Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said his side were made to pay for "soft" defending against Werder Bremen.

Bremen twice came from a goal down to snatch a point and leave Leverkusen with a third draw from their last four league games.

Victor Boniface, returning to action after sustaining a hand injury in a car crash last week, opened the scoring in Saturday's Bundesliga contest, yet Marvin Ducksch restored parity midway through the second half.

Felix Agu's own goal put Leverkusen back in front, but late on, Romano Schmid fired in an equaliser.

"The fact that Werder could come back was down to both sides," Alonso said. "We were too soft in defending and they used their chances.

"We can and must defend better. At the moment we are missing a bit of stability. When we win it back then we will improve.

"At the end of the day we cannot be satisfied having twice wasted a lead.

"It is not the first time this has happened to us this season. There are things we need to correct."

Leverkusen's latest slip-up in the league has left them five points off leaders RB Leipzig in third place.

They also drew 1-1 at Brest in the Champions League on Wednesday.

"This feels like crap," said central defender Jonathan Tah. "Like a defeat. We just have to keep defending until the last second.

"The goals we let in were frustrating. I feel responsible. But we will get the chance to silence those talking about us now." 

Bayer Leverkusen twice took the lead but conceded a 90th-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 at Werder Bremen.

Victor Boniface, playing with a bandaged hand, flicked in a Jeremie Frimpong cutback in the 30th minute to put the champions in the driving seat.

He had missed Wednesday's Champions League 1-1 draw at Brest after suffering minor hand and foot injuries as a passenger in a car crash on Sunday, a day after he had scored the winner in Leverkusen's victory over Eintracht Frankfurt.

Boniface, who has now scored six league goals this season, had a chance to add another on the hour but Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer pulled off a stunning save.

Instead, it was Bremen who scored with Marvin Duksch's powerful header in the 74th to level. Their joy only lasted three minutes, though, as Felix Agu, under pressure, spectacularly miskicked for an own goal.

Bremen, however, came back again, and Romano Schmid fired in a 90th-minute equaliser to snatch a point.

Leverkusen are third on 15 points, two behind second-placed Bayern Munich, who are in action on Sunday. 

Data Debrief: Ducksch comes up trumps

Duksch accumulated the second-highest expected goals (xG) total in the game (0.65) and took the most shots in the match (seven).

That tally of shots is the most by a Bremen player in a Bundesliga match this term.

Lukas Hradecky, meanwhile, was making his 200th Bundesliga appearance for Leverkusen, becoming the first non-German player to hit that milestone for the club.

Despite Bremen's late equaliser, they have now won just one of their last 15 competitive matches against Leverkusen.

Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface has recovered well after suffering minor injuries in a car crash and could make Saturday's trip to Werder Bremen, Xabi Alonso has revealed.

Nigeria international Boniface was a passenger in a car that crashed one day after he scored the winner in the Bundesliga champions' 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week.

The 23-year-old, who scored 14 league goals as Leverkusen won their first top-flight title last season, sustained minor injuries to his hand and foot in the collision.

But Alonso has confirmed he is in contention to be involved this weekend, saying on Friday: "We will decide after training today.

"He had a few days to put it behind him. I saw him yesterday and he said he felt better.

"We will wait. If he feels better then he will travel with us to Bremen. Today is training and the last test."

Boniface has scored five league goals so far this season, but he missed their 1-1 Champions League draw at Brest on Wednesday.

Leverkusen are currently fourth in the Bundesliga on 14 points, three off the top after only winning one of their last three matches.

They will be without midfielder Amine Adli for several months after he broke his fibula in the game against Brest, and Alonso recognises he will be a major loss.

"A big loss for us. We will miss him," Alonso said. "A very important player for the squad and always a big influence.

"It was the worst news. Now we have to wait a long time for him."

After thrashing Werder Bremen 5-0 to continue their perfect start to the Bundesliga season, Bayern Munich will celebrate with a trip to Oktoberfest, head coach Vincent Kompany has revealed.

