Berlin (AFP)
Bayer Leverkusen rendered a great service to Borussia Dortmund, when it defeated its guest Bayern Munich 2-1 and prevented him from regaining the lead at the “Bay Arena” stadium in the twenty-fifth stage of the German Football League.
Bayern Munich was the first to score through its international midfielder Joshua Kimmich in the 22nd minute, but Bayer Leverkusen, led by its coach, former Bavarian club midfielder Xabi Alonso, responded in the second half with a brace for Argentine Ezequiel Palacios, who won the Qatar World Cup with his country at the end of last year, from Two penalty kicks were taken by Moroccan origin Amin Adly (55 and 73).
Bayer Leverkusen responded to the debt to the Bavarian club, who defeated him 4-0 in the first leg, in the eighth stage on September 30, and inflicted his third loss this season and the second in his last five matches.
Bayern Munich’s balance froze at 52 points and fell to second place, one point behind rivals Borussia Dortmund, who honored its guest Colin 6-1 on Saturday, while Leverkusen continued its revival and achieved its third successive victory and rose to eighth place with 37 points.
The fall of the Bavarian club, which missed its Cameroonian top scorer Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, due to injury, came before its upcoming summit against its guest and rival Borussia Dortmund on the first of next April, after the international break.
Bayern Munich captain Thomas Mueller admitted in a statement to the broadcasting network “Dazon” after the match, saying: “In general, the loss is deserved unfortunately,” while his coach Julian Nagelsmann said, “Except for the last ten minutes, we were the worst team. We did not play a good match and there was no strength.” In our game, we deserve to lose.”
He added, “We will have to win at any cost in the upcoming matches, otherwise it will be difficult to win the league title.”
Bayer Leverkusen had the advantage from the start of the match and created many chances without danger to the Swiss international goalkeeper Jan Sommer.
Leverkusen almost opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Dutchman Jeremy Frimpong received a ball behind the defense inside the area, so he manipulated Canadian defender Alfonso Davis and hit it crawling from close range, which Sommer hardly pushed into a corner (15).
Kimmich succeeded in giving Bayern Munich the lead from his team’s first opportunity with a powerful shot from close range, taking advantage of a ball on a platter of gold from Leon Goritska that hit the foot of Ivory Coast defender Odilon Kosuno and deceived his Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradetsky (22).
It is Kimmich’s fourth goal this season in the league.
Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann made three substitutions early in the second half, with the participation of Serge Gnabry, French Kingsley Koeman and Jamal Musiala in place of Portuguese Joao Cancelo, Senegalese Sadio Mane and captain Thomas Mueller.
However, this did not prevent Leverkusen from continuing his pressure, and he got a penalty kick, after Adly was blocked inside the area by French defender Benjamin Pavard, which was confirmed by the video assistant referee “VAR”, and Palacios rushed to it to the right of Sumer, realizing the equalizer (56).
Leverkusen got a second penalty kick after Adly was blocked inside the area, by the other French defender, Daewoo Upamecano, and the referee resorted to the video referee to confirm it, and Palacios also rushed to it and scored the second goal (73).
