Nathan Tella and Florian Wirtz scored as Bayer Leverkusen defeated 10-man Wolfsburg 2-0 on Sunday to move closer to their first Bundesliga title. Bayern Munich’s 8-1 victory over Mainz on Saturday, which included Harry Kane’s fourth hat-trick of the season, reduced the gap to seven points. With nine games remaining, Leverkusen remains unbeaten in all competitions this season and leads by ten points. “It wasn’t easy, but it was well-deserved,” said Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka. “I’m sure the fans would have wished for more goals, but three points are three points.”
Wolfsburg’s Moritz Jenz received a second yellow card after 28 minutes, giving Leverkusen an advantage.
It was the third league match in a row that Leverkusen’s opponents were reduced to ten men, demonstrating the impact of coach Xabi Alonso’s high-energy football.
“We could have taken more risks, but that’s not what we wanted. “We wanted to be patient and wait,” Alonso told DAZN.
Leverkusen played just two days after returning from Azerbaijan, where they rallied from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Qarabag in the Europa League last 16.
Alonso made eight substitutions to keep his team fresh, while impressive wing-back Jeremie Frimpong was forced to watch from the stands due to suspension.
The hosts took the lead 11 minutes after Jenz was sent off when Tella leaped high to head in a delightful Alex Grimaldo chip, the Spaniard’s eleventh assist of the season.
Wirtz, who started the resurgence with a beautiful chipped goal in Thursday’s match in Baku, added his second on Sunday with four minutes left.
Gregoritsch scores again
Freiburg defeated Bochum 2-1 thanks to goals from Michael Gregoritsch and Maximilian Eggestein, who will face West Ham in the Europa League second leg next week.
Gregoritsch’s strike, coming after he scored the only goal to give Freiburg a 1-0 lead in their last-16 tie on Thursday, proved crucial once again.
Eggestein gave the visitors the lead in the 36th minute, converting a looping Gregoritsch header.
Gregoritsch doubled the visitors’ lead early in the second half after receiving an inch-perfect Ritsu Doan pass.
Ivan Ordets’ header cut the deficit in half with just under 30 minutes remaining, but it was insufficient for the home team.
“We were hanging on until the end. Gregoritsch told DAZN, “I’m glad we got over the line.”
Bochum has now lost two consecutive home games since defeating Bayern Munich 3-2 in mid-February.
Freiburg, who are currently eighth after the win, can reach the Europa League quarterfinals for the first time if they avoid defeat at West Ham.
Eintracht Frankfurt defeated nine-man Hoffenheim 3-1 at home, extending the gap between the two clubs to seven points and strengthening the hosts’ hold on sixth place, the final guaranteed European spot.
Hoffenheim’s US defender John Brooks went from hero to villain, scoring after six minutes before being sent off 16 minutes later for a last-man tackle on Omar Marmoush.
Frankfurt capitalized on their advantage, scoring three unanswered goals through Robin Koch, Eric Dina Ebimbe, and Mario Goetze.
With 12 minutes remaining, Hoffenheim’s former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak received a second yellow card.
