Champions League opener and sealed the result with three goals in a second half of four minutes.

The visitor from the city of Almaty in the southeast of Kazakhstan made the longest trip ever included between two clubs in the history of the Champions League, and it struggled to find his rhythm in the first half when sportingly quickly took over control.

Sport was handed a penalty after 21 minutes when Aleksandr Mrynskiy Luis Suarez dropped, but the strike of Morten Hjulmand was kept out by the 18-year-old Kairat goalkeeper Sherhan Kalmurza, saving with his legs.

The host had to wait until the 44th minute on his breakthrough, when Francisco Trincao curled a left -wing strike in the upper corner to send Sporting during the break.

Kairat tried to challenge his opponent after the break, but it eventually hit without energy around the hour.

In the 65th minute, Sporting hit the counter when Ivan Fresneda broke in the box and square in the square Trincao, who slid home quietly to double the lead.

Two minutes later, Alisson Santos sealed the result with Sporting’s third and shot a well -placed layer of shot from the edge of the area.

Sporting’s four -minute frenzy concluded when Geovany Quenda showed fine footwork to move forward before he chose the bottom corner for his fourth in the 68th minute.

Four minutes from time, Edmilson pulled one back for Kairat with an excellent volley after he had been left unark by the sporting defense.

Published on September 19, 2025