In another early blow to their Bundesliga title defense, Bayer Leverkusen lost a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with struggling Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
With six games played, Xabi Alonso’s team currently has 11 points. On Sunday, Bayern Munich will visit Eintracht Frankfurt in an attempt to increase their lead at the top.
After just four minutes at the BayArena, Victor Boniface gave Leverkusen the lead with a left-footed shot from a close angle.
The first goal was set up by an advance from Exequiel Palacios, and four minutes later, the Argentinean played a part in Leverkusen’s second goal as well. Jonas Hofmann was found on the outskirts of the box and slotted home with style.
However, Kiel equalized in stoppage time in the first half, highlighting Leverkusen’s defensive shortcomings as Max Geschwill pushed the ball into the goal with his left shoulder. The goal was upheld following a VAR review.
Jann-Fiete Arp tied the score at 69 minutes from the penalty spot as Leverkusen was unable to maintain their lead in the second half. Leverkusen’s attempts to find the winning goal were unsuccessful.
Lukas Hradecky, the captain of Leverkusen, claimed that his team had lost some of the winning mentality that had enabled them to unseat Bayern for the title the previous year.
“We approached every game like crazy, which is why we were champions. The goalie stated, “I didn’t see the desire to kill the game today.”
“The lead came too easily, too quickly. No matter who you’re playing, Holstein Kiel, AC Milan, or Bayern, you should never let up a 2-0 lead, Hradecky continued.
Yorbe Vertessen, a 23-year-old Belgian attacker, and a penalty kick from Kevin Vogt gave Union Berlin a 2-0 lead over Borussia Dortmund in the capital.
With a goal in the 62nd minute, Norwegian international Julian Ryerson gave Dortmund hope again, but it was insufficient as Dortmund lost 2-1, taking 10 points from a potential 18 points this season.
In other games, Wolfsburg gained a valuable three points in a 3-1 win away to Bochum to lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
Werder Bremen lost 1-0 at home to Freiburg while St Pauli faced Mainz in the late game.
Augsburg beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-1 in a mid-table clash on Friday.
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