Draw against Leverkusen

Sebastian Hoeneß’s side produced a sensational first-half performance against the league leaders at a sold-out MHPArena, putting them under pressure straight away and creating a number of chances in a dominant first 45 minutes.

Führich breaks the deadlock

VfB were rewarded for their efforts in the 40th minute when Chris Führich deservedly put the hosts ahead following some fine build-up from Josha Vagnoman.

Wirtz equalises

Florian Wirtz levelled the score early in the second half after finding himself unmarked inside the penalty area (47’). The match then developed into a hard-fought battle between two teams on an equal footing who each demonstrated some eye-catching moves. The final 1-1 scoreline keeps high-flying VfB third in the table.

Goals

40th minute: Vagnoman gets the better of Alejandro Grimaldo down the right and squares the ball for Führich, who is left with a simple finish from close range.

47th minute: Victor Boniface plays a superb pass into the middle for the unmarked Wirtz, who equalises with a shot into the left-hand corner.

Reaction 

Sebastian Hoeneß: “I’m very proud of this 1-1 draw. In the first half we didn’t manage to make it a better scoreline than 1-0. We wanted to put Leverkusen under pressure, and we did that. We created more chances than they did. Their goal hurt us. That’s when we started to feel the strain of the intensive midweek game, and we suffered. By sticking together and with the little bit of luck we earned for ourselves, we managed to see the result over the line. The fans witnessed a brilliant game.”