Underdogs strike as Bayern rivals Leverkusen and Dortmund drop points in Bundesliga

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This article was published 05/10/2024 (730 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.

Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team’s 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel’s second point in its debut top-flight season.

Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club’s 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion – the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before.

Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout.

But the home team failed to make more of its dominance — Boniface had another goal ruled out for offside — and Kiel secured a lifeline before the break when Max Geschwil scored after a corner. Fiete Arp scored an unlikely equalizer from the penalty spot in the 69th.

“I wouldn’t say arrogance, but I’d say there’s a bit a complacency. We need to stay concentrated, because we want to be a better team,” Alonso said. “We could win a few games, and not win a few games, up and down, but that’s not our goal. Today we didn’t have the best competitive mindset.”

Dortmund disappoints

Union illustrated early on against Dortmund why it’s the club with one of the most ineffective forward lines in the league. The Köpenick-based team had only four goals from its opening five games.

Former Union player Nico Schlotterbeck offered assistance by conceding a penalty with a foul on the lively Benedict Hollerbach, and Kevin Vogt duly scored the opener from the spot in the 25th.

The home team kept pushing and got its due reward before the break when Yorbe Vertessen let fly through a host of players for 2-0.

Early in the second half, masked Union ultras displayed an array of Dortmund scarves and banners presumably confiscated from their rivals before the game. They hung the tattered flags on the railings behind one of the goals and raised their fists, goading the Dortmund fans far away on the other side.

Former Union player Julien Ryerson responded on the field in the 62nd by firing inside the far post for 2-1, set up by Julian Brandt after a period of pressure from the visitors – but it wasn’t enough.

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Also, Freiburg won at Werder Bremen 1-0, and Wolfsburg enjoyed a 3-1 win in Wolfsburg.

St. Pauli was playing Mainz later.

League leader Bayern visits second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer