SOCCER: Leverkusen ease into Champions League last 16 with stalemate against Olympiacos

LEVERKUSEN, Germany – Bayer Leverkusen earned a 0-0 draw against Olympiacos Piraeus on Tuesday, securing their place in the Champions League last-16 with a 2-0 aggregate win in the knockout playoff.

Leverkusen, who won last week’s first leg in Greece 2-0 thanks to Patrik Schick’s double, will face either German rivals Bayern Munich or Arsenal in the round of 16. The draw is set for Friday.

“We achieved our goal, and that’s the result that counts,” Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich said. “We invested a lot in both games and worked hard. Maybe not everything looked great today, but we’re through. Now we have an absolutely top team waiting for us in Bayern or Arsenal.”

Olympiacos gradually increased the pressure early in the second half, forcing Blaswich to palm a Gelson Martins shot wide. Leverkusen, who have now kept a clean sheet at home for five consecutive games across all competitions, threatened with a close-range effort from man-of-the-match Alex Grimaldo that rattled the crossbar in the 62nd minute.

The Greeks continued to press in the final 20 minutes, with Lorenzo Scipioni going agonizingly close to scoring late. Leverkusen held on to finish the game with a draw and advance to the next round. -Reporting by Karolos GrohmannEditing by Toby Davis/Reuters