Leverkusen kicks off 2025 with win over illness-hit Dortmund as Bundesliga returns

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DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen started the year with a big boost to its Bundesliga defensive hopes by beating a depleted Borussia Dortmund 3-2 on Friday.

Nathan Tella scored 25 seconds into the first Bundesliga match of 2025 and Leverkusen scored on their first 3 shots against Dortmund, who were missing six players and had to lock themselves in a makeshift defensive line.

Leverkusen moved within a point of league leaders Bayern Munich, who have injury problems of their own ahead of Saturday’s clash with Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was able to celebrate a win over his former Real Madrid teammate Nuri Sahin, whose sixth-placed Dortmund could drop to 10th by the end of this weekend, depending on other teams’ results.

“We’re obviously very satisfied, very proud. Winning here is extremely hard,” Alonso told broadcaster DAZN. “We did it with this discipline and with this good fighting mentality to keep going until the last minute.”

Patrik Schick scored twice in the first half to move to 11 goals in his last seven Bundesliga games, ensuring Leverkusen were without injured striker Victor Boniface.

“We’re seeing a super Patrik with his great will to improve and we need him,” Alonso said.

Dortmund had 70% of the possession, but their threadbare defense struggled to cope with rapid counterattacks. Jamie Gittens’ early goal kept Dortmund in the festival and when Leverkusen’s Edmond Tapsoba conceded a penalty for a reckless challenge, Serhou Guirassy switched the ball in the 79th minute to put Leverkusen in tension late on.

An outbreak of illness meant Dortmund were without players such as midfielder Emre Can and centre-backs Nico Schlotterbeck and Waldemar Anton, as well as ongoing injury problems.

Among the four defenders, Yannik Lührs and Almugera Kabar were starting a Bundesliga for the first time, Yan Couto was starting his fourth league of the season and Julian Ryerson, right back, took on an unfamiliar central role. .

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