Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Bayern Munich: Bundesliga – as it happened

17 Feb 2025

The Guardian

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Bayer Leverkusen 00 Bayern Munich Bundesliga as it happened

Bayern stay eight points clear after Leverkusen did everything but score in the battle of the top two

That’s all for tonight. We’ll have more on the game in our European round-up in the next hour or so. Goodnight!

European football: Real Madrid held by Osasuna after Bellingham sees red

Bayern were outplayed and didn’t have a single shot on target, but their excellent centre-backs, Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-jae, restricted Leverkusen to only a handful of chances. Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella hit the bar in the first half; Florian Wirtz missed the best chance of the game in injury time.

Bayern Munich stay eight points clear after surviving a bit of a battering at the BayArena.

90+5 min The corner is headed away to Frimpong, who slashes over the bar from inside the D.

90+5 min This is it, one last corner…

90+4 min Mukiele’s cross is put behind for a corner by Neuer. He was caught by Goretzka after the event, which led to more penalty appeals. Tapsoba is booked.

90+2 min Patrik Schick is on for Grimaldo. That Wirtz chance was slightly tougher than it looked at first because Kimmich was blocking his route to goal at the near post and his body was leaning that way. In hindsight he could have opened his body and gone for the far post but maybe there wasn’t time for that in such a crowded penalty area.

90+1 min: What a miss from Wirtz! I can’t believe he’s missed that. Grimaldo’s early cross was met by Adli, whose adroit volley was punched away theatrically by Neuer. The ball ricocheted around the area before falling to Wirtz, who sidefooted this far wide from eight yards.

90 min Just three minutes of added time. It’s probably now or next season for Leverkusen.

89 min “Mmm, Patrik Schick,” says Simon McMahon. “Thanks for reminding me.”

87 min For all Leverkusen’s dominance – and they’ve been excellent in most facets of the game – Manuel Neuer has only had one save to make in the second half.

86 min: Bayern substitution Sacha Boey replaces Jamal Musiala.

85 min: Leverkusen substitution Amine Adli replaces Nathan Tella. Still no sign of Schick or Boniface.

83 min Frimpong’s low cross towards Wirtz is booted away by Neuer. Not sure why he didn’t use his hands but he got the job done.

81 min An official attempt at goal for Bayern. Sane collects a loose ball and floats a cross towards Goretzka, who twists his neck and heads wide from 10 yards under pressure. That was a pretty good chance.

80 min Ten minutes to go. Leverkusen surely have to score to keep the title race alive.

79 min “Over the last dozen years of German football, Bayern acquired an aura of inevitability, where no matter how badly they played, it seemed certain they’d win,” says Kári Tulinius. “Part of what made Leverkusen so impressive last season is that they wrested that aura away from Munich. Two years ago I’d’ve been certain who’d win, but not this time.”

It feels very different to the matches between Dortmund and Bayern post-Klopp. And even though Bayern are probably going to win the league at a canter, they still haven’t beaten Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen in six attempts (including today).

77 min Leverkusen have Patrik Schick and Victor Boniface on the bench but there’s no sign of them yet.

76 min Wirtz, just outside the area, beats Kimmich neatly and curls a few yards wide of the far post. A nice effort but Neuer had it covered.

75 min Tella’s shot is blocked after good play by Wirtz on the left of the area.

Moments later Palacios plays a clever pass into the area for Frimpong, whose low cross is cut out at source by Upamecano. Bayern have defended excellently.

74 min Upamecano is booked for a foul on Tella.

73 min Kane has a shot blocked after a good move, started by a superb volleyed pass around the corner by Gnabry.

70 min Bayern still haven’t had an attempt at goal. Kane’s header just before half-time doesn’t count as he was flagged offside.

68 min: Quadruple substitution for Bayern Vincent Kompany has seen enough. He brings on Josip Stanisic, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane for Hiroki Ito, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise.

66 min Grimaldo curls the corner beyond the far post, Tah heads it back across goal and Tella’s header is cleared off the line by Ito! He read the play superbly and ran back towards his own goal to keep the ball out.

66 min Leverkusen appeal for a penalty when Wirtz goes over after a challenge from Coman. There was very little contact, if any, and Leverkusen have to settle for a corner.

63 min The co-commentator (not sure who it is) makes a point worth stressing: while Bayern have been poor on the ball, Leverkusen’s counter-pressing has been quite superb. Show-the-video-on-coaching-courses good.

62 min Bayern look like a team waiting to concede a goal before they start playing. It’s been such a poor attacking performance.

61 min “The Mitoma goal is a clear goal of the season contender,” says Phil Podolsky. “If Salah is the Premier League’s Messi, and Palmer Iniesta, could Mitoma be its closest thing to a Ronaldinho-style player? The most stupidly, insanely exciting player?”

Yep I think that’s a perfect analogy. Like Ronaldinho, he scores unique goals that are, in the literal sense of the word, unimaginably good.

The Joy of Six: unique goals | Rob Smyth

59 min The corner bounces around the Bayern area and eventually reaches Tella, whose acrobatic volley on the turn goes well wide. Good effort though.

58 min Neuer comes for a free-kick and somehow manages to punch it behind for a corner.

53 min This is a really niggly game. Xhaka charges over to the referee to appeal for justice when Pavlovic catches Tella in his follow through. Pavlovic is booked.

52 min Leverkusen are dominating the game, as they did in the first half. Frimpong’s dangerous cross just evades Tella in the middle and bounces up to hit Laimer in the chest. Leverkusen think there was a hand involved and Grimaldo makes a VAR signal to somebody on the touchline. He doesn’t get his wish.

48 min Musiala goes through the back of Xhaka to give Leverkusen a free-kick on the right wing. Wirtz’s cross bounces across the area to Hincapie, whose snapshot is blocked at source.

46 min Leverkusen begin the second half. No substitutions, so Harry Kane is fine to continue.

Half-time reading

European football: Real Madrid held by Osasuna after Bellingham sees red

A disappointing first half in the BayArena. Leverkusen were the better side and hit the bar twice through Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella, but neither keeper had much to do – or anything in the case of Leverkusen’s Lukas Hradecky.

45+2 min Kane collided with a defender after that header and needs treatment. He’s on his feet now but he’s feeling his jaw as runs round the touchline.

45 min Olise’s curling free-kick is headed over by the stretching Kane, though he was flagged offside after the event.

44 min Palacios fouls Musiala 25 yards from goal. The free-kick is a fair way to the left, probably too wide for a shot…

43 min Bayern haven’t had a shot off target, never mind on. Apparently that hasn’t happened in a full half of a Bundesliga match since records began in the 1990s.

40 min A draw would be a good result for Bayern but Vincent Kompany can’t be happy with their attacking performance so far. They’ve been passive and imprecise with the ball.