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Jeremie Frimpong narrowly misses the goal
Photo: Thilo Schmuelgen / REUTERS
Bayer Leverkusen did not get past a 0-0 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga. Although Leverkusen had the game firmly under control against a defensive Borussia, no goals were scored on matchday 19 at the BayArena. With 49 points, the Werkself remain at the top of the table and are two points ahead of FC Bayern. Gladbach is still twelfth. For the first time this season, Leverkusen remains without a goal in a competitive game.
Because FC Bayern had won at FC Augsburg in the afternoon, Leverkusen's lead over the Munich record champions was only one point before the game, and it hasn't been this close for a long time. Unimpressed by this, the hosts played their combination game with remarkable precision. Gladbach barely got the ball in the early stages and just ran after it. Nadiem Amiri, who came into the starting lineup for the injured Exequiel Palacios, had the first good opportunity after just four minutes.
Gladbach barely made it into the opponents' half, but Luca Netz surprisingly appeared free on the left side of the penalty area and tested goalkeeper Matej Kovar for the first time, who was standing between the posts for regular goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký (22'). Shortly afterwards, Florian Wirtz took the lead (23'). Borussia found their way into the game a little more during the first half and stabilized defensively.
Neuhaus prevents the deficit with a tackle
A similar picture emerged in the second half: Leverkusen was the more active team, Gladbach made no move to give up their basic defensive stance, but occasionally found themselves in serious trouble. Jeremie Frimpong's shot from close range went wide of the goal (57'), and Alejandro Grimaldo's attempt also failed (60'). In the following scene, Florian Neuhaus Frimpong slipped the ball off his foot in the penalty area (61). In the final phase, Leverkusen continued to push for the lead - unlike in the last two Bundesliga games without success.
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