Bayer Leverkusen 4-3 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund missed a chance to draw level with FC Bayern at the top of the Bundesliga tonight after losing a seven-goal thriller to Bayer Leverkusen.
The visitors were ahead twice and led 2-3 with less than 10 minutes to go, but a late double strike by the hosts put a big dent in Dortmund’s title challenge. But the win has lifted Bayer up to fifth, five points off the top and just two behind BVB.
Highlights of the game
Leverkusen started the game brightly and had the first attempt as early as the third minute when forward Moussa Diaby had a shot blocked.
Kai Havertz then met a Nadiem Amiri cross with a header from close range, so BVB keeper Roman Burki had to get down quickly to save in the bottom-right corner.
Borussia Dortmund have gradually become a more dangerous side this season and the addition of Erling Braut Haaland has given the Dortmunders a threatening presence in attack.
He linked up well with Jadon Sancho and unleashed a well-directed shot which Lukas Hradecky saved low to his left. And from the resulting corner, Sancho blasted a shot wide.
And then the match burst into life with a flurry of goals.
Kevin Volland has been Leverkusen’s main man this season with seven goals and six assists, and he made it eight on 20 minutes. He took a pass from the busy Amiri and planted his shot low into the bottom corner to give Burki no chance.
But Dortmund roared back and were level within two minutes. Hradecky did well to divert a Julian Brandt shot away from a corner. But Sancho’s delivery was perfect and Mats Hummels thumped his header into the top left corner.
Ten minutes later, the visitors were ahead. New signing Emre Can, on loan from Juventus, hit a beauty from outside the penalty area and into the top right corner to turn the game on its head.
Bayer weren’t finished, though, and were level before the break. Hummels conceded a corner, which Volland got on the end of as he fired his ninth goal of the season low into the corner to make it 2-2.
After a breathless end to the first half, Sancho thought he’d put BVB ahead again early in the second, but his effort was ruled out by VAR. And then the young England star fed Giovanni Reyna, but his shot was saved by Hradecky low to his right.
The third for BVB arrived on 64 minutes when Achraf Hakimi found Raphael Guerreiro on the left side of the penalty area, and he hammered his shot across Hradecky and into the opposite corner.
The visitors looked to be comfortable and simply playing the game out until Bayer hit them with a vicious one-two.
Lars Bender planted a header home on 82 minutes, and sixty seconds later Leon Bailey found the time and space in the penalty area to shoot low into the bottom right corner.
Quick as a flash 2-3 became 4-3 to spark wild celebrations at the BayArena, but the away fans could hardly believe their eyes.
Key statistics
In a pulsating first half, the hosts shaded the possession, and while shots were at a premium, the accuracy was highly impressive. BVB were ahead in the shot count by six to four, and four to three on target.
That trend continued in the second half with the visitors eventually winning the shots on target count by six to five, but four of Bayer’s shots hit the net!
It’s very tight at the top of the Bundesliga table and this was a blow to BVB’s title hopes.
The latest Bundesliga 2020 betting odds have FC Bayern as hot favourites to retain their title, with BVB and RB Leipzig the two teams most likely to challenge.
What’s next?
After this disappointment, BVB will keep a close eye on tomorrow’s Bundesliga 2020 updates, particularly from the Allianz Arena, where FC Bayern take on RB Leipzig. Rest assured, the SBOBET team will be there to bring you the match highlights hot off the press.
Next up, Dortmund have two huge games on home turf when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt in the league, and then they host Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash.
Meanwhile, Bayer will make the trip to the capital city to take on mid-table FC Union Berlin.
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