first defeat is avoided in extremis

Champion Bayer Leverkusen managed to avoid another final defeat on Sunday evening. Niclas Füllkrug thought he would give Borussia Dortmund the win in the 80th minute, but Josip Stanisic headed Leverkusen deep into injury time to equalize: 1-1. Die Werkself extends the unbeaten streak to 45 matches, while Dortmund remains stuck in fifth place, two points behind RB Leipzig.

At Dortmund, Donyell Malen was still missing due to injuries. Ian Maatsen, on the other hand, did appear at the kick-off. Xabi Alonso decided to rest many of his star players. Florian Wirtz, Victor Boniface and Exequiel Palacios all had to settle for a reserve role, while Jeremie Frimpong started as wingback.

The Dutch international had the first small opportunity from a cross in the opening phase. Because the offensive defender's timing was not quite right, he saw his header go well over the home team's goal.

Dortmund crawled through the eye of the needle after half an hour after Emre Can kicked Frimpong's heel on the edge of his own sixteen. The VAR assessed the moment, but ultimately decided not to award a penalty to the visitors.

Leverkusen dominated possession, although they were unable to convert this into great opportunities. Alejandro Grimaldo came closest with a free kick that narrowly went over the crossbar.

Dortmund should have taken the lead on the stroke of half-time, if not for Lukas Hradecky's brilliant save from Marcel Sabitzer's hard shot.

Leverkusen also had difficulty creating opportunities in the second company, so Alons decided to bring Wirtz into the line. It did not have the desired effect. In fact, Dortmund managed to break the spell in the 80th minute through Füllkrug, who scored from close range: 1-0. Grimaldo still thought in extremis

This seemed to be the first defeat in all competitions that Workself to become a reality this season. Grimaldo thought he had already secured the escape at the last minute, but had not counted on Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who tapped the ball out of the intersection. The subsequent corner kick resulted in a goal: Stanisic convincingly headed Wirtz's corner against the ropes: 1-1.

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