Leverkusen humble Deportivo

Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-0 RC Deportivo La Coruña. A wonderful free-kick from Zé Roberto opened the scoring as Bayer 04 Leverkusen comprehensively beat RC Deportivo La Coruña at the BayArena in their UEFA Champions League second group stage game.

Individual brilliance
Having dominated possession throughout the game, it took a moment of individual brilliance from Zé Roberto to open the floodgates and allow Leverkusen to forget their 4-0 humiliation at the hands of Juventus FC on Matchday Seven. The Brazilian took a free-kick from the edge of the area and lashed it past Deportivo goalkeeper José Molina who barely had the chance to move before the ball hit the back of the net.

No way back
Once Zé Roberto had opened the scoring, there was no way back for Deportivo who had one of their less impressive nights in the Champions League and gave Leverkusen goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt almost nothing to do throughout a distinctly one-sided game. With the visitors seemingly intent on scoring on the break, Leverkusen hemmed them inside their half with a ruthless display of passing football.

Molina the hero
The only real surprise of the game was that it took so long to open the scoring, and for that Deportivo have goalkeeper Molina to thank. After five minutes he spectacularly denied Zé Roberto's shot from close-range and made an equally impressive interception to deny Michael Ballack after 36 minutes.

Off the crossbar
A minute earlier, Leverkusen defender Boris Zivkovic looked on in bemusement as his header from Zé Roberto's cross cannoned off the crossbar, and the only efforts that Deportivo had to show for their first-half efforts were a couple of mis-directed efforts from the tireless Roy Makaay.

Superb through-ball
Once Leverkusen opened the scoring after another prolonged period of possession, they wasted little time in making the result certain. After 67 minutes, Carsten Ramelow's weighted through-ball was met by the on-rushing Oliver Neuville who drew Molina out of his goal before sweeping the ball under him for Leverkusen's second goal.

Desperate substitutions
Deportivo coach Javier Irureta tried to haul his side back into the game by bringing on Djalminha and Diego Tristán, but they could do little to stop Leverkusen scoring a third goal on 78 minutes, when Ballack rose to head Zé Roberto's corner past the helpless Molina.

Late chances
The only real shock thereafter was that Leverkusen failed to add to their tally, and substitutes Yildiray Bastürk and 20-year-old Dimitar Berbatov both went close before the referee blew the final whistle.

All square
With Arsenal FC winning 3-1 against Juventus at Highbury, all four teams in Group D have now won a game and lost a game and perhaps more tellingly, none of the sides in the group have won away from home.