The unbeaten run finally ends! Bayer Leverkusen's historic Bundesliga streak stopped at 462 days as RB Leipzig get the better of Xabi Alonso's men

Leipzig refused to be written off even after falling behind by two goals in the first-half. Just before the half-time break they found hope when former Leverkusen midfielder Kevin Kampl reduced the deficit. The goal shifted the momentum, and Leipzig emerged from the dressing room with renewed determination. Lois Openda, who had been relatively quiet in the first half, came alive with a clinical finish just 12 minutes after the restart. And 10 minutes from full-time, he struck again to secure a stunning comeback victory for Leipzig that ended Leverkusen’s long-standing unbeaten run.

Leverkusen’s defeat is a significant setback for the reigning Bundesliga champions, who had not lost a league match since their 3-0 defeat to Bochum on the final day of the 2022-23 season, a remarkable 462 days ago. Whereas, for Leipzig, this victory extended their unbeaten run in the Bundesliga to 13 matches, a streak that dates back to the previous season.

After the defeat, the Leverkusen boss told reporters: “Congratulations to Marco and RB Leipzig on the win. We’re taking a lot of positives and negatives from this game. We played well in the first half. We were happy with that and wanted to build on that in the second half. In the second half we had no control and gave Leipzig too much space. We didn’t do well in the last line. We will learn from these mistakes. It’s not good to let an opponent come back after a 2-0 lead. But it’s a process, we’re still early in the season. After the 2-0 lead we were in a good flow, but then we have to be ready to defend. We want to attack together, but we also have to defend together. We will work on the game after the international break.”

Leipzig’s head coach Marco Rose was sent off during the first half by referee Matthias Jollenbeck after he vehemently protested a challenge by Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah on Openda. However, he did not go back to the locker room and instead sat in an unoccupied seat in the Leverkusen stand. Soon a child came up to him but the manager remained seated and instead struck up a conversation with the fan for the rest of the half.

Leverkusen will seek to bounce back and re-establish their dominance in the league after the international break when they take on Hoffenheim on September 14 away from home.