Bayer Leverkusen moved into the Champions League knockout-stage play-offs with a controlled 3-0 victory over Villarreal at BayArena, a result that secured second place in their group and kept Kasper Hjulmand’s team on course for the last 16 thanks to a dominant display at both ends of the pitch.
The win confirmed a play-off tie against either Borussia Dortmund or Olympiacos, with that two-legged meeting deciding who advances to the Champions League last 16, while Villarreal’s defeat underlined a difficult European campaign that had already seen the Spanish side eliminated before this closing group fixture.
Leverkusen’s superiority showed in the numbers as well as the scoreline, with the hosts generating 2.03 expected goals compared with Villarreal’s
0.25, and Hjulmand’s side rarely appeared troubled by an attack that struggled for rhythm, while the German club repeatedly found space between the lines and punished defensive hesitation.
Villarreal’s poor campaign reached an unwanted landmark, as the team became the only Spanish club to play at least eight matches in a single European Cup or Champions League season, drawing one and losing seven, without managing a single victory, highlighting a steep drop from previous continental performances.
The opening goal came from a major error in the 12th minute, when Villarreal goalkeeper Arnau Tenas delayed over a routine clearance, allowing Malik Tillman to charge down the attempted kick, and the rebound spun into an unguarded net, giving Leverkusen an early advantage without a shot being taken.
Leverkusen almost doubled the lead soon after through Ibrahim Maza, whose powerful long-range strike crashed against the woodwork and bounced off Tenas’s back before the goalkeeper reacted in time, scrambling across the line to claw the ball away and avoid a second goal in chaotic circumstances.
Tillman’s influence grew before half-time as Bayer Leverkusen constructed a well-worked second goal, with Alejandro Grimaldo swinging in a precise cross from the left, Patrik Schick heading the ball down into space, and Tillman arriving to hammer a half-volley into the bottom-right corner for a composed finish and a 2-0 cushion.
The scoring was completed in the 57th minute, when Lucas Vazquez delivered a measured right-sided cross that reached Grimaldo at the far side of the penalty area, and Grimaldo drove a fierce volley under Tenas, leaving the goalkeeper little chance and sealing a comprehensive 3-0 home victory for Leverkusen.
MOTM. MT. pic.twitter.com/nmxbKML9LuBayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 28, 2026
Bayer Leverkusen and Villarreal Champions League data debrief
For Villarreal, this result extended a difficult streak, as the team has now lost six consecutive Champions League matches, equalling the club’s longest losing run in major European competitions, which previously occurred during the 2011-12 Champions League season when Villarreal also suffered six defeats in a row.
Tillman’s double meant Hjulmand gained key support from the forward, who recorded a second Champions League brace after also scoring twice for PSV last season against Shakhtar Donetsk, and no other player from the United States has scored multiple goals even once in a single match in this competition.
| Team | xG | Result | Champions League record this season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2.03 | 3-0 win vs Villarreal | Reached knockout-stage play-offs |
| Villarreal | 0.25 | 3-0 loss vs Bayer Leverkusen | Played 8, D1, L7, no wins |
Leverkusen’s assertive home performance, backed by superior chance creation and clinical finishing from Tillman and Grimaldo, secured a deserved place in the Champions League knockout-stage play-offs, while Villarreal’s defeat confirmed a campaign defined by defensive lapses, attacking struggles and an unwanted statistical low for Spanish clubs in European competition.
