Reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen eliminated Bayern Munich from the German Cup, securing a 1-0 victory at Bayern’s Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening in the round of 16.
Nathan Tella netted the match’s only goal in the 69th minute, handing Bayern Munich their first domestic defeat of the season.
The game’s first chance came Bayern’s way in the 7th minute, as Coman unleashed a shot from outside the box, which was comfortably saved by Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Kovar.
In the 11th minute, Upamecano made a misjudgment while clearing the ball, allowing Wirtz to pounce on it and fire a low shot from the edge of the area, which narrowly missed the post.
Bayern were dealt a major blow when goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was sent off in the 16th minute for fouling Frimpong outside the penalty area, with Sane being the one sacrificed for the substitution of backup goalkeeper Pertz.
Leverkusen seized the momentum after the red card, and in the 29th minute, full-back Mukiele advanced to the edge of the box, sending a low shot that just missed the post.
Leverkusen wasted a golden opportunity to take the lead in the 32nd minute when Frimpong latched onto a brilliant pass from Wirtz inside the box. With only Pertz to beat, he fired a low shot that the goalkeeper did well to block.
In the 34th minute, Coman met a corner with a header inside the 6-yard box, but the ball flew over the bar.
The closest chance came from Goretzka in the 43rd minute, when he met a free kick with a powerful header Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Kovar expertly tipped over the bar for a corner.
In the third minute of stoppage time, Kim had a chance to score, heading a cross from Coman just wide of the post, as the first half ended goalless.
Alonso made a tactical change at halftime, bringing on striker Cech in place of defensive midfielder Andric to apply pressure on Bayern and take advantage of the numerical imbalance.
Leverkusen wasted no time making an impact in the second half. In the 51st minute, Wirtz latched onto a low cross inside the box and fired a direct low shot that narrowly missed the post.
However, Alonso’s strategy was disrupted when Cech was forced off with an injury just 15 minutes later. He was replaced by Tela in the 61st minute, and the change proved to be fortuitous for Leverkusen.
Tela made an immediate impact, scoring the decisive goal in the 69th minute. He met a perfectly delivered cross from Grimaldo, unmarked inside the box, and powered a header past the goalkeeper into the net.
Bayern’s substitute Gnabry came close to levelling the score in the 81st minute, firing a powerful shot from inside the area, but it was blocked by Leverkusen’s defence and went over the bar.
In the final moments of the match, Upamecano had a chance to equalize in the 90th minute, meeting a corner with a header that missed the target, as Leverkusen clinched a 1-0 victory and booked their spot in the quarter-finals.
