Lennart Karl scored in the ninth minute of stoppage time to give Bayern Munich a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Freiburg, propelling them towards the Bundesliga title on Saturday.
Freiburg looked set to make it 2-0 in the 81st minute, but Bayern’s young midfielders got things going, with 20-year-old Tom Bischoff scoring twice with a low shot from distance, and 18-year-old Karl turning the game around with a low cross from Alphonso Davies.
With Harry Kane out with an ankle problem and Nicolas Jackson suspended ahead of next week’s Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, Serge Gnabry was tasked with leading Bayern’s attack but could barely make any progress.
Freiburg’s first goal was due to Bayern’s defense, who gave Johann Manzambi enough space to cut in from the left and fire a powerful shot past Manuel Neuer.
Neuer, who had returned to the team after injury, made some strong saves in the first half, but missed Freiburg’s second goal, darting in front of goal and easily converting the corner straight into Freiburg’s striker Lukas Heller.
Michael Olisse missed a big chance for Bayern, but it was Bischoff who made the breakthrough, scoring once from outside the box in the 81st minute, before Freiburg equalized with a quick Bayern corner in stoppage time. Davies’ assist on Karl’s winning goal was an encouraging return from a hamstring injury for the Canadian left-back ahead of the World Cup.
Leverkusen achieved a thrilling victory
Bayer Leverkusen came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Wolfsburg 6-3 in an action-packed match, moving Wolfsburg from the brink of relegation closer to ending their 29-year stay in the First Division.
Leverkusen’s Spanish wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo scored twice, taking his tally to 14 in all competitions this season as they compete for a spot in the World Cup. Patrik Schick, Edmond Tapsova, Ibrahim Maza and Malik Tillman also scored for Leverkusen.
Tapsova’s goal was a redemption after conceding a penalty to Christian Eriksen that gave Wolfsburg their third goal, but the Leverkusen defender was not the only one to achieve this feat. Wolfsburg defender Joachim Mehle was penalized for his own foul just 10 seconds after kick-off and scored with a low drive in the 31st minute.
Leverkusen remained in sixth place and remained firmly in the Champions League contention. Wolfsburg are 17th in the 18-team league and haven’t won since January.
Leipzig supports CL promotion
Leipzig, with Antonio Nusa and Romulo making the most of their few chances, won 2-0 against Werder Bremen and returned to the Champions League in fourth place.
Leipzig gained even more momentum as fifth place Hoffenheim lost 2-1 to Mainz. Union Berlin and Augsburg drew 1-1, while Borussia Mönchengladbach drew 2-2 with bottom-place Heidenheim thanks to Frank Onorato’s goal.
Second place Borussia Dortmund faced third place Stuttgart later on Saturday.
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