Bayern Munich fought back to secure a 1-1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, even after concluding the match with only nine players. This result allowed Borussia Dortmund to narrow the gap to nine points behind the Bundesliga leaders.
Luis Díaz, who netted the equalizer after Aleix García scored first for Leverkusen, received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 84th minute. Earlier, Nicolas Jackson had been shown a red card in the 42nd minute.
The opening goal for Leverkusen came in the sixth minute when Montrell Culbreath intercepted the ball from Díaz and passed it to Patrik Schick. Schick laid it off for García, who scored with a deflected shot from the edge of the box.
The home side defended resolutely against Bayern’s attempts to equalize, and Jackson was dismissed for a late challenge on Martin Terrier
. Bayern was forced to rely on third-choice goalkeeper Sven Ulreich after Manuel Neuer suffered a calf injury, and backup Jonas Urbig was ruled out due to a concussion sustained in the 6-1 victory over Atalanta in the Champions League. Ulreich managed to stop Schick’s one-on-one attempt shortly before Harry Kane entered the match.
Returning from a calf injury, Kane made his first appearance since February 28, having scored eight goals in his last four Bundesliga matches. He found the net in the 62nd minute, but it was disallowed as he had handled the ball in the buildup.
Díaz equalized in the 69th minute with a low shot following a precise assist from Michael Olise. However, Díaz later received a second yellow card for diving, reducing Bayern to nine men with just six minutes remaining. Despite their best efforts, Leverkusen could not secure a win, with Jonas Hofmann having a late goal controversially ruled out in stoppage time.
Bayern has not triumphed at Leverkusen in league play since October 2021.