March 19, (THEWILL) – Bayern Munich’s dreams of reclaiming the top spot in the Bundesliga were dashed on Sunday, after they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen.
Although the defending champions took an early lead through Joshua Kimmich’s first-half strike, the visitors were undone by two VAR-assisted penalties from Exequiel Palacios in the second half. Indeed, Leverkusen were the more dangerous side for much of the match and deservedly claimed all three points.
The loss means that Bayern Munich now sit second in the Bundesliga standings, behind Borussia Dortmund, who leapfrogged them on Saturday. The two sides will face off in a crucial Klassiker match on April 1. Bayern had hoped to retake the top spot before the international break, but instead, the defeat has left them trailing into the break.
Despite the disappointment of the result, Bayern will have the chance to bounce back when they face Dortmund in two weeks. Manager Julian Nagelsmann will have seen some areas of concern for his side, and they will need to regroup and refocus ahead of the crucial clash.
It gets easier for Leverkusen, they travel to face relegation-threatened Schalke 04, who are one place above bottom side, VfB Stuttgart on the same day.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
