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Bayern Munich came from behind and finished the match with nine players in a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, allowing Borussia Dortmund to close to within nine points of the Bundesliga leaders. Luis Díaz, who scored the equaliser after Aleix García’s opener, was sent off in the 84th minute for a second yellow card. Nicolas Jackson had received a red card in the 42nd minute.
Leverkusen took the lead in the sixth minute after Montrell Culbreath stole the ball off Díaz and fed it to Patrik Schick, who set up García on the edge of the box. The midfielder slotted home with a deflected shot. The hosts defended well to contain Bayern, and frustration showed when Jackson was sent off before half-time for a late challenge on Martin Terrier.
Bayern played with third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich because Manuel Neuer has a calf problem and backup Jonas Urbig was concussed in the 6-1 win over Atalanta midweek in the Champions League. Ulreich denied an effort from Schick in a one-on-one situation at the hour mark just before Harry Kane came on.
Back from a calf injury, Kane played for the first time since 28 February after scoring eight goals in his past four Bundesliga games. He fired the ball into an empty net in the 62nd minute but it was disallowed for blocking the goalkeeper’s clearance with a hand in the buildup.
Díaz levelled in the 69th with a low shot from Michael Olise’s precise setup. The Colombia winger later received a second yellow card for diving and Bayern were down to nine men with six minutes left to play. The hosts could not snatch the win despite pushing hard until the end as Jonas Hofmann had a goal ruled out deep in stoppage time. Bayern haven’t won at Leverkusen in the league since October 2021.
Dortmund were in total control throughout the first half and Augsburg was lucky to trail by just one goal at half-time. Karim Adeyemi broke the deadlock in the 13th and had several other chances, hitting the woodwork twice. Luca Reggiani made it 2-0 in the 59th.
Hoffenheim, aiming to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2018-19 season, stayed third – 17 points behind Bayern – after a 1-1 draw with relegation-threatened Wolfsburg. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Heidenheim 1-0 with a goal from Arnaud Kalimuendo.
Inter were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Atalanta on Saturday, as the Serie A leaders continued to drop points. Inter have 68 points, eight ahead of second-placed Milan who visit Lazio on Sunday. Atalanta remain seventh on 47 points. Francesco Pio Esposito gave Inter the lead in the 26th minute but they failed to put the game beyond Atalanta in a lacklustre display. The visitors found the equaliser through Nikola Krstovic eight minutes from time, with the Inter manager, Cristian Chivu, sent off as the home side furiously protested against a foul in the build-up.
Later on Saturday in Serie A, Napoli in third take on struggling Lecce and sixth-placed Juventus visit mid-table Udinese in the battle to be in next season’s Champions League.
In Spain, Getafe’s Abdel Abqar was sent off following a VAR review for grabbing the genitals of the Atlético Madrid striker Alexander Sorloth at the Metropolitano stadium, in an incident that stunned players and supporters alike. The flashpoint came around the 55th minute when the referee Miguel Angel Ortiz halted play and signalled a possible sending-off offence after being alerted by VAR, with the game being paused for several minutes.
The stoppage initially baffled those inside the stadium as it followed a routine challenge between Nahuel Molina and Mauro Arambarri, with nothing in that exchange suggesting a red card was imminent. Clarity arrived only when Ortiz consulted the pitchside monitor and replays shown on the stadium’s big screens revealed an off-the-ball altercation between Sorloth and Abqar. The footage showed the Moroccan defender touching the Norwegian’s groin. Sorloth reacted angrily, grabbing Abqar’s arm and pulling him to the ground.
After reviewing the images, the referee showed Abqar a straight red card for unsportsmanlike behaviour, while Sorloth was shown a yellow card for his reaction. The lengthy delay added an unusual subplot to a match ultimately settled by Molina’s first-half goal, which secured a 1-0 win for Diego Simeone’s side.
In the evening, Real Madrid seek to follow up their first-leg win over Manchester City by beating Elche and cutting Barcelona’s lead at the top to one point, before the Catalan club host Sevilla on Sunday.
PSV Eindhoven could become Dutch champions on Sunday if they win at home to Nijmegen this evening. Victory would take PSV 22 points clear of Feyenoord, who would host Excelsior on Sunday knowing defeat would hand their rivals the title with seven games to play.
In France, Paris Saint-Germain have been given the weekend off between their two legs against Chelsea, so Lens can go two points clear with a win at Lorient.
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