Bayer Leverkusen once again displayed their resilience, overturning a 3-1 deficit to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory against VfB Stuttgart on Sunday.
The dramatic comeback reduced Bayern Munich’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to just six points.
Patrik Schick’s decisive header in injury time echoed the kind of last-gasp heroics that defined their title-winning campaign last season.
Leverkusen capitalized on Bayern’s stumble, a 1-1 draw at Union Berlin on Saturday, to keep their title hopes alive.
Under Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen suffered only one defeat throughout the previous season, which came in the Europa League final.
They were on the verge of losing consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time since February 2023 before Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller inadvertently turned the ball into his own net in the 88th minute. Moments later, Schick’s well-placed header sealed an incredible turnaround.
Stuttgart had taken control early on, with Ermedin Demirović opening the scoring in the 15th minute following a rebound from Jamie Leweling’s saved shot.
Nick Woltemade, instrumental in the first goal, doubled the lead with a composed finish early in the second half.
Jeremie Frimpong sparked Leverkusen’s fightback with a low strike, but their hopes took a hit when Granit Xhaka inadvertently deflected a saved shot from Demirović into his own net, restoring Stuttgart’s two-goal cushion.
Piero Hincapié ignited the late charge with a goal in the 68th minute, setting the stage for the dramatic final moments.
With Schick’s heroics, Leverkusen avoided a damaging defeat, while Stuttgart remained in 10th place with just eight matchdays left in the season.