Bayern ran out comfortable winners on Saturday to move up to 12 points from four matches and, with a week to go before their next game against champions Bayer Leverkusen, the league leaders have some time to unwind.

Asked if his team would visit Munich's famed beer festival this week, Kompany told reporters: "We've got to respect every game, and it was important today that we won this game.

"The players are, of course, allowed to be happy and satisfied and then tomorrow is tradition. We have to respect tradition as well.

"We're going to go to Oktoberfest and we've got to have a bit of fun as well and then as of Monday, it'll all be about Leverkusen, the preparation for that game."

The one-sided win over Bremen took Bayern's tally for the past week up to 20 goals, with Kompany's side scoring six in a league win over newly promoted Holstein Kiel last Saturday before demolishing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in a midweek Champions League clash.

"I'm very happy. It was important to prepare well for this tricky game," Kompany said. "The boys did really well. 

"For us the pressure is always there to win and play well. When it works out like today, it's good for us. The atmosphere was great. It was simply a good game for us."

Michael Olise, signed from Premier League club Crystal Palace for a reported fee of €60million in July, scored two goals and set up two more in the win.

Kompany praised the French winger's performance, adding: "He's a special talent. It's a luxury at Bayern to have so many good players. Michael did very well.

"His start at Bayern couldn't be much better. He has to keep going this way. I haven't got the feeling that he's a player who feels much pressure. He just enjoys football."

Free-scoring Bayern Munich extended their perfect Bundesliga start, with Michael Olise getting two goals and two assists in a 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen. 

In an extremely one-sided contest, Jamal Musiala, Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry also scored to ensure Bayern ran out comfortable winners and stayed at the top of the Bundesliga.

Vincent Kompany's side have now scored 20 goals in their last three matches in all competitions, and Olise opened the scoring on Saturday, finishing off a lovely flowing move in the 23rd minute.

He turned provider nine minutes later, making an incredible jinking run before setting up Musiala for a simple tap-in.

Olise then teed up Kane for a goal from the edge of the box and netted the fourth in the 60th minute with a delightful side-footed effort into the top corner.

Substitute Serge Gnabry then wrapped up the scoring five minutes later, curling a low shot into the bottom-left corner against his former club.

Data Debrief: Kompany makes flying start

Kompany is just the third Bayern head coach since 2000 to win their first four Bundesliga games in charge (after Niko Kovac and Carlo Ancelotti).

And he will be delighted with the manner in which they claimed this win, with his team having 25 shots, seven of which were on target as they created an expected goals of 3.09.

That is compared to a dismal Bremen performance as they failed to muster a single shot in the match, managing just 10 touches in the opposition box.

Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany hailed Michael Olise's start to life with the 33-time Bundesliga champions despite his delayed start in Germany. 

Olise, who arrived at the Allianz Arena for a reported £50.7million transfer fee, has four goal involvements (three goals and one assist) in all competitions so far. 

The latest of which came on his Champions League debut in midweek, scoring twice in Bayern's 9-2 thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. 

Olise's brace saw him become the third Frenchman to score two goals on his debut in the competition, after Thomas Deniaud in 1996 and Thierry Henry in 1997.

The 22-year-old's flying start comes after spending much of pre-season playing for France at the Paris Olympics, winning a silver medal at the Games.

"Well, for me, it wasn't that bad that he went to the Olympic tournament, because he arrived in really good shape at Bayern Munich," Kompany said.

"It's exactly what we were expecting. I think he's really playing a big role, which isn't easy when you've arrived in the Bundesliga and at a club like Bayern.

"He will take further steps.

"From my point of view, it's very positive, but I stay calm as well, because I know it's important to continue the way he does in order to experience good times."

Bayern return to Bundesliga action this weekend when they travel to the Weserstadion to face Weder Bremen, hoping to maintain their perfect start. 

A win would see Kompany become the third Bayern head coach since 2000 to win their first four league games in charge (after Niko Kovac and Carlo Ancelotti). 

This weekend's match will be the 115th Bundesliga meeting between Werder Bremen and FC Bayern, making it the most-played fixture in the division’s history.

