Bayern Sneaks Past Underdog Cologne to Spoil Leverkusen’s Celebrations; Mainz Pulls Off Victory
Bayern Munich beat Cologne 2-0 at home on Saturday to delay Bayer Leverkusen's title party for at least another day and leave the second-bottom Billy Goats five points from absolute safety.
Raphaël Guerreiro's effort from distance on 65 minutes and Thomas Müller's late strike handed Bayern the win, but Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen will still clinch their first ever Bundesliga title if they win at home to Werder Bremen on Sunday.
"It is tough if you don't score early and don't take your chances. But I think 2-0 was fair," Bayern defender Matthijs de Ligt told Sky.
A win on Sunday will give unbeaten Leverkusen an unassailable 16-point lead with only five matchdays left.
Third-placed VfB Stuttgart stayed level with Bayern after a 3-0 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the late game.
Serhou Guirassy slammed home his 25th of the Bundesliga season on 11 minutes as a video review reversed the assistant referee's erroneous flag. Guinea's Guirassy has now scored more goals in a German top-flight season than any other Stuttgart player in history.
Strike partner Deniz Undav, a Germany Euro 2024 hopeful, soon made it 2-0 with aplomb against sixth-placed Frankfurt and Jamie Leweling prodded in the third before half-time.
In the relegation battle, fourth-bottom Bochum and new coach Heiko Butscher drew 1-1 at home to Heidenheim after Keven Schlotterbeck scored at both ends.
Bochum nudged five points above Cologne, who were also hampered by third-bottom Mainz – in the relegation play-off spot – coming back to beat Hoffenheim 4-1 and go four points above Timo Schultz's side.
In the Champions League race, fourth-placed RB Leipzig beat Wolfsburg 3-0 at home thanks to Dani Olmo, Benjamin Šeško and Loïs Openda while 10-man Borussia Dortmund – on the same points in fifth – prevailed 2-1 at Borussia Mönchengladbach after Marcel Sabitzer's double.
Six new faces were in the Dortmund line-up as Edin Terzic rotated ahead of Tuesday's Champions League action but injured Sebastien Haller lasted less than 10 minutes and was replaced by Youssoufa Moukoko.
Sabitzer's thumping finish and penalty made the difference for Dortmund, who saw Maximilian Wöber pull one back, another spotkick chalked off by video review and Karim Adeyemi sent off for two yellow cards.
"It was a different game to how we imagined but we dealt with it," Terzic said. "In the end that was a deserved and battling win."
Germany could end up with five entrants in next season's revamped Champions League depending on results in the remainder of the European season.
Winning the Champions League would also offer Dortmund, 2-1 down to Atletico Madrid in their quarter-final, a way into next term's competition.
Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel, in the stands after too many bookings, made seven changes to the side which drew 2-2 at Arsenal in their Champions League quarter-final. The second leg is on Wednesday.
Relegation-threatened Cologne had their chances in the first half but Bayern's Harry Kane and Mathys Tel also hit the post.
The second half started with Bayern and France winger Kingsley Coman going off with yet another serious-looking leg injury, but Guerreiro finally broke Cologne's resistance in style.
On Friday, Augsburg kept up their hopes of Europe next term with a 2-0 win over Union Berlin. Bottom side Darmstadt host Freiburg on Sunday.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
It’s impressive to see Bayern Munich secure a 2-0 victory against Cologne, delaying Leverkusen’s title celebration. De Ligt’s insightful comments on the game’s fairness reflect the intensity of the match. Looking forward to Leverkusen’s crucial match tomorrow!
“I believe that Leverkusen will secure the Bundesliga title with a win against Werder Bremen on Sunday. Bayern Munich’s victory over Cologne was well-deserved, but it’s still a tough competition at the top.”
“I believe Bayern Munich’s victory over Cologne was well-deserved. It’s crucial to take advantage of opportunities in football, and Bayern did just that with a 2-0 win. Looking forward to seeing if Leverkusen can secure the Bundesliga title tomorrow!”
It’s impressive how Bayern managed to secure a 2-0 victory over Cologne. Leverkusen will be eagerly waiting for their match against Werder Bremen tomorrow to potentially clinch the Bundesliga title.
“I believe Leverkusen will secure their first Bundesliga title if they win tomorrow! Bayern’s win today was well-deserved, but the title race is not over yet!”
Do Leverkusen players have what it takes to secure their first Bundesliga title with a win against Werder Bremen on Sunday?
Yes, I believe Leverkusen players possess the skills and determination to clinch the Bundesliga title with a victory against Werder Bremen this coming Sunday. It’s within their reach if they maintain their focus and capitalize on their opportunities on the pitch. Let’s see how they perform under the pressure of the title race!
It’s great to see Bayern Munich grabbing a win and delaying Bayer Leverkusen’s party. The match was intense, and the goals by Raphaël Guerreiro and Thomas Müller were fantastic. Looking forward to Leverkusen’s game tomorrow!
Was Leverkusen really that close to winning the title against Bremen? How did Bayern manage to secure the victory against Cologne?
Was Leverkusen’s defeat a result of Bayern’s strong performance or Leverkusen’s own shortcomings?
“I believe Leverkusen’s title is well deserved, and if they win on Sunday, it will be a remarkable achievement. Bayern Munich played a solid game, but Leverkusen’s consistency throughout the season has been impressive.”