Nine-man Bayern Munich show remarkable resilience to earn draw against Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern Munich earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Matchday 26, despite playing with nine men after red cards for Nicolas Jackson and Luis Díaz, who had earlier scored Bayern's equaliser.
Bayer Leverkusen 1–1 Bayern Munich
Goals: 1-0 García 6‘ (assist: Schick), 1-1 Díaz 69‘ (assist: Olise)
Red cards: Jackson 41‘, Díaz 84‘
Bayern travelled to the BayArena without several key players, with Manuel Neuer, Alphonso Davies, and Jamal Musiala among those sidelined through injury.
The 37-year-old Sven Ulreich made a rare start in goal, while Harry Kane was named among the substitutes. For Jonathan Tah, it was a first return to Leverkusen after ten years at the club. The hosts, meanwhile, were looking to improve their record against high-flying teams, having lost five of their previous six matches against top-six sides.
García gives Leverkusen early lead
Leverkusen started the match with purpose and took the lead after just six minutes. Montrell Culbreath won the ball from Luis Díaz and played it to Patrik Schick, who slipped in Aleix García. The Spaniard drove into the box and fired past Ulreich with the help of a slight deflection off Tah.
Bayern responded well to going behind, enjoying the majority of possession, but struggled to create clear chances against a well-organised Leverkusen defence. The hosts nearly doubled their lead in the 31st minute when Culbreath curled an effort just wide of the far post.
Jackson sees red before half-time
Bayern's task grew significantly more difficult shortly before the break when Nicolas Jackson was sent off. Initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Martin Terrier, referee Christian Dingert upgraded it to a straight red after a VAR review determined that Jackson had stamped on Terrier's foot.
The French forward was unable to continue and was replaced by Ibrahim Maza at half-time. Bayern subsequently thought they had equalised earlier when Tah bundled the ball home from a free-kick, but VAR ruled it out for handball.
Ten-man Bayern fight back
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany introduced Harry Kane on the hour mark as the visitors sought an equaliser despite their numerical disadvantage. The England captain thought he had levelled the scores shortly after coming on when he tapped into an empty net after Blaswich's clearance was blocked, but the goal was disallowed for handball in the build-up.
Bayern wouldn't be denied, however, and found their equaliser in the 69th minute. Robert Andrich played a blind pass that was intercepted by Michael Olise, who threaded the ball through to Díaz. The Colombian took a touch before slotting past Blaswich to bring Bayern level against the odds.
Bayern down to nine but hold on
The drama wasn't over, as Díaz went from hero to villain in the 84th minute. Having already been booked, he was shown a second yellow card for simulation after going down under a challenge from Blaswich when through on goal. Now down to nine men, Bayern faced an uphill battle to preserve their point.
Leverkusen piled on the pressure and thought they had found a winner when Jonas Hofmann lobbed Ulreich, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Despite their two-man advantage in the closing stages, Leverkusen couldn't find a way through, with Ulreich making crucial saves from Maza and others to secure a hard-earned point for the Bavarians.
Man of the Match: Luis Díaz
Despite his dismissal, Luis Díaz was the difference-maker for Bayern. The Colombian showed remarkable composure to finish clinically for the equaliser when Bayern were already down to ten men, giving his team something to hold onto. His goal came from a high-quality chance (xG of 0.5079), but it still required excellent finishing under pressure.
The attacker was involved in much of Bayern's attacking play, recording four shots throughout the match before his controversial sending off. That fans voted him Man of the Match with 51 percent of the votes despite his red card speaks volumes about the importance of his contribution.
Bundesliga Match Facts
xGoals: Bayer Leverkusen 2.12 - Bayern Munich1.94
Fastest player: Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich), 33.62 km/h
Lowest goal probability: 1-0 by Aleix García (Bayer Leverkusen), 8 percent
Most pressed player: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), 35 times under pressure
Pass efficiency: Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich), +3.98
Fantasy Heroes: Michael Olise (Bayern Munich, 282 Points), Aleix García (Bayer Leverkusen, 229 Points), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen, 199 Points)
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