"We can be proud" – Kasper Hjulmand reflects on Leverkusen's Champions League exit

Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League campaign came to an end at the round-of-16 stage on Tuesday, as a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in London saw the Bundesliga side exit the competition 3-1 on aggregate.

Despite the disappointment, head coach Kasper Hjulmand believes Leverkusen should be proud of their performances in Europe this season.

“I arrived in September and had 14 new players in the squad. We had a bit of a bumpy start 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,” he said.

"I think we can be proud of how much we achieved in a build-up season like this. 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."

Reflecting on the game, Hjulmand said his side's build-up play was too error-filled before Arsenal eventually broke the deadlock through Eberechi Eze.

"In the first half, we made too many mistakes in our build-up situations. Arsenal put a lot of pressure on us, but we didn't concede many big chances, just some set pieces, and then [Eberechi] Eze scored this fantastic goal."