In the duel corresponding to the twenty-first day of the Bundesliga, a fight between Exequiel Palacios and Kevin Stoger interrupted the 1-1 draw between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, at the Borussia-Park stadium.The incident, which involved several players and forced the intervention of the referee, marked the most tense moment of an afternoon full of pressure for both teams.
The situation broke out in the 68th minute when the Leverkusen midfielder and world champion with the Argentine National Team disputed a ball near the touchline with Kevin Stoger, from Mönchengladbach.After a foul, both players exchanged pushes while their teammates tried to separate them.In the struggle, Stoger managed to tear off Palacios’ shirt, who was left without his clothing in the middle of the field.The scene caused a melee in which members of both teams and referee Christian Dingert intervened, who finally decided to caution the two protagonists and continue the match.
Regarding the match, Borussia Mönchengladbach took the lead after ten minutes thanks to a rebound taken advantage of by Jannis Engelhardt, who celebrated his birthday with the first goal of the afternoon.The goal came after a shot by Haris Tabakovic that Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich could barely contain.The pressure from the locals and a defensive error allowed Engelhardt to convert from the six-yard box.
The reaction of the visiting team came shortly before half-time.In the 44th minute, a powerful shot by Aleix García from outside the area caused an accidental deflection by Philipp Sander, Mönchengladbach defender, who put the ball into his own goal.The equality allowed Leverkusen to maintain the expectation of a comeback and consolidate its position at the top of the table.
During the supplement, the intensity did not decrease.Patrick Schick was close to overtaking the team led by Kasper Hjulmand with a shot that hit the left post.Then, a shot from Jens Castrop forced Blaswich to make an outstanding intervention to maintain parity.The atmosphere became even more tense after the altercation between Palacios and Stöger, which led to a yellow card for each.
In the final stretch, neither team managed to break the tie.The result left Bayer Leverkusen in fifth position in the Bundesliga, after having interrupted a streak of four consecutive victories in all competitions.Hjulmand’s team had won two victories in the local tournament, one in the Champions League against Villarreal and another in the DFB Pokalante against St Pauli.For its part, Borussia Mönchengladbach extended its drought to five games without a win and occupies 12th place, just three points above the relegation zone.
The equality continues a negative trend for Gladbach, which has not defeated Leverkusen since November 2019. Coach Eugen Polanski, despite the adverse streak, has the support of the leadership, according to what president Rainer Bonhof declared to local media during the week before the clash.
In the individual section, Exequiel Palacios entered the second half to replace Equi Fernández, while Alejo Sarco had minutes in the local team.
