Bundesliga: Leverkusen’s title hope stumbles after 2-2 draw with Kiel

Bayer Leverkusen faced a disappointing setback in their Bundesliga title defense on Saturday, relinquishing a two-goal lead to settle for a 2-2 draw against struggling Holstein Kiel. 

Under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen now sits with 11 points from six matches, leaving the door open for Bayern Munich to widen their lead at the top of the table when they take on Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.

Victor Boniface opened the scoring for Leverkusen just four minutes into the match with a well-placed left-footed shot from a tight angle, following a powerful run from Exequiel Palacios.

The Argentine was instrumental in Leverkusen’s second goal as well, assisting Jonas Hofmann, who calmly finished from the edge of the area just four minutes later.

However, defensive issues once again surfaced for Leverkusen, allowing Kiel to score in first-half stoppage time.

Max Geschwill found the net with a shoulder goal that survived a VAR check, highlighting Leverkusen’s ongoing struggles at the back.

In the second half, Leverkusen couldn’t maintain their lead. Kiel’s Jann-Fiete Arp equalized from the penalty spot in the 69th minute.

Despite their attempts to secure a winning goal, Leverkusen was unable to capitalize, leaving them to settle for a draw.

Leverkusen captain Lukas Hradecky said the side had lost some of the winning mentality that helped them wrest the title from Bayern last season.

“We were champions because we approached every game like crazy. Today I didn’t see the desire to kill the game,” the goalkeeper said.

“The lead came too quickly and too easily. You should never give up a 2-0 lead, regardless of whether you’re facing Holstein Kiel, AC Milan or Bayern,” Hradecky added.

In the capital, Union Berlin streaked into a 2-0 lead against Borussia Dortmund thanks to a penalty from Kevin Vogt and a goal from 23-year-old Belgian forward Yorbe Vertessen.

Norwegian international Julian Ryerson put Dortmund back in contention with a 62nd-minute strike but it was not enough as Dortmund crashed to a 2-1 defeat, leaving them with 10 points from a possible 18 this season.