BERLIN: Leaders Bayer Leverkusen matched the best ever start to a Bundesliga season with 31 out of 33 points in their first 11 matches after their 4-0 win over Union Berlin on Sunday with goals from Alex Grimaldo, Odilon Kossounou, Jonathan Tah and Nathan Tella.

That equals Bayern’s Munich record from 2015/16.

Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen team have won 16 of their 17 matches in all competitions and lead the Bundesliga by two points from the Bavarians going into the international break.

They have also won their last 12 games in a row in Germany and internationally.

“We are very satisfied with what we have done in this period since the previous international break,” Alonso said. “We have played with a lot of focus and concentration all the way until this match today. But there are still a lot of matches and a lot can happen in football and suddenly all expectations are gone.”

Later on Sunday, RB Leipzig struck twice in two minutes late in the game to snatch a 3-1 victory over Freiburg and leapfrog Borussia Dortmund into fourth place.

A 79th-minute penalty from Lois Openda and Christoph Baumgartner’s strike a minute later handed the hosts victory. The Bulls are now on 23 points in fourth place, with Dortmund in fifth on 21.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Eintracht Frankfurt came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Werder Bremen.

Bremen striker Marvin Ducksch celebrated his first Germany call-up with a penalty and Rafael Borre scored to give Bremen a 2-0 lead, but Ellyes Skhiri and Hrvoje Smolcic scored second-half goals to claw back a point.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2023