Leipzig slipped out of the Bundesliga’s top four as goals from Adam Hlozek and Nadiem Amiri secured Bayer Leverkusen a 2-0 victory in the 29th round.
The Red Bulls assumed control from the start and staged a lively opening period as Kevin Kampl and Josko Gvardiol came close in quick succession, reports Xinhua news agency.
Leipzig dominated possession and attempted some long-range efforts, while Leverkusen defended deep and looked for counterattack opportunities.
The Werkself posed more danger in front of Leipzig’s area as Piero Hincapie’s header rattled the woodwork at the half-hour mark.
Leverkusen eventually scored the opener with 40 minutes gone when Moussa Diaby’s cutback pass allowed Hlozek to finish the job following a fast break.
Leipzig increased the pressure after the restart, but Christopher Nkunku pulled wide from a promising position in the 62nd minute, and goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky palmed away Timo Werner’s dangerous shot five minutes later.
Leipzig’s hopes of a comeback were dashed in the closing stages as Dominik Szaboszlai received his marching orders after conceding a penalty in the 86th minute. Amiri stepped up and kept his nerves from the spot to make it two.
“I’m very proud of the team. If you don’t play well, you must be willing to fight and suffer. The team was ready for it. It might not have been our best game, but the three points are the most important thing for us,” said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso.
“It was a game we mustn’t lose, but we still lost. We started well and had a lot of control. Then at some point, we forgot to work properly towards the goal. We didn’t have enough speed and sometimes acted improperly,” said Leipzig coach Marco Rose.
Elsewhere, Union Berlin maintained its third place in the standings after seeing off Borussia Monchengladbach with Sheraldo Becker’s sole goal, while Freiburg secured its second straight win after crushing relegation-threatened Schalke 4-0.
