Bayern’s Alonso sees red in stalemate
BERLIN: Xabi Alonso saw red as 10-man Bayern Munich laboured to a goalless draw at Bayer Leverkusen at the end of a turbulent week for the Bundesliga leaders.
Spain midfielder Alonso saw red after earning two bookings in quick succession at the BayArena.
Having fouled junior German international Julian Brandt in the second-half, a tactical foul on Leverkusen’s star striker Javier Hernan-dez saw Alonso sent off.
It was the fifth time Alonso, who has played for Liverpool and Real Madrid, has been sent off in his club career and it was his first red in Germany.
The result leaves Bayern eight points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund at the end of a week to forget for the Bavarian giants.
After Monday’s announcement that Pep Guardiola will coach Manchester City, Bayern had to deny allegations midfielder Arturo Vidal was repeatedly drunk at last month’s training camp in Doha.
Both the club and player say they will sue magazine Sport Bild over the claim.
Vidal started against Leverkusen as Guardiola played a back three after injuries left him with only one fit centreback in Holger Badstuber.
Despite having scored 19 goals in as many league games this season, Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski failed to convert either of his two shots at goal.
Leverkusen restricted the visitors to just nine shots overall to the hosts’ six.
Earlier, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Bundesliga’s top-scorer, had also failed to score in Dortmund’s uninspiring goalless draw at Hertha Berlin with Jose Mourinho watching.
Aubameyang, who has netted 20 league goals, had a rare off day in Berlin, managing just 11 touches in his 71 minutes.
Less than a fortnight before their Champions League last 16, first-leg clash at Ghent, Wolfsburg crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Schalke to remain winless in their last five games.
The result pushed the Royal Blues up to fourth as Wolfsburg drop to eighth.
Stuttgart are now up to 11th, five points from the bottom three, with their fourth straight league win in a bad-tempered 4-2 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt as both sides finished with 10 men.
Hanover remain rooted to the bottom of the table after their 1-0 defeat at home to Mainz as Spanish midfielder Jairo scored the firsthalf winner. — AFP