The front-runners of the Bundesliga, Bayer Leverkusen, emerged victorious against Union Berlin with a 1-0 win on Saturday. This win marked their 28th consecutive undefeated game, tying with the league record. With a 16-point lead and only six games left, their first league title seems almost guaranteed.
Under the guidance of their coach, Xabi Alonso, Bayer Leverkusen has had an impressive season, going unbeaten in 41 games in all competitions thus far. The team has a chance to seal the Bundesliga title and secure their first trophy in 31 years if they beat Werder Bremen at their next home game. Moreover, they are on course to break Bayern Munich's 11-year reign on the league, as Bayern has been the Bundesliga champion since 2013.
The team's coach expressed immense pride in the team's performance as they were adequately prepared and displayed the right mindset.
Right now, things are looking pretty favorable for us, and we might just have a reason to celebrate soon,” stated Alonso. </p><p class="dcr-1yh5nre">Leverkusen, often criticized as "Neverkusen" due to their lack of success in clinching trophies over the past years, has finally advanced to the German Cup final. Additionally, they are set to compete against West Ham in the forthcoming Europa League quarter-final first leg match next week. Alonso voiced, “I'm not fond of comparisons. We have our distinct approach to the game which we've followed from the start, and we've seen significant development through this method.
"We aim to continue with the same momentum regardless if its the Europa League or the German Cup." Bayern Munich, currently in second place, suffered a surprising 3-2 loss to Heidenheim despite initially leading with 2-0. The Bavarian team, set to face Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday, seemed to be on their way to an easy victory following first-half goals from Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry. Nevertheless, Heidenheim turned the tables by scoring two quick goals within two minutes, courtesy of Kevin Sessa and Tim Kleindienst, leaving Thomas Tuchel's team in shock. Kleindienst secured the three points offering Bayern's second consecutive league defeat.
Tuchel explained that all the groundwork they had laid in the latter half of the game was undone within 10-15 minutes. They had opportunities to change the game's direction, but instead, they allowed an easy goal. The reason for this is inexplicable to him, suggesting that maintaining focus at an optimum level is a challenge for them.
It's not easy to clarify. I can depict it, but getting it across clearly is a challenge. Stuttgart equaled Bayern's point tally after obtaining a 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund. The sole goal of the match was made by Serhou Guirassy, effectively concluding a superb team maneuver halfway through the second round. Köln improved their chances of avoiding relegation by a last-minute score of two goals, defeating their equally struggling competitors, Bochum, with a result of 2-1.
Mainz managed to gain an important victory of 4-0 against the last placed team, Darmstadt, whilst RB Leipzig overwhelmed Freiburg 4-1 in an away game.
Over in Serie A, Milan had a smooth 3-0 win against Lecce at their home ground. This victory was facilitated when Lecce was restricted to 10 players shortly before half-time.
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring for Milan with a brilliantly curved shot from the edge of the penalty area. Olivier Giroud quickly followed up with a close-range finish following a corner kick in the 20th minute. Right before the halftime whistle, Lecce was disadvantaged further when their striker Nikola Krstovic received a direct red card for fouling Samuel Chukwueze. Rafael Leão then raised the score to 3-0 for Milan after a solo goal scored before the 60-minute mark.
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For further details, please read our Privacy Policy. To secure our website, we employ Google reCaptcha, subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. Post-newsletter advertisements may follow. Olivier Giroud was seen saluting the crowd after Milan's triumphant 3-0 victory against Lecce, as captured by photographer Gabriel Bouys. Currently, Milan holds the second position with 68 points, leading Juventus, the third-placed team by nine points. Juventus is set to face Fiorentina this coming Sunday, while Internazionale, trailing by 11 points, is slated to play against the 14th-placed Udinese on Monday. Lecce still holds 13th position, having earned 29 points.
Stefano Pioli, the manager of Milan, expressed to DAZN that his team's mindset played a significant part in their performance. Although they had a rocky season with challenges that caused internal struggles, they displayed resilience. Currently, they are in a great place and have a commitment to maintaining this positive phase by having high motivation in every upcoming match.
In a triumphant Rome derby, Daniele De Rossi, as Roma's coach, secured his first victory thanks to a goal by Gianluca Mancini sealing a 1-0 triumph against Lazio. Mancini used a Paulo Dybala corner to score just before the halfway mark, edging Roma two points close to the fourth-placed Bologna.
M'Baye Niang's goal during overtime led to Empoli's important 3-2 win against Torino, ending their string of four consecutive losses and helping them escape the relegation area. Despite Torino managing to equalize twice with Duvan Zapata's headers, the second one seeming to earn them a draw in the initial minute of overtime, Niang scored another goal just three minutes later.
In the other match, Paris St Germain, the current top team in Ligue 1, was saved from a loss on their home ground at Parc des Princes by a late goal from Gonçalo Ramos, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Clermont, the team at the bottom of the standings. PSG went into halftime trailing by a goal due to a mistake in their defense, which Habib Keita capitalized on.
The hosting team had control over the second half, yet it wasn't until the 85th minute that the game was tied up, thanks to the efforts of stand-in player Kylian Mbappé assisting Ramos. This outcome puts PSG with a 13 point lead over Brest, with Brest scheduled to face Metz come Sunday.
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