Coach Xabi Alonso and his team defeated Heidenheim 2-1 in round 22, thereby extending their winning streak to three matches.
The win extended Leverkusen's lead over second-placed Bayern to eight points, putting pressure on their opponents ahead of their trip to Bochum on the evening of February 18. Leverkusen have yet to lose a game this season. They are unbeaten in 32 consecutive matches in all competitions, with 28 wins and four draws, equalling the record Bayern set under Hansi Flick from 2019 to 2020.
Adli celebrates with his teammates after raising the score to 2-0 for Leverkusen. Photo: Reuters
Alonso and his players crushed Heidenheim 4-1 in the first leg. But the away match at Voith Arena was not easy for them. Despite controlling 70% of the ball, Leverkusen had many difficulties against the opponent's aggressive style of play. It was not until injury time that they opened the score thanks to a quick transition.
Starting from Florian Wirtz's central dribble, Amine Adli crossed from the left wing, sending the ball past several players before reaching Jeremie Frimpong. The away team's right-back finished with a left-footed shot into the near corner, leaving goalkeeper Kevin Muller helpless despite touching the ball with his hand.
Leverkusen continued to dominate and create clearer chances in the second half. In the 77th minute, Wirtz faced Muller in an open position. But the midfielder's powerful shot from close range hit the crossbar. However, three minutes later, Wirtz made up for his mistake by passing a pass to Amine Adli who dribbled past Muller before finishing into an empty net.
Heidenheim reduced the deficit in the 86th minute. Center-back Tim Kleindienst took advantage of his 1.94m height to head the ball close to the goal after a pass from Nikola Dovedan. But that was all the home team could do. In the next round, Leverkusen will host Mainz on February 23.
In the same match, Dortmund dropped points when they visited Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena. They opened the scoring in the eighth minute thanks to a close-range tap-in from Niclas Fullkrug. However, Dortmund only held the advantage until the start of the second half, before Yannick Gerhardt headed home after a scramble.
The draw prevented Dortmund from closing the gap with third-placed Stuttgart. Edin Terzic's team currently has 41 points after 22 matches, five points behind Stuttgart and one point ahead of fifth-placed Leipzig.
Vinh San
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