Bayer Leverkusen temporarily went clear of Bayern Munchen with their 21 win over Wolfsburg. (Photo: ZumaPress)
Though the scoreline won’t reflect the control Leverkusen had on Saturday’s match at the BayArena, the Bundesliga leader’s 2-1 win over VfL Wolfsburg exhibited all the qualities you would want to see in a title contender: stars who can control a match, great organization in attack and defense, and the ability to overcome adversity – this time in the form of an opponent pushing the limits of the referee’s patience.
While the match was scoreless after half, Bayer would get a goal from Stefan Reinartz and an own goal created by Eren Derdiyok en route to three point that kept them atop the league.
Wolfsburg effectively clogged up the pitch through the first twenty minutes, though the hosts progressively showed more control of the match, forcing their guests to become more physical in their attempts to restrain Leverkusen. Slowly, Bayer started to translate that control into chances, as in the twenty-third minute, when Toni Kroos put a chance on goal the right of goal, 18-meters out. That, the subsequent corner, and a Stefan Kießling half-chance on a counter showed the match turning midway through the first half.
Leverkusen almost threw away the fruits of their methodical work through a poor giveaway at the back, with Stefan Reinartz attempt to move the ball to the right flank intercepted by Edin Zdeko (who barely had to move). The Bosnian striker went fifty meters with the ball and forced René Adler into a save lest Zdeko find the far corner from 12 meters out.
But after that chance (in the 27th minute) Leverkusen regained control. Their chances they had generated in the minutes before had put the Wolfsburg defense on its heals. The physicality of the visitor’s resistance had waned, and a well-organized Leverkusen attack was able to threaten Andre Lenz from a number of angles. At one point prior to the thirtieth minute, center half Sami Hyypïa had jumped into attack and was close to opening scoring.
Stefan Keißling would nearly head Bayer in front in the 38th minute thanks to service from the right from Tranquillo Barnetta. By that time, Leverkusen’s breakthough looked inevitable. The individual talents in Wolfsburg’s attack still occasionally created a threat, but good organization forced those threats to come from the flanks, with Zdeko and Grafite having to drift away far from goal in order to collect the ball
Despite the relatively lop-sided play in the first half, the match went into intermission drawn nil-nil.
The second half saw Leverkusen resume their control, seeing little resistance as they fed Keißling between central defenders. But it was a mistake on a set piece from Lenz that would open the book for Bayer Leverkusen.
In the 48th minute, a Toni Kroos ball to the middle of the area targeting Reinartz was intercepted by Lez, but when he failed to catch the ball, Reinartz was able to flick the ball around Lenz and into the next for an unfortunately (for Wolfsburg) opening goal.
The opener seemed to break Wolfsburg, with the visitor’s defense providing almost no opposition to Leverkusen’s advances, which become more direct after the first goal. And with Wolfsburg maintain more possession as they tried to build for an equalizer, Bayer’s advances were coming in the form of counters, testing a Wolfsburg defense that had deteriorated over the course of the match.
That deterioration only helped Keißling terrorize the central defense, particularly Jan Simunek, who picked up a yellow card in the 65th minutes while taking down the Bundesliga’s leading scorer and then was nearly dismissed for another tackle on Keißing two minutes later. Simunek’s tactics seemed to take hold through the Wolfsburg side, as the defending champions committed five fouls in four minutes ending in the 67th.
That last foul, given by captain Josué, left to another set piece goal, with Kroos against providing service from the right flank, finding the head of Eren Derdiyok who, even with the near post, put the ball onto the crossbar, The rebound went down, hit the boot of Lenz, and went in for an own goal. Bayer was up, 2-0.
In the 79th minute, Wolfsburg gained a lifeline when substitute Ashkan Dejagah, from the right flank, found Zvjezdan Misimovic on a run into the box. Misimovic cut the ball back across goal, finding Zdeko who, having his first shot saved by Adler, put home the rebound to bring Wolfsburg within one.
But Zdeko’s goal came very much against the run of play, and when the match resumed, the old story continued playing out. Bayer controlled play while Wolfsburg continued chopping them down, including a second near-dismissal for a Simunek challenge on Kießling.
Wolfsburg would have two chances for a late equalizer. Josué made a poor decision when put in on Adler, elected to roll the ball back across goal from eight meters out when he had both sides of goal to choose from. Misimovic did better with his chance, a blast for the edge of the box that Adler steered wide.
The win kept Leverkusen atop the Bundesliga, pending Bayern München’s result. For Wolfsburg, it extended a league winless streak that extends back to a November 7 win at Hoffenheim – a streak that’s now at ten matches.
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