Leverkusen stun Bayern

BERLIN: Defending champions Bayern Munich crashed to a shock 3-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, allowing Borussia Dortmund to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to seven points.

Superb second-half goals by Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey, Kevin Volland and Lucas Alario inflicted only a fourth league defeat this season on second-placed Bayern as Dortmund added a point to their lead despite drawing 1-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern had their seven-match winning streak in the league ended abruptly and lived dangerously early on at Leverkusen, whose forward Kevin Volland fired a shot off Mats Hummels arm, but the referee waved away furious penalty appeals.

Bayern’s in-form midfielder Leon Goretzka showed why head coach Niko Kovac has to start him in his star-studded line-up with a superb opening goal.

When Leverkusen winger Julian Brandt broke clear, it was Goretzka who sprinted back to win the ball.

Bayern countered quickly and, with Leverkusen failing to get back, Goretzka sprinted between two defenders to head home his fourth goal in three games on 41 minutes for a superb box-to-box goal.

It should have been 2-0 at the break to Bayern as Robert Lewandowski put the ball in Leverkusen’s net, but the video assistant referee ruled the effort marginally offside.

However, Leverkusen’s fleet-footed attack hit top gear in the second-half, sparked eight minutes after the break when Jamaican winger Leon Bailey curled a free-kick past Bayern’s reserve goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, in for thumb-injury victim Manuel Neuer.