Belgrade, August 8 (uefa.com) - Red Star and Bayer 04 Leverkusen will go into the second leg of
their UEFA Champions League final qualifying tie in Germany on level terms
following an uninspiring scoreless draw in Belgrade.
With a place in the lucrative first group stage at stake, both sides adopted
a cautious approach in the first half and chances were few and far
between. Klaus Toppmöller's Leverkusen were content to hold their own
and try and catch the home side on the break, and they looked dangerous
on the rare occasions that they achieved this.
On 30 minutes Hans-Jörg Butt in the Leverkusen goal saved Milenko
Acimovic's 25-metre free-kick and the Slovenian forward also came close
on 34 minutes but fired Ivan Gvozdenovic's cross over the bar.
The match developed into a tight midfield battle after the restart with neither
side able to fashion any clear chances until the 67th minute when
Oliver Neuville found room to shoot from 15 yards, but Red Star goalkeeper Vladimir Disljenkovic was able to turn away the German's effort.
The Yugoslav champions dominated proceedings in the last 20 minutes and
second-half substitute Vidak Bratic was denied by a fine save by Butt in
the final minute. The tie is evenly poised going into the return leg in
Leverkusen, but the Bundesliga outfit will fancy their chances in front of
their own fans in the BayArena.
