Bayer Leverkusen celebrated Xabi Alonso’s two-year managerial anniversary with a disappointing 2-2 draw against Bundesliga newcomers Holstein Kiel, squandering a two-goal lead and continuing their search for a first clean sheet of the season.Eager to break out of their slow start to the season after recording the worst five-game title defense since Dortmund in 2012/13, Leverkusen started with a bang, storming into a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes. Victor Boniface opened the scoring with a clinical low shot after receiving a short pass from Exequiel Palacios inside the box. Shortly after, Palacios set up Jonas Hofmann deep in the area, and Hofmann blasted the ball home from close range, leaving Kiel stunned.YOU CAN WATCH BONIFACE’S GOAL HEREYOU CAN WATCH HOFMANN’S GOAL HEREBoniface continued to cause problems for the visitors and seemed to have made it 3-0 after Timon Weiner’s misplaced goal kick found Granit Xhaka, who played Boniface through on goal. However, VAR ruled the goal out for offside, keeping Kiel in the game. Despite Leverkusen’s dominance, Kiel managed to pull one back just before halftime when Max Geschwill headed in Lewis Holtby’s perfectly placed corner.Kiel made two attacking substitutions at the break, bringing on Fiete Arp and Benedikt Pichler, signaling their intent to capitalize on their momentum. Though Leverkusen remained the more dangerous side, creating chances like Jonathan Tah’s shot over the bar following a poor Kiel clearance, the visitors relied on counterattacks to push for an equalizer. Pichler nearly got them level with a breakaway that forced a vital intervention from Edmond Tapsoba.Kiel’s persistence paid off when Jeremie Frimpong fouled Armin Gigović in the box, giving them a penalty. Arp confidently converted, sending Lukas Hradecky the wrong way to make it 2-2. Moments later, Kiel almost took the lead when Pichler’s header from Timo Becker’s cross forced a save from Hradecky.YOU CAN WATCH GESCHWILL’S GOAL HEREYOU CAN WATCH ARP’S GOAL HEREIn response to the equalizer, Alonso made a flurry of changes, including bringing on Amine Adli. Despite heavy pressure from Leverkusen in the closing stages—historically a team known for their late goals—the underdogs stood firm. Martin Terrier headed over late on, but Kiel held on for a valuable point, which will feel like a victory given the circumstances. With the draw, Kiel became the first Bundesliga debutant in 13 years to go winless in their opening six matches.Elsewhere, Union Berlin extended their winning run at the Alte Försterei to four matches with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund, highlighted by Kevin Vogt scoring his first Bundesliga goal in a decade.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Dortmund, known for their early defensive struggles, once again looked vulnerable in the opening stages. Early warnings came from former Dortmund defender Tom Rothe and Benedict Hollerbach, but the visitors failed to heed them. Soon after, Nico Schlotterbeck’s clumsy challenge on Hollerbach led to a penalty. In a surprising twist, Kevin Vogt, a center-back with no Bundesliga goals in 275 appearances, calmly converted the spot-kick. His goal set an all-time record for the longest wait by an outfield player to score in the league.YOU CAN WATCH VOGT’S GOAL HEREIncredibly, three of Vogt’s four Bundesliga goals have now come against Dortmund, and his strike spurred Union on. They nearly added a second when Hollerbach sent a dangerous ball across the box, but it wasn’t until the brink of halftime that Yorbe Vertessen doubled the lead. The Belgian forward collected a cleared corner at the edge of the box and fired a low shot through a sea of defenders, leaving Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel with no chance.YOU CAN WATCH VERTESSEN’S GOAL HEREFaced with a 2-0 deficit, Dortmund were forced to mount a response, much like their dramatic 4-2 comeback win against Bochum the previous weekend. Their best chance came from a lightning-quick counterattack, with Maximilian Beier breaking free, but Frederik Rønnow pulled off a sharp save to maintain Union’s advantage. However, Dortmund soon found a lifeline, as Julian Brandt threaded a pass to Julian Ryerson, who slotted a composed finish past Rønnow, cutting the deficit in half against his former club.YOU CAN WATCH RYERSON’S GOAL HEREThe closing stages saw Dortmund pile on the pressure in search of an equalizer, but Union remained dangerous on the counter, with Vertessen, Hollerbach, and Tim Skarke threatening to extend the lead. Despite Dortmund’s efforts, Union held firm to secure their fourth win in seven matches under Bo Svensson, overtaking Nuri Şahin’s side and climbing into the top six of the Bundesliga standings.BUNDESLIGA – MATCHDAY 6Friday Augsburg – M’ gladbach 2-1 (1-0)/Schlotterbeck 38, Claude-Maurice 65 – Kleindienst 72/Saturday Leverkusen – Holstein Kiel 2-2 (2-1)/Boniface 1, Hofmann 7 – Geschwill 45+5, Arp 69 pen/Bochum – Wolfsburg 1-2 (0-2)/Boadu 72 – Tomas 21, Wind 37/Union Berlin – Dortmund 2-1 (2-0)/Vogt 26 pen, Vertessen 45 – Ryerson 62/Werder – Freiburg 0-1 (0-0)/Doan 75/St.Pauli – Mainz IN PROGRESSSunday 16.30: (4.90) Heidenheim (3.60) RB Leipzig (1.75)18.30: (5.90) Eintr.Frankfurt (4.20) Bayern (1.55)20.30: (1.32) Stuttgart (5.70) Hoffenheim (8.50)***odds are subject to change***
