Leverkusen retains undefeated status with a goal in minute 96

Bayer Leverkusen remained undefeated on Saturday afternoon for the 46th (!) time this season. Xabi Alonso’s team seemed to lose against VfB Stuttgart, but still struck in minute 96 through Robert Andrich: 2-2. The newly crowned national champion thus retains its undefeated status.

At Leverkusen they have barely been able to enjoy winning the national title, as Alonso’s team is still competing on several fronts this season. AS Roma awaits in the semi-finals of the Europa League, while Kaiserslautern is the opponent in the cup final on May 25.

Saturday afternoon was waiting for the brand new master the home game against VfB Stuttgart, the surprising number three of the season. The visitors were brutal and had the perfect opportunity to take the lead in Serhou Guirassy. If it weren’t for the fact that the striker headed wide in a promising position.

Leverkusen did little in return in the first half. The best opportunity was for Grimaldo, who had a rebound for the tap. However, the Spaniard hung back too much, causing his effort to go over the goal.

After the break, the match between the numbers one and three of the Bundesliga ignited, when Chris Fuhrich quickly gave Stuttgart the lead. After a mistake by Grimaldo, Lukas Hradecky initially had a good reaction, but he had no chance on Chris Fuhrich’s rebound: 0-1.

The damage became greater for Leverkusen when Deniz Undav doubled the margin after an hour of play. The German scored his eighteenth of the season when the home team could not get the ball out of the danger zone: 0-2.

Leverkusen did not give up and fought back into the match through Amine Adli. On a pass from Grimaldo, the Moroccan midfielder shot into the far corner. It was in 2017 that Leverkusen last achieved a result in a match in which it faced a two-goal deficit.

Fifteen minutes before the end, Alonso’s team seemed to salvage a point after all, when Odilon Kossounou headed home at the far post after a cross from the right. However, in the run-up to the goal, offside was determined, so the party was canceled.

Alonso tried to score a point by introducing Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface, but had to watch as Alexander Nubel developed into a major obstacle. When the match then seemed to be heading for defeat, Andrich struck in the absolute final seconds: 2-2.