Leverkusen overpowers Bochum to stay in Bundesliga title race
Bayer Leverkusen kept their Bundesliga title hopes alive after a 3-1 victory over VfL Bochum on Saturday
- BERLIN — Bayer
Leverkusen kept their Bundesliga title hopes alive after closing the gap on
leaders Bayern Munich to three points with a 3-1 victory over VfL Bochum on
Saturday.
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- Leverkusen made their intentions of staying in the title race
clear early on. Dominating possession and controlling the tempo, the hosts were
rewarded in the 20th minute when Aleix Garcia found space outside the area and
curled a shot into the top corner, leaving Bochum goalkeeper Timo Horn with no
chance, reported Xinhua
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- But the visitors, desperate for points in their relegation
battle, made quick response. Six minutes later, Felix Passlack stunned the home
crowd with a volley from the edge of the area to level the scores.
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- Despite enjoying over 70 percent of the possession in the
first half, Leverkusen struggled to convert their dominance into further goals
as Bochum defended well and looked dangerous on the counterattack.
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- Leverkusen regained momentum after the break and Victor
Boniface found the back of the net on the hour mark. A free kick saw Garcia
float the ball into the box, where Piero Hincapie flicked it on for Boniface to
slot home from close range.
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- Substitute Amine Adli put the result beyond doubt with three
minutes to play. After a swift counterattack, the winger raced clear and
slotted home.
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- "Bochum put up a good fight. We dominated from the
beginning and basically handed them their goal. But overall, we stayed
confident and got the win we deserved," said Leverkusen captain Lukas
Hradecky.
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- Bayern Munich faces St Pauli on Saturday (8:00 PM).
