Leverkusen cruise past bottom placed Kiel to keep pressure on Bayern

Berlin: Bayer Leverkusen maintained its status as Bayern Munich’s closest challenger with a 2-0 victory over bottom side Holstein Kiel in the 23rd round of Bundesliga.

Leverkusen took control from the opening whistle, dominating possession and creating threats early on through set pieces. Jonathan Tah volleyed over the bar in the fourth minute, and goalkeeper Tim Weiner was forced into action to tip a deflected header over the crossbar shortly after. Moments later, Shuto Machino cleared a header from Patrick Schick off the line in the sixth minute.

Leverkusen’s persistence paid off in the ninth minute when Amine Adli provided a precise pass into the box, allowing Schick to fire past Weiner from close range. Despite their early advantage, the Werkself struggled to create clear-cut chances as the half progressed.

On the stroke of half-time, Florian Wirtz assisted Adli to double Leverkusen’s lead. The attacking midfielder released Adli with a through ball, and the striker finished clinically from a tight angle just before the break.

The result heightens Kiel’s relegation fears at the bottom of the table, while Leverkusen’s title ambitions are buoyed by their position just five points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere, Mainz climbed into the top five thanks to goals from Lee Jae-Sung and Paul Nebel in their 2-0 victory over St. Pauli. Wolfsburg held relegation-threatened Bochum to a late 1-1 draw, while Augsburg returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory over ten-man Borussia Monchengladbach. Borussia Dortmund ended a two-game losing streak in the league, as Serhou Guirassy’s four goals led to a 6-0 thrashing of struggling Union Berlin. IANS

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