From Goalslive.com Leverkusen - Ostrava 5-0 (1-0) 1-0 10' Franca 2-0 67' Franca 3-0 74' Juan 4-0 82' Barbatov 5-0 88' Franca The first two-thirds of the match were close, with each side having periods of strong possession and scoring chances. Then, the floodgates opened after Franca's 2nd goal, and Leverkusen took advantage of what was a demoralized Czech side. In the end, Leverkusen's European experience probably played a big role, and on that aspect, they received an ideal draw against a talented and rising Banik squad, but one which hadn't been to a European competition in over a decade. The flurry of goals means that the squad is almost surely in the Group Stages (as sport1.de said it, "they have one and a half legs in the next round!"), and the treasure of cash and coefficient points that goes along with it. Even if this season disappoints later on, this match means that at least a part of the season was a success. From what I could learn, Roque Junior apparently played outstanding today, as did Juan. And Franca now has 4 goals in just two matches played!
The second leg against Banik Ostrava will be on Wednesday, August 25th in the Czech Republic. As long as we don't lose by 5 goals or more, we will go into the group stage where we will be paired with 3 other clubs that we play home and away from September through February.
I can't see us losing the tie, but it would not surprise me if Banik won the match. I am sure they have already faced considerable criticism for letting the first leg get out of hand, and one of two things will happen. Either they will treat the whole affair as a lost cause and the match will be a boring, low-scoring draw, or they will come out fired up with nothing to lose. If Banik scores one or two early goals, then the pressure will be on Leverkusen not to do the unthinkable and actually fail to qualify, which will make them play tighter, and things could get more than a little nerve-wracking. My prediction is a 2-1 or 3-1 Banik win.