LEVERKUSEN, Germany: A dogged defensive performance from Bayern Munich kept Bayer Leverkusen at bay in a 0-0 away draw on Saturday to keep their eight-point lead atop the German Bundesliga..
Bayern barely crossed the half-way line and failed to register a shot on target in the first half for the first time since 1992, but Xabi Alonso’s champions were unable to find a way through.
The result, just the fifth time Bayern have dropped points in 22 league games this season, puts them on track to win back the title, with 12 games remaining.
Knowing only a win would realistically keep the title race alive, Leverkusen dominated the opening half but were unable to convert several chances, with Alonso electing to leave both strikers Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface on the bench.
Jeremie Frimpong headed against the bar 21 minutes in after some clever work from Florian Wirtz down the left.
Nathan Tella, scorer of the winner between these two sides in the German Cup in December, blasted against the bar from close range when one-on-one with Manuel Neuer four minutes later.
Neuer was almost caught out on the 33rd-minute mark when he ventured out of the penalty area, but Wirtz’s long-range effort from deep curled just wide.
Leverkusen again dominated the ball in the second half but could not find a way through.
Wirtz had a chance in the final minute to snatch a win, but his close-range effort went centimeters wide of the post.
Earlier on Saturday, Borussia Dortmund’s slide continued with a 2-0 loss at lowly Bochum.
The hosts, who started the game in last place, grabbed control in the first half when winter loan signing Georgios Masouras scored two goals in three minutes.
Masouras tapped a low Philipp Hofmann shot in from close range after 33 minutes and then pounced on a terrible back-pass from Niklas Suele to double the lead two minutes later.
Dortmund have lost five of their past seven and sit 11th.
“We need to turn things around soon,” Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck said.
“It’s becoming a horror season,” he added.
Stuttgart failed to take advantage of fourth-placed Leipzig’s scoreless draw at Augsburg on Friday, giving up a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 at home against Wolfsburg.
Stuttgart’s Nick Woltemade came off the bench to put the hosts ahead after 72 minutes with a superb solo goal, but Wolfsburg hit back five minutes later when Tiago Tomas tapped in a Mohamed Amoura assist.
With five minutes remaining, Stuttgart’s Josha Vagnoman handled the ball in the box, bringing Amoura to the spot.
The Algerian nervelessly converted to grab all three points and lift the visitors to eighth, keeping alive their hopes of European football for the first time since 2022.
Elsewhere, Freiburg overcame a poor first-half penalty miss from Vincenzo Grifo to win 1-0 at St. Pauli thanks to an own goal from Philipp Treu with two minutes remaining.
Grifo tried a Panenka from the spot in the 45th minute but his limp effort was easily saved. Freiburg have missed all four penalties they have been awarded this season in the league.
In the dying stages, Treu, a former Freiburg player, diverted a shot into his own net. The visitors climbed to fifth on the table.
First half goals from Lukas Ullrich and Tim Kleindienst took Borussia Moenchengladbach to seventh with a win 2-1 at Union Berlin, who pulled one back from the spot in the second half through Andrej Ilic.
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Bayern on track for title after keeping Leverkusen at bay
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Bayern on track for title after keeping Leverkusen at bay
- Bayern barely crossed the half-way line and failed to register a shot on target in the first half for the first time since 1992
- Xabi Alonso’s champions were unable to find a way through
Motor racing-Ferrari can reel Mercedes in, says Hamilton
- Hamilton said Ferrari’s race pace was stronger than qualifying suggested, having started seventh on the grid
MELBOURNE: An upbeat Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari were right in the fight for the Formula One championship despite being outpaced by Mercedes in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
George Russell led a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli in the season-opener, crossing more than 15 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third and Hamilton in fourth.
“I’m genuinely really proud of the team,” the seven-times world champion told Sky.
“I think we’ve done an amazing job to get the car to where it is. Of course we’re not as fast as Mercedes, we’ve got work to do, but we’re right in the fight.”
Hamilton said Ferrari’s race pace was stronger than qualifying suggested, having started seventh on the grid.
“I think all weekend I’ve been really, really strong, but qualifying didn’t show the true pace,” he said.
“We had a few problems through qualifying which meant that I was further back than I should have been.”
Once the race began, Hamilton said he felt competitive from the outset and believed he might have had his first podium with Ferrari if the cars were on the track for a bit longer.
“It was a really, really fun race and it felt good for me,” he said.
“I was obviously closing the gap right at the end to Charles. A couple more laps and I think I would have had him — maybe one or two more laps.”
While conceding Mercedes hold a clear advantage in the early season, Hamilton said the deficit was not insurmountable.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes, but it’s not impossible,” he said.
“I do believe we can close the gap. It’s not going to be easy because it’s quite significant, particularly on a single lap. We need to find out whether it’s power or battery power.
“But the car is just as quick through the corners, so we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
George Russell led a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli in the season-opener, crossing more than 15 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in third and Hamilton in fourth.
“I’m genuinely really proud of the team,” the seven-times world champion told Sky.
“I think we’ve done an amazing job to get the car to where it is. Of course we’re not as fast as Mercedes, we’ve got work to do, but we’re right in the fight.”
Hamilton said Ferrari’s race pace was stronger than qualifying suggested, having started seventh on the grid.
“I think all weekend I’ve been really, really strong, but qualifying didn’t show the true pace,” he said.
“We had a few problems through qualifying which meant that I was further back than I should have been.”
Once the race began, Hamilton said he felt competitive from the outset and believed he might have had his first podium with Ferrari if the cars were on the track for a bit longer.
“It was a really, really fun race and it felt good for me,” he said.
“I was obviously closing the gap right at the end to Charles. A couple more laps and I think I would have had him — maybe one or two more laps.”
While conceding Mercedes hold a clear advantage in the early season, Hamilton said the deficit was not insurmountable.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes, but it’s not impossible,” he said.
“I do believe we can close the gap. It’s not going to be easy because it’s quite significant, particularly on a single lap. We need to find out whether it’s power or battery power.
“But the car is just as quick through the corners, so we’ve just got to keep pushing.”
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