The match between league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and defending champions Bayern Munich was delayed due to fan protests at the BayArena.
Fans threw sweets and small rubber balls on the pitch, causing a delay of around eight minutes before kick-off. The fans threw objects on the pitch and waited for the ground staff to clear it before launching another wave of objects on the field.
The protests came in light of Bundesliga’s plans to sell a stake of revenues to an outside investor, with talks being held with prospective buyers. The game between Union Berlin and Wolfsburg also saw fans protesting in a similar manner, forcing their match to be delayed by around half an hour.
LEVERKUSEN CONTINUE UNBEATEN RUN
Xabi Alonso’s side consolidated their lead at the top of the table with a resounding 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Saturday. The impeccable performance saw the Leverkusen steer their way to a five-point lead at the summit of the league, placing the title race firmly in their hands.
The triumphant match for Bayer Leverkusen saw a trio of goals netted by Josip Stanisic, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Jeremie Frimpong. This victory extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak to a remarkable 31 matches across all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, the reigning champions, Bayern Munich, seemed to fade into the background, mustering only a single shot on target throughout the match.
An error from Bayern’s defence gave Leverkusen their first goal. Robert Andrich swiftly took a throw-in, which Stanisic, who is on loan from Bayern, found unguarded at the far post and deftly tapped in. Moments after the restart of the game, Spain’s Alejandro Grimaldo doubled Leverkusen’s lead with his eighth league goal of the season.
Leverkusen showed no signs of slowing down and almost bagged their third goal, but Frimpong’s low driving shot flew wide in the 73rd minute.
However, Frimpong was presented with another opportunity to score when Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer went into the opposition box for a stoppage-time corner and couldn’t get back into his box in time as the Bayer full-back scored a 25-yarder in an empty net.
As a result of this powerful performance, Leverkusen has now amassed 55 points, with Bayern Munich lagging behind in second place with 50 points.
