BERLIN, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Mitchell Weiser's late goal helped Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 draw against Ludogorets on home soil in Group A of the Europa League on Thursday.
Having already qualified for the next stage of the competition, Leverkusen coach Heiko Herrlich made several changes to his starting lineup.
From the kick-off, the much-changed Leverkusen side tried to take the game to their opponents, but were frustrated by some stout defending from Ludogorets, resulting in a goalless first half without much in the way of goalscoring opportunities.
After the restart, Leverkusen had their first real chances of the match, as first Sam Schreck and then Leon Bailey pulled wide from promising positions.
Bailey remained in the thick of things as he tested Ludogorets goalkeeper Renan Dos Santos from 18 meters.
Leverkusen's chances stirred the visitors into action, and Jakub Swierczok forced a save from Ramzan Ozcan.
Ludogorets gained momentum and opened the scoring in the 69th minute when Swierczok's through-ball found substitute Marcelinho, who shrugged off two defenders to chip the ball over Ozcan.
Leverkusen regrouped and piled on the pressure, with Kai Havertz missing a good opportunity from inside the box before Mitchell Weiser volleyed home a clearance from sharp angle to equalize in the 84th minute.
Die Werkself pressed relentlessly for a winner but their efforts came too late as Ludogorets secured a point on the road.
"It speaks volumes for my team that they increased the pressure at 1-0 down and wanted to turn the tide. Nevertheless, it wasn't enough for a victory. We were too slow to overcome Ludogorets' well-organized defense," said Leverkusen head coach Heiko Herrlich.
The result sees Bayer Leverkusen remain top of Group A with 10 points followed by FC Zurich (9 points), AEK Larnaca (5 points) and PFC Ludogorets (3 points), meaning the Bulgarian outfit cannot now progress to the knockout stages.
