Poulsen’s late strike trims Bayern’s lead
berlin — Yussuf Poulsen’s late goal sealed ten-man RB Leipzig’s 1-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday to trim Bayern Munich’s runaway lead to seven points with seven Bundesliga games left.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern host Borussia Dortmund on Saturday evening when Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — the league’s top scorers — go head-to-head.
But before the heavyweight clash in Munich, second-placed Leipzig took their chance to reduce the 10-point gap and sealed the win in a dramatic final five minutes.
Hosts Leipzig were reduced to 10 men when captain Willi Orban was sent off for a second yellow card on 88 minutes for a marginal foul on Leverkusen’s Germany forward Kevin Volland.
With a large hint of sarcasm, Leipzig’s 24-year-old captain shook hands with the referee before going off having also been booked in the opening exchanges for a challenge on Volland.
But despite the numerical disadvantage, Leipzig claimed the three points through their Scandinavian combination.
Swedish playmaker Emil Forsberg put in the cross — his 16th assistant of the season — for Denmark’s Poulsen to slot home for the dramatic winner.
Leipzig’s victory was a big step towards direct Champions League qualification next season and they are seven points ahead of third-placed Hoffenheim, who crashed to a 2-1 defeat at Hamburg. Elsewhere, ex-Germany midfielder Aaron Hunt stole the show for Hamburg with both goals as Hoffenheim suffered only their third defeat this season.
Wolfsburg, the 2009 German champions, remain on the brink of the relegation battle in 14th — just one point from the bottom three — after their 4-1 hammering away to Schalke, who are in mid-table. —