Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen humiliates Bayern Munich and takes off

It was an event not to be missed under any circumstances for German football fans! Indeed, the 21st day of the Bundesliga offered us a shock at the top between Bayer Leverkusen, leader at kick-off, and their runner-up, Bayern Munich. At the end of a narrow qualification for the semi-finals of the German Cup, the Werkself presented themselves in front of their public with high morale and undefeated for 30 matches in all competitions! A success for Xabi Alonso’s men at the BayArena could allow them to take a five-point lead over their main pursuer. In addition, defeat was not an option for Thomas Tuchel’s protégés if they wanted to regain control of the championship and gain confidence before facing Lazio Rome in the Champions League. Facing his direct opponent in the title race, the Record master relied on its golden youth like the tenure of its future crack in the midfield, Pavlovic while the Frenchman Boey, freshly recruited this winter, made his big debut in Thomas Tuchel’s starting eleven. Deprived of Boniface, weakened in the groin, Xabi Alonso placed his confidence in the hands of Adli, scorer in the German Cup, to lead the Bayer attack, himself supported on the wings by the Wirtz-Tella tandem .

The kick-off delayed due to a massive throwing of candy on the field as a protest against a proposal from the DFL, the 22 players were finally able to release the horses after more than ten minutes of waiting. From the outset, the Munich players set foot on the ball and settled into the opposing camp. Concerned, the Bayer players strove to defend relatively high in order to proceed quickly on the counterattack. If the first 10 minutes looked like a real tactical shock, Bayer lit the first fuse. Taking advantage of a risky restart from Dier, Tella put it back for Adli who quickly projected himself forward then fired a shot, far too crushed to worry the German international (11th). If on his second attempt, the Frenchman tripped over the mat (17th), Stanisic opened the scoring on the following action. Forgotten by an apathetic Munich defense, number 2 deceived Neuer after a corner played very quickly by Andrich (1-0, 18th). By scoring against his former team, the Croatian set the BayArena on fire. Applying his ball springs, Bayer came very close to making the break. At the end of a magnificent cross from Hincapié, Tella approached Neuer at close range with a half-volley (22nd) before Tah saw his header deflected above his crossbar by the last Bavarian rampart (23rd) . Jostled by an enterprising Bayer team, Bayern gradually regained their senses but approached Hradecky’s cages with difficulty.

The flamboyant Bayer, the worrying Bayern

Exploiting the slightest Bavarian recovery errors, Adli tried a lob from the edge of the area, captured by Neuer (42nd). 5 minutes later, the former Toulouse player went on a counter-attack, but saw his compatriot Upamecano return in time to steal the ball (42nd). Thus, Xabi Alonso’s players returned to the locker room having fully assumed their leadership status during a one-sided first period where Bayern Munich hardly existed offensively (only 3 shots, 1 on target). Forced to react, Bayern Munich nevertheless had a catastrophic start to the second half. On a high recovery, Tella then distinguished himself by means of a deep pass sufficiently measured to arrive at the feet of Grimaldo. In force, the Portuguese mystified Neuer and gave Bayer the break goal (2-0, 50th). Weighed down once again by defensive mistakes, Bayern fell two goals behind. And like the scenario of the first period, the reigning German champion was having all the difficulty in the world to take from behind a compact and well grouped Werkself defense.

In pain and unable to regain control of the game, Bayern Munich was on the verge of losing a third time. Launched deep, Tella used his speed and left Kim behind. From a tight angle, the Nigerian armed a shot stopped at the near post by Neuer (59th). Shortly after the hour mark, the Munich goalkeeper was saved by his crossbar from a fleeing cross from Grimaldo (63rd). Noticing a slight drop in the opposing team’s pace, the Bavarian attackers struggled to create the necessary gaps, but Sané was losing his teeth on Stanisic (69th). On the other hand, the entrants on the Bayer side stood out like Frimpong. Found on the right side, the Dutchman infiltrated the truth zone before trying his luck, without consequences for the Munich team (73rd). Pro-active since his entry into play, the Batavian again attacked the opposing goal and this time found Neuer’s left post (87th). Far from giving up, Frimpong finally added to the score before the whistle, scoring in a goal abandoned by Neuer (3-0, 90th+5). Despite the multiple changes made by Thomas Tuchel, the Bavarians, messy in attack and feverish defensively, were unable to reverse the trend and bowed to the protégés of Xabi Alonso, authors of a high quality game. As a result in the ranking, Bayer Leverkusen remains undefeated and more than ever consolidates its leadership in this 2023-2024 Bundesliga edition. Relegated five lengths, Bayern Munich missed the boat and did not reassure themselves before their trip to Italy.