Grimaldo and Wirtz whirl: Leverkusen remain at the top
Bayer Leverkusen and young star Florian Wirtz remain top of the Bundesliga table. Coach Xabi Alonso's team won 3:2 (2:0) at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and celebrated their ninth victory on the tenth matchday.
The Werkself played some brilliant soccer - but also made mistakes in defense. Leverkusen defended first place regardless of the outcome of Borussia Dortmund's clash with FC Bayern in the evening.
The outstanding Wirtz (9th minute) and Alejandro Grimaldo (45th +1/70th) scored the goals for the leaders in front of 30,150 spectators in the sold-out stadium in Sinsheim. A blunder by goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky led to Anton Stach scoring the equalizer (56'). Two minutes later, Hoffenheim surprisingly equalized through Wout Weghorst.
15 games without defeat
With 15 games in a row without defeat, Leverkusen broke their club record - a feat last achieved in 2001/2002 under coach Klaus Toppmöller. Ahead of the next challenge in the Europa League on Thursday at FK Karabakh Agdam in Azerbaijan, the Bayer squad may have been very casual at times, but once again proved their class.
Even without the injured striker Patrik Schick, Bayer pushed forward from the start and allowed Hoffenheim to run a lot with their ball security. A stroke of genius from Wirtz thrilled the 3,000 fans in attendance after just a few minutes: The 20-year-old international left Robert Skov and Ozan Kabak out in the cold and passed to Victor Boniface, who played a perfect pass to the talented striker. Wirtz only had to shoot in.
Kramaric back at Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim, for whom Andrej Kramaric only came on in the closing stages after more than a month out injured, responded by stepping up their attacking efforts. A tricky shot by Marius Bülter from 25 meters caused Hradecky some trouble. After a strong start, Leverkusen lost precision in attack. Nevertheless, the super-technicians around Wirtz gave the impression that they could go one better at any time - which they did immediately before the break through Grimaldo following a corner.
TSG coach Pellegrino Matarazzo had already said the following about the in-form opponents: "They are ready for a title." However, his team suddenly put the visitors in trouble after the break. First, new goalscorer Maximilian Beier was unable to convert a double chance (50'). Then Stach did not miss an invitation from Hradecky: He gratefully accepted the Bayer keeper's misplaced pass and shot in from 35 meters to make it 1:2.
Three minutes later, a shot from Beier bounced against the post and Weghorst slid the ball into the net to equalize. The Dutch attacker even missed a great headed chance to make it 3:2 for the strengthened home side. Leverkusen were only briefly taken aback by the two goals they conceded: Grimaldo secured Leverkusen a deserved victory with a curling shot.
- Bayer Leverkusen's impressive run continues in the Bundesliga, with their young star Florian Wirtz scoring against TSG Hoffenheim, helping their team maintain their lead in the table, just like TSG Hoffenheim's former player Andrej Kramaric did for them back in the day.
- Despite some defensive lapses, Bayer Leverkusen managed to secure all three points against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, with their left-back Alejandro Grimaldo adding to Florian Wirtz's goal, ensuring Bayer Leverkusen remain at the top of the table, just like how TSG Hoffenheim finished in the Bundesliga when Grimaldo was playing for them.
Source: www.dpa.com
