Bayern held to 1-1 draw against Leverkusen, Dortmund cut lead

Bayern Munich salvaged a 1-1 draw despite clinging on with nine players at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, allowing Borussia Dortmund to cut Bayern’s Bundesliga lead to nine points.

Luis Díaz, who scored the equalizer following Aleix García’s opener, was sent off in the 84th minute for a second yellow card. Nicolas Jackson, starting with Harry Kane on the bench, received a straight red card for a poor tackle in the 42nd minute.

Leverkusen took the lead in the sixth minute after 18-year-old German-American winger Montrell Culbreath stole the ball off Díaz and fed it to Patrik Schick, who set up García on the edge of the box. The midfielder slotted home with a deflected shot.

The hosts defended well to contain Bayern’s attempts to come back, and frustration showed when Jackson was sent off before halftime for a late challenge on Martin Terrier.

Bayern played with third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich because Manuel Neuer has a calf issue and backup Jonas Urbig was concussed in the 6-1 win over Atalanta midweek in the Champions League. Ulreich denied an effort from Schick in a one-on-one situation at the hour mark just before Kane came on.

Back from a calf injury, Kane played for the first time since Feb. 28 after scoring eight goals in his past four Bundesliga games. He fired the ball into an empty net in the 62nd minute but it was disallowed for blocking the goalkeeper’s clearance with a hand in the buildup.

Diaz leveled in the 69th with a low shot from Michael Olise’s precise setup. The Colombia winger later received a second yellow card for diving and Bayern was down to nine men with six minutes left to play. The hosts could not snatch the win despite pushing hard until the end as Jonas Hofmann had a goal ruled out deep in stoppage time.

Bayern hasn’t won at Leverkusen in the league since October 2021, and heads back there next month for a German Cup semifinal.

Sixth-place Leverkusen missed a chance for what would have been only its second win in seven games in all competitions. It’s drawn five of the last six and heads into a Champions League second leg game at Arsenal on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Dortmund was in total control throughout the first half and Augsburg was lucky to trail by just one goal at halftime. Karim Adeyemi broke the deadlock in the 13th and had several other chances, hitting the woodwork twice. Luca Reggiani made it 2-0 in the 59th.

Hoffenheim, aiming to qualify for Champions League for first time since the 2018-19 season, stayed third - 17 points behind Bayern - after a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Wolfsburg, which was playing its first game under new coach Dieter Hecking.

Eintracht Frankfurt beat Heidenheim 1-0 with a goal from Arnaud Kalimuendo. Hamburger SV was playing Cologne later Saturday.

Earlier, Eintracht Frankfurt’s hopes of returning to Europe next season suffered a setback with a scoreless draw at St Pauli.

The result left Frankfurt in seventh, nine points behind Bayer Leverkusen, who occupy the Europa Conference League spot. Despite picking up a point, St Pauli fell into the bottom three due to Werder Bremen’s late win at Union Berlin.

Frankfurt continued to show improved defensive stability under new coach Albert Riera but were unable to break down the stubborn hosts.

Champions League participants this season after finishing third in the last campaign — their best result in three decades — Frankfurt have struggled, particularly away from home.

Frankfurt dominated the ball but Pauli had the better chances in the opening half, with Mathias Pereira Lage and Daniel Sinani both hitting the post.

The visitors were camped out on the edge of St Pauli’s box in the dying moments but could not break through, with Jean-Matteo Bahoya heading a late chance over the bar.

Earlier, Berlin-born teenager Patrice Covic scored his first Bundesliga goal in Werder’s Bremen beat Union Berlin 4-1 away to escape the relegation zone.

The 18-year-old Covic, who progressed through Hertha Berlin’s youth setup, entered in stoppage time with the game already won, and he scored with an easy finish two minutes later.

Agencies