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Lazio logo
Champions League | Playoff Round
Aug 18, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Leverkusen logo

1-0

Keita (77')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Player Ratings: Lazio 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen

Sports Mole rates every performance at the Stadio Olimpico following Lazio's 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Keita Balde Diao scored the winner as Lazio earned a 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying tie this evening.

Leverkusen looked the more threatening of the two sides for long spells until Keita picked out the bottom corner after a fine solo run in the 77th minute.

Below, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed in the Italian capital.


LAZIO

Lazio's forward from Senegal Balde Diao Keita celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League playoff football match between Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen, at Olympic stadium in Rome on August 18, 2015© Getty Images

Goal

Etrit Berisha: The goalkeeper never looked convincing while coming off his line to deal with crosses, but he recovered to make two fine saves from Calhanoglu in the second half. (6/10)

Defence

Dusan Basta: Arguably the most impressive player in the Lazio defence. Handled the threat of Bellarabi well enough to force the pacey winger to switch sides in the second half. (6/10)

Mauricio: Fortunate to stay on the pitch after catching Wendell with a dangerous challenge early in the second half, and he always appeared to be troubled by the pace of Leverkusen's runners from deep. (5/10)

Stefan de Vrij: Superb throughout his stay on the pitch as he handled the physical threat posed by Kiessling impressively, but a fine performance was prematurely ended when he was forced off after a clash of heads. (7/10)

Senad Lulic: Troubled when Leverkusen moved to the ball at a quicker pace after the break, but he showed impressive determination to make life difficult for the lively Bellarabi. (6/10)

Midfield

Lucas Biglia: Second-best to the excellent Bender at times. However, the captain was a calm head in a congested midfield and he provided a shield for his defence. (6/10)

Marco Parolo: Struggled to make an impact on the match as Leverkusen often passed him by at pace. Offered very little going in the opposite direction. (5/10)

Ogenyi Onazi: The Nigerian was slightly unfortunate to be removed when Stefano Pioli made a change to his side's shape in midfield. He could be a key man when Lazio attempt to defend the lead next week. (6/10)

Attack

Antonio Candreva: The Italy international was a key man every week for Lazio last season, but this was surely one of his poorest performances for the club. Drifted in and out of the game, and his end product was disappointing throughout the evening. (4/10)

Felipe Anderson: Another player who struggled to produce his best. The Brazilian often made the wrong choices in the final third of the pitch. He will be under pressure to improve. (5/10)

Miroslav Klose: Struggled to break free of the Leverkusen defence, despite hitting the post before being taken off at the interval. (6/10)

Substitutes

Keita Balde Diao: The former Barcelona youth player can be frustrating in possession, but he was a threat as soon as he was introduced. Keita stretched the Leverkusen defence with his pace and trickery. Secured the win with a fine finish after an excellent solo run. (7/10)

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: The Serbian is unlikely to steal many headlines, but he was impressive after coming on in midfield. His tackling was perfect and he made a fine block to deny Christoph Kramer. (7/10)

Santiago Gentiletti: Replaced De Vrij late on, but he was rarely involved in the final few minutes. (5/10)


BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Stefan Kiessling (R) of Bayer Leverkusen competes for the ball with Miroslav Klose (C) and Dusan Basta of SS Lazio during the UEFA Champions League qualifying round play off first leg match between SS Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen at Olimpico Stadium on Augu© Getty Images

Goal

Bernd Leno: Unable to get close to Keita's fine finish, but showed his class with a stunning save to deny the striker a second goal. (6/10)

Defence

Roberto Hilbert: A couple of nervy touches invited pressure early in the game, but he quickly improved to play a key role in keeping Felipe Anderson and Candreva quiet. (6/10)

Kyriakos Papadopoulos: The Greek defender will want to forget this match as quickly as possible. It was a worrying start as he committed a couple of silly early fouls. Struggled to cope with the pace of Keita and his mistake led to the only goal of the match. (4/10)

Jonathan Tah: Leverkusen appear to have a special player on their hands. The 19-year-old performed impressively against the experienced Klose and was arguably the best player on the pitch for 75 minutes. One mistake almost let Lazio through, but it is difficult to blame him for being unable to stop Keita's run for the goal. (7/10)

Wendell: It certainly was not one of the Brazilian's best nights, but he coped well with the threat posed by Lazio's wide players. Lucky not to pick up a second yellow card just before the interval. (6/10)

Midfield

Lars Bender: Despite finishing the night on the losing side, the Leverkusen captain produced a solid performance which included plenty of vital interceptions and tackles. Composed in possession on a frantic night in midfield. (8/10)

Christoph Kramer: The World Cup winner found it difficult to get on the ball as much as he would have liked, but he offered more going forward after the break and was only denied a goal by Milinkovic-Savic's fine block. (6/10)

Karim Bellarabi: Struggled to threaten the Lazio defence in the first half, but his pace on the wing was used more regularly during Leverkusen's long spell on top. The Germany international was his side's most dangerous player. (7/10)

Hakan Calhanoglu: The playmaker always looked capable of producing a moment of magic and he was only a yard away with a speculative effort from close to the halfway line. Twice hit the target with free kicks before being taken off late on. (7/10)

Attack

Son Heung-min: Trusted to be the linked between the Leverkusen midfield and Kiessling, but he was rarely involved in a forgettable 45-minute appearance. The visitors improved in attack after he was taken off. (5/10)

Stefan Kiessling: A disappointing evening for a striker who is usually so consistent for Leverkusen. Lost his personal duel with De Vrij and struggled to hold up the ball for his teammates. (5/10)

Substitutes

Admir Mehmedi: The summer signing injected some much-needed energy into the attack. Troubled the Lazio defence with some clever touches and came close with a powerful low strike. (7/10)

Julian Brandt: Surprising to see the youngster stay on the bench for so long, but he could not make an impact in a late cameo. (5/10)

Robbie Kruse: Introduced in stoppage time, but he barely had a touch of the ball in the final few moments of the game. (5/10)


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Lazio's forward from Senegal Balde Diao Keita celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League playoff football match between Lazio and Bayer Leverkusen, at Olympic stadium in Rome on August 18, 2015
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