Robert Andrich’s long-range goal on Friday night helped Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen defeat Mainz 2-1 at home, setting a new record for the number of games without a loss in Germany at thirty-three.
Robin Zentner of Mainz made a goalkeeping error that allowed the ball to slide past his hands and into the net, which assisted Andrich in scoring.
Leverkusen looked nervous and committed several uncharacteristic mistakes, but despite this, they are now 11 points ahead of Bayern Munich in their quest for the Bundesliga crown.
“We won’t complain about the three points, but we have to be honest and say we didn’t play a great game and were a bit lucky to win,” Andrich said to DAZN.
Bayern, who on Wednesday announced that they would be parting ways with head coach Thomas Tuchel come summertime, will play RB Leipzig on Saturday.
Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen shattered the record set by Hansi Flick’s Bayern between 2019 and 2020 – a run that includes a Champions League victory — with 29 wins and four draws in their 33 games this season.
Talk of Alonso’s future, including rumors that he was being linked to Liverpool to take over for Jurgen Klopp, and the impending Munich vacancy had dominated the week.
Alonso put an end to the rumors by stating that any talk of going back to the teams he played for was “only hypothetical.”Andrich said to DAZN following the game, “We take it in our stride, but we don’t know anything about it.”
It resembles gossip regarding a player. They can discuss their interests outside of the dressing room as long as everything functions properly within.
Granit Xhaka scored his first goal for Leverkusen in just three minutes, giving the home team the best start possible with a dipping rocket from the edge of the box.
“My teammates reminded me that I hadn’t scored a goal yet, so I was under a lot of pressure,” Xhaka said to DAZN.
“I hope there will be more to come because I’m more than happy.”
But, Leverkusen’s joy was short-lived as Mainz, who was in second place, answered just four minutes later.
The equalizer was masterminded by Nadiem Amiri, who began the season at Leverkusen before joining Mainz in pursuit of playing time. He floated in a free kick that rebounded and was headed in by Dominik Kohr.
Uneasy amid their incredible run this season, the goal sapped Leverkusen’s momentum as their usually deft passes missed the mark.
The pressure was evident when Alonso and Jeremie Frimpong both received yellow cards for protesting the decision not to call a foul on the Dutch winger late in the first half.
Early in the second half, Mainz had a great opportunity to take the lead when the usually dependable Edmond Tapsoba passed the ball right to Lee Jae-sung, but the midfielder missed the goal as it was beckoning.
Midfielder Andrich tried a wild long shot from outside the area with little under 20 minutes left.
Zentner, who had repelled Leverkusen with remarkable skill throughout the game, blew an easy save, giving the home team the lead again.
After only 15 minutes of play, Jessic Ngankam received a straight red card after digging his studs into Xhaka’s calf, reducing Mainz to 10 men late in the game.
With this judgment, Leverkusen went a significant step closer to winning their first-ever league title and dashed Mainz’s dreams of a comeback.
AFP