Bayer Leverkusen move to brink of title as Bayern Munich slip up again
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Bayer Leverkusen secured a step closer to winning the Bundesliga title thanks to Florian Wirtz's penalty. This was due to Bayern Munich failing to capitalise on their two-goal lead, causing them to lag behind by 16 points behind the current leaders.
Towards the end of the first half, Wirtz managed to score a goal by taking a penalty after Christopher Trimmel's handling offense. This helped them secure a 1-0 victory against Union Berlin. Furthermore, Robin Gosens was shown the red card for a second bookable offense just minutes before this.
The team led by Xabi Alonso has the possibility of winning the league in the upcoming weekend. They will confront Werder Bremen on Sunday, after Bayern welcomes Cologne. Each team has the opportunity of earning just 18 points.
The current winners of the competition, who were hoping to win their 12th consecutive title this season, lost more points when they were defeated 3-2 by Heidenheim.
In the game, Harry Kane was able to score his 32nd goal of the season, while Serge Gnabry also got 1 point. This gave their team a good lead during the first half of the match. However, the opposing team made a comeback with Kevin Sessa and Tim Kleindienst scoring a goal each within a minute. As the competition drew near its end, Kleindienst was able to score again, leading his team to a remarkable win.
In the 64th minute of the game, Serhou Guirassy scored a goal, helping Stuttgart to secure a 1-0 triumph against Borussia Dortmund. The victory brought Stuttgart to the same number of points as Thomas Tuchel's squad, leaving Dortmund out of the leading four positions.
Lois Openda scored two goals to assist RB Leipzig in staying competitive in the competition for a Champions League spot by defeating Freiburg 4-1.
Openda joined the game after Amadou Haidara scored in the first minute, and Benjamin Sesko added another goal nine minutes into the second half. Subsequently, substitute Vincenzo Grifo scored a goal to reduce the difference.
The Mainz team was victorious with a 4-0 home win against Darmstadt, who are currently at the bottom of the table. Lee Jae-sung managed to score two goals during the match, alongside teammates Andreas Hanche-Olsen and Brajan Gruda who also contributed to the team's success. In another match, Cologne made a great comeback after Felix Passlack's opening goal for Bochum. Despite the tough start, Cologne managed to win 2-1 thanks to last-minute goals from substitutes Steffen Tigges and Luca Waldschmidt.
AC Milan continued their hope to catch up with Serie A frontrunners Inter Milan by securing a comfortable 3-0 victory against 10-man Lecce.
In the San Siro stadium, Christian Pulisic and Olivier Giroud helped their team, the Rossoneri, take charge during the first 20 minutes. The opposing team lost Nikola Krstovic due to a red card, which gave the Rossoneri an advantage. Rafael Leao sealed the deal with a goal 12 minutes into the second half, giving his team their fifth consecutive win in the league.
In his first-ever Derby della Capitale as the Roma boss, Daniele De Rossi achieved triumph with the help of Gianluca Mancini, who scored the sole goal by heading Paulo Dybala's corner kick and leading a 1-0 win over Lazio.
M’Baye Niang entered the match as a substitute and helped Empoli secure a 3-2 win against Torino, ending their string of losses.
Niang managed to hit the back of the net during the final moments of the game, specifically during the fourth minute of extra time. This occurred following Zapata's two attempts to even out the score, which undid the earlier goals made by Cambiaghi and Cancellieri.
Paris St Germain has achieved their 100th goal of the season, thanks to Goncalo Ramos. The team made a comeback in the latter half of the game to prevent Clermont, who is at the bottom of the Ligue 1, from securing their second successive victory at the Parc des Princes.
The audience was left amazed when Habib Keita scored for the visiting team just 13 minutes before half-time. However, the home team was even more displeased when Senny Mayulu's long distance goal was cancelled after a review by the Video Assistant Referee during added time in the first half.
During the match, Achraf Hakimi and Ramos both hit the crossbar, as the home team put immense pressure on Clermont's goalkeeper. However, in the 85th minute, Ramos scored the equalizer with the help of Kylian Mbappe, who came on the field as a substitute in the 67th minute and made his 300th appearance for the club. Mbappe passed the ball to Ramos, who found the back of the net, securing a 1-1 draw.
Le Havre managed to salvage a tie against Lens with Emmanuel Sabbi's goal from a penalty kick, after Przemyslaw Frankowski scored the first goal. The draw made it more difficult for Lens to secure a place in the top four.
In Spain, Alex Berenguer replaced a player and became the hero of Athletic Bilbao, putting an end to their 40-year dream of winning the Copa del Rey with the final penalty in a victorious shoot-out against Real Mallorca.
Raul Garcia, Iker Muniain, Vesga, and Berenguer all came off the bench and scored during the game. Julen Agirrezabala, the goalkeeper, saved a goal attempt from Manu Morianes, and Nemanja Radonjic missed his shot. This helped the Basque club win the trophy, which they haven't won since earning a league and cup double in 1984.
In the Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja located in Seville, Oihan Sancet made a goal in the 50th minute that equalized Dani Rodriguez's earlier goal in the first half. However, after playing football for 120 minutes, neither team was able to score again and find a winner.