Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski (C) heads to score his team’s fourth goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern Munich on June 6, 2020 in Leverkusen, western Germany.
Matthias Hangst / POOL / AFP
Bundesliga: Bayern close in on title with win at Leverkusen
Bayern Munich took a step closer to being crowned 2019/20 Bundesliga champions with a 4-2 win over Leverkusen on Saturday 6 June 2020.
Bayern Munich’s Polish forward Robert Lewandowski (C) heads to score his team’s fourth goal during the German first division Bundesliga football match Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FC Bayern Munich on June 6, 2020 in Leverkusen, western Germany.
Matthias Hangst / POOL / AFP
Bayern Munich came from behind to claim a 4-2 victory at Bayer Leverkusen and move a step closer to the Bundesliga title.
In the process, Robert Lewandowski netted his 30th goal of the Bundesliga season.
Bayern on course for Bundesliga title
Lucas Alario had secured an early lead for the hosts, but Bayern struck twice in quick succession just before half-time to turn the game in their favour after Kingsley Coman’s had put the defending champions on level terms.
Lewandowski got on the scoresheet in the second half as Bayern moved into a 10-point lead over title rivals Borussia Dortmund, who host Hertha Berlin later on Saturday 6 June. Leverkusen teenager Florian Wirtz’s strike late on made him the Bundesliga’s youngest-ever scorer, but it was not enough to deprive Bayern of the three points.
Youngest scorer in the Bundesliga
Wirtz set the new record for the youngest scorer in the Bundesliga, aged 17 years and 34 days, beating the record set by Nuri Sahin for Borussia Dortmund in November 2005 by 48 days.
The Bundesliga contest also saw Bayern lend their support to protests over the murder of African-American man George Floyd, with all their players wearing armbands bearing the slogan “Black Lives Matter”.
Leverkusen turned to Alario to lead the line against the champions in the absence of Liverpool target Kai Havertz.
The Argentine would deliver inside the first ten minutes, beating the offside trap after a throw-in to slot the ball past Manuel Neuer.
Read: Liverpool not yet cleared to win Premier League at empty Anfield
That lead would not last the half though as a mistake from Moussa Diaby allowed Coman to curl in the equaliser. A fizzing shot from Leon Goretzka and an audacious lob from Serge Gnabry saw Bayern take a two-goal lead before half-time.
Lewandowski finished the job with a clinical header early in the second half, equalling his most prolific Bundesliga season in the process.
The relegation battle
In other Bundesliga action, a late equaliser from Christian Strohdiek gave bottom-of-the-table Paderborn a glimmer of hope in the race for survival, after they snatched a 1-1 draw away to RB Leipzig.
Chelsea-bound striker Timo Werner set up Patrik Schick on 27 minutes to give Leipzig the lead. The hosts were forced to defend their slender lead with ten men after Dayot Upamecano was booked twice in the first half.
Strohdiek’s last-minute strike gave Paderborn their fourth draw in five games, but Steffen Baumgart’s are still eight points adrift of Fortuna Duesseldorf who occupy the relegation play-off place.
Duesseldorf themselves missed the chance to leap towards safety battling to a dramatic 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim who also finished that match with ten men.
The head of Rouwen Hennings and a red card for Hoffenheim’s Benjamin Huebner put Dusseldorf on top, but the visitors struck back with goals from Munas Dabbur and Steven Zuber before Hennings saved a point with a late penalty.
Uwe Roesler’s Dortmund are three points adrift of safety, after goals from Moussa Niakhate and Pierre Kunde Malong gave fellow strugglers Mainz a rare 2-0 win over local rivals Eintracht Frankfurt.
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