Champions League: Götze has to worry about the group stage with Eindhoven

Enlarge image

Mario Götze lost the playoff first leg at Benfica with his PSV Eindhoven

Photo:

SL Benfica v PSV EIndhoven / imago images / ANP

PSV Eindhoven around the former national soccer player Mario Götze has to worry about getting into the Champions League.

The Dutch runner-up lost the playoff first leg at Benfica Lisbon 1: 2 (0: 2) on Wednesday evening.

The second leg will take place next Tuesday (9 p.m.).

After the lead by Benfica's Rafa Silva (11th minute), Götze's former Dortmund team-mate Julian Weigl met before the break (40th).

Coach Roger Schmidt's team missed promising opportunities.

Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos made a strong save against a header from Marco van Ginkel (48th), before Cody Gakpo made the connection (51th).

Vlachodimos, who grew up in Stuttgart and ran through all German national youth teams, also parried an unsuccessful defensive action by his teammate Lucas Veríssimo (69th) and a long-range shot by Gakpo (76th).

PSV have to win in the second leg to at least make it into extra time.

The Champions League is the declared goal of Eindhoven and Götze, whose contract is only valid until next year.

"This is the competition I want to play in," Götze had said earlier.

In the other playoff first legs, the former Schalke coach David Wagner won with Young Boys Bern against Ferencvaros Budapest (3-2).

Malmö FF won against Bulgarian champions Ludogorez Rasgrad (2-0).

The winners of the duels reach the group stage of the Champions League;

the losers compete in the Europa League.

hba / dpa