Leverkusen Beat Heidenheim To Go Eight Clear In Bundesliga
Umer Jamshaid Published February 18, 2024 | 02:10 AM
Wolfsburg, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Feb, 2024) Goals from Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli earned Leverkusen a 2-1 win at Heidenheim on Saturday, sending Xabi Alonso's Bundesliga leaders eight points clear of Bayern Munich in second.
Leverkusen's win extended their unbeaten run to 32 games in all competitions this season, equalling the record set by Hansi Flick's Bayern across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Frustrated by the resolute hosts early, Leverkusen eventually broke through right before half-time when Frimpong's deflected shot found the net.
Midfield maestro Florian Wirtz hit the crossbar late but helped seal the result shortly after, laying on a perfect pass for Adli to round the goalkeeper and score.
Heidenheim's Tim Kleindienst headed in a goal with three minutes remaining, the first time Leverkusen had conceded in six hours in the league.
"Altogether we did it very smartly, other than the late goal we conceded," Leverkusen's Granit Xhaka told Sky.
"The team is ripe. We showed again how dominant we can be."
Second-placed Bayern, thumped 3-0 by Leverkusen last week, can narrow the gap when they play on Sunday at Bochum.
Elsewhere, RB Leipzig's won 2-0 at home against Borussia Moenchengladbach in a match overshadowed by the death of a spectator who fell ill in the stands.
Leipzig tweeted during the game that medical staff had "tried to resuscitate" the individual but were unsuccessful.
Once the news was announced, the stadium fell silent for the remainder of the match.
Leipzig boss Marco Rose said "I thought the fans reacted well. You realise that other things are much more important than football, like your health."
Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons gave his team the lead with a brilliant goal, bouncing a Dani Olmo pass off his thigh before unleashing a rocket from the edge of the box.
Lois Openda doubled Leipzig's lead after 57 minutes, chipping over the goalkeeper's head and into the goal.
Openda, who arrived from Ligue 1 side Lens in the summer, has 16 league goals this season and has scored in each of his past five games.
Leipzig's win took them one point behind fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund, who drew 1-1 at struggling Wolfsburg, with home midfielder Yannick Gerhardt's second-half header cancelling out an early Niclas Fuellkrug goal.
Having absorbed some early pressure from the hosts, Dortmund scored after eight minutes, Fuellkrug kneeing in a rebound from a Marco Reus shot on the counter.
Gerhardt equalised after a long interruption due to fan protests against an investor deal for the Bundesliga, heading in from close range after a deflected clearance from the Dortmund defence.
"We didn't have enough chances on the whole," said Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. "We are not satisfied with the point."
Serhou Guirassy scored his first goal of the Calendar year as 10-man Stuttgart won 2-1 at Darmstadt to go five clear of Dortmund in third.
Guirassy headed in from close range 15 minutes in for his 18th league goal of the season.
Both sides scored in second-half injury time as Stuttgart held on despite being reduced to 10 men late in the first half.
Union Berlin secured a crucial victory in their bid to avoid the drop, American midfielder Brenden Aaronson scoring late for a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.
Both sides played the second half with 10 men after Hoffenheim's Stanley Nsoki and Union's Kevin Volland picked up second yellow cards just before half-time.
Union's win took them eight points clear of the relegation spots in an increasingly crowded lower half of the table.
Mainz won just their second match of the season 1-0 at home over Augsburg, with Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg's first-half strike enough despite Nadiem Amiri missing a penalty.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Statement of Engro Corporation - LNG Case Decision
Wasim Akram touches fans’ hearts by new look
Empowering women for employment is the need of hour, says Sadaffe Abid
Global study reveals Pakistan’s inadequate measures against Tobacco Industry
Co-Working Center launched in Okara under PITB’s e-Earn program
BHC judges recommend legal action over agencies interference into judicial matte ..
Third Women T20I: Pakistan to face West Indies today
Mahira Khan delights at Arijit Singh’s concert in Dubai
Dubai Customs Celebrates World Intellectual Property Day, Honors Schools and Uni ..
Vivo Reveals Durefishan Saleem as Brand Ambassador for its Upcoming Y100 Smartph ..
FIA investigates alleged irregularities in tickets’ sale for PSL, int’l matc ..
IMF approves $1.1b final tranche for Pakistan
More Stories From World
-
G7 to phase out coal-fired power plants by mid-2030s
26 minutes ago -
Kenya's Ruto orders evacuations after deadly floods
26 minutes ago -
No more dirty diesel for Paris Olympic sites
36 minutes ago -
Pakistan's youth delegation visits Xinjiang, China
46 minutes ago -
'Persepolis' author wins top Spanish prize
46 minutes ago -
White House says Columbia protesters' building seizure 'wrong approach'
46 minutes ago
-
Beef industry ignites rural revitalization in Yangxin of China's Shandong province
1 hour ago -
US panel recommends all women receive breast cancer screening from 40
1 hour ago -
European satellite giant SES to buy US rival Intelsat
1 hour ago -
Former England cricketer Panesar to stand for election
1 hour ago -
Macron urges Rwanda to end support for DR Congo rebels, withdraw troops
2 hours ago -
Changpeng Zhao, the 'normal guy' who conquered crypto
2 hours ago