Bundesliga
Neither Hoffenheim nor Bayer Leverkusen were able to find a winner as the teams battled to a 0-0 draw in the final Matchday 28 fixture on Monday.
There was plenty at stake for both sides at kick-off, with Hoffenheim seeking to pull further clear of the relegation zone and Leverkusen out to continue their European push in Hannes Wolf’s second game at the helm. Yet with both sides lacking form – they had a combined three wins from the previous 10 games coming into this one – both took a safety-first approach initially. The hosts were better early on but struggled to seriously test Lukas Hradecky in the visiting goal, Christoph Baumgartner narrowly failing to connect with a free diving header the closest they came to scoring. Leverkusen had the best opportunity when Charles Aranguiz jinked free inside the home side’s penalty area and got a shot away, but Oliver Baumann was well placed to tip it over the bar. Florian Wirtz also had a presentable opening when charging at Kevin Akpoguma in the area, but the teenager was unable to find the space to shoot and was eventually crowded out.
The match followed a similar pattern in the second half and it wasn’t until the 66th minute that there was a clear goalscoring chance. Aranguiz won the ball high in the Hoffenheim half and fed it to substitute Patrik Schick on the edge of the area. The Czech forward nudged it further to the unmarked Nadiem Amiri, but the midfielder’s shot was too tame to trouble Baumann. Jeremy Frimpong caught the eye with a couple of lively dribbles after coming off the bench, while Moussa Diaby got to the byline on two occasions but couldn’t pick out a teammate with his crosses. Leon Bailey was introduced in the closing stages as the visitors pushed for a later decider, but the Jamaican was also unable to find any gaps in a resolute Hoffenheim rearguard, leaving both sides to settle for a point.
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Hoffenheim: Baumann (c) - Posch, Akpoguma (Nordtveit 88'), Richards - Kaderabek, Rudy (Kramaric 38'), Grillitsch, Sessegnon - Baumgartner - Bebou, Skov (Rutter 78')
Unused subs: Pentke, Dabbur, Samassekou, Belfodil, John, Bogarde
Out: Adamyan (hamstring), Bicakcic (knee), Gacinovic (ankle), Geiger (hamstring), Hübner (ankle), Stafylidis (shoulder), Vogt (calf)
Coach: Sebastian Hoeneß
Leverkusen: Hradecky - Jedvaj, S. Bender, Tapsoba, Wendell - Palacios, Aranguiz (c) - Wirtz (Amiri 58'), Demirbay (Frimpong 71'), Diaby (Bailey 86') - Alario (Schick 58')
Unused subs: Grill, Tah, Dragovic, Sinkgraven, Bellarabi
Out: Arias (ankle), Baumgartlinger (knee), L. Bender (knee), Fosu-Mensah (knee), Paulinho (knee)
Coach: Hannes Wolf