March 05, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon, as an own goal by Thomas Muller denied the league leaders maximum points on Saturday.
With nine games remaining, Borussia Dortmund will go to Mainz on Sunday afternoon in the hopes of closing the distance on Bayern Munich at the top to six points.
At the Allianz Arena, Bayern’s initial lead was shattered when Muller’s own goal cancelled out Niklas Sule’s strike in the first half, and despite a free-flowing and opportunity-laden second half, Bayern were unable to overcome the setback.
From the first whistle, the hosts took command and, while initially struggling to find a clinical edge to their game, rising pressure eventually paid off in the 18th minute when Sule broke the deadlock. After a Joshua Kimmich corner had caused panic in the Leverkusen penalty area, the defender was on hand to fire in a half-volley in the box.
Bayern maintained their lead but were pulled back after 36 minutes against the run of play due to a lack of communication that resulted in Muller’s own goal.
Kerem Demirbay’s free kick from the right wing was hardly dangerous, but its flight straight into the arms of Sven Ulreich was rudely interrupted by Muller, who poked the ball past his own goalkeeper and into the net.
And the visitors deserved to be ahead at half-time after finding their groove and producing an exciting closing ten minutes.
Following their opponents’ equaliser, Bayern looked completely befuddled at the defence, allowing Amine Adli two gilt-edged chances in short succession before relying on a great Ulreich save to deny Florian Wirtz.
With the score tied at halftime, the game’s intensity and end-to-end character continued after the resumption of play, with both sides seeing many great chances go begging.
Despite attempts by Jamal Musiala, Marcel Sabitzer, and Robert Lewandowski to restore the hosts’ advantage, Bayern failed to find a way past a tenacious Leverkusen team that held out for a 1-1 draw.
With a six-point advantage at the top of the Bundesliga, Die Rekordmeister now shift their attention to the Champions League, hosting Red Bull Salzburg in the second leg of their round-of-16 encounter.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
