Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are here to win the German top-flight title, and they proved that as they beat Bayer Leverkusen in a six-goal thriller to go top of the Bundesliga.
In what would surely go down as one of the best come-from-behind victories of the 2018/19 campaign, BVB erased a two-goal halftime deficit to earn maximum points and take advantage of Bayern Munich’s disastrous loss to Hertha Berlin.
Leverkusen, despite their poor record, showed they have what it takes to challenge the giants of German football. In the end, however, the game became a battle of who wanted it more.
Highlights of the game
Four goals in the final 25 minutes of play sparked an incredible turnaround for Dortmund in a game that saw them trail by two goals in the opening 45 minutes.
On-loan Barcelona forward Paco Alcacer and teenage sensation Jadon Sancho led the team to the spectacular victory at the BayArena, with the former scoring two goals and the latter providing two assists to change the flow of the game.
Bayer scored as early as nine minutes when Mitchell Weiser converted Lucas Alario’s through ball into a first-touch score. Weiser made no mistake from the right flank and rifled the ball to the bottom corner with a low shot past keeper Roman Burki.
BVB had their fair share of chances in the opening frame, with Christian Pulisic and Marco Reus testing Lukas Hradecky. However, BVB were made to pay for their lack of clinical finishing and poor defending as Jonathan Tah made it two to nothing.
While the match was pretty balanced up until the closing stages of the first, Tah gave Bayer a huge advantage heading into the break as he exploited a scrappy defensive scramble in the Dortmund box following a Julian Brandt corner.
Dortmund came out with more spirit in the second, trading blows with Bayer in a furious and quick-paced opening exchange. And while the home team could have added more to their tally, the visitors found the break they needed when Jacob Bruun Larsen pulled one back with an easy-tap in after Hradecky deflected a Reus shot on 65 minutes.
The introduction of Sancho three minutes later gave BVB more spark up front, and the 18-year-old star quickly made his presence felt as he linked up with Reus to restore parity.
Dortmund then completed the BVB fightback after another substitute, Alcacer, stepped up in the 85th minute to give them the lead for the first time. The 25-year-old striker, who was playing after missing their past two league games due to an ankle injury, grabbed the Bundesliga 2018 highlights and headlines with a fine flick from close-range off an Achraf Hakimi assist.
Leverkusen tried to find an equaliser in hopes of avoiding another wasted effort, but BVB handed more embarrassment to the home team instead. Sancho teed up Alcacer on the counter and the Spaniard fired easily into an open net to complete the four-goal rally.
Key statistics
Bayer were unlucky not to come out without even a single point after their fine first-half display. Pre-match Bundesliga 2018 odds at SBOBET suggested a tight encounter at BayArena, and Heiko Herrlich’s men lived up to expectations.
Post-match statistics show there isn’t much difference on both team’s shot attempts, with Bayer ending up with 15 to Dortmund’s 16. Nonetheless, Lucien Favre’s charges had just been more clinical on finishing, which gave them the advantage.
With his brace, Alcacer now has three goals in 50 minutes of action for BVB. Making it more remarkable, he has been brilliant in front of the net, having taken only four shots.
Meanwhile, Reus is now second in the league scoring charts with four goals. He scored twice in their 7-0 drubbing of Nuremberg last week, and his latest goal put him just one behind of Hertha Berlin’s Ondrej Duda.
Sancho, on the other hand, is now Bundesliga’s top provider with five assists, two ahead of teammate Reus and Javairo Dilrosun (Hertha) and Florian Neuhaus (Monchengladbach).
What’s next?
Dortmund now head home to host AS Monaco for their second game of the Champions League. They are currently tied with Atletico Madrid for the top spot in Group A, so they will be hoping to translate their domestic success to the European competition.
Bayer Leverkusen, for their part, will be hosting Cyprus side AEK Larnaca in the Europa League. Die Werkself last won their UEL match with Ludogorets, but after this defeat to Dortmund, they are expected to play with more urgency to get back to their winning ways.
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