This was the game nobody really wanted to play. With the Bundesliga all wrapped up with four games to spare and the Champions’ League semi-final against Barcelona just around the corner, injury-hit FC Bayern presented an unfamiliar lineup with a number of new faces and tried their best, only to fall short against an enterprising Leverkusen outfit chasing a coveted automatic spot in next season’s Champions’ League group phase. Continue reading Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FCB
Over two hours of football couldn’t separate FC Bayern from DFB-Pokal quarter-final opponents Bayer 04 Leverkusen, with a pulsating encounter going all the way to the lottery of a penalty shootout. In the end the matter was decided by one crucial save from goalkeeping hero Manuel Neuer and a calm and composed winning strike from comeback kid Thiago Alcântara – with Bayern coach Pep Guardiola calmly watching from the sidelines on a small wooden chair, at times rocking gently. Continue reading Bayer 04 Leverkusen v FCB
Having laboured to a single-goal win over Hertha BSC the week before FC Bayern München were pitted in the late Saturday afternoon Spitzenspiel against third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, and once again claimed all three points with relative ease – though there was more than the odd scare to keep Pep Guardiola’s side on their toes. Continue reading FCB v Bayer 04 Leverkusen