Chelsea are expected to eventually pull away and win Group E of the UEFA Champions League and Racing Genk has been pegged as the cellar dweller. That leaves the two middle spots, specifically second place and a spot in the knockout stages, to Bayer Leverkusen and Valencia so when the two squared off on Wednesday in Germany it was with their eyes on Champions League advancement. Despite Valencia scoring the opener though, it was Leverkusen who moved closer to that all-important second place spot with a pair of second half goals that pushed them past Valencia, 2-1.
Bayer Leverkusen Vs. Valencia, 2011 UEFA Champions League: Leverkusen Come Back To Earn 2-1 Win
Valencia opened up the scoring thanks to a beautiful play by Roberto Soldado in the 26th minute. The Spaniard chased a ball down on the left then hit a perfect cross with the outside of his right boot right into the path of Jonas, who only had to tap the ball in to put the visitors in front.
That goal held up until halftime, when the crowd at Bay Arena were understandably concerned that they would drop the home points to Valencia and make advancement a steep uphill climb. Just seven minutes into the second half, Andre Schurrle helped ease those concerns though. A cross from the left curled all the way to the top of the box, where Schurrle hit a great shot with his left foot to beat Diego Alves.
Leverkusen weren't done though. Michael Ballack played a great through ball into the path of a streaking Sidney Sam, who ran onto it then hit a gorgeous shot across to the far post into the upper corner. Leverkusen had their comeback, their three points and four-point lead over third-place Valencia, which is crucial with a trip to the Mestalla still on the schedule.
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