Nine-man Bayern rescue point in dramatic Leverkusen draw

Bayern Munich held on for a 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, despite finishing the match with nine men in a dramatic Bundesliga clash at the BayArena.

Leverkusen took an early lead through Aleix Garcia, who cleverly collected a Patrik Schick pass and chipped third-choice Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich, filling in for the injured Manuel Neuer and Jonas Urbig.

Bayern appeared to respond when Jonathan Tah’s header from a corner found the net, but VAR disallowed the goal for offside.

The match turned chaotic just before halftime when Nicolas Jackson was sent off for a reckless challenge on Martin Terrier. Bayern’s hopes of a comeback were further hampered when Luis Diaz, who would later score the equaliser, picked up a second yellow card for simulation after going down under light contact from Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich.

Diaz had earlier converted a precise Michael Olise pass in the 69th minute to level the score. Bayern substitute Harry Kane thought he had struck a late winner shortly after coming on, but VAR ruled it out for handball.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Bayern dug deep in the closing stages as Leverkusen pressed for a winner, with two late efforts ruled out by VAR. The draw keeps Bayern top of the Bundesliga, nine points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund, who beat Augsburg comfortably on the same day with eight games remaining.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany expressed his frustration after the match, calling the referee’s performance “poor” and questioning Diaz’s second yellow card, saying it was “insane” and a “huge blow” for the next game.