Leverkusen thump Bayern to seize control of Bundesliga title race

Bayer Leverkusen, led by Xabi Alonso, dominated the Bundesliga competition on Saturday by defeating Bayern Munich 3-0 on their home turf. This impressive victory helped them secure a five-point lead at the summit of the league table.

Published on: February 10, 2024 at 10:09 pm Updated on: February 10, 2024 at 10:07 pm

Josip Stanisic, a defender born in Munich and currently playing on loan from Bayern, netted the first goal of the match during the 18th minute of play. Soon after, Alex Grimaldo extended the lead with another goal in the early stages of the second half.

In the closing minutes of the game, Jeremie Frimpong scored a third goal for Leverkusen during a counterattack. This was made possible as Manuel Neuer had gone up for a Bayern corner, leaving the goal undefended. Leverkusen finished the game with a resounding victory, as they strive towards winning their first German title.

Bayern couldn't keep up with the lively and talented Leverkusen team, who were confident in their offense and effectively shut down star player Harry Kane on defense.

Leverkusen, who have come in second place five times in previous years, have 13 games left in the current season. This gives them an excellent opportunity to end Bayern's 11-year domination of the Bundesliga and finally put an end to their unfortunate nickname of 'Neverkusen'.

Leverkusen midfielder Robert Andrich stated to Sky that their team had control of the game from start to finish.

Alonso informed the journalists that "if there are players who are ready to give up things for the benefit of the team, then it will ultimately lead to the team's progress."

Thomas Mueller appeared very discouraged and disappointed by Bayern's terrible display.

According to him, Leverkusen was being daring by trying out different methods and playing the game of football.

"We are following a fixed routine from point A to B then from B to C. No one is daring enough to take chances or improvisation."

Despite being just two points behind Leverkusen, Bayern faced an exceptional amount of pressure going into the game.

The match was postponed for 10 minutes because of constant demonstrations against the German soccer federation's choice to permit more overseas investment. Fans hurled tennis balls and other items onto the field while the athletes jogged to remain active.

In spite of the lateness, Leverkusen didn't display any anxiety that was observed in the previous contestants who are eager to be the champions over Bayern. Instead, they stuck to their bold strategy, taking calculated chances that may lead to great achievements, despite the strong pressure from the opposing team.

At the beginning of the match, Amine Adli had an opportunity to score but his shot went straight to Neuer. However, it was Stanisic who scored the first goal for Leverkusen against his own team.

Stanisic managed to get past the newly-signed defender of Bayern, Sacha Boey, finishing the play with a close-range goal after receiving a magnificent pass from Andrich. This marked the first goal for Leverkusen.

The team from Leverkusen have been victorious every time they have secured a lead, which has occurred 16 times this season. The objective scored seemed to predict a time of control for Leverkusen, reminding fans of their previous success under Alonso. Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah both made attempts that were stopped just in the nick of time.

Unsatisfied with safeguarding their advantage, Leverkusen emerged with great energy in the second half and quickly increased their lead.

During the second half, Grimaldo, who was added to the team during the summer, acquired a pass from Nathan Tella and launched a powerful shot towards the goal post. It surpassed Neuer, the opposing team's goalkeeper, and resulted in a goal five minutes into the second half.

As time was running out, Neuer moved forward for a Bayern corner, giving Frimpong from Leverkusen the opportunity to score a remarkable victory by sprinting down the entire field.

In another location, the expectations of RB Leipzig to get closer to the top positions in the Champions League were damaged due to the failure of their striker, Lois Openda, to score a penalty in the final moments of their match against Augsburg resulting in a 2-2 draw.

In the later part of the first half, Phillip Tietz from Augsburg scored a goal with a clean volley, giving the home team the lead. However, soon after, Openda from Leipzig used his head to score a goal, which tied the game. This marked his 15th goal of the season.

The Slovenian forward, Benjamin Sesko, made a goal just like Openda's header and it helped Leipzig take the lead. But Demirovic from Augsburg evened the score by making a powerful shot with still 30 minutes left in the game.

Later on, Openda was given an opportunity to secure the win for Leipzig. However, Dahmen, who has prevented four out of the 12 Bundesliga penalty kicks thrown at him, successfully blocked his shot.

Leipzig was leading by six points against Borussia Dortmund during winter break but now they have fallen behind by three points occupying the fourth position. This is because they have only won one game out of five since Christmas.

In a game held up by protests against the German Football Association, Union Berlin emerged victorious in their home arena, defeating Wolfsburg by a score of 1-0. The lone goal of the match was netted by Danilho Doekhi just before the end of the opening half, during extra injury time.