'We actually deserved to win' - Vincent Kompany defends Bayern Munich despite Bundesliga leaders failing to get a single shot on target against dominant Bayer Leverkusen

Bayern battled to a goalless draw against Leverkusen on Saturday, preserving their eight-point cushion at the top of the Bundesliga despite struggling against their closest rivals. The hosts applied relentless pressure throughout the contest, coming agonisingly close to scoring twice in the first half. Jeremie Frimpong and Nathan Tella both struck the crossbar, but despite their dominance they could not find a breakthrough against Bayern’s resolute defence.

For the first time since Bundesliga records began, Bayern failed to register a single shot in the entire first half. The visitors found themselves pinned back for large periods, struggling to generate attacking momentum against a determined Leverkusen side. Late in the match, Florian Wirtz had a golden opportunity to clinch victory for the hosts, but his effort was squandered, ensuring Bayern escaped with a point.

Despite his side’s struggles, Kompany remained positive, insisting Bayern’s ability to grind out a result was proof of their championship mentality.

"We are now eight points ahead, we got one point. We fought in this game," he told Sky Germany. "We can take the result with us. In the first half of the season, we played very dominantly. We actually deserved to win. Today was another fight, but ultimately we took the point and we look forward."

He added: "If a team deserves to go deep against us, then we showed that we can do that. Of course, you always imagine an ideal game and of course it wasn't, but the lads still fought and ran a lot. We've already scored a lot of goals this season, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case today. But the offence supported our defence. Basically, this game also showed that the right teams are at the top."

Sitting eight points behind Bayern before kick-off, Leverkusen knew a victory was essential to keep their title defence alive. However, the draw means they remain at a significant disadvantage with 14 matches left in the campaign. Bayern will now shift their focus to the Champions League, as they prepare to host Celtic in the second leg of their last-16 play-off before welcoming Eintracht Frankfurt in their next Bundesliga fixture.