The 91st Bundesliga encounter between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen is almost upon us. Even this early in the season, the importance of this matchup is difficult to overstate. The Bavarians lead the table three points ahead of the defending league champions. If Bayern win at home, they will double that gap. Despite the fact that Leverkusen only won the Bundesliga for the first time in May, they have often been one of Bayern’s major domestic challengers in recent decades. Last Word on Football brings you five memorable Bayern Munich Vs Bayer Leverkusen matchups in the Bundesliga.
Five Memorable Bayern Munich Vs Bayer Leverkusen Matches in the Bundesliga
Vital Victory for the League Title
The first of the memorable Bayern / Leverkusen matchups we will revisit is from February 9, 2000. The Bavarians came away 4-1 winners and thus jumped to first place ahead of their opponents that day.
Leverkusen had a great side with the likes of Brazilians Emerson and Ze Roberto alongside a talented young German Michael Ballack. In that second half of the season, they would go on to thrill the entire league with their attacking style of play.
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Leverkusen would even overtake Bayern at the top of the league later that season, until they lost their nerve on the final matchday, allowing the Bavarians to win the title race on goal difference. Without success in the head-to-head matchup, that would not have been possible.
Saving the Oktoberfest
The next memorable Bayern / Leverkusen matchup was on September 29, 2007. Like this coming weekend, it was a game between the top two sides in the Bundesliga, at the beginning of the world-famous local Oktoberfest, which is always extra special for the Bavarian club.
Coach Otmar Hitzfeld had an unusual tactical idea:he took the Bayern striker Miroslav Klose back into the midfield, in order to give his team a more compact defensive shape. The move paid off offensively as well because it turned out to be Klose who had the assist on Luca Toni’s 1-0 game-winner.
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It was a cornerstone of Bayern’s successful domestic double-winning season.
Demolishing the Opposition
On October 17, 2021, Leverkusen were again supposedly a key challenger to Bayern. However, the Bavarians weren’t having any of it. They destroyed Bayer 5-0 after just 37 minutes. The match ended 5-1.
The Game That Cost Julian Nagelsmann His Job
On March 19, 2023, Bayern met Leverkusen, in a first match against coach Xabi Alonso.
The Bavarians took the lead via Joshua Kimmich, without ever controlling the game. Two penalties were converted by Bayer’s
Exequiel Palacios, turning it in Leverkusen’s favour. A few days after the 2-1 defeat, Munich’s club leadership made the shocking decision to sack coach Julian Nagelsmann.
A Historic Defeat
Probably the most memorable of the Bayern-Leverkusen matchups was last season on February 10, 2024, when Alonso outcoached Nagelsmann’s successor Thomas Tuchel. The 3-0 result ended any realistic hope for the Bavarians to catch the unbeaten Leverkusen in the title race.
