In a thrilling five-goal encounter on Friday, second-placed Bayer Leverkusen edged out Borussia Dortmund with a 3-2 victory in the German Bundesliga. This win brings Leverkusen just one point behind the league leaders, Bayern Munich.
The action kicked off rapidly as Leverkusen broke the deadlock within the first minute. Dortmund's failed clearance allowed Robert Andrich to set up Nathan Tella, who expertly fired into the top-left corner from the edge of the box.
Not long after, seven minutes into the match, Leverkusen doubled their lead. Piero Hincapie delivered a precise square pass to Patrik Schick at the far post, who skillfully slotted the ball home from close range.
Dortmund responded quickly in the 12th minute when a mishandled clearance by Andrich enabled Jamie Gittens to chip the ball over the advancing Leverkusen goalkeeper, Lukas Hradecky, narrowing the deficit.
However, Leverkusen reaffirmed their dominance in the 19th minute as Schick connected with Jeremie Frimpong's cutback, restoring a two-goal advantage with a close-range finish.
The second half saw opportunities for both teams. Leverkusen had a golden chance to extend their lead early on, but Schick was unable to beat Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel from inside the area at the hour mark.
The visitors' inefficiency cost them in the 79th minute when VAR awarded a penalty to Leverkusen. Serhou Guirassy confidently stepped up and sent Hradecky the wrong way to secure the 3-2 victory.
With this win, Leverkusen moves within a single point of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga standings. Meanwhile, Dortmund remains in sixth place, marking their fifth defeat of the season.
Reference(s):
Leverkusen overpower Dortmund in five-goal thriller in Bundesliga
cgtn.com
