Borussia Dortmund – Bayer Leverkusen 2:3: Alonso’s men win thriller
Borussia Dortmund suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat against Bayer Leverkusen in an entertaining game at Signal Iduna Park.
Despite a spirited comeback in the second half, Dortmund’s defensive errors in the early stages proved costly as Leverkusen’s clinical finishing helped them take all three points in this Bundesliga game.
The game started with a bang as Bayer Leverkusen took the initiative almost immediately. Nathan Tella opened the scoring in the first minute with an impressive right-footed shot into the top left corner following a well-timed header pass from Robert Andrich.
Dortmund were unprepared and struggled to regain their footing before Leverkusen doubled their lead just seven minutes later.
Patrik Schick found space in the penalty area and, after an assist from Piero Hincapie, shot a right-footed shot into the top right corner.
Dortmund responded in the 12th minute through Jamie Gittens, whose precise left-footed shot from close range brought the hosts back into the game.
Start 2025 with a W! 😮💨
90+5′ | 2-3 | #BVBB04 pic.twitter.com/fGfVh4yEMT
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) January 10, 2025
However, their hopes of leveling the game were short-lived. Leverkusen’s relentless attack continued and Schick struck again in the 19th minute, scoring a confident left-footed shot after an assist from Jeremie Frimpong.
In the second half, a determined Dortmund team tried to fight back.
Maximilian Beier and Karim Adeyemi tested Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky, but their attempts were either saved or just missed the goal.
A crucial moment came in the 75th minute when Julien Duranville caused a foul by Edmond Tapsoba in the penalty area, triggering a VAR review that resulted in a penalty for Dortmund.
Serhou Guirassy stepped up and calmly converted the penalty, reducing the deficit to 3-2.
The final phase was characterized by hectic action as Dortmund threw everything forward in search of an equalizer.
Substitute Donyell Malen had a chance in the 93rd minute and Felix Nmecha’s late effort from midfield added more drama.
Tempers heated up in the final moments of the game when Nmecha received a yellow card in stoppage time for a careless foul on Florian Wirtz.
Despite Dortmund’s relentless pressure, Leverkusen managed to hold on and hand Xabi Alonso a hard-fought victory.
