Bayer Leverkusen Triumphs Over Bochum 3-1 As Alonso's Side Closes In On Bayern Munich

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Bayer Leverkusen secured a 3-1 victory over Bochum on Friday, reducing the gap to Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich to three points. Victor Boniface and Amine Adli scored in the second half, ensuring the win after Bochum had levelled in the first half. The result places Leverkusen in a strong position as they aim to challenge Bayern for the title.

Leverkusen's coach, Xabi Alonso, started with two forwards, Boniface and Patrik Schick, while Florian Wirtz was sidelined due to injury. This strategy paid off as Aleix Garcia opened the scoring with a powerful shot from outside the box after 20 minutes. However, Bochum quickly responded six minutes later when Felix Passlack scored from a rebound.

After halftime, Leverkusen intensified their efforts to regain the lead. Boniface capitalised on being unmarked at the far post, scoring his eighth league goal of the season with his knee in the 60th minute. Jeremie Frimpong nearly extended their lead but missed narrowly following a swift counter-attack.

In an exciting finish, Adli secured victory with a precise shot from an Exequiel Palacios pass in the 87th minute. Granit Xhaka almost added another goal during stoppage time but hit both posts instead. This win elevates Leverkusen to 59 points, trailing Bayern by three points with seven matches remaining.

The first half saw both teams evenly matched, each managing two shots on target. Bochum slightly led in expected goals (xG) with 0.24 compared to Leverkusen's 0.22. In contrast, Leverkusen dominated after halftime with nine attempts worth 1.94 xG while limiting Bochum to five shots (0.27 xG).

Boniface emerged as a key player for Leverkusen, recording three shots and two on target, contributing significantly to their xG total with 0.88 xG. Alonso expressed confidence earlier this week that his team would challenge Bayern until the end of the season.

Bayern Munich will face St Pauli at home on Saturday as they aim to maintain their lead at the top of the table with 62 points.