Soccer Football - Bundesliga - RB Leipzig v Bayer Leverkusen - Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany - January 20, 2024 Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz in action with RB Leipzig's David Raum REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) -Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen twice came from a goal down and then bagged a second half stoppage time winner through Piero Hincapie to snatch a 3-2 win at RB Leipzig on Saturday and remain unbeaten in the league this season.
It was the second consecutive match that Xabi Alonso's team won with a last-gasp goal after their stoppage-time win over Augsburg last week.
Leverkusen, unbeaten in 27 consecutive matches across all competitions this season, are now on 48 points from 18 games, with second-placed Bayern Munich, who play Werder Bremen on Sunday, on 41 from 16 matches.
Leipzig, who have now gone three league games without a win for the first time under coach Marco Rose, are fourth on 33 points, level with fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund, winners 4-0 over Cologne.
"I don't know what this win means for the future but for now it is good to have a positive atmosphere in the team and sit in a good position in the table," Alonso told a press conference.
"We had too many problems in the first half. We improved in the second but it was an intense game. In the end it was the small details from set pieces that made the difference. I am very satisfied.
"It is three more points, we are in a good position but it is still only the first match of the second half of the season for us."
Leipzig completely overran the visitors early in the first half and had missed two golden chances by the time they took a seventh minute lead with Xavi Simons' superb goal after he twice controlled the ball in the air and then turned on the spot to beat keeper Lukas Hradecky.
Leverkusen, who now have more league wins than in the entire previous season, were nowhere to be seen in the first half and also had Jeremie Frimpong taken off injured after half an hour.
But they shot out of the blocks after the break, equalising in the 47th through Nathan Tella after being left completely unmarked at the far post and tapping in an Alejandro Grimaldo cutback.
They came close with Florian Wirtz a little later but Leipzig went back in front against the run of play with a textbook break, a perfect Dani Olmo through ball and a one-touch finish from their top scorer Lois Openda in the 56th.
That, however, only lasted seven minutes as the visitors drew level once more with Jonathan Tah rising high at the far post to head in a curling Jonas Hofmann corner.
The visitors' sensational comeback was complete in stoppage time when Hincapie shook off his marker and slid in at the far post to connect with Grimaldo's corner.
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Christian Radnedge)
