With a lot of effort, Bayer 04 Leverkusen averted their first defeat of the season on matchday 14 of the Bundesliga. The league leaders came from behind to draw 1-1 (0-1) against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday (December 3rd, 2023).
Julian Ryerson (5th minute) scored the BVB goal in the early stages. Victor Boniface (79th) deservedly equalized for the superior Leverkusen team. “One point isn’t bad, but it could be better,” said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso after the game.
Leverkusen remained unbeaten in their 20th competitive game of the season. Since Bayern Munich (32 points) had no game due to the loss of the game against Union Berlin, the Rhinelanders remain leaders with 35 points. Dortmund is fifth with 25 points.
To the live ticker: Leverkusen – Dortmund arrow right 13th matchday arrow right
Dortmund strikes with the first attack
The Dortmund team, who were well attuned to Leverkusen’s game defensively, struck with their first attack. After a ball relay, Niclas Füllkrug defended the ball strongly in the penalty area against Edmond Tapsoba. BVB moved up well and Füllkrug fed left-back Ryerson at the right moment, who took off and shot in from half left to make it 1-0.
“The key today was to defend well, knowing that we have quality, to be dangerous ourselves,” said BVB coach Edin Terzic, summarizing his team’s match plan in the Sportschau interview. The idea initially worked well.
Torge Hidding, Sportschau, December 3rd, 2023 8:17 p.m
VAR concedes Leverkusen goal from Wirtz
Leverkusen took control playfully after going behind, won balls, let the ball run into the spaces, but couldn’t get into good finishing positions in the penalty area. BVB condensed the game extremely. In some cases there were nine black and yellow field players in the box. Xabi Alonso’s team lacked the last bit of precision to create danger.
WDR, Sportschau, December 3rd, 2023 8:38 p.m
And the front runner was unlucky. When Florian Wirtz scored the supposed equalizer with a cracker into the corner (45+2), the VAR conceded the goal because Boniface was in the offside position. At the break, Leverkusen had 9:2 shots on goal, 63 percent ball possession and 8:0 corners – but a 1-0 lead for BVB.
BVB with great effort
In the second half, the guests stayed true to their line. Dortmund left the field to the hosts, tightly lined up and running strong. Leverkusen looked for gaps with variable play. But unlike in previous games, Alonso’s team lacked precision in the passing game and speed in depth.
The first offensive excitement also belonged to BVB in the second half, but Jamie Bynoe-Gittens was intercepted in the penalty area by Bayer defender Odilon Kossounou (52nd). There was hardly any danger towards the Dortmund goal and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel or Mats Hummels were always there. So Hummels, in desperate need, slid into a shot from Exequiel Palacios (62′).
Patrik Schick is immediately in focus
Leverkusen worked on the long-suffering Dortmund team and paid more and more tribute to the effort. Sometimes the last step was missing, sometimes the exact pass, until Patrik Schick came along and changed everything. The striker had only been on the field for seconds when he was released by Kossounou in the penalty area, crossed and Boniface made it 1-1 with his eighth goal of the season.
Holger Dahl, Jens Walbrodt, Sportschau, December 3rd, 2023 7:29 p.m
Leverkusen got their second breath and wanted more. But neither a shot from Boniface (87th), which Kobel parried well, nor a header from Schick (88th) found its way into the goal. In the end, combative Dortmunders were able to celebrate winning a point. Bayer 04 (22:6 shots on goal, 16:1 corners) might have had more in the end.
Dortmund against Leipzig, Leverkusen in Stuttgart
Both teams are in action in the DFB Cup during the week. Dortmund will be visiting VfB Stuttgart in the round of 16 on Wednesday (8:45 p.m.), Leverkusen will host second division team SC Paderborn on the same day (6 p.m.).
In the Bundesliga, BVB is challenged in the next top game against RB Leipzig on matchday 14 (Saturday, December 9th, 2023 at 6:30 p.m.). Bayer 04 Leverkusen also has the next team from the top five in sight and will be visiting VfB Stuttgart a day later (3:30 p.m.).