Only Borussia Monchengladbach (28 times) have beaten Bayern more often than Werder have in the Bundesliga (27), and Kompany is expecting a tough test.

"Bayern against Bremen is a traditional fixture," Kompany added.

"When I played in the Bundesliga, it was a top-of-the-table clash. Bremen have produced a lot of great players.

"It's a special game tomorrow and that's how we'll prepare it."

Kompany was also able to provide an update on the fitness of Manuel Neuer after the veteran goalkeeper was substituted at half-time during Bayern's midweek win over Zagreb. 

"Neuer should join training today and we'll decide after that. We'll discuss it together," Kompany said.

"We didn't want to take any risks against Zagreb but it looks good. There's no other news."

Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin demanded improvements after watching his side play out a goalless draw with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday. 

BVB produced a meek attacking performance at the Weserstadion, with a 20-yard effort from substitute Karim Adeyemi representing their best sight of goal in the second half.

They attempted nine shots totalling just 0.63 expected goals (xG) overall, managing just 14 touches in the area to their hosts' 22.

To make matters worse, Dortmund saw centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck sent off for a second bookable offence in the 73rd minute and had to dig in for their point, leaving Sahin frustrated.

"As Borussia Dortmund, we have to perform differently, even if the team has undergone changes and has a new coach," Sahin told reporters. 

"It would be a very cheap excuse to say it is because of the transfer window. We have worked very well in the market. Still, we are expected to play better."

Dortmund have four points from their first two games of the Bundesliga season and host Heidenheim next time out on September 13, before facing Club Brugge in their Champions League opener five days later.

Borussia Dortmund were held to a 0-0 draw at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Defender Nico Schlotterbeck was sent off for Dortmund in the second half and Nuri Sahin’s side ultimately had to settle for a point.

After an underwhelming start to the match, the visitors were more aggressive following the interval, with substitute Karim Adeyemi making an instant impact with an effort from more than 20 yards out. But Bremen goalkeeper Michael Zetterer was in place to deny the forward.

Dortmund were reduced to 10 men in the 73rd minute when centre-back Schlotterbeck received a second yellow card for sliding in on Bremen forward Justin Njinmah.

BVB still pushed for a winner despite their numerical disadvantage, but a solid Bremen defence withstood late pressure to secure a point at home.

Data Debrief: Defences on top

Neither side can claim they were hugely unfortunate not to have scored, with Dortmund’s expected goals (xG) total of 0.61 only coming in marginally ahead of the hosts (0.41).

BVB did have four shots on target, although all four came from the 58th minute onwards with two of them from substitutes in Adeyemi and Donyell Malen, while Bremen only tested Gregor Kobel – who now has two straight clean sheets – on one occasion.

It was Marvin Ducksch who had the hosts’ only shot on target in his 100th Bundesliga appearance, the first six of which came as a Dortmund player.

The result means Bremen end a run of four straight home defeats to Dortmund in Bundesliga play, although they have now gone nine such matches without a victory.

Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita for the rest of the season and imposed a “substantial” fine after accusing him of walking out of Sunday’s Bundesliga clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

The 29-year-old former Liverpool midfielder did not feature in a 5-0 defeat at the Bay Arena, with his club claiming he had chosen “not to travel to the ground with the team and decided to go home instead” after discovering he was not in the starting line-up.

A statement on the club’s official website said: “Werder Bremen have suspended Naby Keita until the end of the season. The club have also handed the midfielder a substantial fine.”

Guinea international Keita, the statement added, “will no longer train with the team or be part of the first-team dressing room.”

Bremen’s head of professional football Clemens Fritz said: “As a club, we won’t tolerate Naby’s behaviour.

“He let his team down in a time of difficulty surrounding our recent run of form and squad availability and put his own interests above those of the team. We can’t allow that.

“At this stage of the season, we need full focus on the remaining games and a team who stick together. That’s why we’ve been left with no alternative.”

Leverkusen’s win clinched them the title and left Bremen sitting in 12th place, just five points clear of the bottom three with as many games remaining.

