Berlin: Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to secure a 3-2 victory courtesy of Piero Hincapie’s last-gasp winner against Leipzig to consolidate its top position in Bundesliga.
Leipzig had an excellent start and broke the deadlock with seven minutes played as Xaver Schlager’s build-up work allowed Xavi Simons to slot home with a well-placed turn shot on Saturday night, reports Xinhua.
Leipzig should have doubled its advantage, but Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky defused several promising efforts from the hosts before halftime.
Leverkusen restored parity with two minutes into the second half as Alejandro Grimaldo’s square pass found Nathan Tella, who tapped home from close range at the far post.
Leipzig custodian Janis Blaswich palmed away Florian Wirtz’s shot around the post in the 55th minute, while moments later at the other end of the pitch, Xavi initiated a counterattack following a Leverkusen corner, Dani Olmo raced down the right wing and teed up for Lois Openda, who made no mistake to beat Hradecky.
Leipzig’s lead didn’t last long as Jonas Hofmann curled a corner to the far post where Jonathan Tah nodded home the equalizer at the hour mark.
As both sides appeared to settle for a share of spoils, Grimaldo’s corner kick found Hincapie, who secured the Werkself the second straight last-minute win after poking home from very close in the injury time.
With the hard-fought win, Leverkusen stays on top with a seven-point advantage over Bayern Munich, while Leipzig remains on the fourth position.
In Saturday’s other matches, third-placed Stuttgart lost its second game in a row as Bochum carved out a 1-0 victory on home soil. Borussia Dortmund thrashed Cologne 4-0 thanks to Donyell Malen’s brace. Freiburg gave away a two-goal lead but managed to clinch a 3-2 win with ten men against Hoffenheim. Wolfsburg shared the spoils with Heidenheim at 1-1, and Darmstadt played out a 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.
–IANS