Galactica’s Victory Severs Leverkusen’s Path to the Final!
Bayern Munich winger Luis Diaz scored and was sent off in a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen (INA FASSBENDER) Leaders Bayern Munich held on for a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen despite finishing with nine men in an eventful Bundesliga clash on Saturday. Second-placed Borussia Dortmund's comfortable home win at Augsburg drew them nine points behind reigning champions Bayern with eight games to play. Aleix Garcia's goal gave Leverkusen the lead and Bayern striker Nicolas Jackson saw red before half-time.
Luis Diaz levelled things up but then picked up a second yellow card for diving in the box. Bayern held firm to grab a point, even as Leverkusen had two efforts chalked off in stoppage time. Bayern also had strikes from Jonathan Tah and substitute Harry Kane ruled out by VAR for handball in a sometimes manic match at the BayArena.
"It was a poor performance from the referee," Bayern coach Vincent Kompany told DAZN. "Why he (Diaz) gets a red card, nobody in the stadium knows anymore, it's insane... "Someone needs to explain to me why that's a yellow card at that stage of the game.
"It's a huge blow and he'll be out for the next game. " Leverkusen, who held Arsenal to the same scoreline on Wednesday, travel to London for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash on Tuesday. Garcia finished off a fluid team move to put Leverkusen ahead six minutes in, the Spain midfielder collecting a Patrik Schick pass and chipping the ball over third-choice Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, playing with Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig out injured.
Former Leverkusen centre-back Tah looked to have levelled things up midway through the first half when he found the net from a corner, but VAR intervened. Bayern's hopes took a further hit when Jackson saw red for sinking his studs into Martin Terrier's ankle just before the break. With 30 minutes left, Bayern brought Kane on as a substitute after his recent absence with a calf knock and the England captain thought he had scored just 47 seconds later, but again VAR spotted a handball.