Bayer Leverkusen dig deep to defy Bayern Munich and take point
Excitement right up until the end, Bayern Munich going all out, and Bayer Leverkusen making great sacrifices defensively: the summit meeting between the record and defending champions ended in a draw as Xabi Alonso's side adapted their game and deprived the Vincent Kompany's men of some of their newly acquired strengths.
The reigning German champions against the record German champions – in Munich, during Oktoberfest: this is why they invented superlatives! The top-of-the-table clash between Bayern and Leverkusen began with the hosts looking strong. FCB were moving the ball around well, while Die Werkself were adopting an uncharacteristically deep position and ceding possession to Bayern. Alonso's team managed to deprive the home side of some extremely dangerous transition situations with some canny counter-pressing, but there was little to no relief for the title defenders as the hosts continued to push hard.
The game took place almost entirely in the Leverkusen half in the first 45 minutes, but Bayer won the decisive duels near the penalty area and smartly closed down the spaces for Kompany's team. As a result, there were no big chances. Then, out of nowhere, came the opener for the ‘Werkself’. Robert Andrich popped up on the edge of the area with a 109-km/h shot following a corner that Aleksandar Pavlović had brought about with an unnecessarily risky pass towards keeper Manuel Neuer.
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