A stunning second-half comeback saw Heidenheim beat Bundesliga’s reigning champions Bayern Munich 3-2 in what was their first-ever competitive meeting at the Voith-Arena.It’s been a case of ‘mission complete’ for the league newbies, who sat comfortably clear of the relegation zone ahead of the game. Despite that safety blanket, this was undoubtedly one of Heidenheim’s biggest games in their history and that was a sentiment felt in a raucous crowd. Bundesliga’s youngest club felt the force of its oldest member in the first half however, with Bayern looking for redemption after being beaten 2-0 by rivals Borussia Dortmund last weekend.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The visitors’ dominance eventually told seven minutes before the break, with Thomas Müller, making his 700th competitive appearance, involved in the buildup for Harry Kane’s opener. After Müller had flicked the ball over a Heidenheim defender, Serge Gnabry rolled the ball to Kane who made no mistake with a close-range finish which moved him to 32 goals for the campaign and one closer to Robert Lewandowski’s Bundesliga record of 41. Bayern then doubled their lead just minutes later, via Gnabry’s six-yard header after he was found in acres of space.Frank Schmidt, German football’s longest-serving manager, rang the changes within his Heidenheim side at the break in an attempt to play the second period more aggressively. It was a masterstroke from the veteran boss, as one of those substitutes Kevin Sessa grabbed his first Bundesliga goal on 50 minutes – the forward slotting in from 10 yards after he was neatly played through down the middle.Stunningly, the hosts would grab a leveller just 86 seconds later when a whipped cross was met by Tim Kleindienst’s side-footed volley. The decibels had moved up a notch in the stadium but Bayern continually threatened to spoil the celebrations in a fantastic second half which saw both sides searching for the killer blow.Kane went close to his second on several occasions, before Sessa nearly doubled his own scoring for the day as his powered header was denied by a phenomenal Sven Ulreich save. Ultimately, a magical day for Heidenheim fans was capped off with just 10 minutes remaining, when Kleindienst calmly slotted home from inside the area to seal a memorable second-half turnaround and yet more misery for Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern men.Meanwhile, in the nation’s capital, Bayer Leverkusen moved to within three points of their first-ever Bundesliga title with a hard-fought 1-0 win over 10-man Union Berlin in the German capital, breaking a club record for most wins in a single season in the process (36).After progressing to the DFB-Pokal final in midweek, Xabi Alonso shuffled his pack somewhat as Leverkusen looked to move a step closer to the Meisterschale. Key players were still present though, and flying wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo was the first to go close for Die Werkself as his free-kick from the edge of the area needed to be tipped round the post by Frederik Rønnow. Union’s goalkeeper was in action again soon afterwards, reacting brilliantly to palm Borja Iglesias’ header over the bar, denying the Spaniard his first goal for the Bundesliga leaders.28 – Bayer 04 Leverkusen have remained undefeated in their 28th game of this Bundesliga season (W24 D4) – a joint-Bundesliga record, only FC Bayern previously went undefeated in their first 28 games in 2013-14. Insurmountable. #FCUB04 pic.twitter.com/8Tz5QWrIYr— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) April 6, 2024 Grimaldo then dragged an effort wide, while Robert Andrich also found himself denied from range by Rønnow before the first half descended into chaos in its final moments. First, Robin Gosens was shown a second yellow card for a trip on Nathan Tella, and Leverkusen won a penalty from the subsequent free-kick. Christopher Trimmel was adjudged to have blocked a goalbound shot with his arm, and while the full-back escaped personal punishment, Florian Wirtz made Union pay, stepping up to confidently dispatch from 12 yards with the final kick of the opening period.Armed with a numerical advantage, Leverkusen penned Die Eisernen into their own defensive third as they set about extending their lead. Clear-cut chances were hard to come by however, as Union shut up shop and frustrated their opponents, though Rønnow was required to beat away a low effort from the impressive Tella.The long-awaited return of bulldozing striker Victor Boniface failed to ignite the visitors’ forward line, but such was their dominance, Die Werkself saw home yet another victory to move to the brink of a first-ever title. Bayern Munich’s shock loss at Heidenheim means Leverkusen can seal the deal with a victory over Werder Bremen next Sunday as Alonso’s men stand on the precipice of greatness.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 28FridayEintr. Frankfurt – Werder 1-1 (0-0)/Tuta 77 – Veljkovic 62/SaturdayKoln – Bochum 2-1 (0-0)/Tigges 90+1, Waldschmidt 90+2 – Passlack 54/Freiburg – RB Leipzig 1-4 (0-3)/Grifo 59 – Haidara 2, Openda 18, 44, Sesko 54/Mainz – Darmstadt 4-0 (1-0)/Hanche-Olsen 32, Gruda 60, Lee Jae-Sung 80, 84/Union Berlin – Leverkusen 0-1 (0-1)/Wirtz 45+7 pen/Heidenheim – Bayern 3-2 (0-2)/Sessa 50, Kleindienst 52, 79 – Kane 38, Gnabry 45/19:30: (2.25) Dortmund (3.60) Stuttgart (3.05)Sunday16:30: (2.30) Hoffenheim (3.60) Augsburg (3.20)18:30: (1.88) Wolfsburg (3.50) M’ gladbach (4.20)***odds are subject to change***
