Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Newcastle United in Champions League Thriller at BayArena
Bayer Leverkusen and Newcastle United played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the BayArena in North Rhine-Westphalia during their Champions League match. The game saw an early own goal from Newcastle's Bruno Guimarães, credited from Robert Andrich's 13th-minute header, putting Leverkusen ahead.
Newcastle bounced back five minutes into the second half when 19-year-old Lewis Miley headed in from a cross by Anthony Gordon, after Joelinton limped off with a groin injury and Miley came on as his replacement. A marked moment was an error by Leverkusen goalkeeper Mark Flekken during a goal-kick, which allowed Malick Woltemade to press and win a penalty for Newcastle that Gordon successfully converted.
Leverkusen nearly regained the lead but a penalty appeal was downgraded to a free-kick thanks to VAR, which showed the foul had occurred outside the box; Malick Thiaw was booked in the incident. The match ended dramatically when Grimaldo equalised for Leverkusen in the 88th minute following a pass from Ibrahim Maza.
Leverkusen's coach Kasper Hjulmand was absent due to personal reasons, with Roger Meijer taking charge of the team for this fixture.
