Bayern Hold Leverkusen To Maintain Bundesliga Lead.
Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen were unable to close the gap on league leaders Bayern Munich as the two sides played out a goalless draw at the BayArena.
Leverkusen, who ended Bayern’s 11-year dominance by lifting the Meisterschale last season, had hoped to make up ground in the title race. However, Bayern, now managed by Vincent Kompany, held firm to maintain their commanding eight-point lead at the top of the table.
The home side, Leverkusen were the more dominant team, enjoying the lion’s share of possession and creating the better chances. Bayern, in contrast, struggled to threaten, failing to register a shot until the 73rd minute.
Harry Kane, who has been in prolific form with 21 Bundesliga goals this season, endured a frustrating evening under the watchful eye of England manager Thomas Tuchel. The striker’s only real chance of the game came from a header, which he sent over the crossbar.
Leverkusen came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half, with Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella both rattling the woodwork within five minutes of each other. Tella remained a constant threat, narrowly missing an acrobatic effort and seeing a powerful header cleared off the line by Hiroki Ito in the second half.
As the game edged towards its conclusion, Amine Adli had a golden opportunity to snatch victory for Leverkusen, but Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer produced a superb reflex save to preserve a point for the visitors.
Leverkusen, who have already secured a place in the Champions League last 16, looked the fresher of the two sides but lacked a clinical touch in front of goal.
Bayern, meanwhile, will now shift their focus to European competition as they prepare for their Champions League play-off second leg against Celtic on Tuesday, where they hold a narrow 2-1 advantage.
