‘We can be proud’ – Kasper Hjulmand reflects on Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League campaign

Bayer Leverkusen bowed out of the UEFA Champions League following a 3-1 aggregate defeat against Arsenal, losing 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on the night, but can hold their heads up high.

“I arrived in September and had 14 new players in the squad,” Kasper Hjulmand told UEFA.com after the game. “We had a bit of a bumpy start [to the season] and then we did some very good things.

“I think we’ve played better and better – we went to Benfica and won, we went to [Manchester] City and won, and beat Olympiacos 2-0 in the knockout phase play-offs.”

Beating Manchester City at the Etihad and holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the BayArena is no easy feat, but Leverkusen overcame difficult opposition throughout their European campaign.

“I think we can be proud of how much we achieved in a build-up season like this,” added Hjulmand.

“We also see there’s a difference between us and the very best in Europe and we are aiming for that, so we can get back into this beautiful tournament and try to compete again. That’s our focus.”

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