Soccer Football – Bundesliga – Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen – Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany – January 10, 2025 Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso reacts REUTERS
Soccer Football – Bundesliga – Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen – Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany – January 10, 2025 Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and Nordi Mukiele celebrate after the match REUTERS
DORTMUND, Germany, (Reuters) – Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga restart on Friday showed the development and discipline of the German champions, coach Xabi Alonso said.
Leverkusen scored three times in the opening 19 minutes and controlled the game throughout against their opponents who were missing half a dozen players due to illness.
“We are very satisfied with the performance and with the win,” Alonso told a press conference. “To come here and win with such a serious performance means that our development is important. A good start to the year.”
Leverkusen, who won the domestic league and Cup double last season, have now won their last six Bundesliga games and have snapped Dortmund’s unbeaten run at home this season.
Alonso’s second-placed Leverkusen are now on 35 points, one behind leaders Bayern Munich, who are in action on Saturday at Borussia Moenchengladbach. Dortmund are sixth on 25 points
“We did the work in the begging (of the game) and then we controlled it,” added Alonso.
His team had scored after 25 seconds through Nathan Tella before Patrik Schick added another in the eighth. The Czech striker then made it 3-1 in the 19th after Dortmund had pulled a goal back through Jamie Gittens.
A 79th minute Serhou Guirassy penalty made it 3-2 but Dortmund could not find an equaliser in a tense finale.
“We did it well with the ball but we also did it really well without the ball. We did not concede much,” Alonso said.
“It is a development of our game that we can compete in this way, to play here with this discipline against a top, top team in Europe.”
Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; Editing by Ken Ferris
