Despite being by far the better side, Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich at BayArena on Saturday in an anticlimactic six pointer in the Bundesliga title race.
Ahead of this weekend's clash, Vincent Kompany's side were already eight points clear of the defending champions, and having dropped four points in their last three top-flight matches, Leverkusen were under pressure take all three points.
The hosts dominated the early phases of the game with their intensity and struck the bar twice in the opening 26 minutes, first through Jeremie Frimpong, who headed a rebound from a Florian Wirtz strike onto the woodwork, and then via Nathan Tella, whose volley clattered the frame of the goal after he was picked out expertly by Piero Hincapie.
However, the first half came and went without either side affecting the scoreline, and also without a single shot for the Bavarians despite their marginal advantage in the possession stats.
By the hour mark, the visitors had still failed to produce an effort on goal, and their bluntness would have been punished if not for centre-back Hiroki Ito, who cleared a header from Tella off the line.
Regardless, the draw still leaves Bayern in a controlling position at the top of the table, where the eight-point lead they have should be enough to see them over the line in the end, barring a remarkable slip up.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
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Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen may not be quite the same force they were last season, but they are still the only team that can push Kompany's Bayern for the title in 2024-25.
The BayArena boss will be disappointed to have dropped another two points this weekend, though his side certainly had enough chances to seal the victory and fans may take some solace from the fact that their team were superior throughout.
On the other hand, Kompany will not be pleased with his players' performance, but he will know that the draw has kept them out of reach of their rivals for the time being and maintained their eight-point cushion.
That being said, Bayern fans will be angry that their side did not have a shot until the closing stages and failed to produce a single shot on target in the match, and they will also be bemused by the fact that the manager seemed to be playing for a draw with substitutions that included withdrawing Jamal Musiala for right-back Sacha Boey.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN VS. BAYERN MUNICH HIGHLIGHTS
22nd min: Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen) close chance
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Florian Wirtz dribbles past a number of players before firing a shot at Manuel Neuer, who can only parry into the path of Frimpong.
The wing-back does well to reach the ball with a header but he is unable to direct his effort on target and instead hits the crossbar!
26th min: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen) close chance
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Tella gets on the end of a great cross from Hincapie, but his volley hits the crossbar and the scoreboard is shockingly unchanged.
66th min: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen) close chance
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It's Tella again! The Leverkusen man heads towards goal from close range but Hiroki Ito clears the ball off the line on his first Bayern start.
92nd min: Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) close chance
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After Amine Adli forces Neuer into making a save, the ball falls to Florian Wirtz on the rebound, only for the star man to miss the target entirely!
That could be that.
MAN OF THE MATCH - FLORIAN WIRTZ
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Despite his late miss, it would be fair to say that Bayern struggled to handle the Leverkusen talisman, who was particularly dangerous in the first half.
On another day - if not for the woodwork and some excellent last-ditch defending - Wirtz could have been celebrating a great win.
BAYER LEVERKUSEN VS. BAYERN MUNICH MATCH STATS
Possession: Bayer Leverkusen 56%-44% Bayern Munich
Shots: Bayer Leverkusen 15-2 Bayern Munich
Shots on target: Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 Bayern Munich
Corners: Bayer Leverkusen 6-0 Bayern Munich
Fouls: Bayer Leverkusen 16-13 Bayern Munich
BEST STATS
0 - Bayer 04 Leverkusen are only the second team not to concede a shot on target in a Bundesliga match on record (since 2004-05) against Bayern Munich, previously only VfL Wolfsburg managed this in May 2008 within that period. Anomaly. pic.twitter.com/VklOiinRCW
— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) February 15, 2025
⚠️ | QUICK STAT
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) February 15, 2025
• Bayern's first 0–0 draw in 63 matches
• Their first meeting ending in a 0–0 since 2017
And Bayer Leverkusen have now failed to score in two consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time since January-February 2023. 🧐#B04FCB pic.twitter.com/QPfVfBNJj5
WHAT NEXT?
Next up for Leverkusen is a trip to Holsten Kiel in the Bundesliga, and Alonso's side will be keen to take maximum points in that clash as they look to bounce back from this weekend's disappointment.
As for Bayern, they are set to host Celtic for the return leg of their Champions League playoff tie on February 18.
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![Germany's Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz celebrate the team's first goal on June 14, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Germany's Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz celebrate the team's first goal on June 14, 2024 [IMAGO]")