Keita, who had a spell in Germany with RB Leipzig earlier in his career, joined the club as a free agent on a three-year deal last summer following the expiry of his contract at Anfield.

Xabi Alonso wants Bayer Leverkusen to grasp their “first chance” to claim a maiden Bundesliga title but insisted he is not attaching any extra significance to the visit of Werder Bremen.

Victory for Leverkusen on Sunday would guarantee the club’s first top-flight title in their 120-year history although they would be crowned champions if Bayern Munich and Stuttgart both lose on Saturday.

With five rounds of fixtures to go after this weekend, Leverkusen have plenty of opportunities to make club history in a season where they have stitched together a 42-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

But while Alonso is keeping the same mantra he has had throughout the campaign, the Spaniard would take some comfort in Leverkusen sealing the crown at the first attempt.

“Obviously there’s this special aspect to the game on Sunday,” Alonso told a press conference.

“We have the chance to be champions. But we’re only focusing on the game itself and want to play with our usual quality and mentality. We don’t want to think too much about eventualities.

“We’ll prepare normally for the game. Luckily, it’s not the only chance we have to be champions. But we’re playing at home and want to take our first chance.

“We’ll approach the game with full respect, because nothing is a given. Our heads are now on Bremen. We’re in a good situation and are focusing fully on Sunday.”

A 25th victory in 29 league games in this campaign will likely lead to an outpouring of celebration from fans at the BayArena and a possible pitch invasion.

“The most important thing is that the fans can celebrate properly,” Alonso said when asked about the prospect.

“They deserve that. But we still have a few games left to play on this pitch. We need the pitch still.”

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel said he will avoid Bayer Leverkusen securing the Bundesliga title on Sunday by watching Arsenal’s Premier League match against Aston Villa instead.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are on the brink of being crowned champions and host Werder Bremen on Sunday.

Even if Bayern beat Cologne at the Allianz Arena a day earlier, Leverkusen – 16 points clear with just six matches remaining – will take their first title by seeing off Bremen.

However, Tuchel, whose side host Cologne fresh from a pulsating 2-2 Champions League draw at Arsenal on Tuesday night, will have his attention elsewhere.

“I won’t be watching the Leverkusen game on Sunday,” he said. “I’ll watch Arsenal.”

The Champions League is the only trophy still up for grabs for the German giants following a disappointing domestic campaign.

And ahead of the quarter-final return leg in Munich on Wednesday, Tuchel has hinted he will rotate his side for the visit of Cologne.

“We’ve got several days between Cologne and Arsenal, but there’s the consideration to throw in some other players and make some changes,” said the former Chelsea manager, who is leaving Munich at the end of the season.

“If we make changes, then it’s more to give players some match rhythm for Wednesday and not to rest anybody.”

Leroy Sane is among those unlikely to feature on Saturday.

The former Manchester City winger impressed for Bayern at the Emirates on Tuesday night before he was substituted in the second half.

“It’s about how much pain he can tolerate,” added Tuchel of Sane.

“We geared everything towards him being able to play for Arsenal. He was an important factor there and played a great game.

“Since he showed a reaction, we’re focusing on him on Wednesday. The plan is for him to return on Sunday or Monday. But if he plays, he’ll show a reaction in his pubic bone again, which will remain the case for the time being.

“It’s clear what assets and talent the boy has. But we’ve been waiting for him to score a competitive goal since October. He got off to an outstanding start to the season, but he’s slowed down a bit.

“The expectations before the Arsenal first leg were huge and he delivered. We expect him to keep pushing himself, then he’ll be a key player for us.”

Tuchel will watch Saturday’s match from the stands after he was shown a fourth yellow card of the season in last weekend’s shock defeat to Heidenheim.

Cologne are four points from safety and Bayern are unbeaten in their last 19 meetings against their opponents on Saturday.

Bayern Munich slipped to their first home league defeat of the season as Mitchell Weiser’s second-half goal earned Werder Bremen a shock 1-0 win at the Allianz Arena.

