Bayer 04 Leverkusen continued the earnings crisis in the new year and fell out of the Champions League ranks in the Bundesliga.
On Saturday, coach Gerardo Seoane's team only scored 2: 2 (1: 1) against direct rivals Union Berlin and thus remained without a win in the fifth competitive game in a row.
The 17th goal of the season by striker Patrik Schick (38th minute) and a late header by Jonathan Tah (84th) were not enough for Leverkusen's first win in a month.
Grischa Prömel scored a brace for Union (45th / 49th). The Berliners stay close on the heels of Bayer (29) in the table with 28 points. Urs Fischer's team has now been unbeaten in four games against Leverkusen. The guests earned another point with a convincing performance. Leverkusen dominated the game for a long time, but it was too cumbersome in front of goal.
The negative results at the end of the old year were initially noticeable in the Rhinelanders. Bayer initially acted inhibited and had problems with the Köpenickers, who had to change early. For the injured Niko Gießelmann, Bastian Oczipka came into play after just 26 minutes. This led to a break in the game for unexplained reasons, because the former Düsseldorf Gießelmann had not previously been noticed as an offensive driver. Nevertheless, Leverkusen was wide awake from that moment and now determined the game.
This was rewarded by Schick's first goal against Union.
The Czech slammed a ball blocked by goalkeeper Andreas Luthe to score his 17th goal of the season.
For the 25-year-old it was the first goal in the fifth game against Berlin.
However, the lead did not last until the break, although Bayer goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky did everything for it.
In the 45th minute, the Finn saved a long shot from Christopher Trimmel and a subsequent diving header from Kevin Behrens, before he was powerless against Prömels stabber.
The 1-1 break at break was quite flattering for the guests.
Manager Oliver Ruhnert also knew that, who wanted to go home for the break and confessed to Sky: "We already know that we have to show more."
Coach Fischer also seemed to see it that way and switched twice again during the break.
Levin Öztunali came on for the pale Genki Haraguchi and Andreas Voglsammer replaced Behrens in the attack.
Berlin came out of the locker room with significantly more momentum and quickly took the lead.
Again Prömel pushed a failed shot by Max Kruse over the line.
This again led to more pressure from Leverkusen.
The Bayer attacks were haphazard for a long time before Tah was able to head a cross from substitute Karim Bellarabi over the line.
In stoppage time, Leverkusen was once again lucky that Oczipka only hit the post.