Hakan Calhanoglu continued to show why he's thought of as one of Europe's best free-kick takers on Saturday afternoon, as his strike secured a 1-0 win for Bayer Leverkusen against Hannover 96.
Calhanoglu picks up where he left off last season
The game's opening exchanges were few and far between, with Benschop's long range effort the only one of note. That all changed just after the quarter-hour mark, however, as Hakan Calhanoglu gave Leverkusen the lead in spectacular fashion. The Turkish international whipped a 25 yard free-kick up and over the wall, leaving Ron-Robert Zieler powerless to stop it from finding the top corner.
Hannover nearly found a way back into the game after some poor goalkeeping by Bernd Leno. The visiting stopper spilled an Edgar Prib cross and punched it straight to the awaiting Oliver Sorg. Their new signing was denied a home debut goal by André Ramalho's clearance off the line, much to the dismay of the player and the home support.
The remainder of the half was a series of half chance for either team but neither could take advantage of them. Julian Brandt, Stefan Kießling and Benschop all had opportunities to add to the score-line before the break, though the crucial finish was just lacking.
Second half sees more chances wasted
Calhanoglu almost scored a carbon-copy free-kick in the opening minutes of the second-half, only to see yet another stunning dead-ball effort rattle the cross bar. Ramalho should have made two in the early stages from another set-piece but he somehow blazed over from four yards after evading the attentions of Marcelo.
It was proving to be a similar period to the first half, and one which was devoid of major chances. Calhanoglu was by far the best player on the pitch and his creativity almost unlocked the Hannover defence for a crucial second time. He stood up the ball for Roberto Hilbert who crashed a volley at goal, only to see Zieler equal to the shot.
Some late pressure from both sides couldn't score the vital second goal, mainly thanks to Leno's double save, but that was of no concern to the visitors as they ran out 1-0 winners. Hannover would have been disappointed to withstand so much in attack and not have many meaningful efforts on goal though they still showed a steely determination that wasn't there in the early part of last season.