Gnabry’s double hit the rafters
Aluminum and Bayer bulwark stop Bayern’s avalanche of goals
September 28, 2024, 8:24 p.m
FC Bayern Munich is out of luck in the top game of the Bundesliga: Bayer Leverkusen takes a point from Munich because Serge Gnabry hits the aluminum twice within seconds. In addition, the record champions have to worry about Harry Kane.
No spectacle, no winner in the top game: Double winners Bayer Leverkusen stopped FC Bayern’s avalanche of goals and took their first points of the season from Munich after four wins in four games. With an uninspiring but tactically sophisticated and very well implemented defensive performance, coach Xabi Alonso’s team defied the record champions to draw 1-1 (1-1).
Leverkusen took the lead, somewhat surprisingly, through Robert Andrich (31′), the hosts, who seemed at a loss at times, equalized with a dream goal from Aleksandar Pavlovic (39′). In their first tough test of the season, the Munich team had to realize that the champions and cup winners have a different quality than their previous opponents – even if the Werkself appeared very wait-and-see and passive.
Bayern dominates, Leverkusen scores
There was a lot of activity not only on the pitch, but also on the sidelines. Coaches Vincent Kompany and Alonso were busy sorting out their teams and aligning them with the opponent’s plans. For Bayern, this meant preventing quick counterattacks; for Bayer, it meant falling into a 5-4-1 formation when Munich attacked. Even magic foot Florian Wirtz was almost exclusively entrusted with defensive tasks in Alonso’s tactical concept
Bayern dominated the game with their high pressing and consistent backward defense, but they found it difficult to get close to the goal. Bayer extremely limited the space and wove a tight net in front of their penalty area in which the Munich team regularly got caught – if they even got close to it. They often passed the ball back and forth far in front of the penalty area, lacking a brilliant thought.
Bayern’s best opportunity at first almost inevitably came from a set-piece situation: Michael Olise put a free kick on the net (22′). Before the game finally threatened to fall asleep, Leverkusen suddenly took the lead. After a corner caused by Pavlovic, Andrich, who was lurking almost on the edge of the penalty area, hit the ball perfectly, his shot whizzed past everyone’s legs and into the far corner – it was Bayer’s seventh goal from a dead ball.
Gnabry with double bad luck
It took a Sunday shot on Saturday evening to bring Bayern back into the game: Pavlovic was able to calmly accept a ball that had been deflected too short a good 23 meters from the goal, and with full stretch he chased it into the goal triangle. The national player benefited from the inaction of Victor Boniface, who could have intervened decisively in this situation.
Immediately after the break, Serge Gnabry could have turned the game around: After an assist from Harry Kane, who like Boniface was largely unregistered, he hit the post as he fell and then hit the crossbar with a follow-up shot (48th). Olise was once again in a good position, but his shot from a tight angle was missed by Lukas Hradecky, who had very little to do – thanks to his diligently defending front men.