The visitors, who had Justin Njinmah’s strike ruled out in the 25th minute after a VAR check, looked relatively comfortable for much of the first half against a Bayern side who were looking to close the seven-point deficit to leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Bremen took the lead just before the hour mark when former Bayern man Weiser cut in from the right and unleashed a fierce left-footed shot into the roof of the net.

Ole Werner’s team had Michael Zetterer to thank for preserving their advantage, the goalkeeper producing several superb saves to ensure the away team took home all three points.

Bayern had the better of the early stages, Leroy Sane firing the game’s first shot on target straight into the grasp of Zetterer.

But the away side, who headed into the match unbeaten in four, soon began to grow in confidence.

Jens Stage forced a save from Manuel Neuer, and Weiser’s deflected effort looked to be heading in before the Germany goalkeeper superbly touched behind for a corner.

They thought they had the opener in the 25th minute when Njinmah was set clear on goal and slotted home, but it was ruled out after a VAR check adjudged Jamal Musiala had been fouled in the build-up.

The hosts then almost took the lead themselves when Dayot Upamecano found himself one one one with Zetterer, but he directed his effort straight at the keeper.

Harry Kane had his first real glimpse of goal at the start of the second half when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the box but he powered over the bar.

Bremen took the lead just before the hour when Weiser crashed into the roof of the net from close range.

Bayern pushed for an equaliser, with no-one on hand to tap home after England captain Kane headed a corner back across goal from the back post.

It turned into wave after wave of home attack in the closing stages and they were denied again when Sane’s goal-bound shot was tipped behind by Zetterer.

Bayern went within inches of an equaliser with three minutes to go when Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s cross found Mathys Tel, but the Frenchman’s header was tipped onto the post by Zetterer as the visitors held on.

Bayer Leverkusen returned to the Bundesliga summit with a 3-0 win at Werder Bremen to ensure boss Xabi Alonso enjoyed a memorable 42nd birthday.

Bayern Munich had taken over at the top on Friday night with a narrow victory at Cologne, but Alonso’s unbeaten team provided the perfect response.

An own goal by Olivier Deman broke the deadlock after nine minutes and then it was all about the visitors’ wing-backs.

Jeremie Frimpong made it 2-0 before half-time with a thumping finish from close range and Alex Grimaldo wrapped up a comprehensive win with Leverkusen’s third in the 76th minute to make it 12 league games without defeat.

Stuttgart are third in Bundesliga after goals at either end of the first half from Deniz Undav helped them to a 2-1 victory away to Frankfurt.

Borussia Dortmund make up the top four after they fought back from two down to beat Borussia Monchengladbach in a thriller.

Goals from Rocco Reitz and Manu Kone put Monchengladbach 2-0 up inside 28 minutes, but Marcel Sabitzer started the comeback before further efforts by Niclas Fullkrug, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Donyell Malen inspired an excellent 4-2 triumph for the hosts.

Elsewhere, Wolfsburg got the better of RB Leipzig 2-1 and Union Berlin started the post-Urs Fischer era with a 1-1 home draw with Augsburg.

Barcelona lost more ground in the LaLiga title race after they were forced to settle for a point at Rayo Vallecano.

Unai Lopez fired Vallecano ahead six minutes before half-time with a superb strike from range and Xavi’s side struggled to make their dominance count until the 82nd minute when Florian Lejeune put through his own net.

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Barca substitute Raphinha had strong penalty appeals turned down in stoppage time as it finished 1-1.

Atletico Madrid leapfrogged Barca to move into third after a 1-0 victory at home to Mallorca.

In-form Antoine Griezmann grabbed the only goal of the game with 64 minutes on the clock when he headed home Mario Hermoso’s deep cross to send Diego Simeone’s team into the top three.

Mason Greenwood found the net in Getafe’s 2-1 win at home to Almeria, while Rafael Benitez celebrated a point on his return to Valencia after his Celta Vigo side battled to a goalless draw.

AC Milan returned to winning ways in Serie A against Fiorentina thanks to a Theo Hernandez penalty on a historic night at the San Siro.

