Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski scored his 30th goal of the league season ad Thomas Muller made his 20th assist as FC Bayern’s march to the title accelerated in Leverkusen.
This fixture, Bundesliga: Leverkusen vs FC Bayern, was the chasing pack’s biggest hope that Die Bayern would start to falter, but Hansi Flick’s side extinguished that hope in emphatic fashion.
After Leverkusen had taken the lead, Bayern fought back and a double strike just before the break took the game away from their hosts. Our pre-match Leverkusen vs FC Bayern predictions went for a tight game, but the visitors’ ruthlessness put paid to that!
The win took FC Bayern ten points clear at the top of the table, but that could reduce to seven when Borussia Dortmund play Hertha Berlin is the tea-time kick-off. Defeat for Borussia Monchengladbach in Freiburg last night meant the weekend wasn’t a total disaster for Bayer, who stay level with fourth place on 56 points.
Highlights of the game
The hosts were aiming for a third successive victory over Die Bayern but the task was made harder by the news that skipper Kai Havertz was out injured. Havertz has been the stand-out performer in the Bundesliga since its return and has only missed four games in the last three seasons.
That was the big pre-match Leverkusen vs FC Bayern news, but the hosts shrugged it off when they had the perfect start.
Stand in captain Julian Baumgartlinger caught Jerome Boateng out of position and slipped the ball through to Lucas Alario, who coolly slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. There was a nervy wait while VAR took a close look but the Argentine was a few inches onside.
Bayer looked pretty compact after going ahead but the Bavarians began to gather some momentum mid way through the first half and almost went ahead on 24 minutes. Leon Goretzka lobbed a ball over the top which Lewandowski hooked towards goal, received a return headed pass from Kingsley Coman and nodded it goalwards again, only to see Lukas Hradecky claw the ball away from the goal line.
But the Bayer keeper was beaten a minute later when Goretzka again fired a ball through and this time Coman set his sights and fired home past Hradecky.
Winger Moussa Diaby had a chance to restore Bayer’s lead, cutting inside but he shot straight at Manuel Neuer, then five minutes before the break Lewandowski screwed a shot wide when he should have done better. But Bayern went ahead when provider Goretzka turned scorer, taking a flick-on from Thomas Muller and powering his shot beyond Hradecky and into the net.
A minute before the break Serge Gnabry had a chance but Hradecky stood firm, but Bayern were relentless, and when a second long ball reached Gnabry, the striker beat Hradecky to it and lifted the ball into the empty net.
That was a hammer blow to Die Werkself and the hosts looked shell-shocked as they trudged off for the half time break. Peter Bosz made three changes, bringing on Florian Wirtz, Kerem Demirbay and Wendell. But Bayern picked up in the second half where they left off, almost stretching their lead when Goretzka broke and fed Gnabry who then crossed for Thomas Muller, but his shot curled narrowly wide.
Just on the hour Gnabry almost scored a screamer but his volley whistled just above the upright. Then Lewandowski finally got in on the act, scoring Bayern’s fourth and his 30th goal of the campaign, Muller put in an inch perfect cross and the Pole met it with a neat header low into the bottom corner.
It was Muller’s 20th assist of the season, equalling Kevin de Bruyne’s tally from the 2014/15 campaign when the Belgian ace played for Wolfsburg.
Bayer stuck to their task and scored a lovely consolation when Diaby combined well with Kevin Volland who set up Wirtz for the 17-year old to curl a beauty beyond Neuer and into the net.
Key statistics
This Bayern side seems to get better and better.
They have now gone 20 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Lewandowski has scored five goals in five starts since the return of action.
And the eighth consecutive Bundesliga title is just around the corner.
What’s next?
The Bundesliga has been leading the way in Europe’s return to football and it continues apace, but there is German Cup action this week when Leverkusen visit Regonalliga Sudwest side FC Saarbruken. The fourth tier club stunned Fortuna Dusseldorf in the last round, winning on penalties.
In the other semi-final FC Bayern face Eintracht Frankfurt, and then, back in the league, the champions entertain Borussia Monchengladbach, but they’ll be without Lewandowski and Thomas Muller who both picked up a yellow card today.
Peter Bosz takes his side to Schalke next week where they will try to get their top four challenge back on track, and, of course, we’ll be back here with our SBOBET tips, previews and match reports.
Bayern are within touching distance.
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