LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — German champion Bayer Leverkusen lost a Bundesliga game for the first time in 15 months when Loïs Openda scored twice in a 3-2 comeback win for Leipzig on Saturday.
Under coach Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen has made crucial late goals a speciality. It briefly seemed like that might happen again when the referee went to review a possible penalty in the 86th minute after Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba and Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick made contact.
The referee decided against the spot kick and Leverkusen lost to a German opponent for the first time since May 2023 after 35 Bundesliga games unbeaten, including its entire title-winning 2023-24 season.
“It’s hard, it’s bitter,” Alonso told German broadcaster Sky. “I don’t think we deserved to lose today.”
Leipzig came back from 2-0 down as it made the most of relatively few chances, generally on the counter, to seal a comeback win. Its three goals came from 10 shots to Leverkusen’s 27.
Leverkusen scored twice in the space of six first-half minutes, first when Jeremie Frimpong intercepted a loose pass, sent defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu the wrong way and beat goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. Alex Grimaldo then finished off a team move that included new signing Martin Terrier drawing Gulacsi out of position.
Still, the momentum was with Leipzig at halftime after Kevin Kampl’s added-time header, and Openda then turned the game around with two precise finishes. He leveled the score with a shot from a tight angle near the touchline, and made it 3-2 with a curling effort from outside the box.
“Leipzig’s goal (from Kampl) before the break was something that changed (the game),” Alonso said. “We were prepared to play well and keep going in the second half, but we didn’t have too much control, the game was too open and we conceded two goals too simply.”
Leipzig managed its comeback without coach Marco Rose, who was sent to the stands early on after two yellow cards for dissent in quick succession.
Dortmund draws
Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off as his team held on for 0-0 against Werder Bremen.
Schlotterbeck picked up his second yellow card for a clumsy tackle on Justin Njinmah in the 73rd minute as Champions League runner-up Dortmund lacked the cutting edge from its 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week.
Shortly before that, Schlotterbeck had a header saved, one of Dortmund’s best chances in a game lacking clear-cut opportunities to score.
Stuttgart drama
Stuttgart was denied a first league win in dramatic style as Maxim Leitsch’s diving header salvaged a 3-3 draw for Mainz.
Leitsch scored deep into stoppage time when Stuttgart was on the verge of winning, having taken a 3-2 lead when Fabian Rieder’s 88th-minute free kick bounced off the post but in off goalkeeper Robin Zentner’s back. Stuttgart had led 2-0 before an earlier Mainz comeback.
Stuttgart, which finished a surprise second in the Bundesliga last season, has a tendency to give up leads this season. Stuttgart led Freiburg in its league opener last week but lost 3-1, and the team conceded a late goal before losing to Leverkusen on penalties in the German Super Cup.
Promoted Holstein Kiel’s coach Marcel Rapp was sent off as his team’s first-ever home game in the Bundesliga ended in a 2-0 loss to Wolfsburg. New signing Tim Kleindienst scored one goal and set up another as Borussia Moenchengladbach won at Bochum 2-0. Frankfurt beat Hoffenheim 3-1.
___
This story has corrected Leverkusen’s shot count to 27, not 17, and Leipzig’s to 10, not six.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