Hernandez won a spot-kick in first-half stoppage time and converted from 12 yards to end a four-match winless run in the division for Stefano Pioli’s team.

Pioli helped Milan make history with seven minutes of the match remaining when he introduced 15-year-old forward Francesco Camarda for Luka Jovic to make the teenager the youngest ever player to appear in Serie A.

Napoli got the Walter Mazzarri reign under way with a 2-1 win at Atalanta after goals by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Eljif Elmas, but Lazio suffered a surprise defeat by the same scoreline at Salernitana.

Ciro Immobile put Lazio ahead in the 43rd minute but Grigoris Kastanos’ equaliser and Antonio Candreva’s long-range rocket earned Salernitana a first league victory of the season at the 12th time of asking.

Patrick Vieira’s Strasbourg held Marseille to a 1-1 draw in Ligue 1, while Lens claimed an excellent 3-0 win at Clermont where both teams finished the match with 10 men.

Harry Kane scored and assisted for Bayern on his Bundesliga debut against Werder Bremen in a 4-0 victory.

Bayern’s record signing shone under the lights at Weserstadion as Thomas Tuchel’s men claimed all three points in their opening league game of the 2023-24 campaign.

Leroy Sane was sent through by Kane before neatly finishing with his right foot after four minutes to give the champions a 1-0 lead.

And a bursting run down the left channel by Alphonso Davies resulted in the left-back picking out Kane, who timed his run into the box perfectly before finding the bottom corner after 74 minutes to give his new side a 2-0 advantage.

Sane and Mathys Tel both got on the scoresheet in added time to confirm a
4-0 victory for Bayern on the road.

Villarreal showcased a convincing performance when they beat Mallorca 1-0 away from home to make up for last week’s opening day 3-2 defeat to Real Betis.

The 2021 Europa League winners stifled their opposition with 61 per cent possession before prolific goalscorer Gerard Moreno’s 62nd minute strike gave his side their first points of the season.

Metz held Marseille to a 2-2 draw at home having gone down to 10 men in the second half.

Emran Soglo opened the scoring after 14 minutes when he squeezed the ball inside the near post after receiving a neat pass from new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Aboubacar Lo was sent off after 59 minutes for Metz but the home side responded with goals from Cheikh Sabaly and Georges Mikautadze to give them a 2-1 advantage.

However, Vitinha salvaged a point for Marseille and more than nine minutes of added time failed to produce a winner.

Bayern Munich stretched their lead at the Bundesliga summit to four points as goals from Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane clinched a 2-1 win over a stubborn Werder Bremen.

Having taken advantage of Borussia Dortmund's slip-up at Bochum to go top last week, Bayern knew an 11th consecutive league title is now in their hands as they travelled to the Weserstadion on Saturday.

Thomas Tuchel's stuttering start at Bayern looked set to continue as Werder held firm for over an hour, but Gnabry's close-range finish broke the hosts' resistance before Sane capped a flowing move to make it 2-0.

Though Niklas Schmidt's stunning strike ensured a nervous finish, Bayern clung on to pile the pressure on Dortmund ahead of their meeting with Wolfsburg on Sunday.

Jiri Pavlenka smothered Gnabry's shot from a tight angle early on before making an even better save 20 minutes in, blocking Benjamin Pavard's powerful close-range header.

Werder threatened on the break as Mitchell Weiser went close to converting Romano Schmid's cross, while Christian Gross fired over at the end of a mazy run.

Gnabry misjudged an overhead kick as Bayern's pressure mounted after the restart, and then teed up Sadio Mane to side-foot narrowly wide.

It was Gnabry who made the breakthrough just as Bayern seemed to be running out of ideas. The Germany international lost his marker to sweep home from close range after Jamal Musiala's shot deflected into his path.

Bayern extended their lead 10 minutes later as substitute Sane slotted into the bottom-left corner.

There was a tense finish to come as Schmidt found the top-right corner from long range, but Bayern stood firm to take a huge step towards retaining their title.