Bayer Leverkusen head coach Kasper Hjulmand believes his team can be proud of their Champions League campaign despite exiting the competition at the round-of-16 stage.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Champions League campaign came to an end at the round-of-16 stage, with a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in London securing their exit from 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.

Hjulmand praised his team’s progress, highlighting their wins against Benfica and Manchester City, as well as their 2-0 victory over Olympiacos in the knockout phase play-offs. “I think we’ve played better and better,” he said.

The Danish coach acknowledged that Leverkusen’s build-up play was error-filled, allowing Arsenal to capitalize on mistakes. “In the first half, we made too many mistakes in our build-up situations,” Hjulmand said.

Eberechi Eze’s stunning goal was the turning point in the game, and Hjulmand praised the Arsenal player’s quality. “Arsenal put a lot of pressure on us, but we didn’t concede many big chances, just some set pieces, and then Eze scored this fantastic goal.”

That Eze goal…close to a certain Thierry Henry goal, right?pic.twitter.com/2iCG9jy7w3

— Triple M (@Tripple____M) March 18, 2026

Hjulmand is focused on building on Leverkusen’s progress and getting back into the Champions League. “We can be proud of how much we achieved in a build-up season like this,” he said. “We also see there’s a difference between us and the very best in Europe, and we are aiming for that.”

Leverkusen will now focus on securing a top-four finish in the Bundesliga and qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Hjulmand is confident his team can achieve this goal.