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Xabi Alonso and Leverkusen knock Bayern out of DFB-Pokal

Bayer Leverkusen continued their unbeaten streak against Bayern Munich under Xabi Alonso, securing a 1-0 victory at the Allianz Arena in a game of DFB-Pokal round of 16. Substitute Nathan Tella scored the only goal of the match in the 69th minute, sending Leverkusen into the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Both teams entered the game without key forwards. Bayern manager Vincent Kompany missed Harry Kane due to injury, while Alonso deployed Florian Wirtz in a false nine role for Leverkusen. Bayern faced an uphill battle from the 17th minute when goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sent off with a straight red card for a foul on Jeremie Frimpong outside the penalty area, marking a historic moment in Neuer’s career, as it was his first red card in 923 professional matches. His dismissal heavily influenced the proceedings of the match, allowing Leverkusen to control much of the game and capitalize through Tella’s strike.

With this result, Alonso extended his unbeaten run against Bayern to five matches, further solidifying Leverkusen’s reputation as an extremely tough opponent for the Bavarian giants.



 Author: Paul Kemp

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